Hoping I was misinformed about AK hours in september

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

I will be so sad if this is true! I can handle no ROL, but will be bummed since I booked later in the year to allow time for delays. But if they stop ALL the night time stuff after Sept 5 I will be terribly disappointed for our mid Sept trip. I'm so looking forward to AK as an evening park, even if not late night. I hate leaving at 5:00.

 

[shanethesaint88]

I will be so sad if this is true! I can handle no ROL, but will be bummed since I booked later in the year to allow time for delays. But if they stop ALL the night time stuff after Sept 5 I will be terribly disappointed for our mid Sept trip. I'm so looking forward to AK as an evening park, even if not late night. I hate leaving at 5:00.

I agree! I was there over the weekend and skipped out on the nightime stuff because i knew i was coming back in september and knew criwds would be crazy its first weekend

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

If I had a dollar for every time I heard a guest say "Well, they told me on the phone..." followed by something totally and completely wrong, I could probably buy a private island to retire on.

 

[DebbieB]

Josh of easywdw stated today in his December hours intro a RUMOR he believes is possibly true that the Jungle Book show will be ending on September 5th as currently scheduled and the ROL show will not be ready until late November. He states he thinks it is definitely possible that the AK will close early in the Fall.

That is disappointing. I was there May 8 to 15, we had planned on ROL and late AK hours that were supposed to start in April. We had also hoped that Frozen might be ready, rumor was May 1. Nope. Now planning to go again Oct 22 to 29, may not be late AK again.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Never trust anything a CM tells you. Most of them give the wrong information. With that being said, I doubt that AK will close at 5 everyday in Sept. Especially with all the new entertainment being introduced. If anything, it will close at 5 on SOME nights. Sept. is a time of year that is supposed to be less crowded....compared to times like Christmas week or Summer so they might close at 5 some nights, but stay open later on busier days like weekends or EMH days. MK seems to have this type of system. On busier days, or some nights, they have the Main street electrical parade and Wishes and stay open later. On other nights they have closed as early as 7 and skip the night time entertainment. Or maybe Disney is just waiting and will change AK's hours once it gets closer to Sept. We'll just have to wait and see.

 

[tink9702]

I will be so sad if this is true! I can handle no ROL, but will be bummed since I booked later in the year to allow time for delays. But if they stop ALL the night time stuff after Sept 5 I will be terribly disappointed for our mid Sept trip. I'm so looking forward to AK as an evening park, even if not late night. I hate leaving at 5:00.

YES I was really hoping AK would at least be open until 7/8 so we could at least experience a bit of the nighttime stuff. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for now.

 

[RedAngie]

I agree with everyone posting that it would make no sense to have this just as a summer event. I guess my worry is, he said for the month of September. Meaning that maybe rivers of light will not be completed and with the poor reviews of the jungle book, maybe nighttime hours will be suspended until rivers of light is fully complete?

Hoping its not the case but that is the main thought that popped in my head.

Oh, I hadn't heard that Jungle Book is getting poor reviews. I guess I should search this forum.

It would suck if AK doesn't have nighttime hours past Labor Day. I didn't go to AK in late April when ROL was postponed (for only a month, supposedly). I thinking of returning to Orlando in late September or October, and will probably skip AK again if it closes at 5pm.

 

[Mikie]

So disappointing if this is true. In general, looking forward to AK at night, and I thought it would be so cool to have more options and more to look forward to in party season when MK closes early so often.

 

[CMNJ]

Here is the deal with phone/chat CMs etc.

They can only help with or state as fact what is happening RIGHT NOW! written down in front of them. If they proclaim to know ANYTHING that is not actually happening or officially announced .... they are probably making it up. SADLY all are trained to never say "I don't know" so they just seem to make stuff up cause that makes sense....

So they can book today's special offers, not predict future. They can read to you posted hours, they can't predict the changes that will come. They can book existing dessert and event parties, they can not predict future After Hours, Club Villain or anything else that hasn't been announced.

Don't even bother asking them anything that you probably couldn't look up on your own on reliable sites. Once had a lively discussion with someone ranting about their training as a phone CM and they knew everything, to the point of calling me names...... and our topic was they said they could 1000% guarantee connecting rooms at hotels every time ............. we all know how that ends for many.

I've never had issues with phone CMs cause I ask them nothing that I don't already know.



Even if Jungle Book ends ....... highly doubt that they will close down the Tree, the two parties and the new restaurant - way too much invested. A high level project manager another poster had Dinner with Imagineer with said when they were asked said there are other shows in the pipe that can be put on after Jungle Book until RoL is ready. I think that's been a solid guess since Disney started advertising AK at night with Alive with Magic and no reference to JB, just an open end.

Could it happen, sure. Will it? WOW, if they go back to no night activities after all this - HUGE ADMITTANCE OF FAILURE! I see saving face and staying open and acting like no big deal.

I'm the other poster @HopperFan mentioned. I had dinner with one of the senior project managers overseeing the AK expansion (Pandora as well as ROL/night time activities). I specifically asked if AK would remain Open at night and the Jungle Book would continue on until ROL was ready since they had only announced information for the summer and we were returning in the fall. He said once the new activities debuted Memorial weekend that it would have evening hours going forward. He said ROL would not be launched until they were sure it could perform consistently to Disney's standards. In the interim they were doing the Jungle Book show and had "many" other shows they could put on in that theater until ROL was ready.
Obviously something could change but clearly Disney's intention is to make AK a full day park including evening hours.

 

[jhaig]

How is anyone supposed to plan anything anymore? Open late, open til 5pm? I may just forget it, be spontaneous for once and just show up at 3pm with fingers crossed.
Hmmmm...

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Josh of easywdw stated today in his December hours intro a RUMOR he believes is possibly true that the Jungle Book show will be ending on September 5th as currently scheduled and the ROL show will not be ready until late November. He states he thinks it is definitely possible that the AK will close early in the Fall.

I do think this is a possibility. Overall reviews for both Jungle Book and the night time safari have been lukewarm at best. If ROL is not ready, they could decide to cut back on hours.

How is anyone supposed to plan anything anymore? Open late, open til 5pm? I may just forget it, be spontaneous for once and just show up at 3pm with fingers crossed.
Hmmmm...

We're going in September and I've never had this much trouble planning my trips before. I have lots of extra ADRs because even my backup plans have backup plans.