NEW Harambe Nights event Summer 2014 Animal Kingdom

[MaryKatesMom]

Can someone post a link to Nikkibelle's Trip Report from last night? I can't find it.

TIA

 

[ginalmarie]

Harambe Nights was phenomenal, The food, service, merchandise, and performance were all unique and worth the money. Some tips I would recommend is to come to the park early. I came around 5:30PM, and my girlfriend and I received wristbands for cheetahs. Each section of the theater is a separate animal- giraffe, lion, elephant, cheetah.

I believe that you are seated based on when you enter the park and receive a wristband. Something I also noticed was that the premium seating was bad! It was all floor seating so unless you're fortunate to get the first row, your vision isn't any better than general admission. General admission is tiered seating, just like for Festival of the Lion King.

If you are first in line for your animal line (find out which line is which so you can get a good place), you have a better chance at front row and decent seating. I believe the right side outside the theater was cheetahs and lions, whereas the side closer to the theater fastpass entrance was giraffes and elephants.

Don't worry about food running out, the food is a bottomless pit, and there's hardly any lines for the food- which is amazing. The appetizers are decent, but are not good for picky eaters. There is a unique Lion Chow offering as a snack during the show. There are also displays of fruits, desserts, and savory meals following the show.

Overall it was great! You should try it out before it ends!

 

[AngiTN]

Sounds great. We are arriving at 4:00, or close to it, with plans to get in a couple hours of park touring time.

 

[ckelly14]

Sounds great. We are arriving at 4:00, or close to it, with plans to get in a couple hours of park touring time.

We arrived at 430 and we able to do a ton of rides before the show. Everest was literally walk- on for the last 1.5 hours. Kids rode it 6 times.

 

[ckelly14]

Harambe Nights was phenomenal, The food, service, merchandise, and performance were all unique and worth the money. Some tips I would recommend is to come to the park early. I came around 5:30PM, and my girlfriend and I received wristbands for cheetahs. Each section of the theater is a separate animal- giraffe, lion, elephant, cheetah. I believe that you are seated based on when you enter the park and receive a wristband. Something I also noticed was that the premium seating was bad! It was all floor seating so unless you're fortunate to get the first row, your vision isn't any better than general admission. General admission is tiered seating, just like for Festival of the Lion King. If you are first in line for your animal line (find out which line is which so you can get a good place), you have a better chance at front row and decent seating. I believe the right side outside the theater was cheetahs and lions, whereas the side closer to the theater fastpass entrance was giraffes and elephants. Don't worry about food running out, the food is a bottomless pit, and there's hardly any lines for the food- which is amazing. The appetizers are decent, but are not good for picky eaters. There is a unique Lion Chow offering as a snack during the show. There are also displays of fruits, desserts, and savory meals following the show. Overall it was great! You should try it out before it ends!

Agree with everything you said including the premium seats being the worst seats in the house. Glad we didn't pay extra. Also I would suggest getting in early. We were all the way in the back. There was no obstruction but it seems we were far from the action.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

We were very pleased with everything at Harambe nights last night. Our 17 and 13 year old sons also loved it. Definitely felt like VIPs all evening. We stayed until 10:30 and were in a bus to AKV within 10 minutes.

Did it seem like the event was as well attended as Disney had hoped?

 

[ckelly14]

It sounds like you had a magical night! I'm happy for you and your family. It sounds like a once in a lifetime experience! I am very interested in going to Harambe Nights, but I'm worried that this expensive event may not have enough interest or food choices for my ds10 and dd13. Did you feel that your children were interested in the show? Were they able to find something to drink/eat? Were you able to see well from your seats? I read a review where they said their view was obstructed slightly by the orchestra. Did your family go into animal kingdom early and walk around animal kingdom or were you directed straight to the event venue? What time did you eventually make it back to your hotel? These would be deciding factors for me. I appreciate your help!

For me, I would gladly pay to see again but wouldn't take the kids. My kids are early risers so they were dead tired before the show ended. We did manage to hang on until 10 and were back at the hotel by 1030. Wish I could have stayed longer. Kids that are used to staying up late would probably do fine. Unfortunately, I did not see any "kids food". My daughter age 8 is an adventurous eater so we found a few things she liked. My son is not so we asked and received a box meal with carrots, a peanut butter and jelly snack, and Apple slices. Even my club at home has a "kids buffet" so I was a bit disappointed in this. We sat pretty far in the back but the views are pretty good throughout. Get to the theater early.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

For me, I would gladly pay to see again but wouldn't take the kids. My kids are early risers so they were dead tired before the show ended. We did manage to hang on until 10 and were back at the hotel by 1030. Wish I could have stayed longer. Kids that are used to staying up late would probably do fine.

Unfortunately, I did not see any "kids food". My daughter (age 8) is an adventurous eater so we found a few things she liked. My son is not so we asked and received a box meal with carrots, a peanut butter and jelly snack, and Apple slices. Even my club at home has a "kids buffet" so I was a bit disappointed in this.

We sat pretty far in the back but the views are pretty good throughout. Get into the theater early.

Ckelly...did it seem like the event was well-attended? I noticed some saying that there were absolutely no lines for the food.

 

[ckelly14]

Did I seem like the event was as well attended as Disney had hoped?

It was completely sold out, so I'm not sure how much better it could be!

 

[Ferrentinos]

Unfortunately, I did not see any "kids food". My daughter (age 8) is an adventurous eater so we found a few things she liked. My son is not so we asked and received a box meal with carrots, a peanut butter and jelly snack, and Apple slices. .

Who did you ask for this kid's box? It sounds like the Agent P Power Pack that we have gotten for DD3. We know that there won't be much for her to eat and we plan to actually have her eat dinner before the Welcome Reception. We are also planning an all-important nap before we head over to AK!

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

It was completely sold out, so I'm not sure how much better it could be!

Yeah...I guess that is pretty good!

 

[ckelly14]

Ckelly...did it seem like the event was well-attended? I noticed some saying that there were absolutely no lines for the food.

I see what you mean. Yes, the theater was was completely packed. The lack of lines was due to excellent service and multiple food stations, not the lack of attendance.

 

[iona]

We were a little disappointed with last night if I'm honest. We made the mistake of paying for "premium" seating but the way it was laid out meant that my six foot plus husband couldn't see anything and, whilst I was fortunate enough to catch bits, it was only because I was on the end of a row.

 

[ethanwa]

I'm glad we decided not to go (because of the kids). From what I am hearing, if you have young kids, this is a no-go based on the food and the late night. Plus, it will save you a lot of money if you aren't bringing two extra people who really won't have the best time (a.k.a. kids).

Sounds cool for adults though! Glad you all had a great time.

 

[ckelly14]

Who did you ask for this kid's box? It sounds like the Agent P Power Pack that we have gotten for DD3. We know that there won't be much for her to eat and we plan to actually have her eat dinner before the Welcome Reception. We are also planning an all-important nap before we head over to AK!

We just asked one of the waitstaff. I think it's a bit crazy that you have to go to dinner before the event, considering the money we paid. How difficult would it be to put out a few chicken nuggets?

 

[ckelly14]

We were a little disappointed with last night if I'm honest. We made the mistake of paying for "premium" seating but the way it was laid out meant that my six foot plus husband couldn't see anything and, whilst I was fortunate enough to catch bits, it was only because I was on the end of a row.

Premium seats were ridiculous. They should give you your money back...

 

[safetymom]

Photos from opening night. http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2014/06/08/harambe-nights-debuts-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/

 

[AngiTN]

Ckelly...did it seem like the event was well-attended? I noticed some saying that there were absolutely no lines for the food.

Last night was sold out so it could not have been more. Remember, this is a very limited attendance event. Limited to the number that can fit it the venue for Lion King. It is not going to have the lines like other parties have. Hence the doubled ticket price and free food and drinks

 

[DonaldDuck21]

How long did the show last?

 

[ckelly14]

How long did the show last?

55 minutes