When it comes to Disney After Hours Animal Kingdom, there's a few things you should know before planning your trip. Disney invited my family and I this year and I've got the inside scoop just for you. This is my honest review with dates, ticket prices, open rides, and more!
A few months ago, I was invited to experience Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom. I didn't know much about the event but I immediately accepted the invite because Disney never disappoints. After attending Disney After Hours for the very first time, I was completely hooked. It quickly became my favorite special-ticketed Disney event. I even found myself enjoying it more than Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, which is saying a lot! So, when I was invited to experience Disney After Hours at Animal Kingdom, I obviously said yes. My husband and I rearranged our schedules to make it work because it's so worth it!
What is Disney After Hours at Animal Kingdom?
Disney After Hours is a special-ticketed event that allows a limited amount of guests enjoy the park after closing hours. For the Disney After Hours Animal Kingdom event, you'll experience the park from 7:00 pm until 11:30 pm. This means you're exploring the wild after the regular parks guests and animals have gone to bed.
So, what's the point? There are a select number of rides open during these hours. This means – no lines! When I say no lines, I literally mean you walk right onto the rides without waiting at all.
Notice the 5 minute wait time? We walked RIGHT onto the ride!
You can even visit Pandora: World of Avatar without the crowds. If you've been waiting for a chance to hop on the most epic ride of all time, Flight of Passage, this is exactly how you want to do it!
Flight Of Passage ride wasn't even full!
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Na’vi River Journey
- Pandora Drummers – Swotu Wayä
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- DINOSAUR
- Rivers of Light
- Tree of Life Awakenings
- It’s Tough to be a Bug!
- TriceraTop Spin
- And more!
*All attractions and entertainment are subject to change without notice.
I even walked onto my favorite Disney World Rollercoaster, Expedition Everest, without waiting at all. It was a true joy and a breath of fresh air.
Disney After Hours at Animal Kingdom is also loaded with FREE TREATS for guests! I'm talking full-size ice cream bars, bottled beverages, and popcorn. Oh, and the best part – all treats and drinks are 100% unlimited. If you want to eat 20 ice cream bars, then go for it! My favorite is the Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich. Yum!
Disney After Hours is also a great time to take photos in the park that you'd normally need to wait in line for!
Disney After Hours Animal Kingdom Tickets & Prices
As of December 2018, the ticket prices are $125 per person. This is a just a little bit more than a regular ticket price, but so worth it.
My only complaint about the Disney After Hours at Animal Kingdom is that you don't get to see the animals. The safari is closed and all other animals are away for the night. If you're visited the park expecting to see the animals, you will be disappointed. This includes the characters. All of the typical Animal Kingdom character meet & greets aren't open, but we did get to enjoy a dance party with Chip & Dale in their Dinosaur costumes which was super cute! We also got some photos with the characters in Pandora!
We got to visit during the holidays, so you'll see lots of photos with beautiful holiday decor!
Event Dates
Guests with Disney After Hours tickets can enter the park at 7:00 PM every event night.
The event takes place from 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM:
- Tuesday, December 4, 2018
- Wednesday, December 12, 2018
- Tuesday, December 18, 2018
- Tuesday, January 8, 2019
- Wednesday, January 16, 2019
- Tuesday, January 22, 2019
- Thursday, January 31, 2019
- Tuesday, February 5, 2019
- Wednesday, February 6, 2019
- Tuesday, February 12, 2019
- Wednesday, February 13, 2019
- Tuesday, February 19, 2019
- Tuesday, February 26, 2019
- Tuesday, March 5, 2019
- Wednesday, March 20, 2019
- Wednesday, March 27, 2019
- Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Get your tickets today!
I'll be posting about Disney After Hours Hollywood Studios soon, so be sure to keep an eye on the blog. In that post, I'll be giving the final verdict on which of the three parks is the best for Disney After Hours! As of now, Magic Kingdom is my favorite because there's a lot more to do and you get the whole castle to yourself which is great for photos!
[…] favorite part of Disney After Hours in Animal Kingdom is definitely being able to experience Pandora: World of Avatar without the lines, crowds, and at night, which is really when Pandora comes to […]