Prolonged Night Hours returns to Animal Kingdom in Fall 2024 as a part of a Birthday party Season transfer at Walt Disney Global. This publish stocks date(s), main points, and technique for making the most of the on-site perk for visitors staying at a Deluxe Lodges, DVC Villas, and make a choice different resorts.
For many who are new to Walt Disney Global holiday making plans, Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours is midnight counterpart to Early Theme Park Access. There are a number of variations, maximum particularly that visitors staying at Price or Reasonable Lodges don’t seem to be eligible for Prolonged Night Hours. (Some may name those a paranormal perk of additional hours…or most likely additional magical hours for the sake of brevity? I dunno, simply spitballing higher identify concepts.)
Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours has two forms of hotel eligibility, happens two nights a week, is at two parks, and runs for 2 hours (just about the whole lot concerning the perk happens in twos). It’s generally Monday at EPCOT and Wednesday at Magic Kingdom. See our Technique Information Information for Prolonged Night Hours at Walt Disney Global for extra bits and bobs of the midnight Deluxe get advantages.
Walt Disney Global has already up to date the calendar reflecting that Prolonged Night Hours will transfer from Magic Kingdom to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Wednesdays, beginning with September 25, 2024. The transfer has no longer but been formally introduced via Walt Disney Global, however you’ll see the exchange by way of the My Disney Enjoy app. Prolonged Night Hours are as soon as once more at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on October 2, 2024. (We already reported in this–it’s no longer brand-new information.)
Interestingly, the calendar skips the next Wednesday–there are not any ExEH that day in any respect–and jumps to Friday, October 11, when Prolonged Night Hours shall be hosted at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the primary time in 2024. Ultimate 12 months, ExEH was once held at DAK for a number of make a choice dates in November and December, and we anticipated a go back of that during 2024.
This was once to be anticipated on account of Birthday party Season, which starts in early August however doesn’t in point of fact kick into prime equipment with a complete time table till past due September. Ultimate 12 months, the very same factor came about–Disney’s Hollywood Studios started webhosting ExEH in past due September. Then Animal Kingdom hosted ExEH all through the Christmas season as the other as a result of each Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios had vacation events.
Lately, the calendar lists Prolonged Night Hours as going on from 6 pm to eight pm at Animal Kingdom on October 11, 2024. There’s a cheap chance that park final will shift later, and ExEH will in truth run from 7-9 pm and even 8-10 pm.
As for why Animal Kingdom is beginning Prolonged Night Hours so early this 12 months, my wager is on account of Columbus Day the next Monday. That’s a vacation weekend, and person who has traditionally coincided with the peak of fall spoil for college districts that topic maximum to Walt Disney Global attendance. That weekend will nearly indubitably be the busiest at Walt Disney Global in lots of months, surpassing past due September on the finish of the present price ticket offers and almost definitely attaining heights no longer observed since spring spoil season.
For the reason that and the hot crowds seen at and previous to ExEH in Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, it’s in truth a shockingly savvy transfer to shift Prolonged Night Hours to Animal Kingdom. That are meant to assist redistribute crowds, making the opposite 3 parks fairly much less busy and Animal Kingdom much less of a ghost the city on the tail finish of the day.
That’s in point of fact the one rationalization I will recall to mind for this determination. There’s not anything within the time table to signify Wednesday, October 9 has a struggle (despite the fact that a park buyout for a practice or no matter wouldn’t be indexed, anyway). Irrespective of whether or not it’s this or a non-public after hours tournament at DHS on October 9, I feel it’s secure to mention that that is almost definitely a one-off for Animal Kingdom till Disney Jollywood Nights and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Birthday party necessitate moving Prolonged Night Hours to DAK for the vacation season. We’ll stay you posted on that as extra dates are added to the calendar, so keep tuned.
For now, what follows is our “pitch” on midnight at Animal Kingdom and making the most of Prolonged Night Hours there…
We like Animal Kingdom at evening. Smartly, when it’s open after darkish–however that’s generally the case throughout the vacation season because of Sunlight Saving Time and previous sunsets. Pandora – Global of Avatar appears nice at evening, and takes on a unconditionally other setting that’s strangely serene even if it’s busy. (It generally isn’t busy at evening.)
Whether or not Prolonged Night Hours at Animal Kingdom finally ends up being “just right” or “dangerous” in point of fact depends on crowd ranges and climate. If it’s in point of fact scorching throughout the day, extra other folks will take noon breaks and attend ExEH. We steadily see the worst crowds for Prolonged Night Hours at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT no longer throughout the busiest occasions of the 12 months, however throughout the freshest. Whilst summer time crowds have reduced as a complete, ExEH crowds have worsened.
Animal Kingdom has any other factor, which is its skill to soak up crowds (or quite, its incapability to take action). That is all the time true, which is why there’s a ‘tipping level’ when DAK is going from utterly manageable to insanely crowded, with out a lot of a rather busy in-between. Such is the character of a restricted experience roster.
We’ve discovered that there’s one thing of a tipping level, when the park is going from pleased and manageable to overall chaos. Even if we weren’t there for it, my working out is that came about throughout the ultimate ExEH throughout the week between Christmas and New Yr’s Eve ultimate 12 months. Previous in November, the ExEH we attended at Animal Kingdom was once downright pleasant. Given the massive distinction between fall spoil and NYE crowds, we’d be expecting this October ExEH to be somewhat delightful. This is, assuming it isn’t overly scorching throughout the day. Whether it is, all bets are off.
So far as technique is going, Avatar Flight of Passage is the primary substantive draw of Prolonged Night Hours at Animal Kingdom. Experiencing it with a minimum wait is a large promoting level of the perk; visitors will surely acknowledge this, seeing ExEH as an alternative choice to paying for Lightning Lane Unmarried Cross.
That’s precisely why Flight of Passage shall be busy firstly of Prolonged Night Hours. In accordance with our previous revel in throughout particular occasions and evenings at Animal Kingdom, our recommendation could be to avoid wasting Flight of Passage till the tip of the evening.
We’ve performed occasions throughout which Flight of Passage posts a 60-90 minute wait firstly, is a walk-on after the primary hour, and has whole theaters going just about empty against the tip. There were events when nobody else was once in all of the theater (no longer simply our load space–all of them). It was once surreal having a look left and proper whilst using the banshee and seeing a sea of empty seats on an appeal this is amongst the most up to date at Walt Disney Global.
As strange as this may sound, there’s a just right reason why for the fall-off: Flight of Passage’s pre-show. For those who’ve most effective skilled the appeal a handful of occasions, the awkward and rambling pre-show may strike you as mildly worrying. Check out experiencing that very same pre-show 4 consecutive occasions and also you’ll to find it interminably lengthy and bordering on torture (communicate concerning the final first-world hyperbole, however nonetheless).
In idea, you’ll want to almost definitely experience Avatar Flight of Passage a couple of occasions throughout Prolonged Night Hours at Animal Kingdom. The whole revel in from getting into the queue to exiting and strolling again to the entrance of the road as a walk-on levels from 19 to 22 mins (relying upon strolling pace, load time, and whether or not you may have Pandoran parasites).
Alternatively, maximum visitors should not have the endurance to topic themselves to that pre-show that repeatedly in one night. It simply isn’t imaginable. As majestical, detailed, and euphoric because the experience revel in itself is, you’ll be spending the majority of your time within the pre-show each and every time, and that’s simply an excessive amount of. Sadly, there is not any method to skip the pre-show because it incorporates the protection spiel.
That is exactly why the road will drop off sharply for Avatar Flight of Passage throughout the process Prolonged Night Hours. Other folks gets their fill at the start of the development, and no longer do it once more both because of the lengthy line they encountered the primary time, the lengthy pre-show, or each.
Accordingly, the most efficient way to Prolonged Night Hours at Animal Kingdom is beginning in Asia and doing Expedition Everest, doubtlessly again and again. The entire experience revel in there may be considerably shorter and it will have to be a an identical tale with the road. You should almost definitely do Expedition Everest a couple of occasions in brief order in case your frame is as much as it.
From there, doing Dinosaur is sensible (if it isn’t extinct via then) prior to finishing the evening in Pandora – Global of Avatar the place you will have to have the ability to knock out each Na’vi River Adventure and Avatar Flight of Passage with minimum waits.
Our rationale for this technique is that everybody goes to move to Pandora first. It’s the primary draw, and why 95% of persons are going to wait Prolonged Night Hours at Animal Kingdom. No longer most effective will ExEH visitors flock to Pandora, however day visitors will nonetheless be there firstly.
After about an hour, day visitors shall be lengthy long gone, and Prolonged Night Hours visitors will even begin to transfer directly to different spaces of Animal Kingdom. The ultimate half-hour or so, you will have Pandora just about to your self. No longer most effective will you have the ability to benefit from the points of interest with minimum wait, however you’ll benefit from the atmosphere of Pandora at evening devoid of crowds.
I like the bodily atmosphere of Pandora, however it’s typically so chaotic that it’s tricky to experience. At evening, it’s generally so devoid of people who the “natural” atmosphere there may be a lot more convincing–really like an alien planet being reclaimed via nature. Strolling round different spaces of the park is in a similar fashion fulfilling.
In truth, that is the upside of Prolonged Night Hours at Animal Kingdom from our viewpoint. Whilst I believe Animal Kingdom to be the weakest of the 4 parks at evening, this is very a lot a relative time period–even the “weakest” on this case remains to be incredible, and extremely underrated.
It’s no longer simply the moody setting, it’s the serene sounds and simply normal peacefulness of the park. For those who’ve most effective performed DAK throughout scorching days, you are going to have a unconditionally recent viewpoint on it–noticing main points you’ve by no means observed prior to and leaving with a newfound appreciation for the park. I promise!
The largest problem to Prolonged Night Hours at Animal Kingdom is the whole lot that isn’t open. Kilimanjaro Safaris, Pageant of the Lion King, Discovering Nemo: Large Blue & Past, or Feathered Pals in Flight, all of which these days finish operations neatly prior to 6 pm.
Accordingly, we’d suggest arriving a couple of hours early, and allocating that point to different points of interest, degree displays, and likewise the superb vacation season leisure that gained’t be open or carried out throughout Prolonged Night Hours. Right through the development, you’re essentially going to be repeating points of interest, as so few are open.
In the long run, Prolonged Night Hours at Animal Kingdom is an tournament that leaves me conflicted. At the one hand, I choose midnight within the different 3 parks, and I additionally desire ExEH in each Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom from a realistic viewpoint given the experience rosters in each and every of the ones parks.
Animal Kingdom is improbable at evening–criminally underrated when you believe the park’s commonplace final time out of doors of a couple of months of the 12 months. It’s an actual disgrace that so few Walt Disney Global visitors revel in Animal Kingdom within the night, as all of the park takes on a unique vibe–particularly Pandora – Global of Avatar. Greater than anything, this in point of fact simply makes me want Animal Kingdom had a (just right) midnight impressive and bigger experience roster so other folks stayed past due right here on common days.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be making the most of Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Disillusioned concerning the loss of ExEH at Magic Kingdom for the general few months of the 12 months? Hoping extra Prolonged Night Hours dates are presented at DAK for the vacation season? Do you settle or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will be able to assist you to solution? Listening to your comments–even whilst you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas under within the feedback!
