I love Animal Kingdom. I know that for a lot of people, it’s a half-day park, a place to go knock out a couple of rides and be on your way. But I love it. I love walking around and taking pictures, I adore the Tree of Life, and I could ride Everest and Kilimanjaro Safari over and over (and I have, on several occasions). I admit, I would be happy if DinoLand were completely demolished, but that’s another story.
As long as I have been going to the parks, I have always wished that I could ride Everest at night. So when I heard that Animal Kingdom was getting nighttime entertainment, I was thrilled! I scheduled two nights of our trip to make sure we got to do everything. The thing that really struck me on both nights was that the park seemed relatively empty. Wait times were low and the only huge crowds seemed to be around the time that the Jungle Book show was letting out. So did the nighttime entertainment meet my high expectations? In some ways, absolutely! In other ways, not so much. Let’s take a look at all of the things I experienced.
Everest After Dark
I’m a big, big fan of coasters, and Everest is my favorite at any of the Disney parks. Riding in the dark has always been on my Disney Bucket List, and I was extremely excited to check it off. Everest at twilight was actually my favorite – seeing the sky and all of the twinkling lights below. Riding in the complete dark didn’t disappoint, either! It felt like you were better able to see the Yeti, probably because your eyes were already adjusted to the dark. Over the course of two evenings, I probably did 6 rides. Lines were extremely short and the single rider line was almost nonexistent. This was definitely a highlight – it was just as amazing as I had always imagined it would be. If you’re a fan of this ride, then riding at night is an absolute must-do!
Kilimanjaro Safari: Nighttime Edition
The Safari is one of my favorite things to do at Animal Kingdom, because it is always different, and sometimes you get a really unexpected and up-close view of an animal. I was excited to try it at night, and we went on at a few different times to see what the best time might be. We went on around 6:30 (still light), 7:45 (dusk), and 8:30 (fully dark). The ride at dusk was definitely the best. It seemed to be feeding time for a lot of the animals, so we got a good look at a lot of them, but it also felt different being out there slightly later than usual. The lions were even up and about at this time! When we went in the complete dark, we didn’t see nearly as many animals. It was also nearly impossible to get any pictures, at least using my iPhone. It was really cool to get a different experience on an attraction that we have been on so many times, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’ve never been on the safari during the day. They have lights on the jeep, and lights strategically placed in the trees throughout the ride. Another thing that I also noticed in the evening: they were only loading from one side, so this slowed things down a little. It operated that way both nights we were there, but the line was still pretty short compared to the wait during the day. I’m glad I got to experience this, even if the nighttime safari wasn’t all I had hoped it would be. Now I just need to check off the Wild Africa Trek, and my AK Bucket List will be complete!
Tree of Life: Awakening
Around sunset each night, the animals on the Tree of Life begin to “awaken”. Sometimes they just slightly move, but there are also four different entire animated sequences (lasting around five minutes each) that are accompanied by music. Imagine something similar to the “Celebrate the Magic” projection on the Castle, but with animals. I thought this was really charming, and since it happened at various times throughout the evening, you could walk up and catch it at any time. We stood and watched for quite awhile, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. I would love it if new sequences were eventually added, but I consider this a hit and a definite must-see. Please note that since it is a projection, it’s only visible from the front of the tree.
The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic
By now, you’ve probably heard all the bad reviews about this show. Let me just add: they’re all true. This show was unbelievably awful. I was so excited about Rivers of Light, and I was bummed that it was delayed. The theater that was built for it is absolutely gorgeous, and seeing all the lights right at dusk is breathtaking. Thankfully, the Jungle Book show has now ended and if you haven’t seen it yet, you’ve missed your chance (September 5th was the last show). It was basically Indian-style music and dancing to the Jungle Book soundtrack, while scenes from the movie were projected onto water in the background. There were also some cast members that danced up and down the aisles. It was painful. It was boring. And every single person in our party hated it. Most of them had no idea of the bad reviews going in, and I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to influence their opinion. It was surprisingly bad for a show put on by Disney, which just speaks to the fact that it was quickly thrown together as a replacement. Fingers crossed that Rivers of Light arrives quickly!
Overall, I loved being at Animal Kingdom after dark, and I can only imagine that it will get even better once Rivers of Light debuts and the expansion is finished. While we were there, the park felt fairly empty, and it was really fun to walk around and just enjoy the views. It seemed like a good deal of the vendors were open late, as well. I stopped to ask what time they would stop serving drinks in the Harambe Market, and the answer was 10pm.
Unfortunately, Animal Kingdom began to cut their nighttime hours right after our trip. They are currently still open until 9pm, so you can still enjoy lots of nighttime activities, but you’ll have to hurry. The hours scale back to 8:30 in October and then to 6:00 in November. I’m looking forward to experiencing Animal Kingdom at night even more once the new show and expansion are ready!