Planning Tips Reviews

Event Review: Disney After Hours at Animal Kingdom

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Let the fun begin!

Event Details:

  • Select nights at Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom (not Epcot)
  • $125/person, $95 with Annual Passholder discount
  • 3 hour window after park closes (i.e. 9:00pm-12:00am)
  • Can arrive starting at 7pm at the park for the event (without a regular park ticket)
  • Limited restaurants and stores open
  • Some snacks and drinks included with price of ticket (Mickey bars!!)

Our Experience:

The Tree of Life at night is a totally different feel than during the day.

My husband and I went to our second Disney After Hours, this time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We had never been to that park at night before, so we were excited to check it out! 

We got there at about 8:30pm since we flew in to Orlando that evening, and that was when the park closed to the public. As we were walking in, floods of people were leaving, so we took that as a good sign. We headed straight for Pandora. 

The floating mountains at night are spectacular.

Pandora at night did not disappoint – it was pure magic! I love the Avatar movie and the World of Avatar, so seeing everything lit up at night was breathtaking. We were starving when we arrived, so we went to the walk up Pongu Pongu for dinner (yum!). As soon as we finished dinner, the crowds were noticeably quieter. We walked on to Flight of Passage around 9pm, when the event was scheduled to start and waited maybe 10 minutes for the ride! It took about 25 minutes to get through the queue/pre-show videos. 

Expedition Everest at night is so cool!

After that, we hit up Na’vi River Journey, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest and watched the Rivers of Light Show! We had never seen the show before and absolutely loved it. We walked right up as the show was starting and it was empty – it felt like we had a personal viewing of the show. Then we headed back to Pandora to ride Flight of Passage one more time before we left and got through it even quicker the second time. We got off the ride at 11:59pm and were wiped. 

Rivers of Light is an amazing show – we had never seen it before!

It was the perfect amount of time for us to hit all of the available attractions, but still feel like we got to enjoy the park and weren’t rushing around. We would highly recommend this event and felt like it was worth the money to experience Animal Kingdom at night with very limited crowds. 

WDW Park Planner Tips:

  1. Get there at 7pm
    • You’re able to enter the park starting a 7pm. If you want to do any of the attractions that are closed during the event (Kilimanjaro Safari), or dine a any of the restaurants that are closed (I wanted to go to Nomad Lounge), get there early! We weren’t able to because of when our flight got in, but if we do another one I would definitely get there early!
  2. Ask and you shall receive! 
    • The cast members let us stay on Dinosaur twice in a row without having to go through the queue again (as much as I do love that pre-show video). Usually cast members will be pretty accommodating when the crowds and lines are quiet! Maybe not for Flight of Passage, but always worth asking 😉
  3. Take an Uber/Lyft home
    • We had a long day of work, travel and hitting the pavement at Animal Kingdom, so by midnight we were exhausted! The bus line was surprisingly long for the Boardwalk (and was combined with the Beach and Yacht Club), so we didn’t even know if we’d make the first bus. We decided to “splurge” on our $7 Lyft back to the resort. Worth every penny to be in bed by 12:45am 🙂
Reviews

Restaurant Review: Yak & Yeti

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Rating:

Location: Animal Kingdom

Yak and Yeti is an Asian-style sit down restaurant in Animal Kingdom set in the mountains of Nepal. The theming and food is great, and it’s one of the few lunch and dinner sit-down options at the park.

Our family started going here a few years ago and have really enjoyed it. I love Asian food, so this spot is definitely a favorite of mine! It’s nice to sit in the AC and get a break from the park, especially when Animal Kingdom gets so humid in the summers.

What we like:

We didn’t always stay at Animal Kingdom for lunch (we’d head back to the resort and have lunch at the pool) because we never found somewhere we all liked, but this spot is a great option for families. They have an extensive menu, so even if someone in your group doesn’t like Asian food, they should be able to find something they’ll enjoy.

Things to note:

Because there aren’t a ton of sit down options at Animal Kingdom, reservations are essential for lunch and dinner here. Like most places now in Disney, if you just try to walk up and put your name in, you likely will wait a very long time, if you get in at all.

WDW Park Planners Tip:

Everything is very spread out at Animal Kingdom, so for your feet’s sake, you need to plan ahead before entering this park. Coordinate your Fast Passes with your dining reservation at Yak and Yeti. It’s right next to Expedition Everest (and Dinosaur and the Finding Nemo show aren’t too far away), so keep that in mind when choosing times!

Planning Tips

Why You Should Go To Walt Disney World as an Adult

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Walt Disney World is fun for adults (and you don’t have to have kids to go)!

Since launching WDW Park Planners, I’ve had more people say to me, “I never thought about going to Disney as an adult until I read your blog and newsletter!”

I love hearing this! I feel like I’ve done my job if I’ve successfully persuaded non-Disney people to just consider going to Disney.

Aside from the fact that adult beverages are now served at all of the parks, there are TONS of other great reasons to visit The Most Magical Place on Earth without kiddos. Read my top picks for adults at each location!

Magic Kingdom

This here’s the wildest ride in the wilderness!
-Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Walt Disney World is so much more than Dumbo and It’s a Small World. Magic Kingdom is home to what we fondly call “the mountains:” Space, Big Thunder and Splash. These are some of the best thrill rides in all of the parks, so try all three if you’re brave enough!

Or, stay for some late night fun and enjoy the breathtaking fireworks show “Happily Ever After.” Disney does fireworks better than anyone, and this show in particular really tugs on the heart strings (it gets me every time!).

Epcot

France has the best Grey Goose slushie drink!

The first place I usually tell adult groups to go is Epcot. World Showcase has 11 different countries (soon to be 12!) with a variety of culture – from food to drinks to entertainment – it really the best. Spend at least one night here enjoying everything it has to offer. If you didn’t do drinks around the world, did you even go to Epcot? Don’t forget to check out my post “Top 5 Must Do Rides at Epcot.”

Hollywood Studios

“I got you a really fast car!” -Rock ‘n” Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith

Hollywood Studios has some of the best thrill rides in all four parks – Tower of Terror, Rock “n” Roller Coaster, and Star Tours. The restaurants here are mediocre, but one newer bar we like to visit it Baseline Tap. Sit outside with a drink and just take in the sights and sounds of this incredible park. With the upcoming opening of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, this park is going to be huge hit for that adult fan base. If you’re any type of movie fan, this is the park to hit.

Animal Kingdom

Pandora is truly spectacular. Be sure to watch Avatar before you go!

Personally, I am a huge fan of Animal Kingdom. We typically don’t spend more than a half day here at a time (usually rope drop through lunch), but that’s all you need to get in the good rides and attractions. Check out my post “Top 5 Must Do Attractions at Animal Kingdom” for my list of favorites. If you like the movie Avatar, you NEED to check out the new Pandora area and rides. We also recently discovered our new favorite spot – Nomad Lounge. Check out my review for why we love this relaxing bar so much!

Disney Springs

This Irish pub is a family favorite of ours! Enjoy live music and world class Irish Dancing.

Formerly known as Downtown Disney, this non-park area has been renovated and expanded to a new level. It is an absolutely massive entertainment space with tons of foodie restaurants, fun bars and the best shopping in all of WDW. The live music everywhere at night is bumping, and the best part is, you don’t need a park ticket to visit here!

There is SO MUCH to do in Walt Disney World for families, adults and kids of all ages – and it’s easy to be overwhelmed by it all. I’m here to answer your questions, so send me a message today!

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