New Animal Kingdom Opening Procedues

[Cardinals314]

Animal Kingdom now has a new opening procedure which is now similar to Epcot and DHS. Guests are allowed in the park 15 minutes early and a free to go to Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, or Triceratop spin. These are the only three rides that guests can ride before the labeled park opening. Fast passes won't begin to distribute until the official park opening time. DHS does this with Toy Story Mania and Epcot does it with Soarin and Test Track

[Len90]

I actually like this better than the prior setup (when I was there in May) which was to open Discovery Island 15 minutes early only to have everyone lined up inside the park and then be walked by a rope and 2 CMs to Everest.

When I was there I noticed they didn't have the morning welcome show. Did Disney do away with that at the front gates? It was supposed to be something they did prior to opening the gates.

[Cardinals314]

When I was there is March, MK was the only park that did an opening show.

[Len90]

When I was there is March, MK was the only park that did an opening show.

So then I guess the opening show at DAK is gone. I tried looking that up online and found nothing. Must have been a silent thing Disney did then.

[yodiwan1]

yup, MK is the only park left with a morning show. Gotta love those budget cuts!

[Cardinals314]

There are some rumors out there right now that the AK parade could be gone, making MK having the only daytime parade. I personally think that's not going to happen since the parade is the only way to entice guests to stay in the afternoon for now.

[Amy]

When I was there is March, MK was the only park that did an opening show.

So then I guess the opening show at DAK is gone. I tried looking that up online and found nothing. Must have been a silent thing Disney did then.

That is sad. The opening shows were such a nice thing to have in the morning!

[theBIGyowski]

The opening show at DHS really wasn't all that great...so I'm not surprised it is gone. I never knew there was something at AK though. I guess we never got there at rope drop before.

[Polynesian Princess]

We rarely make it to rope drop and only saw the show once. I think a few characters rode out on a vehicle, said a few things, then left pretty quickly. There really wasn't much to it.

It just strikes me as odd to operate attraction before the "park opens".

[Sharonofwindham]

When I was there is March, MK was the only park that did an opening show.

So then I guess the opening show at DAK is gone. I tried looking that up online and found nothing. Must have been a silent thing Disney did then.

That is sad. The opening shows were such a nice thing to have in the morning!

I've seen the opening show at AK...always nice to see, but I personally would rather see Kilimanjaro Safaris early as possible.

[Sharonofwindham]

There are some rumors out there right now that the AK parade could be gone, making MK having the only daytime parade. I personally think that's not going to happen since the parade is the only way to entice guests to stay in the afternoon for now.

This is a great parade, and I would hate to see it go. But if it's true, why wouldn't people stay in the afternoon? I love this park and during a visit go at least twice. Have to admit though, if you are there to enjoy the wildlife they are pretty quiet and elusive in the heat of the afternoon. Best time being early in the AM, which is why I like the thought of the safari opening early, and just before closing.

[Amy]

There are some rumors out there right now that the AK parade could be gone, making MK having the only daytime parade. I personally think that's not going to happen since the parade is the only way to entice guests to stay in the afternoon for now.

This is a great parade, and I would hate to see it go. But if it's true, why wouldn't people stay in the afternoon? I love this park and during a visit go at least twice. Have to admit though, if you are there to enjoy the wildlife they are pretty quiet and elusive in the heat of the afternoon. Best time being early in the AM, which is why I like the thought of the safari opening early, and just before closing.

I think a lot of guests just go to Animal Kingdom for the thrill rides ~ Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids and the Kilamanjaro Safari. If they aren't aware, or interested, most guests zip through Animal Kingdom and head on out to other parks. Works for us as we enjoy seeing the animals, and exploring the little trails and talking to the CM animal behaviorists Less crowds for us, but it makes me sad so many people miss a lot of this wonderful park

[Cardinals314]

AK is really a full-day park. There are plenty of shows to see as well as walking the two trails and the planet watch. With more competition coming from Universal and other Orlando attractions, people usually have AK as a 1/2 day park

[Wizzard419]

It is a half day (or less) park if you have better zoos in your location.

[theBIGyowski]

If DW and I are at WDW for at least 5 days...we try to do AK twice...but never really make it a full day. We usually try to be there from park opening to about 2-3 in the afternoon. That said...DW is not a big "show" person...so not seeing Nemo and Festival of the Lion King probably help us see and enjoy the rest of the park before 3:00 in the afternoon. Another thing is that we've been to the parks enough to not feel bad missing an attraction here or there. So it's easier for us to justify leaving AK or DHS before dinner so we can hop over to Epcot or a resort for a relaxing evening.