Operating hours at Disney's Animal Kingdom extended for Pandora's opening

Mar 24, 2017 in "Disney's Animal Kingdom"

Posted: Friday March 24, 2017 11:07am EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

Operating hours at Disney's Animal Kingdom have been significantly extended around the opening of Pandora - The World of Avatar.

Beginning May 27 through to July 4 2017, the park will open daily at 8am, with regular closings at 11pm.

Morning Extra Magic Hours, taking place twice per week, will begin at 7am.

Evening Extra Magic Hours at Pandora, will give Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests access to Pandora from 11pm to 1am daily. The Tree of Life Awakenings will also be shown during the extended hours.

Disney has also added a second showing of Rivers of Light on each night.

View the updated operating hours at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

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Tavernacle12Jun 25, 2017

I'd assume most people wouldn't have FP in the last two hours of the day, ignoring ones for night shows. That being said, extending it two hours opens up more FP for hard to get rides, and people often plan trips based on how long the parks are open. If I had a choice between AK open until 9 or 11, I'd go the day it's open later, and having that changed after I plan it may require me to swap some things around. This is still far far better than the opposite, them closing early with short notice, though.

NoChesterHesterJun 25, 2017

How is attendance going for Pandora?

ColterJun 25, 2017

Thanks Rider

RiderJun 25, 2017

Pandora and the attractions themselves have cast members scanning magic bands to check for resort guests. They don't force anyone out but you can't do much if you are not staying at a resort.

ColterJun 25, 2017

How do they get non resort guests out at ten? And how do they know resort from non resort guests?

RiderJun 23, 2017

How often do you schedule FP or Dinner at park closing?

hpyhnt 1000Jun 23, 2017

True... That said, it's extremely annoying considering they encourage (dare I say want) you to plan every FP+, meet and greet moment, dining reservation, etc. up to 6 month in advance. The least Disney could do is give us accurate operational information to plan off of.

Disney AnalystJun 23, 2017

Oh my gosh do you know how many times I would walk in the MK only to find a sandwich board plopped by the entrance to the Utilidors telling me park hours were extended (aka my shift was extended) for that day! Sometimes they change it day of.

MisterPenguinJun 23, 2017

Let this go down on record: Here is WDW changing hours with less than two weeks' notice. I only say this because of the number of times people freak out that a park seems to be closing really early when they look at the calendar four months in advance. Looking at closing hours at a Disney Calendar four months in advance is like trying to get a weather report stating if it's going to rain on a particular day four months in advance.

wdwmagicJun 23, 2017

Animal Kingdom Evening Extra Magic Hours extended through the summer

RSoxNo1May 21, 2017

They will be lucky to get that combined opening weekend.

RSoxNo1May 21, 2017

They should sell crushed rhino horn in DAK to help with that.

Kman101May 20, 2017

Good thing they made the Avatar attraction queues so long and interesting ... as nice as they are I'd absolutely dread to be in the one for FOP. That thing is massive.

ToTBellHopMay 20, 2017

LOL