Mickey and Minnie Statues in Front of Cinderella's Castle During Fireworks
  • On May 28, 2024
    Tammy from NC Asked Please note that experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    There will be extended hours for MK during our stay in August! Staying at AKL just so we could participate! With all the extra hours, will the Genie+ be worth it for that day? LL for certain rides like Tianya's? Also, Starlight safari-worth it?

    Hey Howdy Hey Tammy and welcome to planDisney!

    You are in for a real treat for your upcoming vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is an amazing resort with fantastic recreational offerings and some special perks for staying there. Thank you for your question about these offerings. I will be happy to give you more information and my insights so you can better prepare for your upcoming vacation. 

    Tammy, as you mentioned, there are so many things to look forward to on your upcoming stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. One of the huge benefits outside of your resort is the ability to enjoy Extended Evening Theme Park Hours. These extra hours will give Guests extra time in the parks to experience so much of them with lower crowd levels and wait times to go along with. 

    Our family has been fortunate enough to experience these extra hours in the parks on several recent trips. I personally feel that on those days, you do not need Genie+. You can experience most of the less popular attractions during the day and save the more popular ones for evening hours. You will have to wait in lines during the day, but if you keep the popular attractions for the evening time, you can experience so much more with less time in line.

    If your hours are for Magic Kingdom and you want to experience Tiana's Bayou Adventure, stay tuned as the attraction officially opens later this month. Currently, you can only experience this attraction with a Lightning Lane selection or Virtual Queue. The process right now for attractions available by Virtual Queue is on the nights of extended hours, you can get into the Virtual Queue starting at 6:00 PM for your boarding pass. This should be the process for Tiana's however follow along over the next couple of months as this attraction opens and the queue experience is worked out. While most attractions will be open during these hours not all are. Check online as you get closer to your vacation so you can prioritize when to experience which attractions. 

    There are so many things to look forward to in the parks during your vacation, but do not forget about the amazing resort you will be staying in. There are so many recreational opportunities to enjoy this beautiful resort and the Starlight Safari is one. This tour will take you on a trip around the savannah to observe all the animals that call this place home. You will board an open-air vehicle and be given a special night vision device so you can see all the animals. If you and your party love animals, this is your shot at getting the safari experience here in the States! 

    I hope this information and my opinion are helpful as you continue to plan for your upcoming vacation. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out and let us know, we are always happy to help!

    Have a Magical day, 

    Nick
thumbnail image for Nick

Meet the Panelist: Nick, Ohio

Hey howdy hey, I’m Nick! My happy place will always be Walt Disney World Resort and is where we call “Home”, but we do vacation exclusively in Cincinnati, Ohio for most of the year. My happily ever after is shared with my 3 girls, my beautiful wife and my career in Physical Therapy. I love any excuse to talk about Walt Disney World Resort and am so excited to help you discover the Magic of the Resort. Learn More About Nick

Related Video

  • thumbnail image for Beyond the Theme Parks

Didn't find what you were looking for? Click the Ask a Question button to open the Ask a Question dialogue box. If you are not logged in a dialogue box will appear to signin in order to ask a question.

To submit your question, please log in now if you have not already done so.

Ask a QuestionOpens the Ask a Question dialog box.
x

Update Browser

For a better experience browsing this website, please download an updated version of Internet Explorer.


Or you can continue browsing without updating.