Jambo, Alison! Welcome back to planDisney! I'm so glad to see you here again with more great planning questions. I love getting to chat Disney with a fellow Louisianian!
Before you know it, you'll be arriving at
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge to embark on your wild adventure at The Most Magical Place on Earth. How exciting! Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my absolute favorite Disney Resort hotels. As soon as you arrive, the immersive theming transports you to a beautiful African village on the savanna, and with some of the best
dining in all of Walt Disney World Resort, oh-so-fun
pools and a seemingly endless list of animal-centric Resort activities, you could have an unforgettable vacation here without ever even leaving your Resort! Of course, you
will want to leave your Resort to play in the theme parks, so let's chat about maximizing the magic.
Spending less time waiting in line and more time soaking in the magic of the theme parks is the name of my Disney game, and that's exactly what "rope-dropping," Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours will help you do. "Rope drop" is a term for arriving at a theme park before it opens so that you're ready to get the fun started as soon as the figurative rope drops and the park opens. It's a great way to beat the crowds and hop on and off of your favorite and most popular attractions with little to no wait.
Since you're staying at one of the Disney Resorts Collection hotels, you will have access to
Early Theme Park Entry for Disney Resort Hotel Guests, which means that you can enter all four theme parks 30 minutes early each day. As an early bird, "rope-dropping" Early Entry is my favorite way to experience as many attractions as possible before the crowds arrive.
Since you are staying at a fabulous Disney Deluxe Resort hotel, you also get to take advantage of
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours, where you get two extra hours in select theme parks after they close on select nights. Smaller crowds mean less wait and more fun! The schedule for Extended Evening Hours does change, so as your vacation approaches, just keep an eye on the
Hours & Events Calendar to see which parks are offering after-hours magic.
Speaking of magic, let's chat about one of my very favorite Disney events -
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. When you purchase a special event ticket, you are invited to enjoy the very merriest Christmas party ever from 7:00 p.m. to midnight, and you can even enter Magic Kingdom Park as early as 4:00 p.m. with just your party ticket. There is extra pixie dust (and the smell of gingerbread) in the air at this party, and it is the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit. Enjoy snow on Main Street, DJ dance parties, festive fireworks, my all-time favorite Disney parade - Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade - and so much more. You won't want to miss this oh-so-magical and exclusive event!
I hope this was helpful, Alison, and I hope you have a roarin' good time on your magical vacation! Please stop by any time with any questions you may have. Happy planning!
Hakuna Matata,
Mandy