Day 10 of our live blog, and I have a confession. I am writing this on Day 14! The problem is visiting Orlando in July is just so exhausting.
The weather this trip has been good overall, and there have only been occasional short storms. However, the heat is exhausting, and writing a blog at the end of a long day has been difficult.
There were suggestions that Walt Disney World was going to be quiet this summer. It was rumored many guests were holding off booking due to the impending opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Our impression is that Walt Disney World is just as busy this July in comparison to the last time we visited.
However, one thing we have noticed is a significant reduction in park hours. The Magic Kingdom has closed at ten every night and only once a week does it have late Extra Magic Hours until midnight. Other parks are closing at nine each evening.
While standard offerings have been reduced, there are several optional special ticketed events. Special breakfasts run at Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom. Also, Disney After Hours is running at the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom.
Disney After Hours at the Magic Kingdom this summer is called Disney Villains After Hours, which has a few extra bits of entertainment at an additional cost. We did consider booking tickets for Disney Villians After Hours, but could not justify the almost $600 price for a family of 4.
It would be worth pointing out that we were in the park at regular closing before last week’s Disney Villians After Hours and the park was packed. While After Hours promises low waits, there were long waits for all attractions before the park closed to regular guests. I suspect it would have taken the majority of the first hour for the most popular attractions to have cleared all regular guests.
Our day was spent in the Animal Kingdom completing attractions not completed on our previous visit, including Na’vi River Journey. We also rode Kilimanjaro Safaris at dusk, which I think offers a much better experience.
Dinner was at the excellent Sanaa in Kidani Village, Animal Kingdom Lodge. Sanaa is a little bit out of the way but is well worth visiting. Also, the Savanna in the resort is worth spending time watching.
Kidani Village Kidani Village
Tomorrow we are planning to do some park hopping. You can catch up with all our daily Disney World Live Blogs for 2019 by clicking the link.
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