Walt Disney World has added Zootopia: Better Zoogether to the attraction lineup for both Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours at Animal Kingdom. This covers details, plus our commentary about how this changes morning park touring strategy, and more.
For those who are unfamiliar with the on-site extra hours guest perks, Early Entry is offered at all 4 theme parks every single day and offers 30-minute access to guests staying in on-site hotels at Walt Disney World. See our Guide to Early Entry at Walt Disney World for more info & strategy.
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours occurs only two nights per week in total–for two hours each night. This benefit is exclusively for guests staying at Deluxe Resorts, Deluxe Villas (Disney Vacation Club), or other select hotels (Swolphin and Shades of Green). Guests staying at Value or Moderate Resorts are not eligible for Extended Evening Hours. See our Guide to Extended Evening Hours at Walt Disney World for more rules, eligibility, strategy, etc.
Additionally, we have over a dozen “Extra Hours” Photo Reports, with more coming next month as a result of new field testing due to changes. Early Entry reports are my emphasis since they’re relevant to more readers than Extended Evening Hours–and also because I’ve found that it’s much more difficult to replicate results during ExEH due to ride breakdowns (I’ve done close to a dozen ExEH at EPCOT, and no two of them have been the same).
Here are the attractions open at Animal Kingdom during Early Entry:
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Na’vi River Journey
- Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
Here are the attractions open at Animal Kingdom during Extended Evening Hours:
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Na’vi River Journey
- Zootopia: Better Zoogether!
Yes, these are identical lists–each with only 5 entries.
I would hazard a guess that we’ve done Early Entry 50 to 75 times since it debuted a few years ago. My general perspective is that fans undervalue it. We see a lot of complaints that the perk is “only” 30 minutes, which is objectively accurate. (Well, most of the time–sometimes it starts a bit earlier, especially at DHS.)
However, this understates the value of that time and just how much you can accomplish. As demonstrated in our Animal Kingdom Park Opening & Early Entry Ride Strategy (or, “How I Did Every Ride at DAK Before 10:30am”), you can get a ton accomplished during the morning hours at Animal Kingdom.
Fans also underestimate the subjective value of Early Entry. By that, I mean that morning is the second-best time of the day at all 4 of the parks–behind only late nights. There’s something special about watching the sun rise over the parks, and I love savoring my strolls around the parks, watching them wake up for the day. Once you get outside of Pandora, Animal Kingdom is practically empty. The park has this eerie-but-alive feeling, as you can sometimes hear and see more critters than people. I love it.
With all of that said, we will not be doing more field testing of Early Entry or rope drop at Animal Kingdom as a result of Zootopia: Better Zoogether being added to the Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours lineups. This is one of those things that, on paper, seems like a positive addition. And it’s certainly not a negative one!
But in reality, using precious Early Entry or Extended Evening Hours time for Zootopia: Better Zoogether is a waste. Despite being Walt Disney World’s newest attraction, this show hasn’t had long wait times since debuting. In fact, it has the lowest average wait time of every attraction that’s part of the extra hours lineups, plus some that aren’t. And that’s with the show only being a few weeks old–its popularity is only going to drop over time.
On top of that, Zootopia: Better Zoogether is a rare reprieve from the heat and humidity in Animal Kingdom. Even if it made good objective sense to consider the show during Early Entry or Extended Evening Hours, our subjective strategy would still be to slot it into the middle of your day when you need an air-conditioned escape and chance to get off your feet.
Ultimately, Animal Kingdom is the park that requires the least savvy strategy in all of Walt Disney World. There’s a reason we do far fewer field tests here than anywhere else.
It’s why we see no need to retest now that Zootopia: Better Zoogether has debuted, and won’t bother again until after DINOSAUR closes (even then, we doubt much changes–the increased strain on remaining rides should be offset by reduced demand). Because this doesn’t really change the equation, either on crowd dynamics or your optimal approach. It’s a complete non-factor all around.
If you arrive for Early Entry or even regular rope drop, you can easily run the table on all of the rides at Animal Kingdom before lunch. That leaves stage shows (Zootopia included) and animal exhibits for the afternoon, which still won’t require you stay after 6 pm, unless you plan on doing like a dozen countdowns to extinction on DINOSAUR.
At the opposite end of the day, our Animal Kingdom Afternoon Arrival Strategy is the ideal approach for this park in the second half of the day. During the Christmas season (especially) but throughout the winter, we favor staying late at Animal Kingdom if at all possible to enjoy the rare evenings in the park.
Extended Evening Hours can be fruitful, except during peak weeks when the limited ride roster gets overwhelmed by the influx in demand. At other times of year, ExEH is less desirable because it happens much earlier–sometimes ending before sunset–than at any of the other parks.
Even on most busy dates, Lightning Lane Multi Pass is unnecessary with even a modicum of strategizing. Please don’t be fooled by the “bargain” pricing on LLMP at Animal Kingdom. Remember, something is only a deal if you actually need it–otherwise, you’re just a hoarder. (Well, you can’t really hoard Lightning Lanes in the same sense…but you get the idea!)
In case you missed it, you can check out our review of Walt Disney World’s newest attraction here: Zootopia Better Zoogether Review: Disney World’s Zoorst New Attraction of 2020s. As the title suggests, that review is not particularly positive. Nevertheless, we’d recommend checking out the new show for yourself and forming your own opinion. Not like there’s a surplus of other options at DAK!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be doing Zootopia: Better Zoogether during Early Entry or Extended Evening Hours at Animal Kingdom? Or will you still prioritize Pandora – World of Avatar? Thoughts on extra hours at DAK? What’s your preferred approach to mornings or evenings at Animal Kingdom? Agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!