Wait times are down at Walt Disney World’s newest land, thanks to extended hours at Animal Kingdom.
For the first time, Disney offered Extra Magic Hours to what was once the least busy of its four parks through mid-July. But due to the success of Pandora – The World of Avatar‘s opening on Memorial Day weekend, Disney has extended the offer through mid-August.
Animal Kingdom will have the earliest and latest hours of all four theme parks this summer. It will open at 7 a.m. for those staying at select Disney resorts that qualify for Extra Magic Hours and those guests can stay after closing from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Animal Kingdom has also added extra Rivers of Light showings during the extended hours. The boat show debuted in February.
Pandora was added to Animal Kingdom to beef up attendance and extend the park hours. During Pandora’s opening weekend, visitors endured waits of up to four hours for its two most popular attractions.
With the new Extra Magic Hours, the wait times have dropped to around two hours at Avatar Flight of Passage and under 90 minutes at the Na’vi River Journey, according to the Theme Park Tourist blog.