More Budget Cuts Confirmed for Disney's Animal Kingdom
By Amanda Kondolojy, Tuesday, October 16, 2018 06:22
If you’ve been following the news out of Walt Disney World for the last several days, you may have noticed a theme: cuts are being made pretty much everywhere. From the removal of more than half a dozen characters around the resort to the closure of a full land and the downsizing of a popular nighttime spectacular, things are starting to look a little sparse around Walt Disney World.
And unfortunately, just as we predicted a few weeks ago, these cuts are going to keep coming, with a whole new round of cuts just confirmed this week for Disney's Animal Kingdom, which will see guests have access to fewer attractions at the park this fall...
1. Disney's Animal Kingdom cuts attraction hours across the park
Image: Disney
Nearly two years ago, Disney's Animal Kingdom reinvented itself as a "full day" park, with nighttime hours added for several attractions plus the introduction of a nighttime spectacular with Rivers of Light. However, in addition to the downsizing of Rivers of Light already announced, it looks like this park will be shedding more of its nighttime identity in the coming weeks.
Kilimanjaro Sunset Safaris, which brings guests on a nighttime adventure on a slightly different route with evening lighting will be temporarily going away, with this attraction now closing around dusk at 7:45 PM in October and then moving to an even earlier 6:30 PM closing in November. Though we don't know if this will continue into the holiday season, right now this seems like a pretty safe bet, as Disney looks to cut costs in the wake of low attendance this fall.
Image: Disney
In addition to the earlier closure of Kilimanjaro Safaris, there will be some adjusted hours at other attractions at Disney's Animal Kingdom this fall as well. The Maharajah Jungle Trek is cutting both morning and evening hours, with this walk-through attraction now opening late at 10:00 AM, and closing early at 5:00 PM. Similarly, the nearby Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail is also now opening late after the park opens at 9:30 AM, and closing even earlier at 4:30 PM. Finally, even though the weather has remained warm in central Florida, Kali River Rapids will be opening later this fall at 9:30 AM, and will be closing at 7:30 PM.
Though these changes are only happening right now at Disney's Animal Kingdom, we expect more reduced hours to come to other parks in the coming weeks as Disney looks to streamline its operations as much as possible in the coming weeks as we head into the final months of 2018.
