On AK days with EETPH (extended-hours perk for deluxe resort guests), does the park tend to be more crowded (with longer wait times) during regular park hours than it would be otherwise?
On December 3, with EETPH, AK is predicted at a crowd level of 3, whereas the next three days without EETPH are levels 4, 7 and 7. I’m surprised by (and dubious about) this.
I was there on October 27th. Predicted a 4, actual a 2. Rain did come through later in the day but when I checked FoP before I returned to the park (we were there from 10-3) the FoP wait times at 5pm were posted 45. I do not think many deluxe guests are attending the deluxe hours since there were only 4 attractions open.
I wonder why Disney is even bothering with EETPH at AK with so few attractions available. Seems like it wouldn’t be worth the extra operating costs.
There were a couple of kids there that were riding EE the whole time.
Is zootopia and meet Mickey not open during EETPH?
I planned to be at Disney pals for a Mickey meet and greet at 5.55, then head to zootopia and then watch tree of life, then EEx3, then dinasour, then Pandora at night and FOP.
It says zootopia closes at 6, but isn’t it weird it wouldn’t be open?
Zootopia was not open on the 27th. I do not think there were any meets when I was there (there was no written material). It had been raining up until 6:30 so that might have impacted what they offered. It was: FoP, Navi, Dinosaur, EE and the Tree of Life.
Such a bummer. Why wouldn’t they keep zootopia open? Makes no sense. In a past blog from ear scouts, Mickey meet was open, but MDE says it won’t be…hence getting there right before 6 to hop in queue.
It was not open as an attraction on 10/27. It opened this month.
Ah. Right. C try siding fingers it’s open as I can’t fit it in otherwise.
Don’t they pretty much have to, with MK and HS tied up with parties?
I am completely biased as I love AK after dark for Awakenings and atmosphere alone (plus Everest after dark of course). Granted, it’s chill, and missing the DinoLand lights and strangely endearing Triceratops Spin overlay. But there’s so little time of the year that AK is open after dark anymore - I think it’s special. 
It might be but two hours is not much time when you do FoP (that walk and then those preshows). Doing EE at night multiple times was my priority.
I did a TP that gets me into the FOP line around 7.50pm - intentionally pushing that out so as to not eat up the 2 hour timeslot. It’s why I might also skip Zootopia. Right now the TP has waits at EE of 30 minutes at 6.45pm, which based on others reports, seems high.
That EE seems very high.
I love it after dark! We will definitely be doing the extended hours on January 1. I am wondering if the Awakenings will still be happening after December 31.
I also think they should set up EPCOT style kiosks and do food and wine type events in the park at night. Kind of an adults, coffee shop by day, wine bar by night feel with twinkle lights ans music.
Yes! That would be amazing. I guess they don’t have the perpetual food stand infrastructure like at Epcot, but I’m sure they could figure something out.
I also wish they would extend the Merry Menagerie concept and have seasonal puppets (or after dark glow animals!).
(Maybe they’ll do more once the new area is open? Hope springs eternal…)
That would be so awesome!!
I would love seasonal puppets!
If they do it right, the Encanto space should be gorgeous at night!
Pandora is beautiful at night and yet you hardly get a chance to see it. 
I miss when AK was open for longer.
I attended Extra Evening hours last week at AK. Zootopia was open and everything was a walk on.
Yay! Do you recall if meet Mickey and pals was open?
I’m going on a cl7 day the day before Thanksgiving so it might be busier but I’m sure hoping crowds will thin out.