Rivers of Light & night safari

[MusicalAstronaut]

Hi folks, I'm planning on finally doing something I never do - go to Animal Kingdom in the evening! I was wondering if ROL is worth a fastpass (or seeing at all), or if I should skip it in favor of riding Everest on repeat? Also, what is the best time to do the "night" safari? The sun will set around 8pm when I'm there in October. Should I go like 30 minutes before sunset, or right around sunset? I heard that if you go once it's totally dark you won't see much. Thanks!

 

[Klayfish]

Most people say ROL is "meh" or "so-so", and I have to agree. I'm normally one of the biggest WDW lovers or "apologists" you'll come across, but even I was underwhelmed by it. Didn't hate it, but not spectacular like so many other things are. Don't waste a FP+ on it. If you've got time to see it, then great, but don't go out of your way.

As for the safari, since they're wild animals, there's no real "right" time to get on. What you will see is random and varies from car to car. Yes, when it gets completely dark, it's pretty hard to see, so that's one time I'd recommend not going.

You'll love AK at night. They've got a really awesome family-friendly street party vibe going. Such a huge change from what AK was just a few years ago.

 

[compshu]

As with anything, opinions will differ. I love RoL, it is visually stunning and beautiful, and the soundtrack is great. I liked the FP option, as we were able to grab some snacks and then head into the amphitheater and had great seats.

 

[Disnsyncey]

you will also have to factor in the wait time, your question might end up being "when will I need to aim to be on the ride?" and then look at standby line and FP+ return times....

I have read here that dusk seems the best....

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Thanks! Follow up question then, has anyone tried to make safari fastpasses same-day as an additional fastpass? I'll be spending most of my day in Epcot and I'd like to use my fastpasses there, but I don't want to waste my first night experience at AK waiting in a huge line for the safari. Should I just make that my fastpass or is it generally a shorter line in the evening?

 

[Klayfish]

Thanks! Follow up question then, has anyone tried to make safari fastpasses same-day as an additional fastpass? I'll be spending most of my day in Epcot and I'd like to use my fastpasses there, but I don't want to waste my first night experience at AK waiting in a huge line for the safari. Should I just make that my fastpass or is it generally a shorter line in the evening?

FP+ for safari are very easy to get same day...even same hour. However, most of the time, you don't even need one after about 5pm, there is virtually no line.

 

[CAS239]

They both suck lol. The night safari that is, not the daytime one.

However I'd rather do the safari over RoL. And if you do the safari then go ride around sunset, don't wait until it's fully dark. Once it's fully dark you really won't be able to see any animals. Fps for the safari are hit or miss. Sometimes you can grab one same day, sometimes their all gone a week in advance

 

[Retro Magic]

Deciding to skip Rivers of Light on our upcoming trip because we just can't fit it all in.

As badly as I want to see it for the 1st time and know I'll love it, something new to save for the next trip. We'll be crunched for time so as the sun makes its way down we'll try to fit in night time Pandora, Tree of Light display and maybe a night time safari before heading to Epcot.

 

[smallworldnh]

I was for the safari myself until I read about many instances where you really couldn't see very much. I think I'd rather experience it in the morning when they're up and hungry!

 

[Pluto80]

Try to see Pandora at night if possible. It's incredible.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Okay, as of right now I decided to skip ROL in favor of exploring the park & Pandora in the dark, and also riding Everest on repeat in the dark! Also hoping to score a fastpass for the safari (before it's fully dark), just in case. I always do it in the mornings first thing, so I'm interested to see what's different in the evening. Thanks everyone!