Re-post in case you missed it!
On Saturday evening, we went to Disney’s Magic Kingdom to attend the Disney After Hours event. What’s Disney After Hours you ask? It’s a separate ticket event held on select nights, and it’s truly a great time. Let’s talk about it!
Disney After Hours happens after the Magic Kingdom closes. Guests who don’t have the event lanyard can not stay in the park, it’s exclusive to After Hours guests. Disney After Hours runs from 10:00 pm until 1:00 am but you can actually get into the park at 7:00. The early admission time is great because you can go to the park, have a bite to eat and watch Happily Ever After, then get ready to have some late night fun. That’s exactly what we did as well. We went to Starbucks on Main Street to get an iced tea, then watched the fireworks. The crowds started heading for the exit, but we of course stayed back. Our first land we went to was Adventureland. The park actually cleared out pretty fast. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean with two other people, that’s it. Disney After Hours allows guests to ride their favorite attractions without the long lines. No FastPass needed either! After Pirates, we walked right on to Splash Mountain, which as you know, never happens. It’s pretty fascinating seeing empty ride carts in front and in back of you. It feels like you have the entire park to yourself. After Splash Mountain, we hit the snacks. Oh yes, there are snacks.
Another great feature of Disney After Hours are the snacks that are included in the price. Guests can get a Mickey ice cream bar or sandwich (or any frozen treat that’s offered), popcorn, and bottled drinks like soda and water. There are multiple locations where you can walk up and get a drink or treat for no extra charge. That’s pretty awesome. I had an ice cream sandwich and water, Scott had Diet Coke and popcorn, and we only waited a few minutes. If you watched our live feeds on Facebook, then you already know that we headed over to the Haunted Mansion next. The Mansion is my favorite attraction, so it was a must do. There was no one in line on the graveyard side, so we took video of the empty queue line. You could hear the different sounds and such, that you may normally not hear when the line is filled with people. I absolutely loved it, I’ll attach the video at the bottom of the page so you can see for yourself. It’s fantastic. Once we got done playing by the Haunted Mansion, we went and rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. This was the only ride that had a line, but it was only about a ten minute wait or so. That’s not bad considering how long the Mine Train line is usually. Tomorrowland was next on the agenda.
I can’t tell you how great it feels to be able to walk around the Magic Kingdom and get right on the rides. Amazing! We went on Buzz Lightyear and basically had the ride to ourselves. After that we walked around Tomorrowland and took pictures of the empty areas. That’s another great feature about Disney After Hours, it’s perfect for some magical photos. We went and took pics by the Incredibles PhotoPass props too, it was a fun time. Before leaving we had another snack (because we could) and I talked to some other guests about their experiences. The overwhelming opinion of Disney After Hours was that it’s fantastic and totally worth the price of admission. During the summer, it’s really hot during the day at the parks, and yes it’s pretty crowded. Disney After Hours allows you to do all the rides you want, minus the heat and crowds. Some people rode every single ride multiple times, so yes you can certainly make the most out of those three hours. It’s truly a magical evening. Speaking of magic, don’t forget to get your picture taken by the photo Cast Members up near the Castle. We got a few great shots minus the crowds!
Disney After Hours is on select nights only. Here’s the rundown of the dates that are left for the season!
July 21 & 28
August 4, 11, and 30
September 20
Advanced tickets are $119.00 for ages 3 and up. Please be advised that most restaurants and shops are closed during the event except for Main Street Bakery, Casey’s Corner, and The Emporium. Disney After Hours was such a great time, I highly recommend it if you’re going to be at Walt Disney World during the dates remaining. It’s a magical evening for sure, you’ll love it!
Michele also contributes theme park news for Fox 35 Orlando 11pm news and on the radio on WDBO.
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