Information to Disney After Hours at Walt Disney World in 2025

I have been going to Disney World since I used to be a child, and I’ve grown accustomed to the required ahead planning that it takes to get on essentially the most rides that I probably can throughout my visits. I do know to get to the parks earlier than the gates open and beeline to standard points of interest like Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice or Peter Pan’s Flight the second the rope drops. I’ve additionally mastered methods for utilizing Disney’s Lightning Lane system to get on rides like Tiana’s Bayou Journey. I’ve numerous tips up my sleeve.

Associated: Are Disney World’s after-hours events price it?

So once I found a solution to get on virtually each trip at Disney with out getting up early or ready in lengthy traces, I knew I needed to attempt it out and decide if it was price including to my arsenal of Disney tips. Right here is my expertise at a Disney After Hours occasion.

What’s Disney After Hours?

Disney After Hours is a individually ticketed occasion that takes place within the night after the park closes to daytime company. These occasions embrace entry to points of interest, character meet-and-greets and complimentary snacks and drinks.

Every Disney After Hours occasion lasts three hours, although the precise begin and finish instances can rely on which park you go to. Your Disney After Hours ticket will get you into the park at 7 p.m., so you can begin the enjoyable early. This provides you as much as six hours contained in the park to benefit from the occasion.

Disney retains crowds small by limiting the variety of tickets to those occasions. I attended Disney After Hours on the Magic Kingdom on a Monday night earlier this yr. By the point daytime company had cleared the park, it felt like I had the place to myself. The walkways have been extensive open, I might snap photographs of Cinderella Fort with out hundreds of strangers within the background and most rides had no wait in any respect.

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You possibly can buy tickets on Disney’s web site or by an approved Disney trip planner.

Disney After Hours dates and costs

Disney After Hours occasions are held on the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Visitors staying at choose Disney Resort resorts should buy tickets starting Sept. 4. All different company should buy their tickets beginning Sept. 10.

The pricing, instances and dates fluctuate by park, so let’s check out each:

Occasion instances at Magic Kingdom and Epcot are from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, occasion instances are from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Magic Kingdom

• Value: $175 to $185 per particular person plus tax
• Time: 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
• Dates: Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Jan. 20, Jan. 27, Feb. 3, Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 24, March 3, March 17, March 24, March 31, April 7, April 28, Might 5, Might 12, Might 19

Epcot

• Value: $155 to $175 per particular person plus tax
• Time: 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
• Dates: Feb. 27, Might 8, Might 29, June 19, June 26, July 10, July 24, July 31, Aug. 7, Aug. 14, Aug. 21, Aug. 28, Sept. 11, Sept. 25

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Value: $155 to $185 per particular person plus tax
• Time: 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on March 26 and April 1)
• Dates: Jan. 22, Jan. 29, Feb. 12, Feb. 19, March 5, March 26, April 1, April 30, Might 14, Might 28, June 4, June 11, June 25, July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30, Aug. 6, Aug. 20, Aug. 27, Sept. 3

Annual cross holders and Disney Trip Membership members obtain a $30 ticket low cost for occasions at Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

What’s included with Disney After Hours?

The Disney After Hours choices at every park differ barely, however they typically present entry to most points of interest — together with standard rides that sometimes have lengthy waits throughout the day — plus unique leisure or character meet-and-greets and complimentary snacks and drinks. After the park closes, Disney forged members wheel out carts with freshly made popcorn, Mickey ice cream bars, Mickey ice cream sandwiches, fruit-flavored frozen pops, bottled sodas and bottled water.

I selected the Magic Kingdom for my Disney After Hours expertise for a number of causes.

First, Disney introduced again Enchantment, the fireworks present it debuted for the park’s fiftieth anniversary that the forged now completely performs throughout Disney After Hours. That is along with the common nighttime fireworks displaying of Fortunately Ever After, which happens throughout the mix-in portion of the night time earlier than the occasion formally begins. Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios do not supply particular leisure throughout Disney After Hours, however they do have uncommon character meet-and-greets with Chip and Dale, Sew and Jiminy Cricket, amongst different characters.

I used to be additionally hopeful that the smaller crowds would enable me to take pleasure in rides — corresponding to Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice and Tron Lightcycle / Run — that often have lengthy traces or difficult-to-grab digital queue spots.

Lastly, I needed to see if I might squeeze the identical variety of rides of a typical Disney day into the six or so hours of Disney After Hours.

What number of rides are you able to get on throughout Disney After Hours occasions?

Odds are that is the highest query in your thoughts. Fortunately, I saved an in depth listing of the common wait instances for rides on the Magic Kingdom in addition to my precise wait time for every trip I went on. Understand that most of the rides listed a five-minute wait time, however that often means there is no such thing as a wait; it simply accounts for the time it takes to stroll by the queue.

Associated: We put it to the take a look at: Disney Lightning Lanes slashed wait instances in half and get on 16 rides in 1 day

What you see within the chart beneath is my precise wait, which was typically lower than the posted wait. I used a web site referred to as Thrill Knowledge to drag common wait instances on the Magic Kingdom throughout the earlier month.

As you’ll be able to see, although I used to be on the park for about half the time I might be there on a standard day, I knocked out 12 points of interest and spent a couple of quarter of the time in line that the common daytime visitor does. I’ve waited in some lengthy traces at Disney World, so strolling proper onto most rides with no wait in any respect felt like a dream come true.

One other perk of Disney After Hours on the Magic Kingdom is that Tron Lightcycle / Run makes use of a standby queue relatively than requiring you to enter a digital queue or buy a Lightning Lane Single Move. I’ve respectable luck snagging a digital queue spot, however hopping in line was a lot simpler. That is additionally true for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios.

After I received in line for Tron at about 11:30 p.m., the wait time was listed as 40 minutes, however I solely waited about 30. It could have taken even much less if I went later within the night, however since I used to be already on that facet of the park, I figured it was a very good time to knock it out.

As a result of I arrived early, I used the time earlier than the occasion formally began to expertise just a few points of interest that already had quick waits, corresponding to Dumbo the Flying Elephant. What shocked me, although, was that I made time for points of interest I typically skip as a result of I knew that the wait instances for the preferred rides could be shorter later within the night.

I knew I might have loads of time to trip my favourite curler coasters, so I took extra time early within the night to chill out and revel in points of interest like Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. I’m so pleased that this occasion allowed me to trip the preferred rides and go to my favourite singing birds.

I believed my final trip of the night could be the Haunted Mansion. The posted wait time was 13 minutes. (This really meant there was no wait, however the trip chooses 13 as an alternative of 5 minutes to maintain with its spooky theme.) I hopped in line round 12:45 a.m.

A lot to my shock, although, once I walked off the trip, it was 12:57 p.m. You may get in line for points of interest proper up till the top of the occasion, so as an alternative of ending my go to a couple of minutes early, I made a beeline for Princess Fairytale Corridor to fulfill Cinderella and Ariel. I used to be the final particular person let in for the expertise, and watching each characters wave and need me goodnight was the proper solution to finish such a enjoyable night.

Is Disney After Hours price it?

I am pleased to report that the occasion exceeded my expectations on all fronts.

The value of Disney After Hours is corresponding to a daily daytime ticket. The truth is, on the date of my go to, it was solely a greenback greater than a one-day Magic Kingdom ticket. Contemplating the whole lot included and the way a lot you may get finished, I felt just like the occasion offered nice worth.

I rode at the very least as many points of interest as I might on a daily day and in a fraction of the time. I additionally wasn’t battling the Florida solar or hordes of individuals as I bounced from trip to trip. I unashamedly ate a number of Mickey ice cream bars and snacked on popcorn whereas ready in line for rides, and all these free Eating regimen Cokes saved me awake till the wee hours. (Don’t be concerned, I stayed hydrated with the complimentary bottled water, too.)

Who ought to go to Disney After Hours?

Whereas I might like to preserve Disney After Hours all to myself, there are some particular situations once I’d suggest others partake within the occasion.

If you wish to trip each trip within the park in someday

In case your fundamental aim once you go to Disney World is to trip as many rides as doable and on a number of events, plan on combining a daytime ticket with a Disney After Hours ticket. In the course of the occasion, you’ll be able to reride your favorites repeatedly or hit the rides you skipped throughout the day due to the upper wait instances.

For those who do not need to take care of Disney Lightning Lane passes

Throughout Disney After Hours, all rides use a standby queue. If waking up early to vie for a digital queue spot or spending time (and cash) to schedule rides utilizing Disney Lightning Lane passes isn’t your thought of a trip, you will take pleasure in hopping in brief standby queues on a whim throughout Disney After Hours.

In case you are an evening owl

If the considered waking up at 6 a.m. and speeding to the parks to be first in line once they swing open the gates makes you need to throw the covers over your head and return to sleep, Disney After Hours is the proper various. You should purchase a Disney After Hours ticket as an alternative of a daily daytime ticket and revel in the identical variety of rides as you’ll throughout the day with out getting up early.

Who should not go to Disney After Hours?

Regardless of my glowing overview, there are just a few situations the place Disney After Hours will not be best for you.

In case you are visiting with younger kids

Whereas I noticed a fair proportion of younger children being pushed round in strollers throughout my go to, I might not have introduced my youthful kids to this occasion. My oldest is 11, and I believe this occasion could be excellent for him. Nonetheless, I would not need to spend that cash to deliver my 5- and 7-year-olds to Disney After Hours.

We would not get as a lot finished (their little legs cannot transfer as quick as mine), and I do not suppose they’d have been capable of keep awake till the top of the occasion. This will not be the case for all children, but it surely’s one thing to think about earlier than shopping for a ticket.

If it is your first time visiting a park

Though the crowds should not as thick and choose characters are out greeting company, you will not get the total Disney World expertise throughout these occasions. I would not suggest attending Disney After Hours at a park you have by no means visited throughout daytime hours. You will miss out on a few of the eating, leisure and ambiance that you could solely expertise with a daily daytime ticket.

In case you are hoping for unique experiences

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Occasion and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion are filled with unique experiences like nighttime spectaculars, dance events, parades, dwell leisure and uncommon characters. Disney After Hours does not have as a lot of this. Whereas I beloved seeing Enchantment, it wasn’t my sole motive for going to Disney After Hours.

The obvious advantage of this occasion is how a lot you may get finished in a brief period of time with smaller crowds. If unique experiences are your aim, I like to recommend one of many holiday-themed after-hours events as an alternative.

Backside line

I had a blast at Disney After Hours, and I’ve already beneficial it to my family and friends. Whether or not you have been to Disney World dozens of instances and wish to attempt one thing new, otherwise you love squeezing in as many rides as doable throughout your Disney journeys, Disney After Hours is a good way to see the parks in a special mild — or, to be extra correct, in the dead of night.

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