Is Disney World After Dark worth it?

For those with short trips, Disney After Hours is an excellent way to make the most of your time in the park, since you'll be able to get so much done in a short amount of time. So, if you're looking for a truly special and unforgettable Disney experience, we highly recommend giving Disney After Hours a try.



People Also Ask

If you are a ride junkie looking to fit as many attractions as possible into the shortest amount of time, then a Disney After Hours event may be worth the cost. Or, if you're someone who doesn't love the idea of standing amongst thousands of other people all day long, an After Hours event may be an enticing option.

MORE DETAILS

They really are great! Planned my next trip to work with the days that the extra hours are scheduled and to stay at a deluxe resort to take advantage of those extra hours. I plan to go to the parks early in the morning then take a long midday pool break and go back later at night.

MORE DETAILS

Disney After Hours is a specially ticketed event (meaning it's a ticket that is purchased separate from regular park tickets) that allows people to enter Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom at 7 p.m. and stay until midnight or 1 a.m. (ending time varies by date).

MORE DETAILS

So ultimately, you get just a little bit more time at Magic Kingdom than you do at Hollywood Studios. With Extended Evening Hours, you get a little less extra time. The Magic Kingdom hours generally run from 10PM to midnight, and the event in EPCOT is usually 9PM to 11PM.

MORE DETAILS

Out of all the parks, we think the After Hours events at Magic Kingdom are probably the best. Magic Kingdom has the most attractions out of any of the parks, so you really can see and do a ton during After Hours here.

MORE DETAILS

The missed rides were Mad Tea Party, Under the Sea, “it's a small world,” and the Carrousel, all of which are easy to fit into a regular day at Magic Kingdom. I skipped the shows intentionally because they're also easy to fit into a regular day at Magic Kingdom, and they're time-consuming.

MORE DETAILS

However, that has changed. You now can only park hop AFTER 2PM. So you'll have to wait until well after lunchtime if you're planning on visiting another park. However, this rule is different for Annual Passholders.

MORE DETAILS

Disneyland After Dark events are not included with regular park admission and require a separate park ticket purchase. These events include unlimited digital downloads of Disney PhotoPass for all your event photos, commemorative keepsakes, plus three hours of access to the parks before the party officially begins.

MORE DETAILS

Disney After Hours tickets are around the same price as regular, full-day theme park tickets. Expensive: Since the event is typically 3 hours long, then the cost per hour is much high compared to normal tickets. Disney After Hours is only available on select dates (see below) Not all rides are open.

MORE DETAILS

Believe it or not, as night falls at Magic Kingdom, the crowds start to dwindle. That's because families with young children take the opportunity to head home for bedtime and you're left with a surprisingly less crowded park. (You ever wonder where all the thousands of strollers go at night?)

MORE DETAILS

Magic Kingdom and Epcot are the top priorities for shorter trips. But to get the full Disney World experience, you must visit for at least 5-7 days and spend one full day at each theme park. Let's take a closer look at Disney World theme parks are the highest priority.

MORE DETAILS

As you can see on the above schedule, Disney's Magic Kingdom is almost always open until 10:00 pm and on busier days, such as in Spring or during the Holiday Season it's open until 11:00 pm on most evenings. On the busiest days of the year, Magic Kingdom will stay open until midnight.

MORE DETAILS

The Disneyland Resort hosts several events “after dark” throughout the year at both parks. The events vary by cost, timing and theming. They also include lower crowds, which means lower lines for attractions. In fact, they're so low, Genie+ isn't even in use.

MORE DETAILS

With a ticket to Disney After Hours, you can explore one of our theme parks like never before—with lower wait times for attractions. In the midst of all the fun and festivities, take time to refuel with ice cream novelties, popcorn and select beverages—included with the cost of admission.

MORE DETAILS

What is the least busy time of year at Walt Disney World?”
  • The middle of January to the middle of February.
  • The last few days in February and the first week of March.
  • The last week of April.
  • Weekdays in the first half of May.
  • The second half of August.
  • September is pretty great to visit (except avoid Labor Day).


MORE DETAILS

Tickets can be purchased online, at Disney Desk locations in participating Good Neighbor Hotels, or by calling (714) 781-4636 until the day before the event, or at any Disneyland Resort Ticket Booth. Limit eight (8) tickets per person, and no discounts apply. Tickets not required for Guests ages 2 and under.

MORE DETAILS

You don't need a parks pass reservation for any parks you visit after 2PM after you visit your first park, however you do need to start your day at that first park with a parks pass reservation.

MORE DETAILS

Unfortunately, there isn't an option to visit for a half or partial day. I would suggest that you consider adding another day to your existing ticket if a theme park reservation is available for the half-day you would like to visit.

MORE DETAILS

Starting over in Magic Kingdom, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had the longest average wait time with 66 minutes. Last week the average wait time was 68 minutes, so the time stayed pretty steady since then.

MORE DETAILS

There's too much in the park to easily do in a single day. It's probably more of a one-and-a-half or two-day park. That said, this is a one day itinerary post, and there are a few approaches you can take to have one very good nearly perfect day at Magic Kingdom.

MORE DETAILS

When is the show? Magic Kingdom Fireworks are at 9pm on most nights.

MORE DETAILS