What is Disney After Dark like?

(Updated April 13, 2023.) In case you're unfamiliar with it, Disneyland After Dark parties are limited-time parties that take place after regular park hours and feature unique themes, festivities, character meet & greets, special nighttime entertainment, access to attractions with reduced wait times, and more.



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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.

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Disney shares: “Each 4-hour after-park hours event is packed with fun festivities and unique offerings that you simply won't experience during regular daytime visits. Plus, you'll have even more time to play and explore during the 3-hour, pre-party park mix-in included with each ticket.

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Disneyland After Dark parties are 4 hours long, usually starting at 9 pm and ending at 1 am. But, with your ticket, you are able to get into the park prior to the start time — usually at 6 pm. This means that altogether, your ticket is your pass to about 7 hours worth of park fun!

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Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom 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).

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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.

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The Genie 120-minute rule says that you can make a new reservation at most 2 hours from when you made the last one, and this countdown timer doesn't change if you modify the reservation. If you made it at, say, 11 a.m., then your two hours will be up at 1 p.m. even if you modify the reservation at noon.

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Disneyland After Dark: Throwback Nite Ride iconic attractions like Peter Pan's Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise and more!

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Disneyland After Dark events has unique character experiences, special themed food and drinks, fun photo ops, entertainment such as dance parties, and so much more! One of our favorite things about these events is the low wait times to get onto rides.

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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.

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Disneyland After Dark are themed ticketed events that happen after Disneyland Park closes to the public. In the past, there have been events at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, but so far they seem to be most often at Disneyland.

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So if you're planning a multi-day Disneyland vacation and want the short and sweet answer about when to visit that will be true more often than not, the answer is to visit Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Thursdays through Sundays and avoid Mondays through Wednesdays.

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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).

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The good news is — all rides are available during Disney After Hours at Hollywood Studios! Attractions: Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. Star Tours — The Adventures Continue.

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Things to Know About Disney After Hours The event officially begins a few hours later (see the list below). You won't need a Disney Park Pass theme park reservation or a regular theme park ticket to get in as long as you enter the park no earlier than 7:00 PM.

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Post Disney Depression is a real thing. It's that blue, miserable, nothing-will-ever-be-magical-again feeling you get after you leave a Disney park or cruise (or, if you're really hardcore, a particularly emotional Disney movie). Colors seem more dull. Food tastes less delicious. Nothing is sparkly or exciting.

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Greetings, Marni, and thanks for bringing your question to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! It's great to have you hEAR! Currently, the Disneyland Resort doesn't offer discounted admission if you arrive after a certain time of day. Theme-park tickets are sold on a daily basis, from one day up to five days.

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However, when planning a trip to the Disneyland Resort, expect lower crowds from mid-September through mid-November (before the Thanksgiving break). Mid-January through mid-March is another time when potentially lower crowds are expected.

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The Disneyland Resort did give a free park admission ticket to Guests on their birthday as part of a limited-time promotion several years ago, but this is not currently offered. Tickets to enter Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park must be purchased for all visitors ages 3 and up.

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The Genie 120-minute rule says that you can make a new reservation at most 2 hours from when you made the last one, and this countdown timer doesn't change if you modify the reservation.

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If either attraction has a wait time of 13 minutes for the standby line, get in line! 13 minutes is a 'code' for no wait time at all. In the case of these two attractions, number 13 happens to be a lucky number! ( Photo Credit Meeko)

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