This past week Disney invited us to attend the Disney After Hours event at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom to experience it first hand and report back to you guys to let you know how it was. Disney After Hours is a separate ticketed event at Magic Kingdom that allows guests to ride all of the best rides at Magic Kingdom, enjoy free snacks and drinks, and take advantage of meet-and-greet opportunities. The event runs on select days until September of this year and has extremely limited space so that you and your loved ones can romp around the park with barely anyone in it!
While this all sounds amazing, most of you were shocked to know that the price of this event is $119 a person plus tax. This price may sound steep upfront, but I promise you it is well worth the money and actually a little bit better than a day ticket! Think about it, a day ticket at the Magic Kingdom is around the same cost of $119 and most of your day is spent running around in 90 degree weather plus humidity, waiting in line for everything, and eating. As a matter of fact if you’re there during peak season, most of your time will just be spent waiting in line for Seven Dwarves Mine Train and Peter Pan. Three hours at Disney After Hours is definitely worth the money when you get to ride everything you want to ride, enjoy classic Disney snacks, and see characters with no wait and included in the cost.
Here are a few reasons why we think you may want to invest in the event:
1. All of the Lines Were Less than 10 Minutes Long!
With Magic Kingdom Park having a capacity of over 65,000 people everyday, wait times for your favorite rides can be around 100 minutes or more for a 2 minutes or less ride. This also applies to meeting characters, waiting for food, and even using the bathroom. Getting a Fast Pass helps a lot however they’re not always available and many families don’t choose to stay at a Disney Resort meaning that they miss out on taking advantage of early Fast Pass bookings (as much as 60 days in advance).
When you participate in the Disney After Hours event, no more than around 3,000 people are there with you. And with more than 25 attractions available for you to experience, this means that there’s virtually no wait and no limit on how many times you want to ride your favorite attractions over and over again!
2. They Let You in The Park Early!
Admission to the Disney After Hours event starts as early as 7:00 PM so that you can experience the fireworks and fun before the exclusive offerings begin. We took this time to book a reservation at our favorite Magic Kingdom restaurant in Adventureland, Skipper Canteen, and enjoy the new Nighttime Spectacular before our night began.
You can also use this time to enjoy any of the attractions that may not be open during the event or see any of your favorite characters who may be getting some beauty sleep late at night.
3. Snacks Are Included!
During Disney After Hours, snacks like sodas, ice cream, and popcorn are included in the cost. That is already a savings since a day of Disney plus snacks for you and your family can cost you well over $200 a person once the day is done!
We indulged in this and enjoyed premium bars, frozen fruit bars, popcorn, and more. We even got to try a few frozen treats we haven’t tried previously.
Being Space Cadets at 12AM!
4. There Are 25+ Rides Available!
This event was made for people looking to experience all of the rides and fun at Disney World without the clutter and chaos of peak season. In all we took our time and were able to experience the Astro Orbiter, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Tomorrowland Speedway, Seven Dwarves Mine Train (twice!), Peter Pan’s Flight, and Haunted Mansion. If we tried a bit harder, we could’ve easily had fun at just about every attraction available!
5. There’s an Annual Pass and Disney Vacation Club Member Discount
If you’re a local or Disney regular they’ve got you covered for $89 a night plus tax. Not bad for a day at Disney with barely anyone else in it! Plus, as Walt Disney World Passholders ourselves, we can pretty much guarantee you will ride some attractions that you have not experienced in a very long time due to wait times.
I have never taken a ride through the Tomorrowland Speedway for example. And even though Steve judged me for it, it did make me realize that I specifically avoid rides with long wait times in the past.
We had a blast!
The Bottom Line
Yes - It’s Totally Worth It!
We would 100% recommend this event to anyone looking to have all of the fun at Magic Kingdom without all of the distractions! We had a blast and you truly do feel like you have the park all to yourself! This is also a great option for families with an age gap between children who may not be able to enjoy all of the attractions during the day (older kids can have the fun at night) or even families with children and adults who have sensory problems and may want a less congested and quiet experience at Magic Kingdom in general.
We want to thank Disney for inviting us to this event and are so happy to be able to share our experience with all of you! If you would like more information or are looking to purchase tickets to Disney After Hours, visit: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/disney-after-hours/
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