Disney After Hours Events

The good news?  Disney has recognized that the near constant high volume of crowds has dampened some fans’ enthusiasm for Disney’s beloved theme parks.  Over the last couple of years, Disney has piloted a few different ideas to offer visitors the opportunity to visit their favorite park or parks with significantly lower crowds, and the “After Hours” events seem to have won the battle, at least for the short term, as Disney has recently announced a slew of new Disney After Hours Events dates for 2019.

The bad news? Disney has also recognized that many fans are willing to pay a premium for that “lower crowd level” experience.  Based on Disney’s raging success with the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties, Disney already had a fairly good idea that some guests would be willing to purchase an extra ticket to attend a “special event” at the Magic Kingdom–but they weren’t sure if that willingness would extend beyond special holiday themed parties or beyond the Magic Kingdom.

Last year, Disney tried several experimental “After Hours” events, with varying degrees of success.  Early reviews from attendees raved about the low crowd levels, and being able to walk on favorite rides (something I remember from the early days of the MVMCP and MNSSHP, too) and taking pictures of an almost empty park near the end of the night… But those events were very limited, not publicized a great deal, and in many cases, priced significantly lower than these new offerings.

In the current round of After Hours events, there are dates scheduled through April 2019, and events are being held at three of the four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

Here’s a video Disney has released from a recent Disney After Hours Event at Animal Kingdom:

The Bottom Line: What Does An After Hours Event Cost?

Tickets for each Disney After Hours Event are $125 per person + tax if purchased in advance.  Tickets purchased the day of the event will be $129 per person + tax.  Discounts are available for Annual Passholders and DVC Members.  Contact me for more information.

Technically, this is officially a three hour event.  The event begins when the regular park day “ends” and runs for three hours after that.  Guests without After Hours event tickets will not be permitted to enjoy the After Hours events or attractions.

What’s Included in my Disney After Hours Event Ticket?

There is some really good news about these events, in addition to the lower crowds and easy access to your favorite rides.

1. Ice Cream, popcorn and select beverages are included in your Disney After Hours Event Ticket.  (Most likely “beverages” is limited to soft drinks).
2. Your After Hours event ticket will grant you access to the park where your event takes place as early as 7 pm–so if your park “closes” at 11 pm that day, that’s an extra four hours of park time you’ll be able to enjoy on your park ticket, in addition to the three hours of “After Hours” event time.  BUT, there are some event days where the park closes at 8 pm, so you’ll only be getting 1 extra hour.  It’s important to consider the total amount of time you’ll have in the park when determining if this ticket will have value for you and your family.
3. Character Greetings with little or no lines!  If you are a person who enjoys Character Greetings, but hates sacrificing valuable park time to stand in lines for Characters, you may really enjoy the short lines or no lines to be found at the Character Greetings at After Hours events.
4. There are usually some “special” After Hours “experiences, including Dance Parties, unique Character Greetings or Streetmosphere.
5. Some quick service places will be open during each party, so you will have some options for late night dining if you are so inclined.
6. Generally speaking as these events run pretty late into the night, there will be fewer very young children and strollers in the mix.  These events are not being actively marketed as adults only, but there are no discounts for children ages 3-9, which is a fairly good indicator that Disney does not expect much participation from that age group.
7. With some proper planning, you can sleep in the day of the event and have a mostly “lazy day” and not spend a “park ticket” day on the day of the event, enter the park at 7 pm and stay until the party ends to maximize your value.  If you’re an annual passholder, this doesn’t really help, but if you’re purchasing park passes or a package, you could theoretically, reduce your ticket package by one day.
8. If you are someone who struggles with large crowds or too much overstimulation from all the noise associated with the crazy mid day crowds, you may discover the later night lighter crowds are much more comfortable for you.

What Dates Are Available?

Animal Kingdom: January 8, 16, 22 and 31, 2019; and February 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 26, 2019; and March 5, 20 and 27, 2019; and April 3, 2019.

Magic Kingdom: The event takes place from 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM on the following dates: March 21 and 28, 2019; and April 4 and 11, 2019.

The event takes place from 9:00 PM to midnight on the following dates: February 14 and 21, 2019 and March 7, 2019.

The event takes place from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM on the following dates:  January 7, 17, 24, and 28, 2019; February 7 and 28, 2019.

Hollywood Studios: January 5, 12 and 19, 2019; February 2, 9 and 16, 2019; March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, 2019; and April 6 and 13, 2019.

Disney After Hours Events: Are They Worth It?

Short answer?  It depends.  You’ve heard me say it before, and I’m sure you will hear me say it again–everything is relative, based on what is important to you and your family or travel group.  It also depends on your financial situation, and what kind of park ticket or vacation package you’ve purchased.

For me personally, lower crowds and shorter lines are becoming a higher priority.  Having a day to sleep late on vacation?  That might also be a nice change.  I’m not sure it’s worth $125, though.

I love the idea of getting more pictures without hundreds of strangers in them, especially for the blog.  And I would like to attend a couple of parties as the year goes on to see what changes Disney makes.  I’m just not sure 3 hours is enough time to really justify the expense.  I feel that three hours with light crowds is probably enough time (although for me personally…10 hours would probably never be enough, much to my poor husband’s chagrin!), but I think $125 is a pretty high price for three hours.  Of course, that’s probably the point.  If it was affordable for everyone, you wouldn’t have the lighter crowds and shorter lines they’re promising.  So they don’t WANT to sell this to everyone.  They want to sell this to a few thousand people for each party and that’s it.

I think for me personally, it would be worth it.  At least so I can report back to all of you! 😉

What do you think?  Do you think Disney After Hours Events would be worth it for you and your family?  Are you anxious to attend one?  Please comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

P.S. If you are interested in booking tickets for a Disney After Hours Event, I can book them for you.  We can add them to an existing package, look for discounts, and/or book them all on their own.  Email brooke@disneycastledreaming.com to get started.