YES, ABSOLUTELY! We find great value in the After Hours (AH) events held at the various Disney parks.
Animal Kingdom (AK) being the first most valuable and Magic Kingdom (MK) second. It’s a GREAT way to enjoy the parks if you suffer from anxiety or other ailments that make it difficult for you to be in crowds.

What is After Hours?

After Hours is a special ticketed event that gives you 3 extra hours in the certain parks after closing. Your ticket includes access to the park for the 3 hours, with NO CROWDS, and FREE UNLIMITED sodas, bottled waters, Mickey Ice Cream Bars, Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Popcorn. Depending on the park, there may be additional snack offerings, like Fruit Bars or Frozen Bananas. You can literally pig out on snacks the whole night for FREE!!

The event costs $125 (Annual Passholders get a small discount) per person. You can purchase your tickets ahead of time online or on the day of the event at Guest Relations. Wristbands for the event are distributed at a specific location in the park about one hour before the event starts.

Why is it Worth the Extra Money?

Because Animal Kingdom has one of the newest, hottest, most popular rides in all of Disney World, Flights of Passage (FoP). FoP normally has at least a 2 hour wait time and Fast Passes are very difficult to get. During After Hours, you don’t wait more than 15 minutes – AMAZING!!

Magic Kingdom is fantastic as well because at 8 PM they start asking guests for Wristbands for the After Hours event, and people without them cannot get into line for a ride or attraction. Some After Hours events are scheduled later in the night, some 8-11 PM, others will start at 11 PM and go until 1 AM. Be sure to check the Walt Disney World Website (disneyworld.disney.go.com) events for a list of times.

1. From the Disney World main page, select Things to Do. You can also type “After Hours” into the search bar at the top.
2. Select Events and Tours under the Activities section.
3. On the Events and Tours page, scroll down until you find the Disney After Hours events.
4. Click on the park you want to attend then scroll down to the schedule of when the events happen and their times.

During After Hours, ride lines are about 5 minutes long, if no line at all. When the event starts, people tend to hit up the rides with the typically longer lines first. So, after the first hour when most everyone is spread out and other guests have left, there are literally NO LINES, save for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Because of how that queue is set up, there’s a line nearly all the time. The last time I went on it, I was one of only 3 people on the entire train!!

The greatest value is in being able to go on ALL the MAJOR and most of the minor rides and attractions inside Magic Kingdom WITHOUT any lines!! IT’S AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE!!

Along with your entry fee you get admission for 3 hours, FREE UNLIMITED Bottled Water, Mickey Ice Cream Bars (“Mickey Bar”), Popcorn, Frozen Bananas, and Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches. Just walk up to a stand with the snacks, they ask you what you would like and give it to you.

The Greatest Value in the Park

Bottled Water. It’s the best value because it’s water and it’s normally $3.50 a bottle. The value is that it’s still water and you need it. Popcorn makes you thirsty. Soda makes you thirsty. Ice Cream may not make you thirsty but you don’t need it like you need water. You can go without everything else on the list, but you still need water.

At my first After Hours event in Magic Kingdom, I walked around between rides asking for bottles of water. I ended up filling my backpack with 3 bottles of water, one in my pocket, I lost one bottle on a ride and had to replace it, and I drank one before I left the parks. In total my haul was 5 ½ bottles of water. I ended up coming home with 3 in my bag, along with a bottle of coke. I also ate 2 Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches and 2 boxes of Popcorn (normally those are $5 each). I also tried a Frozen Banana (Chocolate covered), which I found to be gross and tossed it. When all was said and done, I got about $50 worth of snack items for FREE, and could have easily gotten more.

If you’re looking for something extra to do and you have the budget for it, do the After Hours event at either Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom for the best value.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• All the restaurants and eateries will be closed when the park closes at it’s normal hours; so make sure you eat a good meal ahead of the After Hours event. Yes, they have snacks, but it’s not the same as a solid meal.
• Use the snacks to keep your energy up while romping around the park.
• If you have more than two people and want the best value, make sure everyone orders their own snack or bottle of water.
• Take a small bag or backpack with you. The drawstring ones are perfect and not too bulky.
• Water rides at night during the winter? Reconsider if it’s chilly outside.
• Make sure to get your Wristband as early as possible. That way you can be anywhere in the park when the park officially closes, and still go on rides and attractions without issue. The Cast Members (CMs) will simply ask to see your wristband and then allow you to get in line. They also give you a times guide listing the special activities and times of any shows.
• If you have a Magic Band you can add your ticket to the event to your account, so when you enter, they will simply scan your band, and a CM will be right there to put your wristband on you.
• Wristbands are the plastic snap on kind, not the sticky tape paper kind that pull your arm hairs. (YAY!)

• There are no shops open more than an hour after regular Park Closing time, so if you want to buy any items, do it early vs. waiting until you leave.
• At Animal Kingdom, when the restaurants and Quick Service food stands are closed, the bar near Expedition Everest will still be open. Next to that bar there is a food stand that serves all of the snacks during the event. You can get both an adult bevy and a snack at the same place.
• At Animal Kingdom there’s a DJ in Dinoland USA! Go dance! It’s fun and there are restrooms open nearby.
• Plan your 3 hour adventure! Take a moment to plan out your path from ride to ride or attraction to attraction because you still have a limited amount of time and want to get the most bang for your buck!
• Get a map. Figure out where you want to go first, and then make a Clockwise or Counter-clockwise loop around the park to do everything you want to do. At Magic Kingdom this is especially efficient, and everyone should be able to do everything they want (with the exception of a few attractions being closed) in that 3 hour window. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you’re there and you’ve done it all and still have an hour left, it feels pretty good!

Have FUN and enjoy your After Hours Adventure!!

#2disneyenthusiasts #disneyafterhours