Disney After Hours 2023: Everything You Need to Know

Disney After Hours 2023: Everything You Need to Know

Disney After Hours 2023: Everything You Need to Know

This is your complete guide to Disney After Hours 2023! Does your idea of a perfect Disney day include late nights at the parks, unlimited snacks and super low wait times for your favorite rides? If so, then you’re going to LOVE Disney World After Hours! You’ll get to see the parks come to life after the crowds head home and the hot Florida sun sets. There is so much to love about Disney After Hours Events, and we’re here to tell you all about it!

As fun as an extra dash of magic might sound, it’s important to keep in mind that Disney World After Hours is a time-limited, separately ticketed event.

For a detailed look into everything you need to know before purchasing your Disney After Hours tickets, read on! 

SPECIAL NOTE: If you are still in the process of planning your Disney vacation need help picking the best time to visit Disney World be sure to check out our Disney crowd calendar below!

 Disney World Crowd Calendar

What is Disney After Hours 2023?

So, what are After Hours Disney Events? Get yourself ready for a night of fun during Disney World After Hours 2023 where you can experience the parks in an entirely different way! Disney After Hours is a completely separate/additional ticket, which does not include park admission until 7:00 PM. It’s important to note the events don’t start typically until 8 PM or later. Guests that participate in Disney After Hours events get 3 hours of extra magical fun with unlimited snacks, drinks and entertainment! We find that Walt Disney World After Hours events are some of the best ways to meet exclusive characters, have low wait times and have an experience that you’ll never forget!

Now that we have gone over the basics you might be wondering, when will Disney After Hours return? And Disney After Hours have officially returned in 2023 with the very popular H20 Glow party at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park. Last year we did have Disney’s After Hours Boo Bash and Disney’s Very Merriest Christmas Party, however we are still waiting to see if Disney will bring back regular After Hours events at the theme parks which we saw prior to 2020.

What are the Disney After Hours 2023 events?

• Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom
• Disney After Hours at Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s H2O Glow After Hours Event (Anticipated based on last year)

Disney has recently announced the Disney After Hours event will be returning in January of 2023 at Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The only Disney After Hours event from last year was the Disney H2O Glow After Hours Event. There has been no announcement yet on if this Typhoon Lagoon After Hours event will be returning.

How much are 2023 Disney After Hours tickets?

Disney After Hours event tickets at Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios can be purchase by all guests beginning October 7, 2022, with prices ranging from $129 to $159. There are discounts for Annual Pass holders and Disney Vacation Club members. 

Although an additional cost of admission we think having the ability to enter the park as early as 7:00 PM is a huge plus! This allows you time to watch the fireworks or grab a bite to eat before heading over to your favorite rides.

What are the 2023 Magic Kingdom After Hours Event Prices?

• January 9th – $135/$105*
• January 16th – $159/$129
• January 23rd – $145/$115
• February 16th – $159/$129
• February 20th – $159/$129
• February 27th – $155/$125
• March 2nd – $159/$129
• March 6th – $155/$125
• March 13th – $155/$125
• March 16th – $155/$125
• March 20th – $155/$125
• March 27th – $149/$119

*(price/price for Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members)

What are the 2023 Hollywood Studios After Hours Event Prices?

• January 4th – $145/$115
• January 11th – $129/$99
• January 18th – $139/$109
• January 25th – $145/$115
• February 15th – $149/$119
• February 22nd – $149/$119
• March 8th – $149/$119
• March 22nd – $149/$119
• March 29th – $145/$115
• April 2nd – $139/$109
• April 5th- $149/$119
• April 19th – $145/$115

*(price/price for Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members)

2023 Disney After Hours Event Prices – H2O Glow After Hours Event

Disney H2O Glow After Hours party starts at $75 per ticket and is on select nights in the summer.

What’s Included In Disney After Hours Tickets? 

Free. Mickey. Bars.

Need we say more? Actually, we must say more. As a matter of fact, not only are unlimited Mickey Bars free with admission, but so are ALL Mickey novelty ice creams, as well as select bottled beverages (water, Sprite, Coke and Diet Coke) and even popcorn! While most counter service and quick service restaurants will be closed, carts stationed in select locations will remain open for your late-night cravings. Yippee! 

It is important to note that depending on what WDW After Hours event you choose to go to, there will be specialty exclusive items for purchase, as well. But the majority of the snacks at Disney After Hours Party come completely included.

Disney H2O Glow After Hours

This summertime Disney After Hours event is unlike any other because it is in the water park Typhoon Lagoon. There will be free entertainment throughout the night at Disney H2O Glow, as well as free snacks like ice cream, popcorn and bottled soda. For this Disney After Hours Event, guests are given free glowing accessories to wear throughout the night with having fun!

Related post: Disney World Pictures and Disney PhotoPass Guide

What are the Benefits of Going to Disney After Hours Events?

Our favorite benefits of Disney After Hours events are no crowds and no waiting in lines for some of your favorite Disney World rides. If you ever wondered what Disney parks looked like completely empty, you’ll get a pretty good feel for it by attending Disney After Hours. Disney also keeps almost all of the most popular attractions from Space Mountain to Haunted Mansion, and Flight of Passage to Expedition Everest open so you’ll have the opportunity to ride them as often as your heart desires. A perk that regular ticket holders wouldn’t have the chance to do on any given day!  

With H2O Glow After Hours event, we love that there is nighttime entertainment, such as a DJ to start the party right! You can even get glowing accessories and party the night away in the pool.

Our favorite Disney World After Hours benefits:

• Low Wait Times
• Exclusive Character Meet and Greets
• Low Crowds

Special Note: Not all of the rides and attractions are open during Disney After Hours events.

Related post: Complete Guide to the Disney Genie

Disney After Hours Rides and Attractions

Magic Kingdom After Hours Rides

• Space Mountain
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Astro Orbiter
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Haunted Mansion
• it’s a small world
• Jungle Cruise
• Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Splash Mountain

Hollywood Studios After Hours Rides

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Mickey & Minnies Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Toy Story Mania!

Typhoon Lagoon H2O Glow After Hours Rides

• Bay Slides
• Castaway Creek
• Crush ‘n’ Gusher
• Gangplank Falls
• Humunga Kowabunga
• Mayday Falls
• Miss Adventure Falls
• Storm Slides
• Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool

All attractions are subject to change without notice.

Disney After Hours Character Meet-and-Greets

Disney includes character meet-and-greets in every Disney After Hours event. However this does not include all characters you can meet during normal operating hours.

If attending be sure to ask a Disney cast member which characters will be at your Disney After Hours event. You can make sure to save time and skip those characters during the day.

H2O Glow After Hours Event Characters

While we don’t know for sure what characters will be available, we can share with you who we saw in 2019! Toy Story overtook Typhoon Lagoon for the night and guests were able to meet all of our favorites!

• Forky
• Buzz Lightyear
• Jessie and Woody
• Partysaurus Rex

Related post: Complete Guide to Disney World Halloween Events

 Which Parks Offer Disney After Hours?

As of today, only a few of Walt Disney World’s four parks are currently offering After Hours:

• Typhoon Lagoon (TBD for 2023) 
• Magic Kingdom After Hours
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios After Hours 

This nighttime event falls on specific dates of the year which we’ve included below. 

What are the Disney After Hours Dates for 2023?

Disney’s Magic Kingdom After Hours Party Dates 2023

2023 Magic Kingdom After Hours dates are here and we are so excited to share the news!

• January: 9, 16, 23
• February: 16, 20, 27,
• March: 2, 6, 13, 16, 20, 27

Disney’s Hollywood Studios After Hours Party Dates 2023

• January: 4, 11, 18, 25
• February: 15, 22
• March: 8, 22, 29
• April 2, 5, 19

Disney’s H2O Glow After Hours Party

• May – August (Anticipated based on last year) 

As of right now, there are no Disney After Hours dates for 2023 for the holidays. Once we know more about dates for upcoming Disney After Hours Events, we can update here. You can always expect Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween Party to be around Halloweentime, starting usually in August, and Very Merriest After Hours to be around Christmas, starting in November.

Is Disney After Hours Worth It?

We find that Disney After Hours is worth it if:

• You’re a thrill seeker looking to ride Flight of Passage, Snow White’s Mine Train, Space Mountain and Expedition Everest.
• You’re a night owl who prefers late nights over early mornings.
• You’ve always dreamt of experiencing the parks without the crowds.
• You’re planning on visiting WDW for a short period of time and only want to experience the most popular attractions.

When Disney After Hours Doesn’t Make Sense

We find it better to skip a Disney After Hours event if:

• You’re traveling on a limited budget.
• You’d prefer a full day at the parks to experience everything they have to offer beyond rides.
• You’re traveling with kiddos that have scheduled bedtimes.

Tips & Tricks For Disney After Hours Events 2023

• Make sure your group eats dinner before you arrive. Although your ticket includes unlimited snacks, most food locations will be closed.
• Arrive at 7:00 PM and take advantage of the extra hour in the park.
• If you arrive early plan to visit any attractions that might be closed during your Disney After Hours event.
• Game plan and have a list of which rides are most important to go on.
• Soak it all in! As a former Disney cast member there is truly something special about an empty Disney park. Enjoy the experience!

Our Overall Opinion on Disney After Hours Events

In our opinion, there are only a few downsides to After Hours Events. One, when Disney announced Boo Bash After hours, they released that it would only be a 3 hour event. We have found it impossible to do everything in three hours, so prioritize what is the most important to you!

The other downside to this event is the price point. It can be very expensive for families to afford these events, especially with pricing going up each year.

With that being said, you would be surprised with just how much you can get done in an empty Disney park. It’s hard to have a bad time with barely any wait times and unlimited ice cream, popcorn and soda.

If this ticket falls into your families goal and budget we recommend it- you won’t regret it!

When is The Best Time to Visit Disney World?

Our Disney  World Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get the most out of your time in the parks. We break down park crowds, park hours of operation, ticket prices, and average temperature. We also break down the best time to visit Disney World based on specific times of the year and special events.

Are You Ready to Plan Your Next Disney World Trip?

Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Be sure to speak with a Disney World Travel Agent for the most recent deals and promotions. The Park Prodigy will provide a Free Quote for all Disney World Vacation Packages. The Park Prodigy can also help you save up to $20 per ticket when purchasing your Walt Disney World Tickets, and we offer promotional discounts for special events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Tickets and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tickets. If you’re brand new to Disney vacation planning we recommend our Walt Disney World Planning Page! Learn more about Disney hotels by reading our Walt Disney World Hotels Review page.

Don’t forget to check out our wonderful friends over at Theme Park Today, as well!