Disney After Hours: Everything You Need to Know

Disney After Hours: Everything You Need to Know

This is your complete guide to Disney After Hours 2020! 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. (Score!) 

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.

What does that mean exactly? The cost of admission is not included in your regular Magic Your Way Tickets. You will have to consider if attending this event will fit into your vacation schedule and budget.

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

What Is Disney After Hours?

This special event is not to be confused with Disney’s Extra Magic Hours (which is a complementary benefit for on-property guests to enter the parks before they open to the public). 

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 event itself does not start until 8:00 PM.

Disney After Hours ticket prices start at $129.00 per ticket depending on the event. 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.

You will be surprised how much you can get done in 4 hours when the parks are empty.

Disney After Hours Wrist Band

If you arrive to the Disney After Hours event on or before 7:00 PM a cast member will give you a special event wristband. This allows you to stay after the event starts.

If you are already inside the park you do NOT have to walk all the way to the entrance. There are wrist band stations located throughout the park.

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! 

 

Benefits of Disney After Hours

No crowds and no waiting in lines. 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.

With the most popular attractions from Space Mountain to Haunted Mansion, and Flight of Passage to Expedition Everest, 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!  

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

Disney After Hours Rides and Attractions

The Magic Kingdom

• 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

Animal Kingdom

• It’s Tough to be a Bug!
• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Na’vi River Journey
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• DINOSAUR
• TriceraTop Spin
• Tree of Life Awakenings
• Rivers of Light

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.

Which Parks Offer Disney After Hours?

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

• Magic Kingdom After Hours 
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom After Hours

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

Disney After Hours Dates 

Magic Kingdom After Hours Dates

10:00 PM to 1:00 AM on the following dates:

Monday, March 9, 2020

Monday, March 16, 2020

Monday, March 23, 2020

Monday, March 30, 2020

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Monday, April 13, 2020

Monday, April 20, 2020

Monday, April 27, 2020

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Monday, May 25, 2020

9:00 PM to midnight on the following dates:

Friday, January 17, 2020

Monday, January 20, 2020

Monday, February 3, 2020

Monday, February 10, 2020

Monday, February 17, 2020

Monday, February 24, 2020

Monday, May 11, 2020

Monday, May 18, 2020

From 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM on the following dates:

Monday, January 6, 2020

Monday, January 13, 2020

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Monday, January 27, 2020

Friday, January 31, 2020

Monday, March 2, 2020

Disney After Hours Animal Kingdom

9:00 PM to midnight:

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

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

• 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

In our opinion the only downside to this event is the price point.

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?

We can help you pick the best time to visit Disney World! Our Disney Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get the most out of your time in the parks.

We break down:

1. Park Crowds
2. Park Hours of Operation
3. Ticket Prices Per Day
4. Average Temperature

Are You Ready to Plan Your Next Disney World Trip?

You can save up to $20 per ticket when purchasing your Walt Disney World Tickets from The Park Prodigy! Learn more about Disney hotels by reading our On-site Disney World Hotels page! 

If you’re brand new to Disney vacation planning we recommend our Walt Disney World Planning Page! For additional planning tools check out Disney Dessert Parties – The Complete Guide & The Best Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge

Last but not least if you’re also planning a trip to Universal Studios, be sure to check out our Universal Orlando Tickets! All Park Prodigy Universal Orlando tickets will get you into the park one hour before regular park guests!