On February 8, 2018, some friends and I attended Disney After Hours in the Magic Kingdom. Introduced in 2017, this event offers guests a chance to extend the fun for an extra 3 hours past normal closing time. In our case, the park was closing early due to the winter hours. The cost for us was just under $80 per person, with our Annual Passholder discounts.
We entered Magic Kingdom early for the event, around 6:30 p.m. and received our lanyards with the After Hours sign on it. The event officially began at 8:00 p.m. right after Happily Ever After fireworks.
We were hungry and went to Casey's Corner. Luckily, we got a table outside and were able to use mobile ordering to place our orders. Eating with a view of the castle is my idea of heaven on Earth!! The view was actually good and knowing we didn't have to work our way to the buses afterward made it very relaxing.
Once the fireworks ended, we decided to go meet Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell. Up Main Street USA we went. This may not have been the wisest choice since this put us with the masses of people heading to the park exits. We made it though and were rewarded with absolutely zero wait for both characters.
Next, we headed to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and walked right on and then rode Tomorrowland Transit - The People Mover. Again, there was no wait. One big perk of the After Hours event is all you care to enjoy ice cream bars, popcorn and bottled beverages. We each got a Mickey ice cream and headed to ride the Mad Tea Party and Dumbo!
The time was flying by! We decided to head off to Neverland with Peter Pan's Flight. It was wonderful to slow down and spend time in the interactive queue. We played with Tinkerbell and butterflies. Had a sword fight and then enjoyed the ride.
All of us took some time for photos in front of Cinderella's Castle (there were plenty of Photo Pass photographers around!).
And, then, sadly, it was all over. We heard the Kiss Goodnight and it was time to leave. It went WAY TOO FAST! I would absolutely recommend this event to anyone who would like some extra time in Magic Kingdom with very low crowds. Ideally, people who can stay up late (maybe not little kids). The best part of the evening, for me, was the freedom to walk without bumping into people, strollers and scooters. It was so refreshing to see Magic Kingdom this way. Plus, I just love how Magic Kingdom feels so, well, MAGICAL with all of the lights at night. I hope you get to enjoy After Hours at Magic Kingdom sometime!!
Mary Graham is a Vacation Specialist with Coasters & Castles Travel. She is an Annual Passholder to Walt Disney World and visits often. She loves making her clients dreams for magical vacations come true!