2023 After Hours at Magic Kingdom: Dates, Details, Tips, Rides & Review

After Hours at Magic Kingdom is a tough ticket occasion with restricted attendance and quick wait occasions for rides in Walt Disney World’s hottest park. This put up shares our experiences, information in regards to the occasion, 2023 dates & particulars, ideas & methods, and whether or not it’s definitely worth the cash.

This is the newest of the After Hours occasions, which debuted at Magic Kingdom a number of years in the past and has had a number of totally different themes (Villains, Halloween & Christmas) since then. For 2023, the common or “vanilla” After Hours is as soon as once more returning to Magic Kingdom, with dates within the winter and spring, and extra more likely to come for spring and summer season.

After Hours at Magic Kingdom takes place choose nights from January 9 till March 27, 2023. This occasion takes place from 10 pm till 1 am. In addition to that, After Hours attendees can get a head begin on the enjoyable by getting into the park at 7:00 PM—a couple of hours earlier than the occasion formally begins!

Ticket costs for After Hours at Magic Kingdom fluctuate primarily based on date:

I had been planning on publishing our information and assessment of the 2023 After Hours at Magic Kingdom following the primary occasion, which is now offered out. With that plus many dates at DHS additionally promoting quick, I figured it’d be extra helpful to share information, recommendation, and proposals primarily based on our previous experiences with After Hours at Magic Kingdom now–earlier than each single date sells out. Posts geared toward serving to folks decide whether or not one thing “is worth it?” are usually extra helpful when the factor in query can nonetheless be bought.

In any case, we’ll circle again with an replace after attending with the 2023 After Hours at Magic Kingdom with any technique adjustments or assessment updates! For now, right here’s a mixture of new information and technique primarily based on prior experiences with After Hours at Magic Kingdom…

One factor that gained’t be altering is the hallmark of the After Hours at Walt Disney World: UNLIMITED PREMIUM MICKEY ICE CREAM BARS!!! Those, plus different ice cream novelties, popcorn, and bottled drinks are all included in the price of After Hours at Magic Kingdom.

You merely stroll as much as out of doors merchandising carts stationed all through the park and seize a Premium Mickey Bar, Coca-Cola, or no matter else. It’s an admittedly good contact of the occasion, and though it’s undoubtedly priced into the (very excessive) price of tickets, it nonetheless has a pleasant, all-inclusive sort of feeling. Perhaps I’m only a man of easy tastes who is definitely impressed, however I really feel fancy strolling away from an ODV with “free” ice cream and pop.

You also can buy meals and drinks at choose eating places, however that is usually a horrible use of the restricted occasion time. Eat earlier than you arrive or refill on ice cream and different treats on-the-go throughout After Hours at Magic Kingdom.

Attractions open for After Hours at Magic Kingdom will possible embrace most or all the following:

• Astro Orbiter
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin*
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion*
• “it’s a small world”*
• Jungle Cruise*
• Mad Tea Party
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train*
• Space Mountain*
• Swiss Family Treehouse
• Goofy’s Barnstormer
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid

You can be taught extra in regards to the attraction lineup, pricing, and 2023 Disney After Hours dates on the official web site.

*These are the one sights that Walt Disney World has formally confirmed for 2023 After Hours at Magic Kingdom. The remainder of the checklist is pulled from previous After Hours occasions, with the lineup being pretty constant. We’ve solely eliminated Splash Mountain from the checklist, for apparent causes. 

With the possible experience roster out of the way in which, the operative query about After Hours at Magic Kingdom is what number of rides are you able to accomplish? Narrowing {that a} bit additional, we assume most individuals studying this are involved with headliners like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train–and the way a lot time will be saved by paying to attend After Hours versus a traditional day at Magic Kingdom…

We’ve attended a number of After Hours occasions, themed and unthemed, at Magic Kingdom. During the final one we attended, we did the next:

• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Jungle Cruise
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (x2)
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Astro Orbiter
• Space Mountain (x2)
• Peter Pan’s Flight (x2)
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

That’s a complete of 15 issues, and we may’ve achieved extra if effectivity had been our lone purpose and we didn’t backtrack as a lot. With Annual Passholder pricing at $115 and as much as $159 common pricing on the occasion, that breaks all the way down to round $7 to $11 per expertise.

We additionally ate a few half dozen ice cream novelties and had a couple of Cokes, the worth of which might’ve exceeded $50 had been we paying out of pocket. However, I might by no means purchase a bottle of water at Walt Disney World within the first place, a lot much less 6 of them in a day. So ascribing $50 of worth to the snacks is a little bit of a stretch. I’d truly say that added about $15 value of worth, as I did dinner in sugar-infused kind.

As famous above, After Hours at Magic Kingdom doesn’t require common theme park admission and permits entry as early as 7 pm. Unlike the Disney’s Hollywood Studios model of the occasion, the particular occasion begins proper at official park closing time–at 10:00 p.m., and runs for 3 hours till 1:00 a.m. This means you may see the fireworks or knock out a couple of less-popular sights earlier than After Hours formally kicks off.

The final time we attended, we did precisely that–carrying out one other half-dozen sights (together with a number of not open throughout After Hours) through the mix-in hours. It additionally helps that Walt Disney World tends to inflate wait occasions on social gathering nights in an effort to “gently discourage” day visitors from leaping in line on the final minute for one final experience.

As famous above, we’ve attended After Hours at Magic Kingdom on a number of events. If one factor has been constant, it’s the inconsistency of crowds. When these occasions first began, they seldom offered out and had been completely wonderful. Over time, they’ve turn out to be extra common and began promoting out.

Unsurprisingly, there’s an enormous distinction in crowds between events which might be offered out and ones that aren’t. More surprisingly, there has additionally been variance in wait occasions and attendance even amongst offered out nights. Walt Disney World appears to have oversold some After Hours nights in late 2019 and early 2020, leading to worse crowds. However, that was not our expertise with the themed After Hours nights in 2021.

The 2023 After Hours at Magic Kingdom are already beginning to promote out, but it surely’s unattainable to say what these events maintain by way of crowds. Our guess is that the capability is in keeping with the Halloween and Christmas After Hours, however with the important thing distinction that these had leisure to assist soak up crowds–which means wait occasions might be barely larger on the 2023 occasions. Hopefully, that’s an incorrect assumption on my half–and ticket gross sales are extra restricted. We shall see, and can report again!

Typically, traces are quick and manageable throughout After Hours at Magic Kingdom. Once the occasion will get began, most sights are walk-ons and are dispatching experience automobiles with empty seats. A handful may need 5 to 10 minute waits, with a pair being worse than that.

The two rides that normally have measurable wait occasions within the first couple of hours are Peter Pan’s Flight and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The latter is absolutely the largest offender, and we’ve achieved a number of After Hours at Magic Kingdom throughout which the road by no means actually died down for that. In different circumstances, it has had a <15 minute wait time within the last hour.

In phrases of ideas, our recommendation can be to start out in Adventureland and proceed to Frontierland, earlier than knocking out most of Fantasyland and all of Tomorrowland. Finally, end off by backtracking and hitting Peter Pan’s Flight (probably a number of occasions) and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

If you need bang on your buck, the favored sights which might be best to knock out time and again both by re-riding or shortly returning to the queue are Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Astro Orbiter. Space Mountain nearly qualifies, however the lengthy queue and exit does add up.

As with a traditional evening, you may leap into line for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with one minute left within the occasion. In different phrases, in the event you solely need to do that experience as soon as, the wait time is usually irrelevant, as you’ll be lining up at 12:59 am and doing most of your ready after the social gathering has concluded, anyway.

If you need to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Train greater than as soon as, you’ll most likely need to do prior rides within the 12 am hour–maybe alternating between it and Peter Pan’s Flight if you wish to change issues up.

As for whether or not After Hours at Magic Kingdom is definitely worth the cash, that actually relies upon. If you’re staying at a Deluxe Resort and have entry to Extended Evening Hours at Magic Kingdom, I might not even think about shelling out $100+ per particular person for this occasion except cash is completely no object. (In which case, why are you studying this assessment?)

We’ve achieved Extended Evening Hours at Magic Kingdom a number of occasions, and have had a blast at that. On common, we accomplish 8-10 sights throughout that 2-hour window. In our expertise, it’s very corresponding to After Hours, minus the included refreshments and additional hour. Do that as an alternative, pay for snacks out of pocket, and put the distinction in the direction of a distinct splurge.

If you aren’t eligible for Extended Evening Hours and are thus debating whether or not to do After Hours as an alternative…have you ever thought of doing a break up keep and splurging on an evening at a Deluxe Resort? (See How to Do Split Stays at Walt Disney World Hotels.) You may additionally pair that with Club Level at a Magic Kingdom space resort, benefiting from the early/late hours and having fun with the membership through the center of the day.

Seriously. If you may have a celebration of 4, you’re an outlay of ~$500 for After Hours at Magic Kingdom. That’s sufficient for staying at a Deluxe Resort for one evening, particularly in the event you ebook the Swan & Dolphin or do Disney Vacation Club Point Rentals. While break up stays usually are not for everybody, we love them–to every their very own on that, although.

If doing a break up keep is a non-starter otherwise you in any other case can’t or gained’t do a Deluxe Resort, there are nonetheless different choices. One is doing Early Entry and twine drop at Magic Kingdom. Generally talking, that’s not a comparable different to After Hours at Magic Kingdom.

For one factor, it’s within the morning reasonably than the perfect time of day (evening) at Magic Kingdom. For one other factor, Early Entry shouldn’t be notably helpful at Magic Kingdom (positively the worst of the 4 parks for the perk) as a result of later park opening time. If your solely choices are Early Entry or After Hours (a false alternative, to make certain), we’d decide the latter.

Finally, there’s Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. If you’ve learn any of our many posts about utilizing paid FastPass at Magic Kingdom, you’re possible conscious we advocate for purchasing the service there. (If not, now you realize!)

With the biggest Lightning Lane experience roster, Genie+ availability is healthier at Magic Kingdom than another park. It usually has the perfect return occasions and you may strategize so you aren’t crisscrossing the park and backtracking an excessive amount of. There’s additionally much less cause to be in your cellphone continually taking part in the refresh sport, as Genie+ is often “easier” at Magic Kingdom.

Nevertheless, we’re cognizant of the truth that many visitors need no display screen time or problem. After Hours positively has that benefit over Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. There’s no expertise required and 0 complications in any way. Of course, the tradeoff is a massively larger worth.

Ultimately, that’s my perspective on After Hours at Magic Kingdom. We will go for the sake of “research,” however I might not purchase tickets to this if we had been the typical Walt Disney World guests. Likewise, we don’t suggest it for the majority of planners, particularly these on tight budgets or, paradoxically, keen to splurge on a Deluxe Resort. That’s a change from earlier years, once we beneficial After Hours at Magic Kingdom.

Ironically sufficient, I’m a lot much less eager on this occasion than beforehand. This is as a result of Extended Evening Hours are vastly superior to Evening Extra Magic Hours and Genie+ is healthier than FastPass+ at Magic Kingdom. That’s ironic as a result of, as a normal matter, each of these adjustments have include a value. However, on this particular case, the smaller swimming pools of visitors who can or do use each ideas the scales of their favor–in different phrases, their price is decrease than this price.

Genie+ or Extended Evening Hours primarily marginalize the worth of After Hours at Magic Kingdom. At least from my perspective, that is now a considerably pointless occasion with no theme connected, as there are viable alternate options that price much less or have extra upside (or each). As at all times, to every their very own, although. I’m certain most nights of the 2023 After Hours at Magic Kingdom will promote out, and the overwhelming majority of attendees could have a unbelievable time. It’s merely not how I might allocate my “TREAT YO SELF” finances for splurging on a Walt Disney World trip when selecting from the varied choices.

To that time, we’d (and do!) suggest the 2023 After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you hate crowds, hassles, and are keen to splurge, After Hours at DHS will likely be an amazing occasion for you. This is essentially as a result of there are is not any (normally-scheduled) Extended Evening Hours, Genie+ will be headache-inducing, and Early Entry is just a viable possibility for knocking out 2-3 sights. With that mentioned, After Hours can also be not strictly essential at DHS, both. It’s only a extra smart splurge, from our perspective.

With all of that mentioned, in the event you arbitrarily put aside the associated fee or simply need to splurge, it’s arduous to argue towards After Hours. So lengthy as Walt Disney World doesn’t get grasping and improve the attendance cap (as we’ve seen with MNSSHP and MVMCP), it ought to proceed to be a wonderful occasion. Even then, demand for these is approach decrease than for the Halloween and Christmas Parties, so crowds are unlikely to be an issue. (My hope is that Walt Disney World switches issues up and provides a themed After Hours for Spring and Summer 2023, because it’s arduous for me to see this as a compelling providing that units itself other than Extended Evening Hours.)

At the tip of the day, limited-capacity night occasions are probably the most pleasing approach to expertise Magic Kingdom–there’s definitely one thing to be mentioned for nighttime in Walt Disney World’s flagship park whereas it’s just about devoid of individuals. I personally favor the Halloween and Christmas events for his or her leisure and ambiance–however I additionally don’t care about doing sights as a lot, so I do know that I’m not the norm.

After Hours at Magic Kingdom is just like the vanilla model of these for experience junkies or anybody who needs the bottom crowd ranges and probably the most handy approach to keep away from lengthy traces. It could not provide the perfect worth for cash from an goal perspective, but it surely’s however a robust possibility for individuals who are overwhelmed by planning, crowds, or the hassles of visiting Magic Kingdom within the present period. It’s not how we’d select to splurge, however that doesn’t make it a foul occasion.

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YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you consider the After Hours occasions? Planning on doing the 2023 After Hours at Magic Kingdom to see what number of occasions you may experience Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight, or Space Mountain in a single evening? Is this one thing that pursuits you, or is the associated fee too excessive to justify? Would you like to do that, or splurge on a Deluxe Resort and get the 2-hour model for “free”? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of the occasion? Any questions we will help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!