After Hours Events - Ask Questions and Share Experiences Here

[fatmanatee]

Does anyone know what rides are available at HS after hours event? Also I saw a comment on wait times? What is that? Thanks!

The rides that are open during AH are shown on the website.

 

[MommaKetch]

My only gripe was all the people without party wristbands that stayed to watch Enchantment then left.

We'll be at MK in three weeks for the 3/24 AH event. One reason is so we can see Enchantment. I'll be pretty ticked if the hub is packed with people who didn't pay.

We did an HS AH in March '23, and they were very serious about guests having wristbands.

 

[MommaKetch]

As for getting a LLSP, we will try to buy one for Tron. I have an AP, so that shouldn't be an issue. But the kids have a single park pass for that day that we will use at AK, so they might not be eligible. We'll see!

 

[disneylover102]

As for getting a LLSP, we will try to buy one for Tron. I have an AP, so that shouldn't be an issue. But the kids have a single park pass for that day that we will use at AK, so they might not be eligible. We'll see!

Please share once you are or aren’t able to get the pass for Tron! I’m very curious. When are you going?

 

[Krischaser]

Can you only buy LL passes 7 days ahead of your arrival date?

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We were at a MK AH in January and we didn’t see any non-party guests at the FW show. It was amazing to be able to walk right up near the castle as the show was starting and not be elbow to elbow with people. This was our first AH but we’ll be doing it every trip from now on, the whole experience was amazing but the best part was walking around an empty park, it was so cool

 

[MommaKetch]

Please share once you are or aren’t able to get the pass for Tron! I’m very curious. When are you going?

March 24th. Will let you know for sure. LL window opens on the 15th for us, so will attempt to book then.

 

[MommaKetch]

Can you only buy LL passes 7 days ahead of your arrival date?

If you are staying on property, yes. For non resort guests it’s 3 days before your park day.

 

[Krischaser]

We are staying on property. Does anyone know how long it takes to buy LL passes? My work said I can do it from there as long as it does not take much time instead of taking time off to do it.

 

[grahampb]

We did the event on the last Monday in February and whilst it did rain the event itself was just OK. As many other people have said, lots of people stay who have not paid, as they only check bands at the ride entrance and when you get snacks. Lots of people stayed for the fireworks without wristbands and then left. Which was really annoying considering the cost involved. SDMT was down alit of the night, but Tron and all the other rides were walk ons.

 

[MommaKetch]

As many other people have said, lots of people stay who have not paid, as they only check bands at the ride entrance and when you get snacks. Lots of people stayed for the fireworks without wristbands and then left. Which was really annoying considering the cost involved.

Oh wow, so the word is really out that they are allowing day guests to stay. I hope they get a handle on this as Spring Break crowds are ramping up. It's within their scope as they do a thorough job sweeping crowds for holiday parties. Which cost is similar to after hours prices....

 

[MommaKetch]

We are staying on property. Does anyone know how long it takes to buy LL passes? My work said I can do it from there as long as it does not take much time instead of taking time off to do it.

It really depends. You might have better luck asking over here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...arting-july-24.3948850/page-270#post-66027574

 

[grahampb]

Yes, we were quite shocked at the lack of checks. We are used to the masses of CM's checking bands at Haloween and Christmas parties, so not to be challenged after paying all that money was not good.

 

[MommaKetch]

@grahampb are you staying on property? If so, please report this in your survey. They'll never change if we don't speak up.

 

[grahampb]

Yes, we stayed at the Boardwalk, I reported it to Guest Services the next day, although they really did not seem interested but said they would pass my comments on.

 

[RivGirl]

I haven’t seen an up to date answer to the following question I had about After Hours events and LLMP, and now that I have an answer for myself I’m sharing it here.

Today was my LLMP booking day (on property, 7 days in advance). I have an After Hours ticket for Magic Kingdom on March 17, but I do not have a regular park ticket for that day. I was surprised to find, today, that I was able to purchase LLMP for Magic Kingdom on March 17. As I clicked through the screens, I wondered if it would go all the way through confirmation of purchase, but it did!

Interesting to note that it suggested times early in the day for my chosen attractions, long before the 7pm entry time I get with the After Hours ticket. I modified them all to post-7pm before I finalized the purchase.

I thought I had seen some vague answers floating around suggesting that this (purchasing LLMP or LLSP with an After Hours only ticket) was not possible. (And btw, it would have let me purchase LLSP for 7DMT and Tron as well. I decided to pass on both of those offerings.) I don’t know if my experience today was a reversal of policy or if the previous info I came across was wrong or misunderstood. I will admit that there’s a cynical part of me that wonders if it’s a reversal to get more LLMP $$ from people who want to ride Tiana’s (which is currently excluded from After Hours offerings). If that’s the case, well, they got me. I realize that there’s also a good chance that Tiana might be down and I will have spent the LLMP $$ without getting the main thing I wanted from it….but I’m going into it with eyes wide open, and I’m a sucker for extra convenience at Disney!

 

[georgina]

I haven’t seen an up to date answer to the following question I had about After Hours events and LLMP, and now that I have an answer for myself I’m sharing it here.

Today was my LLMP booking day (on property, 7 days in advance). I have an After Hours ticket for Magic Kingdom on March 17, but I do not have a regular park ticket for that day. I was surprised to find, today, that I was able to purchase LLMP for Magic Kingdom on March 17. As I clicked through the screens, I wondered if it would go all the way through confirmation of purchase, but it did!

Interesting to note that it suggested times early in the day for my chosen attractions, long before the 7pm entry time I get with the After Hours ticket. I modified them all to post-7pm before I finalized the purchase.

I thought I had seen some vague answers floating around suggesting that this (purchasing LLMP or LLSP with an After Hours only ticket) was not possible. (And btw, it would have let me purchase LLSP for 7DMT and Tron as well. I decided to pass on both of those offerings.) I don’t know if my experience today was a reversal of policy or if the previous info I came across was wrong or misunderstood. I will admit that there’s a cynical part of me that wonders if it’s a reversal to get more LLMP $$ from people who want to ride Tiana’s (which is currently excluded from After Hours offerings). If that’s the case, well, they got me. I realize that there’s also a good chance that Tiana might be down and I will have spent the LLMP $$ without getting the main thing I wanted from it….but I’m going into it with eyes wide open, and I’m a sucker for extra convenience at Disney!

Interesting. Can I ask what type of other park tickets you have? Is there any way Disney thinks you may have a day ticket that would cover it?

 

[RivGirl]

Interesting. Can I ask what type of other park tickets you have? Is there any way Disney thinks you may have a day ticket that would cover it?

Well, now, this is a great question and point.

I have a 2-Day Ticket with Admission to 1 Park Per day, valid 3/16 - 3/19, in addition to the After Hours ticket for 3/17.

First thing this morning, I purchased LLMP for Hollywood Studios on 3/16 and Epcot on 3/18. Two days of LLMP.

Later this afternoon, I purchased LLMP for Magic Kingdom on 3/17.

I combed through some PlanDisney questions about LLMP and found this: “If you have a date-based ticket then you will be able to purchase Lightning Lanes for the total number of valid admission days on your ticket.” That suggests that since I had already purchased two days of LLMP, I shouldn’t have been allowed to purchase for Magic Kingdom. (Unless they are allowing it for After Hours guests now, but if they are I can’t find that in print anywhere…)

Everything is showing up in my app, but I’ll admit that I’m a bit worried this is going to cause me a headache in some way or another at some point… For example if I use my After Hours ticket to gain access to MK but it somehow thinks I’m using my 2-day ticket because of the LLMPs and then I can’t get into Epcot the next day? I mean we all know Disney IT is pretty wonky sometimes…. What do you think / what would you do? I’m not trying to “game” the system here; I simply did what the booking system allowed me to do…

 

[disneylover102]

Well, now, this is a great question and point.

I have a 2-Day Ticket with Admission to 1 Park Per day, valid 3/16 - 3/19, in addition to the After Hours ticket for 3/17.

First thing this morning, I purchased LLMP for Hollywood Studios on 3/16 and Epcot on 3/18. Two days of LLMP.

Later this afternoon, I purchased LLMP for Magic Kingdom on 3/17.

I combed through some PlanDisney questions about LLMP and found this: “If you have a date-based ticket then you will be able to purchase Lightning Lanes for the total number of valid admission days on your ticket.” That suggests that since I had already purchased two days of LLMP, I shouldn’t have been allowed to purchase for Magic Kingdom. (Unless they are allowing it for After Hours guests now, but if they are I can’t find that in print anywhere…)

Everything is showing up in my app, but I’ll admit that I’m a bit worried this is going to cause me a headache in some way or another at some point… For example if I use my After Hours ticket to gain access to MK but it somehow thinks I’m using my 2-day ticket because of the LLMPs and then I can’t get into Epcot the next day? I mean we all know Disney IT is pretty wonky sometimes…. What do you think / what would you do? I’m not trying to “game” the system here; I simply did what the booking system allowed me to do…

I mean, I doubt you’d have any issue having it use your normal ticket since there’s a very specific entrance for after hours. And worst case scenario there’s an issue and you have to take a few minutes with guest services. I doubt you’ll have any issue though, I think maybe they just decided last year to stop letting people buy LL and then changed their minds. But definitely let us know how it goes cause I’m planning to do MK and HS after hours on my trip at the end of next month

 

[Mrjoshua]

I went to EPCOT AH on 2/27. After previously attending AH's at all 4 parks, I found this one to be a little disappointing.

I was able to ride Guardians 8 times between 7pm and 1am. I also grabbed snacks and a drink once. I also inquired to guest services and other cast members about characters "throughout the park". Lastly, I walked all the way to France to discover that Remy's was down, and then walked back to Guardians.

First, I didn't feel like 8 rides was all that impressive, even on a popular ride like Guardians. Considering my snack break, my ill-fated trek to France, chatting with cast members, and that 2 hours of riding were prior to regular park close, I felt I should've gotten a couple more in.

I was disappointed by the lack of characters. With Test Track and Grand Fiesta down, I thought adding a few more character meets would help to thin out the crowds. I could not find any characters on the MDE app. Guest services told me no character experiences during the event. Another cast member was unsure. Another cast member told me Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy only. The brochure said characters "throughout the park". I thought adding a rare character or two might have made other wait times a bit more manageable.

Lastly, Remy's going down magnified the aforementioned problems. I don't blame the parks for a breakdown, BUT it added to wait times elsewhere... especially with no Test Track, no Grand Fiesta, and barely any character meets. To make matters worse, Frozen had been down earlier for a portion of the day. This lead to longer Frozen wait times at the end of the night, which might have extended into AH.

The result of all this was Guardians having a 40 minute advertised wait during the last hour. I think a few tweaks could improve this event.