After Hours vs Parties

[dez1978]

In the Before Times, how were crowds at After hours events vs Parties, like the Christmas party? I've been to the Christmas party once, last year, and it was much busier than I anticipated. But I keep reading about the parks feeling empty at the after hours events. Is there really a big difference between them crowd wise? My only other after hours event to compare was a Moonlight Magic event at HS earlier this year, and the waits for SDD and the star wars rides were still almost an hour.

 

[VAtink]

Well, I can't speak for the Christmas party, but pre-2020 we would typically do both a MNSSHP and an After Hours (DAH) during our trips in September, and the difference in crowds between the two was night and day. The park actually felt empty during the DAH, I have so many pictures of completely empty walkways and Main Street and the hub with maybe one other person there. The vast majority of the rides were walk-ons save for 7DMT and PPF, and even those I think we waited maybe max 15 minutes. MNSSHP on the other hand was packed, and seemed to get more crowded each year, although this year seemed a bit less crowded (fortunately)! I actually preferred the DAH to the Halloween party once the party got to be so crowded.

Now, that being said, last years Halloween and Christmas parties were technically After Hours events, and we found the Halloween one (Boo Bash) to be a lot more crowded than pre-2020 DAH events. There were people everywhere and rides had waits, albeit small ones, until later in the night. So hard to say what the DAH will be like when they come back this winter, hopefully they drop back down to pre-2020 levels!

 

[cjlong88]

In the Before Times, how were crowds at After hours events vs Parties, like the Christmas party? I've been to the Christmas party once, last year, and it was much busier than I anticipated. But I keep reading about the parks feeling empty at the after hours events. Is there really a big difference between them crowd wise? My only other after hours event to compare was a Moonlight Magic event at HS earlier this year, and the waits for SDD and the star wars rides were still almost an hour.

My two After Hours experiences were super low crowds, so much so that I wondered if anyone else was in the dang park. I will never forget riding Slinky 4 times in a row with no wait, then heading to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and riding that 6 times in a row. Now, that was in 2019 so things might have changed. But compared to when I did MNSSHP, there is a stark contrast to crowd levels.

 

[Kingoglow]

I agree with the other, in the past, the after hours events had lower crowds than the holiday parties. There is also a much different energy in the parks. It is usually quiet, no special parades, character meets or events. Everyone there is focused on rides alone.

This was all pre-COVID though. No one has an idea of what Disney intends to do to the after hours parties in 2023.

 

[stace1214]

I went to an after hours during President's week before COVID and although it wasn't nearly as crowded as the parties, it was still very busy. Lines for Space and Mine Train were close to an hour even late into the night. I would definitely do after hours over a party again but would avoid school break weeks.

 

[AC7179]

We did an After Hours in Orlando in March of 2020---the week the world shut down. The parks were crowded during the day, so I don't think it was Covid scaring people away, but the After Hours events were amazing. A little crowded at the start, but then totally cleared out and most everything was a walk on. It was wonderful.

We did a Villians Night at DCA in March of 2022, and it wasn't anywhere near as fun and was much more crowded.

 

[TikiRob]

The Animal Kingdom After Hours we did in 2019 was amazing... We didn't get off of Everest for three straight rides and only wait for FoP was the pre-show (that thing is long!). Unlimited popcorn, ice cream, sodas and water. Walking through parts of the park was actually kind of scary without anybody anywhere! We got stuck on Dinosaur and it was only our party on the ride–equally creepy!

Went to the Christmas Party last year, and as noted, it was technically an After Hours. I do feel they sold it like the parties though as it was way more crowded than the After Hours event at AK.

I hope to hear the new DAH events are like pre-Covid.

 

[leeniewdw]

We did an AK After Hours in 2018 and I agree -- amazing. We did Everest 4 times (3 in a row) and FOP twice (they did make us make the long walk down and up, so it was time consuming). Would totally do it again. But we're ride focused people.

We did the Xmas thing in MK last year (whatever it was called) and enjoyed it, rode everything (some things twice) except PP. But we didn't mess with parade or a specific viewing spot for fireworks (actually watched them from the Astro Orbiter). It wasn't a sold out night. I'm a little nervous about us going to MVMCP on 11/10. It's sold out. Hoping for a similar experience, but who knows.

 

[ruthies12]

I've done regular halloween and xmas parties pre-covid and they were somewhat crowded. I've done after hours at HS and AK pre-covid and they were awesome, zero crowds, empty walkways and very short lines. I remember riding flight of passage so many times we had to stop because we were getting motion sickness. My HS party was pre-star wars land but we were able to ride slinky a couple times.

I did 1 christmas "after hours" at MK post covid and it was crowded imo and felt no different than the previous regular xmas parties, just more expensive.

I have tickets to an HS party in January and I'm concerned it may have been a waste of money. For the first party on Jan 4th they have the hours listed as closing at 9:00 and the party starts at 9:30. With Rise regularly having a 2 to 3 hour line and people being able to get in line up until closing I don't see how party people are going to be able to ride it with a short line. Maybe we'll be able to at the very end of the night but I'll be very surprised if we get multiple rides in on it. I hope I'm wrong though.

 

[leeniewdw]

I have tickets to an HS party in January and I'm concerned it may have been a waste of money. For the first party on Jan 4th they have the hours listed as closing at 9:00 and the party starts at 9:30. With Rise regularly having a 2 to 3 hour line and people being able to get in line up until closing I don't see how party people are going to be able to ride it with a short line. Maybe we'll be able to at the very end of the night but I'll be very surprised if we get multiple rides in on it. I hope I'm wrong though.

Obviously this is just anecdotal info, but I've read on these boards that there have been times that the Rise line was closed before park closing because so many people were doing this that it was going to take too long to get everyone thru. I would think on AH nights, they'd operate in some similar fashion, to cut off the day visitor line and only allow AH people to join it.

 

[RoseGold]

In the Before Times, how were crowds at After hours events vs Parties, like the Christmas party? I've been to the Christmas party once, last year, and it was much busier than I anticipated. But I keep reading about the parks feeling empty at the after hours events. Is there really a big difference between them crowd wise? My only other after hours event to compare was a Moonlight Magic event at HS earlier this year, and the waits for SDD and the star wars rides were still almost an hour.

The old after hours were all Disney hotels and I think all good neighbors also. That's A LOT of people. The new ones are deluxe only. They cut all the moderates and values and all the off-site. The exceptions are Shades of Green, Swolphin. That's not a whole lot of people. The new deluxe after hours are the most deserted I've ever seen the park, except mid-Covid. I went to the Halloween party and the Villain party before Covid and it was much, much more crowded.

Downside is no food, no parades, some rides are closed like Figment. It feels kind of deserted, like you are doing something bad.

 

[leeniewdw]

The old after hours were all Disney hotels and I think all good neighbors also. That's A LOT of people. The new ones are deluxe only. They cut all the moderates and values and all the off-site. The exceptions are Shades of Green, Swolphin. That's not a whole lot of people. The new deluxe after hours are the most deserted I've ever seen the park, except mid-Covid. I went to the Halloween party and the Villain party before Covid and it was much, much more crowded.

Downside is no food, no parades, some rides are closed like Figment. It feels kind of deserted, like you are doing something bad.

The after hours being discussed here are ticketed events that are open to whomever buys the ticket.

 

[Richie248]

After Hours is all about the rides. No entertainment or special food offerings. I LOVE After Hour Parties. The last one I did at AK...it was empty. Will be attending some of these next year.

 

[ruthies12]

@leeniewdw I really hope you are right!

 

[leeniewdw]

@leeniewdw I really hope you are right!

I can only say that we attended an Animal Kingdom After Hours event in March 2018 that was $139 per person. It ran until midnight.

 

[Little E]

Hi there! I booked a last minute getaway with my two DSs for mid August and there is a DAH at HS and a Halloween Party at MK while we are there. We have done a DAH event at HS before and it was great, but we've never done a Halloween Party. I've been searching for info about the differences in crowds and wait times for rides and this is the main thread I found. However, it's kind of an old thread. Can anyone shed light on the crowd differences between these two ticketed events recently?

For reference, it will be me, DS22, and DS20. We are not interested in Halloween costumes or a Halloween parade. We are interested in low crowds and short wait times for rides. Is the Halloween party at MK anything like the DAH we experienced in HS? Since we've done the DAH in HS before, we probably wouldn't do it again (even though it was great!).

Just thought I would ask to see if anyone has any insight. Thank you!

 

[joyjoy]

Hi there! I booked a last minute getaway with my two DSs for mid August and there is a DAH at HS and a Halloween Party at MK while we are there. We have done a DAH event at HS before and it was great, but we've never done a Halloween Party. I've been searching for info about the differences in crowds and wait times for rides and this is the main thread I found. However, it's kind of an old thread. Can anyone shed light on the crowd differences between these two ticketed events recently?

For reference, it will be me, DS22, and DS20. We are not interested in Halloween costumes or a Halloween parade. We are interested in low crowds and short wait times for rides. Is the Halloween party at MK anything like the DAH we experienced in DS? Since we've done the DAH in DS before, we probably woundn't do it again (even though it was great!).

Just thought I would ask to see if anyone has any insight. Thank you!

So just to be clear, you are not asking which one to do - you want to know if the Halloween party is going to be similar to the DAH at HS that you've done before, right? (You kept saying DS instead of HS toward the end of your post and I think you meant HS). Anyway.
We did the Halloween party on Sept 8 2023. It was a Friday night and it was PACKED. Since you don't care about the parade, you can probably get some decent wait times for that hour or two (30 mins of actual parade + time right before and after). Friday and Saturday nights are typically more crowded. My advice is: I would not pay for the Halloween party if you're only looking for lower crowds and shorter wait times. I would go to MK on a day when there IS a party and leave before it starts, or go on a non-party night and close the park. Have fun with your boyz!

 

[scrappinginontario]

While MNSSHP is an AH party, Disney sells substantially more tickets than just an AH party.

AH parties are attraction focused. MNSSHP and MVMCP offer attractions plus a lot of party specific entertainment, snacks, experiences and more and there are far more guests at these parties.

If you are anticipating 'having the park to yourself' that you may have experienced at an AH party, these parties will not offer that.

 

[123SA]

I agree that the park will not feel empty. In general your wait times will be less than a regular park day. Since you can enter the park at 4, between 4 and midnight you can get a lot done. There will be no Lightning Lanes during the party, and no VQ. Jungle Cruise will not be open. We did 2 Halloween parties last August. My kids waited 30 minutes for Space Mountain one time and 40-45 minutes the next time. I'm sure of those wait times. The wait time wasn't that long the entire night, but it always had a longer wait than we were happy with

You can look at wait times from last year here
https://www.thrill-data.com/mnsshp/2023

 

[Little E]

Thank you all so much for your feedback. This is the kind of feedback I was looking for. We are taking a quick trip...August 11-15. We arrive late in the day on 8/11 and fly out on 8/15, so we really only have three park days. I thought that maybe a Halloween party might be the way to go to get more accomplished, but that's not what I'm hearing from folks here. I wanted to know if it's worth the extra $$ to book the tickets.

And it's also good to know that MK during the day of a party is definitely a good time to go. Good intel!!

Thanks so much!