**Disney After Hours - Magic Kingdom** FAQ & Discussion Thread

[MrsInsG]

Ok, what gives. Wait times look pretty chill for 10:15pm and the weather looks great.

I’m here and it’s not good. The crowds are heavy for an after hours and the lines for complementary snacks look more the crowds surrounding a UN envoy, and it’s 10:40. The pirates wait is 45, and merchandise is either sold out or running low at several locations. By way of background, we are a family of 5 Disney adults so the party was in the neighborhood of $700. We’ve done other after hours events, holiday parties, etc., so I’ve got an idea of what to expect. That said, this event crossed the mythical line people always seem to refer to; so much so, I’m at guest services getting my money back (and there are others here / the lady next to me just got a full day of fastpasses for tomorrow for the same reason). I have NEVER requested a refund from Disney before, so this is a big deal for me. I won’t do another of these events.

 

[kylenne]

40 minute line for Memento Mori for Haunted Mansion anniversary merch lol. I’m in it because I’m crazy but lord.

 

[MrsInsG]

40 minute line for Memento Mori for Haunted Mansion anniversary merch lol. I’m in it because I’m crazy but lord.

Yep, I saw that and thought “holy cow!”

 

[kylenne]

I think what this shows more than anything is that we need more villain programming in the parks—there’s a lot of villain fans out there and we are starved for it. We’ll come out for anything villain related, and unfortunately that demand doesn’t mix well with an event that is sold around no crowds and walk on wait times. Personally I’m enjoying myself so far, I like the more “adult” atmosphere and have had a blast just chatting with other guests, but I’m an old goth and I only had to pay for myself. I don’t have a ride quota or checklist to run down. If I dropped hundreds and this was my only MK time I’d feel a lot differently.

 

[123SA]

One hour to do space twice. It took about 45 minutes to clear day crowd I think

 

[Limes96]

I got in line for pirates around 10:30 and I believe wait was posted 35 minutes. It was more like 10-15. Most rides are short waits. I have two kids on space now and when they got in wait time was 20 minutes. Then changed to 30. It's about what I expected for a sold out crowd. That haunted mansion store was the most crowded area I've seen so far.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Love villains and fun vibe in the hub but rough night.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

What I've enjoyed about prior DAH events is that it's more relaxed, less strategizing and less concern about timing, maximizing things, dodging crowds, etc...this has not been that!

And yes on that crazy Memento Mori line! If they were going to have special merch for VAH guests, it would have been helpful if made it available with wristbands for longer, IMO...

ETA: I think I'm with the poster a few pages back that thinks it needs a name change!

 

[4vrdreamin]

I’m here and it’s not good. The crowds are heavy for an after hours and the lines for complementary snacks look more the crowds surrounding a UN envoy, and it’s 10:40. The pirates wait is 45, and merchandise is either sold out or running low at several locations. By way of background, we are a family of 5 Disney adults so the party was in the neighborhood of $700. We’ve done other after hours events, holiday parties, etc., so I’ve got an idea of what to expect. That said, this event crossed the mythical line people always seem to refer to; so much so, I’m at guest services getting my money back (and there are others here / the lady next to me just got a full day of fastpasses for tomorrow for the same reason). I have NEVER requested a refund from Disney before, so this is a big deal for me. I won’t do another of these events.

I totally agree!!! I'm back at WL but took pictures of lines everywhere and the amount we paid (also family of 5 here ) this is unacceptable. They knew what to expect by the last event and should have had it together. I will talk to guest services after some sleep. Did they give you a refund?

 

[kylenne]

One hour to do space twice. It took about 45 minutes to clear day crowd I think

I waited about 10 minutes tops for Space. I timed it for the 12a stage show, and then used the single rider hack. When I got back out the line was looking obscene again.

 

[afan]

We had a lot of fun. Timed space and pirates with the first two shows and didn't wait more than 10 min for either. We got 4 magic shots. I also did a ton with fps before the party by myself so I wasn't trying to do a ton of rides but by the end of the night I'd done everything I wanted. We watched the last stage show.

My only issue is taking a not very full bus back to aoa and then walking to pop because they again don't have enough busses queued up for pop.

 

[kylenne]

We had a lot of fun. Timed space and pirates with the first two shows and didn't wait more than 10 min for either. We got 4 magic shots. I also did a ton with fps before the party by myself so I wasn't trying to do a ton of rides but by the end of the night I'd done everything I wanted. We watched the last stage show.

My only issue is taking a not very full bus back to aoa and then walking to pop because they again don't have enough busses queued up for pop.

Yeah this is basically what I did, only I walked onto Pirates after doing Space. I could have gotten way more done if I hadn’t stopped for Memento Mori, but it was worth it for the Constance jar.

Honestly...I really think they should have called it something else. People wouldn’t be nearly as disappointed imo. It was entirely possible to walk on to rides because I did it all night, but it required a plan and understanding crowd flow and that’s not something AH is known for.

 

[ambellina]

We had a great time. Compared to the two MNSSHP and MVMCP thatI attended last year,, the crowds were much lower. We started at Pirates in the layover line and it took about 12 minutes of waiting. Stopped to get popcorn drinks and ice cream, maybe took two minutes of waiting in line. Walked over toHaunted Mansion and could not believe how light the crowds were. Haunted Mansion wait was about 15 minutes. We then got in the 45 minute line for Memento Mori and a CM started chatting us up. Turned out the jars we wanted to buy could be purchased at the ticket center in Liberty Square and he personally walked us over and opened the doors to let us in. There were only two other sets of customers in there while we were there, not enough people knew about it! The. We stopped for sodas and ice cream again, took a bathroom break, and found a bench for the parade. It was never crowded while waiting for the parade where we were back in Liberty Square. After Maleficent we stopped in the Emporium to buy a few things and most of the special event stuff was picked over. We finally made it out to our bus just after midnight and arrived at our stop at around 12:15. I realize we’re a bit of an anomaly, a couple in their 40s that did not bring kids with them, but for us we were able to do everything we wanted with minimal hassle.

 

[Dug720]

And yes on that crazy Memento Mori line! If they were going to have special merch for VAH guests, it would have been helpful if made it available with wristbands for longer, IMO...

It was in July from the moment they started wristband distribution. I got my tank at Memento Mori just after 7. If everyone chose to wait until official hours, that was on them.

If anything, the big difference was they seemed to only put a limited amount out each night at earlier parties so that there actually WAS stuff left for the final one as opposed to being grabbed up for selling on EBay.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

It was in July from the moment they started wristband distribution. I got my tank at Memento Mori just after 7. If everyone chose to wait until official hours, that was on them.

If anything, the big difference was they seemed to only put a limited amount out each night at earlier parties so that there actually WAS stuff left for the final one as opposed to being grabbed up for selling on EBay.

I'm not sure what you mean by July? Like another VAH in July? Last night Memento Mori was closed earlier in evening and reopened for guests with wristbands at 9pm for the limited edition 50th anniversary headbands (although like anotherposter said, you could get the bottles at anotherlocation)- although a CM told me it was reopening at 10 so I was operating under that information. (Actually multiple CMs told me it was opening at 10, so yes I could have gotten in line earlier, but when I got there at 8thirty the ropes to get into the store weren't even up yet and staff were inside having a meeting so again, I was told 10 and it seemed like a lot of time to wait in line for such a short, expensive event for my family of four). If they had given me the correct information I would have made a different choice and waited in "line" until 9.)

 

[Dug720]

I'm not sure what you mean by July? Like another VAH in July? Last night Memento Mori was closed earlier in evening and reopened for guests with wristbands at 9pm for the limited edition 50th anniversary headbands (although like anotherposter said, you could get the bottles at anotherlocation)- although a CM told me it was reopening at 10 so I was operating under that information. (Actually multiple CMs told me it was opening at 10, so yes I could have gotten in line earlier, but when I got there at 8thirty the ropes to get into the store weren't even up yet and staff were inside having a meeting so again, I was told 10 and it seemed like a lot of time to wait in line for such a short, expensive event for my family of four). If they had given me the correct information I would have made a different choice and waited in "line" until 9.)

Interesting. They clearly changed the rules last night. I went July 18 and every store that had VAH merch had it out and/or in a special area where you could only buy it with wristbands from the moment they were being distributed.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Interesting. They clearly changed the rules last night. I went July 18 and every store that had VAH merch had it out and/or in a special area where you could only buy it with wristbands from the moment they were being distributed.

I didn't hear about the HM 50th merch until last week, and I figured I could get the headbands and the villains merch in one stop, even if it took a little longer. I have a friend who is a Disney licensed artist and she is engaged to another Disney licensed artist and they are both obsessed with HM, so I thought it would be a fun engagement present, but since I thought they were opening at 10 and it was 8thirty, I couldn't bring myself to ditch my kids and my FPs for that long! Then of course I didn't make it anywhere else for a tshirt because things just got hectic - but I got my AP ornament so that was good!

My kids had an DAH agenda and I had a Villains agenda so it was tough to make both work, lol!

 

[KangaFan]

Went last night with our group of 10. I was really concerned when I heard that it was sold out, but felt that it was manageable. Our group split and some of us did Pirates first and some did Space first and then we met back up at Tomorrowland and did each land in order riding what folks wanted to ride. I think we ended up doing 9 rides (Pirates/Space, Buzz, People Mover, Pooh, Barnstormer, Dumbo, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder, Splash), none of which had significant waits. This was pretty good for a party our size since we had 2 who could not walk fast and a few who stopped multiple times to take a ton of pics. If I had a choice between this and regular after hours, I would choose regular hands down since I missed being able to hear the regular theme music and the more gradual exiting of the park. However, if this was the only one offered, I still think we accomplished a lot more than we could have during a regular MK evening due to crowds or a morning due to the heat. We had FPs for Mine Train, Peter Pan & Big Thunder and we did Philharmagic and Laugh Floor before the event. My only disappointment is that many snack stands closed early and the 3 I stopped at starting at 12:45 were out of water. Given the weather, I think this is something they need to plan better for.

 

[HopperFan]

I’m here and it’s not good. The crowds are heavy for an after hours and the lines for complementary snacks look more the crowds surrounding a UN envoy, and it’s 10:40. The pirates wait is 45, and merchandise is either sold out or running low at several locations. By way of background, we are a family of 5 Disney adults so the party was in the neighborhood of $700. We’ve done other after hours events, holiday parties, etc., so I’ve got an idea of what to expect. That said, this event crossed the mythical line people always seem to refer to; so much so, I’m at guest services getting my money back (and there are others here / the lady next to me just got a full day of fastpasses for tomorrow for the same reason). I have NEVER requested a refund from Disney before, so this is a big deal for me. I won’t do another of these events.

Seen several reviews on fb groups that folks were not happy at all. These were folks who had done regular DAH and parties so they had a good comparison.

I think what this shows more than anything is that we need more villain programming in the parks—there’s a lot of villain fans out there and we are starved for it. We’ll come out for anything villain related, and unfortunately that demand doesn’t mix well with an event that is sold around no crowds and walk on wait times. Personally I’m enjoying myself so far, I like the more “adult” atmosphere and have had a blast just chatting with other guests, but I’m an old goth and I only had to pay for myself. I don’t have a ride quota or checklist to run down. If I dropped hundreds and this was my only MK time I’d feel a lot differently.

YES x 1,000,000

Everytime Disney does a Villains anything it is packed and it screams loud and clear what a huge fan base the villains have. There is no way they don't get this but what they can't seem to do is do something with it ... which is inexcusable (from a villains fan and stockholder point of view) because it is buckets of money just waiting for them to bank.

See all the HUGE lines this morning to buy HM 50th stuff?

CHAPEK - we need a creative team (not a DisMart team) to start putting together Villains EVERYTHING! It will make up for your many losses you claim to have taken.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

CHAPEK - we need a creative team (not a DisMart team) to start putting together Villains EVERYTHING! It will make up for your many losses you claim to have taken.

He gets busy sometimes and doesn’t keep up with the thread, but I know he reads PMs...might try that.





I kid, I kid....