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

[Haley R]

I need advice and don’t want to start a new thread. Thinking enough knowledgeable people see this thread that I could get some help.

Our trip later this month has been suddenly and tragically cancelled when my retina decided to detach from its wall. I had surgery yesterday (I do not recommend this surgery, big thumbs down) and can’t fly for two months, thanks to a lovely apparatus installed in my head (and I won’t be able to ride my favorite coasters, EE and RnRC, ever again which is truly heartbreaking).

Aaanywaaay, I have tickets to AH on July 25th. Anyone had any luck getting a refund because of trip cancellation? I know that they are not refundable, but I am hoping this extraordinary situation might allow me to have my $600 back. Who should I call? I have a number for ticketing but I bought them with an AP discount - do you think the AP line might be more helpful?

I would appreciate any advice anyone can offer. I am not physically up to making multiple phone calls right now. If the answer is no, so be it but I doubt I will ever buy AH or holiday party tickets in advance again (without travel insurance, I guess). Thanks!

Disney is usually very willing to work with you if you call and explain the circumstances. It’s worth a try. I’m not sure if the AP line would be more helpful or not. Maybe try that one first and see what they say

 

[jenjersnap]

Disney is usually very willing to work with you if you call and explain the circumstances. It’s worth a try. I’m not sure if the AP line would be more helpful or not. Maybe try that one first and see what they say

They have not been willing to work with me regarding the UCT 10 day PH & more tickets I purchased for the other four people in my party. My only choice is to exchange them when we get there which means no prebooking FPs which feels to me like $1700 wasted and so feeling very gunshy, stressed and depressed about what they will do for us right now. DVC, OTOH, has been fantastic, letting us rebook with expired points.

Thanks so much for the response. Will try AP line first.

 

[FoxC63]

They have not been willing to work with me regarding the UCT 10 day PH & more tickets I purchased for the other four people in my party. My only choice is to exchange them when we get there which means no prebooking FPs which feels to me like $1700 wasted and so feeling very gunshy, stressed and depressed about what they will do for us right now. DVC, OTOH, has been fantastic, letting us rebook with expired points.

Thanks so much for the response. Will try AP line first.

Who did you call Guest Services? I know when my mom passed Disney was amazing. They refunded resort and 2 sets of MNSSHP tickets. The only thing I had to do was cancel all our ADR's. As far as park tickets those were non expiring.

I do recall someone posting on the Official Halloween thread that they contacted UCT to resolve their issue. I do not believe Disney can do anything about your tickets since they were not purchased from them. Contact UCT directly.

I hope you do get everything resolved. Please let us know as this information will be so helpful for others.

 

[jenjersnap]

Who did you call Guest Services? I know when my mom passed Disney was amazing. They refunded resort and 2 sets of MNSSHP tickets. The only thing I had to do was cancel all our ADR's. As far as park tickets those were non expiring.

I do recall someone posting on the Official Halloween thread that they contacted UCT to resolve their issue. I do not believe Disney can do anything about your tickets since they were not purchased from them. Contact UCT directly.

I hope you do get everything resolved. Please let us know as this information will be so helpful for others.

I talked to UCT first. Because I bought the tickets in March and greater than 90 days had elapsed, they wouldn’t help. I called the main Disney ticketing line and they gave me info above, but suggested I put the details in an email to guest services to see if they can give further assistance. I sent that on Saturday. Was hoping to get it taken care of prior to surgery (but I only had weekend, surgery scheduled on Friday for this Monday). They have never responded. I sent an update today, indicating that I have re-booked our vacation for next summer and hoping that gives them incentive to respond.

I will update. I appreciate your advice. So sorry for the loss of your mom.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I need advice and don’t want to start a new thread. Thinking enough knowledgeable people see this thread that I could get some help.

Our trip later this month has been suddenly and tragically cancelled when my retina decided to detach from its wall. I had surgery yesterday (I do not recommend this surgery, big thumbs down) and can’t fly for two months, thanks to a lovely apparatus installed in my head (and I won’t be able to ride my favorite coasters, EE and RnRC, ever again which is truly heartbreaking).

Aaanywaaay, I have tickets to AH on July 25th. Anyone had any luck getting a refund because of trip cancellation? I know that they are not refundable, but I am hoping this extraordinary situation might allow me to have my $600 back. Who should I call? I have a number for ticketing but I bought them with an AP discount - do you think the AP line might be more helpful?

I would appreciate any advice anyone can offer. I am not physically up to making multiple phone calls right now. If the answer is no, so be it but I doubt I will ever buy AH or holiday party tickets in advance again (without travel insurance, I guess). Thanks!

First off, I'm so sorry for your medical troubles. Sounds like you have alot going on right now, but wishing you a speedy recovery.

I agree with the PPs, I'd call the AP line. Disney usually has a good track record of working with people. They may balk at a flat refund but may offer things such as a gift card, a credit to a future AH event, or something. Hopefully you'll eventually get another trip on the books and can put that money to use.

Good luck!

 

[clm10308]

I attended yesterday (7/1) and had a great time. Due to the heat, we were not planning to do any park time this trip, but I was excited when the After Hours was announced.
We arrived right at 7:00 and had some fast passes to use up and got in several other rides and some shopping done before 10. Our FP for 7DMT got turned into and anything FP because the ride was shut down for quite a while due to weather. I never saw an rain but there was lots of lighting.

Peter Pan (FP)
Mickey’s Phil.
Shopping for event shirts
Little Mermaid
Space Mountain (FP)
Haunted Mansion (FP)
Small World

It was just a few minutes after 10 when we got out of IASW. We got some snacks - drinks, pop corn, ice cream sandwiches- and went right over to BTMR. It had no wait at all.
We then went on Pirates and Jungle cruise.
Tried the Hades nachos which I probably would not buy again, but my 17 yr old son would have loved them.
We went back to Fantasy land and rode Pooh then 7DMT. We stopped for more snacks in there somewhere. Then we did Buzz and the PeopleMover. I didn’t like the total dark on Space Mountain as went through on the PeopleMover, so we skipped riding it again.
I tried the Zurg noodle salad just because it was purple. It was good to have something non ice cream to eat.
About 12:40 we had ridden everything that we wanted so we went to find a spot for the show.
Grabbed some more drinks and a Mickey bar and I sat at the tables in front of the Plaza for a rest while my husband did some shopping.
I moved up for the show which my husband thought was not great, but he did like the castle projections. We stayed for the dragon and followed her back up Main Street with about a million other people to watch her go in by the fire house.
I saw the villains at the train station, but they were gone before we got close enough to hear them. We didn’t have to wait long for our bus back to SSR. It was crowded with people standing, but that was too be expected.

I would absolutely do this again. We mostly went for the rides and avoided the hub area until we were ready for the last show. We did not care about doing any of the photos either.
After about 11 i thought that the park was not very crowded. The longest wait we has once the party started was for 7DMT and that might have been as long as 30 min but I didn’t time it. Even in the 7-10 pm time, my husband commented that he did not think it was crowded. However, we usually go at Christmas time when everything is much more crowded.

 

[jenjersnap]

First off, I'm so sorry for your medical troubles. Sounds like you have alot going on right now, but wishing you a speedy recovery.

I agree with the PPs, I'd call the AP line. Disney usually has a good track record of working with people. They may balk at a flat refund but may offer things such as a gift card, a credit to a future AH event, or something. Hopefully you'll eventually get another trip on the books and can put that money to use.

Good luck!

Thanks so much! Any of those options would be great, honestly. And we have early June 2020 booked! My eldest is in college and doesn’t have much travel flexibility, so that was earliest possible date my entire family can go.

 

[Cluelyss]

It is my understanding that you are allowed to dress up for the villains after hours event. Our family was considering doing this but do not want to be the only ones. I had read an initial review elsewhere that the first night not many were. To those who have been since, were folks dressing up or no?

You can absolutely dress up (same guidelines as MNSSHP) and we saw many in costumes our night (6/13). It was part of the fun for us!! We got tons of CM compliments, and the Villains definitely took note at the end of the night, too!!

 

[Candycane83]

I need advice and don’t want to start a new thread. Thinking enough knowledgeable people see this thread that I could get some help.

Our trip later this month has been suddenly and tragically cancelled when my retina decided to detach from its wall. I had surgery yesterday (I do not recommend this surgery, big thumbs down) and can’t fly for two months, thanks to a lovely apparatus installed in my head (and I won’t be able to ride my favorite coasters, EE and RnRC, ever again which is truly heartbreaking).

Aaanywaaay, I have tickets to AH on July 25th. Anyone had any luck getting a refund because of trip cancellation? I know that they are not refundable, but I am hoping this extraordinary situation might allow me to have my $600 back. Who should I call? I have a number for ticketing but I bought them with an AP discount - do you think the AP line might be more helpful?

I would appreciate any advice anyone can offer. I am not physically up to making multiple phone calls right now. If the answer is no, so be it but I doubt I will ever buy AH or holiday party tickets in advance again (without travel insurance, I guess). Thanks!

Sorry for your troubles. I hope you feel better soon! Eye surgeries are the worst! Call the ticketing line (I called AP they transferred me), my husband just had eye surgery too, lucky it’s not a retina detachment but he had a serious eye infection. I purchased AH tickets for him which they refunded for me last week.

 

[Haley R]

I just got an ad for this event on my Spotify...

 

[Castlequeen5]

We went last night 7/1 to the Villians After Hours. We had a good time, but there were more people than I expected. The lines for the rides we went on weren’t long, but most were never walk-on either. We didn’t really have a plan and just rode whatever we wanted, that had a short wait. There were plenty of snack carts all over the park and everything was nice and cold.

Before event: (arrived around 6:45-7ish)
Carousel of Progress
Space Mountain FP
Speedway
Mine Train FP
Splash Mountain FP
BTMR

During:
Splash Mountain
BTMR
Pirates
Aladdin
Haunted Mansion
People Mover
Buzz

We stopped for snacks at various locations and did some magic shots. We watched the final stage show and Maleficent come through. It was fun, but I probably wouldn’t do it again. I’d rather do a “real” DAH or an actual party with parades and fireworks.

Also, we took the ferry back to Fort Wilderness. It was shared with Wilderness Lodge. The boat went to WL first, then to FW. There were earlier reports that it was closed. But they were running last night. I had asked the CM on the ferry earlier in the day and he said they’d be running until 2:00 AM. So we had no trouble getting back.

 

[Haley R]

We went last night 7/1 to the Villians After Hours. We had a good time, but there were more people than I expected. The lines for the rides we went on weren’t long, but most were never walk-on either. We didn’t really have a plan and just rode whatever we wanted, that had a short wait. There were plenty of snack carts all over the park and everything was nice and cold.

Before event: (arrived around 6:45-7ish)
Carousel of Progress
Space Mountain FP
Speedway
Mine Train FP
Splash Mountain FP
BTMR

During:
Splash Mountain
BTMR
Pirates
Aladdin
Haunted Mansion
People Mover
Buzz

We stopped for snacks at various locations and did some magic shots. We watched the final stage show and Maleficent come through. It was fun, but I probably wouldn’t do it again. I’d rather do a “real” DAH or an actual party with parades and fireworks.

Also, we took the ferry back to Fort Wilderness. It was shared with Wilderness Lodge. The boat went to WL first, then to FW. There were earlier reports that it was closed. But they were running last night. I had asked the CM on the ferry earlier in the day and he said they’d be running until 2:00 AM. So we had no trouble getting back.

WHAT?! Man, I wish the boats had been running on our night. I'm glad you were able to use it

 

[Castlequeen5]

WHAT?! Man, I wish the boats had been running on our night. I'm glad you were able to use it

Maybe too many people complained?? I was just glad we were able to get back fairly easily. We still had to wait about 10 minutes for the internal bus at FW, which could have been worse...I guess!

 

[Haley R]

Maybe too many people complained?? I was just glad we were able to get back fairly easily. We still had to wait about 10 minutes for the internal bus at FW, which could have been worse...I guess!

Maybe after our dah they got a bunch of complaints from people waiting 40 minutes for a bus

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Lol, I was just updating the date tables on Page 1 where I keep track of dates, sold out status, weather, etc. I am not one to discussion/mention weather at WDW - it's Florida after all - but the 10pm temp Monday night was a whopping 88 degrees. Wowsers! Not sure how some of you do costumes or anything other than shorts/t-shirts in that!

 

[Castlequeen5]

Lol, I was just updating the date tables on Page 1 where I keep track of dates, sold out status, weather, etc. I am not one to discussion/mention weather at WDW - it's Florida after all - but the 10pm temp Monday night was a whopping 88 degrees. Wowsers! Not sure how some of you do costumes or anything other than shorts/t-shirts in that!

Actually it didn’t feel too bad. Maybe because I got pretty wet on Splash Mountain or maybe the ice cream bars kept me cool! Ha! Plus we just wore shorts and t-shirts too. The weather has been pretty decent all week. I wasn’t sure about coming in July, but it hasn’t been bad at all. We do stay away from the parks during the afternoons though.

 

[Castlequeen5]

Also I forgot to mention, I tried to get a credit on our Villian tickets. I bought the tickets BEFORE we got APs. So I went to Guest Relations, but the CM said they can only do the discounts before you buy the tickets. I wasn’t pushy at all and I didn’t ask anyone else. So someone else may have better luck, but it wasn’t a big deal to me. I just thought I’d ask.

 

[jenjersnap]

Sorry for your troubles. I hope you feel better soon! Eye surgeries are the worst! Call the ticketing line (I called AP they transferred me), my husband just had eye surgery too, lucky it’s not a retina detachment but he had a serious eye infection. I purchased AH tickets for him which they refunded for me last week.

That gives me hope, thanks! Hope your husband is on the mend.

 

[skullsplitter]

I thought I saw a map of Maleficent's routes. Can someone repost that or just post what her routes are? Thanks

 

[disneycat321]

Actually it didn’t feel too bad. Maybe because I got pretty wet on Splash Mountain or maybe the ice cream bars kept me cool! Ha! Plus we just wore shorts and t-shirts too. The weather has been pretty decent all week. I wasn’t sure about coming in July, but it hasn’t been bad at all. We do stay away from the parks during the afternoons though.

This is really good to hear. We're going later this month, and the weather is the only thing that has me nervous. We booked these DAH events partially to avoid afternoons at the parks, so I'm glad that's a good strategy.

I'm also glad to see booking FPs for PP and 7DMT before this event was a good idea, since those have the longest lines during it. We won't miss SM in the dark, so I'm hoping that 11:00 or 12:00 during the show strategy works for us.

Thanks for all the reports, everyone!