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

[Haley R]

"When we get to MK, do we go to guest services and they turn into plastic card tickets for those people in my group without magic bands? (Which is everyone except me and my husband?) This is our only night at Disney, and no one else is going to download MDE and get into all that jazz."

Your paper (so long as it has a scannable square) will be exchanged for a wristband, not a Magic Band, but a rubber wrist band at a gate marked for the After Hours Event. You and your party can enter as early as 7pm, sometimes a few minutes before.

The OP wasn’t asking if they would get magic bands. They were asking if they would get plastic ticket cards for the people that don’t HAVE magic bands.

 

[always]

I have a similar question: I purchased two tickets for the AH on the 18th. One email has a ticket attached that I can print with a QR code. The other ticket has a barcode that I have to take to the will call window. What will they give me at the will call window? Both tickets are linked in MDE. What gives with the difference?

 

[Haley R]

This might be a really dumb question, but I've never done an AH event before and I need logistics help - I purchased tickets for my group (9 adults including me) to Villians with my DVC discount and received paper things to print at home.

So.. we printed them out.

When we get to MK, do we go to guest services and they turn into plastic card tickets for those people in my group without magic bands? (Which is everyone except me and my husband?) This is our only night at Disney, and no one else is going to download MDE and get into all that jazz.

Does the paper have a barcode they can scan? When we went they scanned my phone (with the barcode) and dh’s magic band didn’t work for some reason. They ended up giving him a plastic ticket right there at the tapstyle. So I don’t think you even have to go to guest services. I’m pretty sure they hand them out right there at the event entrance.

 

[Momtwofour]

So inline with the previous few posts, do we need to show the printed tickets? Mine show up on my magic band so I didnt print the email

 

[Haley R]

So inline with the previous few posts, do we need to show the printed tickets? Mine show up on my magic band so I didnt print the email

No you shouldn’t have to. I didn’t print my email out even though I selected pick up at will call. I just tapped my magic band but they can scan the email too.

 

[Momtwofour]

No you shouldn’t have to. I didn’t print my email out even though I selected pick up at will call. I just tapped my magic band but they can scan the email too.

Ok! I have my email kn my Disney folder so that will be an easy find if need be

 

[GlassSlipper13]

We had ours taken on the outer rim of the hub, but parallel to the statue (if that makes sense). Also, this is an animated magic shot ONLY which I didn’t realize until after emailing PhotoPass thinking our shots were missing. I was expecting Hades to actually be in our pictures like the other shots, and was disappointed to find out that wasn’t the case.

Thank you Cluelyss! One additional question, is the Hades Animated Magic Shot on the outer rim of the hub closer to Tomorrowland or Adventureland? Thank you!!

 

[ambellina]

Considering going on 8/8 but I’m still holding off because I’m concerned about what the weather conditions might be that night. This may have already been asked and answered but what happens if there’s just constant thunderstorms on a party night?

 

[Shir Kahn]

Considering going on 8/8 but I’m still holding off because I’m concerned about what the weather conditions might be that night. This may have already been asked and answered but what happens if there’s just constant thunderstorms on a party night?

You go and have fun! Some things will be shut down, but inside rides will continue to operate. Throw on a poncho and dodge the lightning strikes! Also, if you hold off on something at WDW because there might be a storm that night, you will never book anything!

 

[maryj11]

@maryj11 Do you happen to remember what time you got in line for Space Mountain?

Sorry I just seen this question. Guessing I would say it was about 12:00 am.

 

[Mrjoshua]

Thank you Cluelyss! One additional question, is the Hades Animated Magic Shot on the outer rim of the hub closer to Tomorrowland or Adventureland? Thank you!!

We saw photographers on both sides of the outer hub. I don't think it matters.

 

[roylanc]

A quick Question, the answer is probably hidden in the thread somewhere. ( don't want to trawl through them all )
We have booked for 1st Of August.
In a few videos we have seen villains at the Train station at the main entrance.
Are they there through out the evening or just at the end of the night?.

 

[ali_in_al]

A quick Question, the answer is probably hidden in the thread somewhere. ( don't want to trawl through them all )
We have booked for 1st Of August.
In a few videos we have seen villains at the Train station at the main entrance.
Are they there through out the evening or just at the end of the night?.

Just the end of the night (at least when we went on 6/13). Have fun!

 

[Cluelyss]

Thank you Cluelyss! One additional question, is the Hades Animated Magic Shot on the outer rim of the hub closer to Tomorrowland or Adventureland? Thank you!!

We did ours on the side closest to Adventureland but sounds like they may be on both sides.

 

[Cluelyss]

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

She starts by Splash and follows the FOF route through the hub and around the flagpole, then circles back up Main Steet to Splash.

 

[roylanc]

Just the end of the night (at least when we went on 6/13). Have fun!

Thanks

 

[lampshadehead]

Does Maleficent breath fire at a regular interval, is it random, or maybe in certain spots? I'm asking because I just watched someone's video, and there was no fire breathing during the part when she came by.

 

[Mrjoshua]

Does Maleficent breath fire at a regular interval, is it random, or maybe in certain spots? I'm asking because I just watched someone's video, and there was no fire breathing during the part when she came by.

It's synchronized with the music, but it doesn't always happen at the same crescendo. I think the operator does it intermittently. I tried to post my video but the file is too large.

 

[maryj11]

Does Maleficent breath fire at a regular interval, is it random, or maybe in certain spots? I'm asking because I just watched someone's video, and there was no fire breathing during the part when she came by.

I would say every 3 minutes. It walks about 30 feet then raises her head that's when the fire comes out.

 

[ninafeliz]

We attended on June 20, it was me, my DH, and 2 DSs, 6 and 9. We had attended the regular DAH once, back in the first group of them which I think was Spring 2016, and that was amazing. As a short summary, we still enjoyed this event but preferred both the crowd level and atmosphere of that first DAH.

We went in using out APs around 7:15. I had made FPs for Splash, BTMRR, and SDMT, so we rode all of those and were done just in time to get a jammed in spot to watch HEA. In hindsight we should have just not worried about the projections and gotten a worse spot that wasn't so crazy, like behind the castle - now I appreciate our usual viewing from one of the MK resorts or the dessert party!

I did stop into Memento Mori on our way by at around 8:30 and they had all of the merch out. I didn't want to waste time since we had to get to the FP for SDMT and HEA, so I quickly grabbed a t-shirt, the women's shirt with all of the villains on the front, a spirit jersey, 2 hats, and a Tervis and checked out quickly. They seemed to have everything in a good size selection. They didn't ask if I was attending or not and didn't have anything separated off in the store, but I did have my wrist band on so they might have just seen that and not asked.

After HEA we had a teacups FP that I had been able to grab as a 4th FP, and we rode the People mover at 9:54. The event officially started during our peoplemover ride. When we got off we walked onto buzz, then got snacks in tomorrowland with a very long line (but probably only took 5 min). We did Astro orbiter with maybe a 10-15 min wait, then at 11:00 did Space Mt. It said 20 min, which was down from 30, but I didn't want to take time to come back to it so we waited. it was definitely 20 min, but not more. I do like it without the lights on, and no one had a cell phone light shining the entire time like happened when we rode during MNSSHP, but I couldn't notice anything else different. I couldn't discern any villainous voices or noises . I think calling it an overlay is pretty lame, I would rather the regular ride and not the 20 min wait. After we got off we got a diet coke and hit the bathrooms, then did the speedway with a 15-20 min wait at 11:30.

At this point I was having fun but definitely thinking that the crowds and lines were not what we were hoping for, and WAY more than our previous DAH event. I'm not sure if we shouldn't have started in Tomorrowland, or if possibly the speedway and Astro-orbiter always would have had some lines since they load so slowly, or what. But for our first 4 rides 3 of them had decent waits (all except Buzz). During our previous event literally every ride had been a walk on for us.

From here on out everything was walk on, but the event was over half over (we did our first of the walk on rides at 11:53). We did barnstormer, Dumbo, Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, and haunted Mansion. We possibly could have done one more thing - I wanted to hurry to Pirates - but then we might have missed the beginning of the 1:00 show and I was outvoted. Everyone else just wanted to hit the show. So we went to the BR, got Popcorn in Liberty square, got a photopass shot to the left of the castle, and got a decent spot for the 1:00 Villains show. After the show we moved to where we had a front row spot for Maleficent, she came through at 1:36. As soon as she passed us we walked actually ahead of her down the right side of main street and left. We got right onto a ferry and walked back to the Poly, we walked in our door at 2:05.

So..... we had fun, and don't regret doing it. I wish we could have also ridden Splash, BTMRR, Pirates, jungle cruise, and magic carpets (which would have been nearly everything, I think). I really wish we had gotten pirates in, even though I don't think the overlay was a big deal. I'm ok with missing splash and BTMRR only since we had a FP for them first, but I would have liked to ride again. If I could do it over I would skip the Speedway, since it had a decent line and is slow. That might have gotten us on 2-3 other rides on the other side of the park with that time. Another thought would have been to start on the other side of the park, in Adventureland, but then we might have missed most of Tomorrowland, who knows.

We preferred the previous incarnation with no villains and no crowds, but maybe that is gone for good (I don't know since we did it so long ago back before this was popular). There were lots of people there, particularly the times we spent in Tomorrowland and around the castle, but also just in general. We never felt alone, or like we were in a nearly empty park like we felt before. The closest was up in new Fantasyland walking to the Little Mermaid. I also didn't care for the DJ music and party atmosphere in the hub. Not that I don't like that, I just don't like it at Disney in the MK. IDK, just not what I'm looking for in that situation. This almost felt like MNSSHP lite, which isn't a bad thing, it just wasn't the same at a regular DAH. I was expecting to walk on to everything and have time to ride pretty much all of the rides available (well, prior to reading reviews. After reviews I did expect lines, but I could still hope LOL).

Sorry this got so long, that always happens to me.

Summary:
Splash FP
BTMRR FP
SDMT FP
HEA
Teacups FP
People mover
Buzz
Snacks
Astro Orbiter
Space Mt.
Speedway
Barnstormer
Dumbo
Little Mermaid
Peter Pan
Haunted Mansion
Villains Show
Maleficent