Disney After Hours vs. MNSSHP wait times, etc.

[Beachyrock]

Wondering how the crowd levels and wait times are for MNSSHP vs. the old DAH. We did DAH at MK back in February 2020 and it was awesome!! I'm thinking MNSSHP might be higher crowds and wait times, since there's more to see and do, and hence maybe more popular???? Thanks for any insight1

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

Party nights used to be an exclusive, low-crowd event. Nowadays, I see no difference between party wait times and regular wait times during the day.

Most nights will sell out so don’t expect walk-ons at attractions except PeopleMover, etc.

 

[loislane]

We did the Boo Bash after hours in 2021 and wait times were definitely less than they were at MNSSHP in 2019 - but at the same time, it's an apples to oranges comparison on many levels. Different capacity events, different travel climate, etc.

We are going to the party in September and I have no expectations of walking onto any ride. But, since that had been more of our focus at past events, this time we plan to focus more on the entertainment experiences. Mostly, I'll just be happy to be there.

 

[zavandor]

MNSSHP is very busy, with congestion in the hub and main street and hour long lines for characters. However, lines for attractions are short, because people gravitate toward the esclusive entertainment they cannot get during the day. Only appreciable lines will be for 7DMT and maybe Hunted Mansion at the beginning of the evening. Not sure how Thron will be handled, probably a Virtual Queue.
To allow redistribute crowds, some attractions offer a small extra. Space mountain and Mad Tea Party have special music and lights, Pirates has live actors. Nothing unmissable, but it means those may be a bit more popular.
If you go for the attractions, you'll be able to accomplish a lot, but you'll miss the great entertainment. The Hocus Pocus show, parade and fireworks are all very very good and it would be a pity to miss them. I'm not a character person, but there are a few rare ones that are really fun to meet (how can you ignore Lothso?).

 

[scrappinginontario]

MNSSHP will definitely be MUCH higher crowds than an AH party. They really cannot be compared crowd wise.

As others have shared, ride wait times will hopefully be reasonable at MNSSHP as many guests do the party exclusive events but until we start seeing actual experiences for 2023 we won't really know as we don't know how many tickets Disney is selling to this year's parties.

 

[Beachyrock]

I've never been to MNSSHP, so didn't realize that there is so much other entertainment. I'm not really a parade, show, or firework person, so I was just focusing on wait times for rides. Sounds like a much more crowded event than the old DAH, so probably not for me. Good point that we'll have to get some actual data to see how MNSSHP goes this year. Thanks all for your insight

 

[Upatnoon]

I've never been to MNSSHP, so didn't realize that there is so much other entertainment. I'm not really a parade, show, or firework person, so I was just focusing on wait times for rides. Sounds like a much more crowded event than the old DAH, so probably not for me. Good point that we'll have to get some actual data to see how MNSSHP goes this year. Thanks all for your insight

The parties are all about the special parades, shows, treats and special fireworks. While people are still going on the rides, the lines are much shorter than usual.

After Hours is all about the rides with no wait times.

Thus, if you just want to go on lots of rides I would pay for After Hours. Or just add another regular park day if possible.

If the party events look fun to you, go that route. Also, you can enter MK at 4 p.m. on a party night and can do stuff for 3 hours before the party starts.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I've never been to MNSSHP, so didn't realize that there is so much other entertainment. I'm not really a parade, show, or firework person, so I was just focusing on wait times for rides. Sounds like a much more crowded event than the old DAH, so probably not for me. Good point that we'll have to get some actual data to see how MNSSHP goes this year. Thanks all for your insight

If the parade, fireworks, shows and trick or treating are not for you, I'd highly recommend going to MK on a party day, during the day. Ride times are generally much shorter than non-party days the same week.

Just another option.

 

[Beachyrock]

If the parade, fireworks, shows and trick or treating are not for you, I'd highly recommend going to MK on a party day, during the day. Ride times are generally much shorter than non-party days the same week.

Just another option.

Oh wow! That's great intel--thanks very much!!! I think we'll do that instead

 

[scrappinginontario]

Oh wow! That's great intel--thanks very much!!! I think we'll do that instead

I've shared this pic in other threads. It is just a random week in 2022 but shows how crowds historically drop on party days. This trend is the same for both MNSSHP and MVMCP.

 

[jods]

One thing to keep in mind is that crowds will pick up at 4 when party people enter. We probably arrived around 5ish last year and it was mobbed. The ride cms said it was the busiest it's been all day. Even people mover had a wait. Crowds thinned at party time. I thought we were going to hit most of the rides but my kids loved the parades and stuff. The only real wait was seven dwarfs (maybe 20-30 minutes) and a short wait for Haunted Mansion. We didn't ride space mountain so can't comment on that.

 

[loislane]

I've never been to MNSSHP, so didn't realize that there is so much other entertainment. I'm not really a parade, show, or firework person, so I was just focusing on wait times for rides. Sounds like a much more crowded event than the old DAH, so probably not for me. Good point that we'll have to get some actual data to see how MNSSHP goes this year. Thanks all for your insight

If you want a more ride-focused experience, you may want to consider Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios. Much of what I've heard so far indicates that event will be more similar to an AH type of event.