Late Night Tips

[Carrie772]

This is a great thread! As a rope dropper you guys are making me want to try the late nights at least a couple times during our upcoming trip in 4 days!

Me too! Trying it this year in October. My teens are thrilled!

Second the afternoon "rest." We are not nappers at our house, BUT the rule is to do late nights you must "rest" (read that as nap, but rest goes over better with the I am not a baby crowd).

Yup! We call it taking a "lie down". It evolves into a nap 9 times out of 10!

We also have a 10:30 character b'fast the day after a late EMH. So restful!

 

[HookdonWDW]

If you think about it, the strategy that those of us use who are night owls is really the same as the rope drop in reverse. We usually sleep in a bit, hit a park, go back to the resort and swim, ride water mice etc... and then we hit the parks again and stay until everyone else gets tired and heads home. Then our real fun begins. If you think Main St. is pretty when it's empty first thing in the morning, it's even nicer at night.

I think this is also why you notice the split between those who love to PH and those who say that PHs are useless. If you took a survey, I'm thinking that people with the Late Night touring strategy are more likely to PH.

 

[dumape]

If you are an early eater like we are, make sure you plan accordingly for a late night MK EMH. Last October we struggled to find anything open and by midnight we were starving! We ended up eating fries at Cosmic Rays because they were done serving everything else and nothing else was open, not even a popcorn cart.

I know - hungry at Disney, especially on FD?! Yes, sadly we were. I think it was because we'd eaten so much during the trip up to that point we were used to eating every so many hours/our tummies were stretched. LOL

This was something we didn't think about until it was too late.

We had this problem at Epcot. During Food & Wine fest no less! We didn't realize not everything remained open so we headed to the World Showcase to find it dark & barren. No carts, no F&W vendors, nothing... and my party were all starving! Norway was the only place open according to a CM. Definitely eat before park actually closes & if you're at Epcot take a flashlight!

On a plus side we made beautiful pictures. There were no people and Spaceship Earth lit up across the lagoon was absolutely beautiful. Definitely take your camera.

 

[evilqueenmindy]

so psyched, I just checked park hours for my quick trip 5/30-6/1, and MK's closing has gone from 11pm to 1am. Leaves so much more time to do things after the fireworks, which is my fav time to be in the parks.

When we were on property in Feb, MK had EMH till midnight. I had promised my nephew (5) that if he had a really good nap and was a good boy at dinner (ADR's at Narcoosee's that night) after dinner we'd change into park clothes and go to MK until midnight while the rest of our group went back to the room.
He of course took a phenomenal nap and was extra good at dinner, so we did our thing, as we were getting off the monorail, heading into the entrance of MK, he stops to watch the mass exodus heading to the monorails-- he shakes his head-
"Wow, a LOT of people should have taken a better nap today."

 

[shyjade]

I will never forget walking down Main Street at 2am and a mom was dragging her young child (maybe 6) who kept trying to sit down because he was so tired. And there she is, yelling at him to knock it off and hurry up, and we could tell this poor boy was obviously completely exhausted.

 

[alan_renfroe]

so psyched, I just checked park hours for my quick trip 5/30-6/1, and MK's closing has gone from 11pm to 1am. Leaves so much more time to do things after the fireworks, which is my fav time to be in the parks.

When we were on property in Feb, MK had EMH till midnight. I had promised my nephew (5) that if he had a really good nap and was a good boy at dinner (ADR's at Narcoosee's that night) after dinner we'd change into park clothes and go to MK until midnight while the rest of our group went back to the room.
He of course took a phenomenal nap and was extra good at dinner, so we did our thing, as we were getting off the monorail, heading into the entrance of MK, he stops to watch the mass exodus heading to the monorails-- he shakes his head-
"Wow, a LOT of people should have taken a better nap today."

Words of wisdom!

This is a great thread! We have been rope droppers, but this will be our first June trip and I'm thinking late nights are the way to go.

 

[cropper]

Looking at the times for March 2014, the parks aren't open very late.

Does this plan work when MK is only open until 12a.m. or HS is only open until 9:30??

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Looking at the times for March 2014, the parks aren't open very late.

Does this plan work when MK is only open until 12a.m. or HS is only open until 9:30??

Yes, March is a perfect time to implement a Late Night Plan.

When MK closes at 12, they generally have the parade at 9 & 11 with the fireworks at 10. Lines for the rides start to significantly decrease about 8 or so. Fantasyland is practically deserted by 9 and is the perfect time to hit all of those attractions.

People leave in droves after the fireworks so don't get caught at the wrong end of Main Street or you may get stuck. Viewing for the 11 pm parade can be pretty easy, especially in the Frontier Land area. The Mountains are deserted right up until closing time.

When DHS closes at 9:30, Fantasmic is presented at 8:30 and 10. The late night showing is probably the best kept secret in the entire property. Fans will begin to line up for the first show as early as 7, shortening the wait times at Midway Mania and Tower of Terror. Rock & Rollercoaster will probably still have a long line though. Please keep in mind that the posted wait times often greatly exceed the actual wait time.

By 8:30 the park is pretty deserted and you can do just about anything with minimal wait. Again, don't get caught in the wrong place when Fantasmic ends. The thundering herd of humanity streaming to the exits may just sweep you away.

May favorite show in all of the parks is the 2nd presentation of Fantasmic. We'll hop on a ride right at closing time, then have plenty of time to grab a cold drink and some ice cream bars. Then we'll stroll into the theater about 10 minutes before show time and have several seating options. After the show, we can leave the park at a quiet, orderly pace.

 

[maryj11]

You can't see the front of the castle from that vantage point. You do have full view of the fireworks. Still, I prefer the fact that literally no one is over there.

We generally go in June. We'll be there on the 1st trying to last until 3 am.

Ok thank you

 

[maryj11]

SHHHH!!!!! Could everyone please stop talking about closing down the park instead of RD??? If you keep talking about how great nights at the parks are, the secret will get out and we all know what happens when a secret about WDW gets out....

YES SHHHHH Same thing I was thinking

 

[maryj11]

So what time do most of you late nighters arrive to the park ?
I have decided to do this. The only thing is I made a breakfast reservation for Cape May the day after we will be at MK. Not sure if I should cancel it or not it is at 9:50 am and we will be at POR so will have to take time to travel there. MK is open until 12:00 am so I figure we will get back to the resort by 1:00 am We will only be at Disney for 5 days so we only have 1 day for MK. But it sounds fun, I love the parks at night and I'm not a morning person

 

[pad406]

My family will be braving Christmas at Disney 12/21-1/1 and I was wondering if the late nights/low crowds will hold true for that time of year as well? I know that it is the most crowded/beyond crowded time of year, but I was wondering if anyone has experience from practicing this touring during the busiest time of the year?

We did our first trip Christmas/New Year 2010 and the few nights we did late nights it was very quiet for the last 1-2 hrs. Planning to do a lot more this year Kids are older and I'm not too old yet (I Hope)

We will be there from 12/28-1/3. First time during this season but we are looking to make the most of the crowds by booking things like hoop de Doo, cirque etc.
I'm not sure when they take the Christmas stuff down. I am also curious as to any WL NYE celebrations?

I'm not sure when they take stuff down but we left on 7th Jan and they were still there. NYE we did in HS, great fun and not too crowded, but crowded enough for a fun atmosphere.

Don't miss Osborne Lights

My best tip: On Christmas Day we toured the resorts, lovely, had a nice meal in California Grill, went to bed early, and had the park practically to ourselves for 3-4 hours the next morning. It was an EMH though so 1 of those hours was a given.

This year, I'm thinking of going to some of the resorts we didn't do last time particularly WL and FW and possibly take a drive through Celebration, I've heard that's lovely.

Lastly loving this post, but I think we should shut it down now

 

[JennyMP03]

Any of you managed rope drop (9 AM) to close (midnight)? These are the hours for our first day at Disney, and we have FP+ for Anna and Elsa from about 4-5 and SDMT from around 5:30-6:30. No times for rescheduling them earlier (we originally weren't going to arrive until 3 but now have a full day), and we CANNOT miss these two.

I have a tentative break from about 5:45-8 scheduled because I really want to close the park down, but it's such a late break. It's just awkwardly timed to where I'm scared to take a break too close to noon-- what if we don't get back in time for our A&E FP? Ridiculous, I know, but I'm nervous about it.

I have a 1:40 BOG FP now. I could have opted for 11 AM, and maybe still can. Part of me wonders if I should do so, head to the room for a break right after, and then leave the resort again at 3:30.

Or can we make it all day?! I'm just thinking out loud here, obviously, but have any of you late nighters gone all day without a break?

 

[evilqueenmindy]

Any of you managed rope drop (9 AM) to close (midnight)? These are the hours for our first day at Disney, and we have FP+ for Anna and Elsa from about 4-5 and SDMT from around 5:30-6:30. No times for rescheduling them earlier (we originally weren't going to arrive until 3 but now have a full day), and we CANNOT miss these two.

I have a tentative break from about 5:45-8 scheduled because I really want to close the park down, but it's such a late break. It's just awkwardly timed to where I'm scared to take a break too close to noon-- what if we don't get back in time for our A&E FP? Ridiculous, I know, but I'm nervous about it.

I have a 1:40 BOG FP now. I could have opted for 11 AM, and maybe still can. Part of me wonders if I should do so, head to the room for a break right after, and then leave the resort again at 3:30.

Or can we make it all day?! I'm just thinking out loud here, obviously, but have any of you late nighters gone all day without a break?

not since I was a kid, I had relatives from Germany that would visit in the late 80s/early 90s, well before FP, and they took park commando pretty seriously.

I'd suggest a break, especially if there's a kid involved. We like to arrive late morning/early afternoon, then leave after the 3pm parade. But your plan of 5:45-8 would work, you'll really be surprised how much you can do when the crowd heads out after wishes.

 

[Princess Michele]

Any of you managed rope drop (9 AM) to close (midnight)? These are the hours for our first day at Disney, and we have FP+ for Anna and Elsa from about 4-5 and SDMT from around 5:30-6:30. No times for rescheduling them earlier (we originally weren't going to arrive until 3 but now have a full day), and we CANNOT miss these two.

I have a tentative break from about 5:45-8 scheduled because I really want to close the park down, but it's such a late break. It's just awkwardly timed to where I'm scared to take a break too close to noon-- what if we don't get back in time for our A&E FP? Ridiculous, I know, but I'm nervous about it.

I have a 1:40 BOG FP now. I could have opted for 11 AM, and maybe still can. Part of me wonders if I should do so, head to the room for a break right after, and then leave the resort again at 3:30.

Or can we make it all day?! I'm just thinking out loud here, obviously, but have any of you late nighters gone all day without a break?

When we went to WDW Thanksgiving 2012 we went to the MK for RD the Sunday after Thanksgiving and stayed all day. We had tickets for MVMCP that night and did not leave the MK until sometime between 11:00pm and midnight. We left because of the cold not because we were tired. We did not take any breaks. That year my kids were 6, 11, and 16. They are night owls and the hardest part was getting them up and at MK for RD that morning.

 

[Momof2Singers]

We love late nights!!!! Can't wait until our next trip in July

We are going in July also...also from NC

 

[Bullseye]

WS at nighttime is one of my favorite places to be, also love MK late night.

 

[4Beans]

Nothing tastes better than ice cream on Main Street at 1am! My kids love MK late. We do morning, not rope drop, but early, usually have an early lunch and head back to the resort for swim, nap & shower (fresh clothes are a must for MK at night! Haha!) then head back to MK for some night time fun! It's so great being the only ones on the monorail heading toward the park & hoards of people trying to get on to go home for the night. We will be there in mid-June and I cannot wait for MK at midnight!!

 

[bbak3030]

Yes, March is a perfect time to implement a Late Night Plan. When MK closes at 12, they generally have the parade at 9 & 11 with the fireworks at 10. Lines for the rides start to significantly decrease about 8 or so. Fantasyland is practically deserted by 9 and is the perfect time to hit all of those attractions. People leave in droves after the fireworks so don't get caught at the wrong end of Main Street or you may get stuck. Viewing for the 11 pm parade can be pretty easy, especially in the Frontier Land area. The Mountains are deserted right up until closing time. When DHS closes at 9:30, Fantasmic is presented at 8:30 and 10. The late night showing is probably the best kept secret in the entire property. Fans will begin to line up for the first show as early as 7, shortening the wait times at Midway Mania and Tower of Terror. Rock & Rollercoaster will probably still have a long line though. Please keep in mind that the posted wait times often greatly exceed the actual wait time. By 8:30 the park is pretty deserted and you can do just about anything with minimal wait. Again, don't get caught in the wrong place when Fantasmic ends. The thundering herd of humanity streaming to the exits may just sweep you away. May favorite show in all of the parks is the 2nd presentation of Fantasmic. We'll hop on a ride right at closing time, then have plenty of time to grab a cold drink and some ice cream bars. Then we'll stroll into the theater about 10 minutes before show time and have several seating options. After the show, we can leave the park at a quiet, orderly pace.

Agree with this! We went in March this year and MK was blissful after around 8. Everything was walk on. We caught the 11:00 parade one night and as it was starting, we got a spot on Main St with practically nobody around us

 

[Disneylandnewbie]

Ride Thunder mountain during the fireworks. We accidentally timed it perfectly for this on our last trip. My nieces were so excited to see the fireworks while on the ride.

We have done this as well and it is amazing!