"Official" 2018 Disney After Hours (DAH) Thread (Now Closed, see New 2019 Thread)

[Haley R]

Did you get the email survey? I did and think they are feeling out the attendees to see if they can get away with increasing the number of tickets. I sure hope they don’t! The whole point of DAH is no waits. I’m not interested in it becoming a party or having a party-like atmosphere.

I did get the survey. I tried to fill it out as detailed as possible. I hope they really do listen to the feedback.

 

[BFD]

Just wanted to chime in to confirm basically everything that's already been said about the event on 7/28. We were staying at Coronado Springs and decided we wanted to hang out at the Poly for a bit, so we took an Uber there, then hopped on the monorail to make it to Magic Kingdom around 7.

Before the event officially started, we were able to ride Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain twice, and BTMRR twice (using two fastpasses for SM and BTMRR,) plus grab a hotdog and a pretzel. Between 10-12:30, we did Jungle Cruise twice more, Pirates, Peter Pan, 7DMT, Pooh, Barnstormer, Tomorrowland Speedway, Astro Orbiter, Buzz Lightyear, and Haunted Mansion, plus hit 3 snack carts for 2 ice creams and 2 drinks each. A few of the rides we did, we normally would skip, but since there was no wait, we decided to give them a try. We skipped Space Mountain because it's just not one of our favorites, but I'm sure we could've easily squeezed it in.

The only ride that we waited even a little bit for was 7DMT, which had a 20 minute wait time listed, but was really only 15. I know a few people have seemed annoyed at that wait, especially after the glowing reviews from the bloggers, but that's the shortest amount of time I've ever waited for that ride, and unless you're lucky enough to get a fastpass for it, which I never have been, you're not likely to see a shorter standby wait time.

We didn't get any empty cars or boats to ourselves and we didn't see anyone staying on to ride again, so I'd forget that you read that anyone was able to do that. But we did walk right onto almost every ride and got a lot more done than we would have on a normal day in the park. The place won't be empty, but it will be a LOT less crowded and easier to move around and enjoy. And the temperature will be a lot more pleasant.

The lines for snacks were long when the event first started (we started in Adventureland,) but later in the evening they were very short. I don't think they ran out of anything. I saw a few people without lanyards an hour or so in, but after that, everyone seemed to have one.

We headed out of the park at about ten minutes till 1:00, caught the bus, and got back to CSR around 1:30. The bus was FREEZING. At one point I was debating whether I wanted to get off at a different stop and walk back to the room on my extremely tired feet, or stay on that freezing bus. Luckily we got to our stop before I had to decide. Seriously, bring a hoodie. Some of the rides get a little chilly late in the evening too, especially if you get wet on Splash Mountain or something.

Side note: I had scheduled our BTMRR fastpass at 9:15 deliberately so that we could ride it during HEA and see the fireworks from the ride, and not only did that work perfectly, but we were actually able to walk right back on and ride it again while the fireworks were still going, and it was awesome. If you've never tried it, you should at least once. I'm sure 7DMT would be just as good, but again, those fastpasses are hard to come by.

Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to spend the day relaxing out by the pool, then attend DAH, instead of a full hot day in the sun and crowds. I have really zero complaints. Just don't go in expecting that magical empty Main Street all night.

 

[disneybeautyfnp]

Perfect...exactly what I was planning.

We're going the same night as you and starting in Adventureland is our plan too.

 

[Araminta18]

I keep seeing a lot of comments about starting in Adventureland...we're going 9/20 and have the HEA dessert party beforehand (only day we could do that), and so were planning to start in Tomorrowland. Are there still tons of day guests hanging out in Tomorrowland or am I totally overthinking it?

 

[dmetcalfrn]

We attended last night as well. Never had the “empty park” feeling but it was very manageable. We arrived after 7pm and did Buzz, Space, Peoplemover, HEA and SDMT. Then the event started. We did HM, Pirates, Splash, BTMR, Carpets, Peter Pan (10 minutes), IASM, SDMT(20 minutes), Barnstormer x 2. I’m sure I’m leaving some out. We took Teacup pictures. With 7 in our group we stopped at multiple carts and snacks and drinks were plentiful. Only once we were told they were out of Coke and more were on the way. We loved it and would definitely attend again.

 

[cmarsh31]

I keep seeing a lot of comments about starting in Adventureland...we're going 9/20 and have the HEA dessert party beforehand (only day we could do that), and so were planning to start in Tomorrowland. Are there still tons of day guests hanging out in Tomorrowland or am I totally overthinking it?

We started in Tomorrowland after the dessert party. No problems. Buzz was totally empty at about 10:15.

 

[AngiTN]

.

I think the bloggers definitely impacted the crowds. I saw a few of the videos from the week before, and those crowds were more like what we experienced in March. Even with the increase in crowds we would definitely do this event again. We rode much of what we wanted, and the ability to use FP+ for three rides prior to the event helped too. This was our only day at Disney, so for less than a single day ticket with our DVC discount I think it was is absolutely worth it.

Which is very odd if you think about it because bloggers have attended and reviewed the event before. Every time they've had it. Nothing unique about it this time

 

[AngiTN]

Thanks for all the reviews so quickly! God the beverage situation has resolved..

Interestingly if you read other reviews from the 21st those folks found plenty of drinks at the snack carts so I'm not sure it was an issue that needed fixed. It could have been one guest had the misfortune of hitting the carts at the wrong time. Just before they got restocked or something. Has to be some reason why two people there the night came away with two so different reviews

 

[scjo68]

Interestingly if you read other reviews from the 21st those folks found plenty of drinks at the snack carts so I'm not sure it was an issue that needed fixed. It could have been one guest had the misfortune of hitting the carts at the wrong time. Just before they got restocked or something. Has to be some reason why two people there the night came away with two so different reviews

It seemed like an issue IMO, because 3 out of the 7 reviews in this thread for that night had an issue with running out of drinks. But it seems as if they have addressed it, so that's good. It may have been an issue only for that night.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

It seemed like an issue IMO, because 3 out of the 7 reviews in this thread for that night had an issue with running out of drinks. But it seems as if they have addressed it, so that's good. It may have been an issue only for that night.

And someone reported that the guest services CM that called her back mentioned his friend was there that night and experienced the same thing.

 

[AngiTN]

It seemed like an issue IMO, because 3 out of the 7 reviews in this thread for that night had an issue with running out of drinks. But it seems as if they have addressed it, so that's good. It may have been an issue only for that night.

Then the other 4 did not. So that had to mean something, no?

 

[mcurrence]

I keep seeing a lot of comments about starting in Adventureland...we're going 9/20 and have the HEA dessert party beforehand (only day we could do that), and so were planning to start in Tomorrowland. Are there still tons of day guests hanging out in Tomorrowland or am I totally overthinking it?

We're doing both too on this day! I think you're good starting anywhere but Fantasyland, and actually, even in Fantasyland you should be good except for PP and 7D

 

[Ashley Marie]

Which is very odd if you think about it because bloggers have attended and reviewed the event before. Every time they've had it. Nothing unique about it this time

I think they actually managed to get #DisneyAfterHours trending on Twitter that night. It may have just been trending locally, but either way, that can have an impact.

I was following the hashtag for updates from the night and saw random tweets from people making jokes that they saw #DisneyAfterHours trending, had no idea what that was and thought it was going to be about something very different (dirtier) than what it ended up being.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Then the other 4 did not. So that had to mean something, no?

It wouldn’t mean anything to me if I were one of the ones with the issue. I’d like water readily available...I don’t much care if it was readily available for someone else if it wasn’t for me.

 

[Spunky946]

Just bought tickets for next week 8/4. Can’t wait

 

[TheNameless]

We attended last night as well. Never had the “empty park” feeling but it was very manageable. We arrived after 7pm and did Buzz, Space, Peoplemover, HEA and SDMT. Then the event started. We did HM, Pirates, Splash, BTMR, Carpets, Peter Pan (10 minutes), IASM, SDMT(20 minutes), Barnstormer x 2. I’m sure I’m leaving some out. We took Teacup pictures. With 7 in our group we stopped at multiple carts and snacks and drinks were plentiful. Only once we were told they were out of Coke and more were on the way. We loved it and would definitely attend again.

Thank you for the review. So nice to read that a sold out DAH event still means walk on for many rides and 10 minutes for Peter Pan and 20 minutes for SDMT. I was worried after reading some of the 07/21 reviews that a sold out event could make these lines much worst for a sold out event. Can't wait for the 09/20 event.

Also nice to read that the carts were restocked throughout the night for this event, which differs from some reviews of previous events.

 

[Princess Madeleine]

My mom and I have tickets for 8/11. Thanks to everyone that posted reports, I am so excited to experience it!

 

[Vickie1016]

Thanks for all the reviews so quickly! God the beverage situation has resolved..

Ditto ! Glad to read the beverage situation from 7/21 was not repeated on 7/28 and the carts were well stocked/replenished.
Hope everyone enjoys their future DAH events!!

 

[mgodisney]

I keep seeing a lot of comments about starting in Adventureland...we're going 9/20 and have the HEA dessert party beforehand (only day we could do that), and so were planning to start in Tomorrowland. Are there still tons of day guests hanging out in Tomorrowland or am I totally overthinking it?

I know Adventure Land is a popular place for a lot of people on this board to start, but I decided to get that out of the way before the park closed. My rationale was because of how long JC and PoC are, and because Pirates tends to break down. If Pirates was going to break down while I was on it, I didn't want it to happen during DAH!

I started in Storybook Circus, because I guessed if I moved through Fantasy Land to Frontier Land, I would hit PP, HM, SplM, and BTMR with no waits by the time I got to them, and I was right. I also started in Fantasy Land since I had a late FP+ for 7DMT during the fireworks, so I was already over there.

I think the main strategy is to avoid 7DMT for the first couple hours, and the other main headliners the first 30 minutes or so. We went on Peter Pan around 9:45 with no wait. There was a line, but we never stopped moving.

 

[DuchessandBerlioz]

I know Adventure Land is a popular place for a lot of people on this board to start, but I decided to get that out of the way before the park closed. My rationale was because of how long JC and PoC are, and because Pirates tends to break down. If Pirates was going to break down while I was on it, I didn't want it to happen during DAH!

I started in Storybook Circus, because I guessed if I moved through Fantasy Land to Frontier Land, I would hit PP, HM, SplM, and BTMR with no waits by the time I got to them, and I was right. I also started in Fantasy Land since I had a late FP+ for 7DMT during the fireworks, so I was already over there.

I think the main strategy is to avoid 7DMT for the first couple hours, and the other main headliners the first 30 minutes or so. We went on Peter Pan around 9:45 with no wait. There was a line, but we never stopped moving.

This is exactly our plan for August 4! We have FPs for POTC and JC, then dinner at Skipper's, followed by a fireworks-timed FP for 7DMT. Happy to hear it worked out well for you!