The Park After Dark?

[Banzai]

From Screamscape

We’ve heard that a new test program for resort guests called The Park After Dark would attempt to replace the Extra Magic Hour program for resort guests. In this case, instead of one of the parks opening an extra hour early for resort guests, one park may stay open up to three hours later for resort guests.

 

[CAJUNWDWFAN]

I would love this concept. I'm not a morning person and would much rather the parks staying open later in the evening. Also the parks have a different ambiance at night than they do during the day.

I'm all for it!

 

[lenshanem]

I think we'd use this more than the morning extra hour. I like the idea. But, how would you get non resort guests to leave and not stay?

 

[Razor Roman]

Originally posted by lenshanem
I think we'd use this more than the morning extra hour. I like the idea. But, how would you get non resort guests to leave and not stay?

I guess they could do bracelets or something... how did they do it for E-ride nights?


I assume that if they did bracelets or something similar then only people with bracelts could get on the rides... also they could use the fast pass machines to spit out tickets for the rides, you already use your room key as your admission tickets anyway- so you're already running that through the fastpass machine.

 

[lenshanem]

Wow, sounds like an ordeal. I guess they could give out armbands when you check in at your resort so there won't be massive lines?

 

[grinningghost]

I would love this. I have a tough time getting up early to do EMH. I'm a night person and would absolutely take advantage of this. I think the bracelet thing would work fine - it does for E-nights. You could simply pick up your bracelet at Guest Services at your resort. It would be good for the length of your stay.

I'm not planning another WDW trip for a few years, but if they did this, I might be swayed to FIND the money to go.

 

[KNWVIKING]

I doubt they would try and exclude off property guests.

 

[lenshanem]

I doubt they would try and exclude off property guests.

Why? Doesn't Early Entry?

If they didn't exclude off property guests this would be the same as E-Ride nights. What would be the difference?

 

[KNWVIKING]

EE is easy to manage, letting just resort guests in. But emptying out a full park,issueing wristbands,etc is time consuming and labor intensive. Maybe it would work. I will say that I would prefer 3 hrs at nite as opposed to one hr in the morning. But I'm curious: How many extended evening hour nites will we get each week. Right now an on-property guest has 7 EE hrs per week- one a day. Are we trading 7 for 3 or will there be multiple extended evenings each week ? Hopefully one nite a week for MK, Epcot & MGM - really isn't do-able with AK.

 

[manning]

Sure would help in filling up empty hotel rooms.

What would be the difference in emptying the park for E-night and the proposed concept? Nothing.

Would the elimination of fastpass screeners during the three hour period balance out the extra cost of emptying the park? I have no idea, but it might.

 

[KNWVIKING]

**"What would be the difference in emptying the park for E-night and the proposed concept? Nothing."**

Well, one difference would be that E-nights sell tickets to cover the expense. I've never done an E nite so I don't know how they work it. Do they allow those with E tickets to stay in the park the entire time...as they do with MVMCP, or is it totally emptied.

PS: There is a little rumor around this rumor- Screamscape is a Day late.

 

[YoHo]

They let you stay. Also, I thought E-Nights was exclusive to resort guests as well.

And, this would work perfectly fine at AK, Most Zoos I know have many after hours nights during the year. It's actually more interesting to watch the animals in the evening.
The problem is they don't light the enclousures (for obvious reasons)


I like this idea, but I think it would be more expensive than it was worth although I bet it would up on site guests a lot more then mornings do.

 

[KNWVIKING]

I think it would depend on how much we spend while in the parks those last three hours, not to mention a possible increase in resort occupancy.

As for AK... I don't think it would work. We did the backstage tour at AK and from what I can gather, the animals are pretty well conditioned to head home to the barns in the evenings. KS would be worthless as would the Pangini trails.

 

[grinningghost]

Originally posted by KNWVIKING


As for AK... I don't think it would work. We did the backstage tour at AK and from what I can gather, the animals are pretty well conditioned to head home to the barns in the evenings. KS would be worthless as would the Pangini trails.

We resort hopped to AKL one August night and I was amazed to see the animals right outside the hotel - in the dark and the pouring rain. Are some of them allowed to roam free and the rest are put in the barns?

 

[KNWVIKING]

The animals at AKL are entirely seperate from the AK. In the AK, the animals out on KS have the option to stay out indefinitely, but they know where the good food is everynite. It was funny to have our tour guide explain to us about the giraffes. Apparently the giraffes would rather be in the barn then in the field. If you are taking a normal safari ride, you don't realize it, but the place where you normally see the giraffes hanging out is actually a door they go thru to get home.

 

[raidermatt]

I've heard some say that as the E-night wears on, CMs will politely ask those without wristbands to leave, but I don't know if that's true.

They do check the wristbands as you go on the rides, however.

I'm with most of the others here in that we would get more benefit out of the later hours than the morning hours.

I'd guess that's probably the majority opinion, however, I'd also guest that there will be a significant minority who hate the idea, due to having small children, or just being morning folks.

Of course, as with anything Disney does lately, I'd be concerned with how they implement, and what other change accompany it. Will the regular park closing times become earlier at some point? How often will this be offered? In which parks? Seasonally or year-round? How much of the park will be open?

There is a little rumor around this rumor- Screamscape is a Day late.

On 4/1, an April Fool's Joke is funny. On 4/2, it becomes annoying. I'd hate to think the good folks at Screamscape haven't figured that out yet...

 

[daannzzz]

Yes my concern was also that will which ever park is designated for the evening close at 5:00 or 6:00 so that it can stay open "late" or will they keep historic hours and add on from there. If Epcot were to participate would they shut non resort guests out before 9:00 and not have "Illuminations" or would the park stay open until midnight. It will be interesting to see if this comes to be as well as to see how it is implemented.

 

[ford family]

Just to be a contrarian, we would be dismayed if we lost early entry and gained late nights. Coming from the UK, we have a five hour jetlag affecting our waking pattern that takes several days to wear off so we are always up and about early on our Disney trips. We miss the time when AK opened at 7am let alone 8am, and we always do the EE park for three or four hours before moving on. However, we are usually in bed and asleep by 10pm, to be ready for the next day, bright and early.

ford family

 

[Kelly Nelly]

This would be the bomb if Disney did this for resort guests, all the years I have been going to Disney and I have never used early entry and I always dreamed of them having extra magic hours after dark for WDW guests.I hop that they carry through with this.

 

[exDS vet]

When I did the e-ride nights, it was for resort guests only and you had to pay $10 per person at your resort and pick up your wristband when at MK guest relations.

The event was only a few nights each month, only at the MK, and only the 9 or 10 best attractions remained open, along with Main Street, hence the term e-ride nights.

Extra Magic Hours to me sounds like it would be an attempt to pretty much to the same thing by doing one or more of the following;
Allow any guests (i.e. multi day ticket holders) the chance to stay later by paying a fee.

Leave an entire "land" open for the extra hours instead of several attractions scattered throughout the park.

Keep Main Street open for the extra hours as well.

Make this an add-on option for resort guests.

This program works at WDW since the parks all close early. This would never work at DL, because that park almost always closes late. DCA is an exception, but there's no reason for DCA guests to stay late.

However, I can only see this working at MK or MGM. In my opinion, even MGM is a stretch.