What would you do? MK question

[M&E]

I've always wanted to do an After Party but the friend that I'm going with isn't convinced it's the way to go because it only allows us 6 hours at MK. Help me convince her we should! Or convince me we shouldn't

We are staying at Pop Century with most likely skyline access (I know it gets closed down some) the beginning of May. This is supposed to be a relaxing girl trip, but we are totally rope droppers!

Our current plan is:
F- Epcot (easy mid day break for 3-4 hours/skyliner)
Sa- AK (probably full day at park, but closes early)
Su- MK (probably full day at park, but some resort hoping on the monorail for a break)
M- Rest day- pool/Disney Springs
Tu- HS, @4:00 head to the airport

Alternate plan that I think sounds cool: (And it's ONLY $57.15 more, including tax!)
F- same as above
Sa- same as above
Su- HS (easy mid day break for 3-4 hours/skyliner)
M- Rest morning/pool/Disney Springs- Evening 7pm-1am MK After Hours party
Tu- sleep in/pool/maybe Disney Springs @4:00 head to airport


I would really appreciate your opinions as you all are so knowledgeable. I get to Disney about once a year, sometimes a bit less so I feel like I have a pretty good handle on most things. For only $57.15 more it just seems like a super fun way to experience MK at night and with less crowds. And I LOVE the idea of MK as our last park. I feel like 6 hours isn't all that long, but... it also means we could have a full day at HS and be there for an evening show/dark/or a last ride on Slinky.

 

[Karalee402]

I've always wanted to do an After Party but the friend that I'm going with isn't convinced it's the way to go because it only allows us 6 hours at MK. Help me convince her we should! Or convince me we shouldn't

We are staying at Pop Century with most likely skyline access (I know it gets closed down some) the beginning of May. This is supposed to be a relaxing girl trip, but we are totally rope droppers!

Our current plan is:
F- Epcot (easy mid day break for 3-4 hours/skyliner)
Sa- AK (probably full day at park, but closes early)
Su- MK (probably full day at park, but some resort hoping on the monorail for a break)
M- Rest day- pool/Disney Springs
Tu- HS, @4:00 head to the airport

Alternate plan that I think sounds cool: (And it's ONLY $57.15 more, including tax!)
F- same as above
Sa- same as above
Su- HS (easy mid day break for 3-4 hours/skyliner)
M- Rest morning/pool/Disney Springs- Evening 7pm-1am MK After Hours party
Tu- sleep in/pool/maybe Disney Springs @4:00 head to airport


I would really appreciate your opinions as you all are so knowledgeable. I get to Disney about once a year, sometimes a bit less so I feel like I have a pretty good handle on most things. For only $57.15 more it just seems like a super fun way to experience MK at night and with less crowds. And I LOVE the idea of MK as our last park. I feel like 6 hours isn't all that long, but... it also means we could have a full day at HS and be there for an evening show/dark/or a last ride on Slinky.

I couldn't agree more with you on ending with MK! I love (and hate!!) exiting through the "See Ya Real Soon" archways. And I think after hours/parties are the absolute best ways to get a TON of rides in with little to no waits. If you can swing it, and it looks like it's not that much more cost-wise, I'd absolutely do the party!

 

[BlueGreen5]

I think it sort of depends on what you want out of MK. You're going to get a much different experience between 7pm and 1am than you would during normal park hours -- it will be surreal, for sure. But, that doesn't necessarily translate to "better" for everyone. Many things will be closed. But, the lines will all be very short. So, if your goal is to have a quintessential MK experience with your friend (you didn't mention how often she visits), you'll be dissatisfied. If your goal is to ride as many of the big ticket items as possible in the shortest amount of time, you'll be very pleased. Also do look into which attractions tend to close during after hours -- it's not always the case that every attraction is open.

IMO, open to 4 is enough time to do DHS as adults as long as you rope drop RotR or Slinky and are okay giving up the showy stuff (Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Indy, Muppets, etc.).

 

[Mouse Tracker]

We are staying at Pop Century with most likely skyline access (I know it gets closed down some) the beginning of May. This is supposed to be a relaxing girl trip, but we are totally rope droppers!

I enjoy Pop for the skyliner access, especially if hopping (you didn't indicate doing that). You have a lot of 'relax' built into both plans.

What kind of tickets do you have? (4 park -4 day , 4 days select a park)

I would probably do the Monday as a resort hopping with MK After Hours Party. Use departure day as sleep in and DS time.
Adjust the rest to fit that, might even think about a full MK day and drop AK.

 

[M&E]

I couldn't agree more with you on ending with MK! I love (and hate!!) exiting through the "See Ya Real Soon" archways. And I think after hours/parties are the absolute best ways to get a TON of rides in with little to no waits. If you can swing it, and it looks like it's not that much more cost-wise, I'd absolutely do the party!

Thanks for your opinion!

 

[M&E]

I think it sort of depends on what you want out of MK. You're going to get a much different experience between 7pm and 1am than you would during normal park hours -- it will be surreal, for sure. But, that doesn't necessarily translate to "better" for everyone. Many things will be closed. But, the lines will all be very short. So, if your goal is to have a quintessential MK experience with your friend (you didn't mention how often she visits), you'll be dissatisfied. If your goal is to ride as many of the big ticket items as possible in the shortest amount of time, you'll be very pleased. Also do look into which attractions tend to close during after hours -- it's not always the case that every attraction is open.

IMO, open to 4 is enough time to do DHS as adults as long as you rope drop RotR or Slinky and are okay giving up the showy stuff (Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Indy, Muppets, etc.).

My friend goes to Disney about once a year also. We don't need the quintessential MK experience. Our goal is usually lots of rides, but also a stop at Starbucks and some wandering also. We LOVE the fireworks but are often disappointed in the experience. So crowded! Last year we dealt with a really rude guest that was trying to save 12 spots and got really nasty when we tried to sit in a spot they thought belonged to them. In hindsight we should have gotten a cast member. So I feel like the After Hours fireworks would just be so much more relaxed. I did not think about some of the rides being closed. I should look into what those are and make sure they are none of our "must do's".

 

[M&E]

I enjoy Pop for the skyliner access, especially if hopping (you didn't indicate doing that). You have a lot of 'relax' built into both plans.

What kind of tickets do you have? (4 park -4 day , 4 days select a park)

I would probably do the Monday as a resort hopping with MK After Hours Party. Use departure day as sleep in and DS time.
Adjust the rest to fit that, might even think about a full MK day and drop AK.

We don't have tickets yet. Originally we were just thinking getting 4 day tickets (no hopping). Purchased through Undercover Tourist.
But when I realized the tickets wouldn't be much more with 3 day tickets and 1 after hours party, that's when I started to think about option #2.

 

[3gr8boys]

If you are looking at the May 5th MK After Hours, know that HS could be quite crowded that Sunday for May the 4th (Be With You). Not necessarily a deal breaker considering your experience... but something to factor in to your decision and planning.

(May 5th will be my first DAH and I am really looking forward to being able to enjoy the fireworks.)

 

[M&E]

If you are looking at the May 5th MK After Hours, know that HS could be quite crowded that Sunday for May the 4th (Be With You). Not necessarily a deal breaker considering your experience... but something to factor in to your decision and planning.

(May 5th will be my first DAH and I am really looking forward to being able to enjoy the fireworks.)

Thank you. That is a great idea.

 

[kathy884]

An after hours party might be great for you. For me, I have a hard time staying up that late, love the atmosphere of the MK and lame nostaligic stuff: Main street, the Dapper Dans, and lots of the old time rides that don't have any long lines in the first place -- like to do lunch at Casey's Corner, usually like a dinner break at the Polynesian hotel, etc. and are in the park from 9 a.m. till 10 p.m. and between 10 and 10:45 p.m. usually sit out in a Rocking chair my the movie theatre on Mainstreet while others in the party do shopping at the Disney Emporium. I can get eveything I want to do with a regular ticket and that's more appealing to me than an after hours ticket. For what I like an after hours party wouldn't be my thing. Although I do think the atmosphere at night is great and getting into the hotter season night time does sound great.

And for the activities before the party, I'm not someone who ever sleeps in. And I'm not into Disney Springs -- shopping (it's not a place that appeals to me or seems special to me) and pool time wouldn't be my thing when I could be at the MK instead on a short trip. That's just me though.

If you have always wanted to do the after hours party, for sure, do it sometime. But see what your friend likes about the MK. If he / she is like me, your friend might not be the right buddy for that experience and maybe it's something for a different trip.

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

I would rather go to HS for a full day vs a rest day/DS. But I love the shows at HS.

You can probably hit DS after your AK day if that’s important to you. Especially if you rope drop.

I can’t comment on MK AH because I’ve not done it yet. I do love HS AH. At HS we hit every TSL and SWGE ride multiple times after each park close plus MMRR and character pics. (RnRC and ToT were also open but we didn’t go over there.) I have read that AH seem busier lately though.

For MK they have a second, different fireworks show in 2025, if that’s of interest.

 

[georgina]

I am a big AH fan, especially that last hour wandering around a nearly empty MK. I often use it in place of a day ticket for MK. I have seen that Tiana's won't be open for AH, nothing else is closed that will bother me personally. They are doing an extra fireworks (Enchantment) at 11 PM.

 

[M&E]

Just an update. We decided to book the After Hours party. It's something new and different. Hopefully we can stay awake until 1am! While it's only 6 hours at MK I think it will be truly magical. We love rides and having low crowds and the night time cooler temps sounds amazing. This new plan will also give us a full day at HS (with a possible break mid day) so we can jump in line for Slinky right before the park closes. This is our current plan:

Friday May 2- HS
Saturday May 3- AK (hopefully dinner and drinks at the roof top bar at Riviera)
Sunday May 4- Epcot
Monday May 5- MK After Hours Party 7pm-1am