What's Grad Nights?

[ajjhmf]

We're planning our trip for May, but I saw that something called "Grad Nights" is going on the first weekend we will be there. Our plan is to get in on Saturday morning and we'll be staying at the cabins. Can someone explain to me what Grad Nights are and will they affect us over at the cabins?

Thanks,
Jenny

 

[Disney711]

Grad Nites are hell on earth, basically

Ok, maybe not that bad. But they probably won't affect your Fort stay. The kids on Grad Nite tend to stay at the value resorts, or at off-property hotels, I don't think there would be any staying at the campground. The main thing Grad Nites does is having MK close early once or twice during your stay, with no Wishes or Spectro, which does tend to make Epcot or MGM a little more crowded that night.

 

[Disney Campers]

Here is some more information on Grad Nights

 

[ajjhmf]

So, is it just on the weekend and things will get back to normal crowd wise once it's done? Or do the groups stick around for a while?

We would be arriving that last Saturday of Grad Nights and don't plan on going to the parks anyway. (DH wants to got to HDDR.) I just know it will bug my DH if we're fighting crowds of teens the whole week. Thankfully, we're still early enough in our planning, 2+ years out LOL, that we can easily change when we go.

Sorry, for all the questions, I'm still such a newbie.

Thanks,
Jenny

 

[Gillian]

You will just have the one night, saturday. And a lot of kids are bussed in & out and don't stay. I don't think you have anything to worry about!!

Also, these kids are still in school for another week or two, so they can't stay at Disney all week.

 

[Beachmom]

Hardly "Hell on Earth", just kids celebrating graduating from high school. Ours is April 28th. They just come by bus, park in a separate staging area, and enter the park after it closes to the regular visitors. They do stay up all night until about 4 am, but you won't hear them. They even adhere to a dress code, which is more than I can say for some daytime visitors!

 

[Codymom1]

We were there last year during Grad Nite. I also was a little concerned because I read last year they had a picnic at FW before going to Mk (I believe it was at the Backyard Bar B QUe pavilion). We are going again this year in May and to be honest, it was so little of a problem I didn't even check to see if they are having it while we're there this year. Two little glitches that MAY have been from grad nite was transportation at the time I think they were leaving the picnic. We waited a long time for a bus (several Disney and other busses came by). I think they may have borrowed a few of our busses to transport the kids to MK. Also, if I remember right, I think they had fireworks for the end of Grad Nite (about 4-5am) which woke me one of the two nights but no one else in our TT (there were 7 of us) even heard them.

 

[MMLong3996]

Hardly "Hell on Earth", just kids celebrating graduating from high school. Ours is April 28th. They just come by bus, park in a separate staging area, and enter the park after it closes to the regular visitors. They do stay up all night until about 4 am, but you won't hear them. They even adhere to a dress code, which is more than I can say for some daytime visitors!

Having participated as a high school senior in 1994 in Grad Nights...it IS Hell on Earth! I swore that night I'd never go back to WDW. It was the worst trip I've ever had there...miserable. Didn't go back until I married and had children. I shiver at the thought of Grad Nights.