Last week there was a flurry of information about new special events taking place at the Magic Kingdom. One of these events has even been removed from Disney’s website at the time of this post being written but I feel like you should still get a heads up about what is coming.
Nighttime is a special time at Magic Kingdom® Park. From the colorful spires of Cinderella Castle to the twinkling lights of Storybook Circus in Fantasyland, the park comes alive in a very unique way. And now, there’s a whole new way for you to experience nighttime at Magic Kingdom Park with “Disney After Hours.” This special, ticketed event, offered on select nights, allows you to enjoy exclusive time in the park with quicker than typical access to popular attractions like Space Mountain and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, as well as character greetings at Town Square and Princess Fairytale Hall. Ice cream novelties and bottled beverages will be available for Guests during the three-hour event.
Disney Resort Guests will continue to enjoy Extra Magic Hours as this new event takes place on different nights.
“Disney After Hours” takes place April 14, 21, 28 and May 5, 8, 12 and 19, 2016 at Magic Kingdom Park. A separate event ticket is required. Guests can check-in starting at 7 p.m. each night, with the event hours from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Pricing is $149 plus tax for adults and children (ages 3-9). Admission is limited, so hurry and book today.
Mom Maven’s Thoughts on Disney After Hours
This new hard ticketed event may appeal to some people who have excessive disposable income. Let’s do the math…a 1 day ticket to the Magic Kingdom during the “regular season” costs $110 + tax. On April 14th, the first day of the Disney After Hours event, the park is open 9am-11pm=14 hours. That breaks down to $7.86 + tax an hour for a day of Disney magic. It is regular season so crowds should be manageable and with proper planning and help from your travel agent, you should have a lovely day. Now if you decide to go to Disney After Hours you pay $149 + tax and are able to enter the park at 7pm with the event starting at 11pm and going to 2am. You now have 7 hours of park time, 4 of which include the day guests for $21.29 per hour-roughly 3x the hourly rate for shorter lines. If you only come for the 3 hours with no day guests you are up to almost $50 + tax per hour or 7x more money for shorter lines. Granted my calculations are based on the fact that you bought a 1-day Magic Kingdom ticket. Most people will have a multi-day ticket and the per day rate will be less, making the per hour rate less and the Disney After Hours rate even more absurd.
Yes, there will be people willing to shell out the money for shorter lines but according to the initial social media reaction, they aren’t the die hard Disney fans. We want value for our Disney dollars and late night shorter lines aren’t worth that kind of money. If I had an extra $149 per person to spend at Walt Disney World, I would do a behind the scenes tour or special event like Club Villain, maybe that is just me. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
photo courtesy of Disney
Disney Early Morning Magic
On March 23rd something called Disney Early Morning Magic started popping up on the dining page of the Disney website. It wasn’t there long but Kenny the Pirate captured all the info before it disappeared. There were no dates associated with the original information. Basically for $69 + tax for adults and $49 + tax for children PLUS park admission guests get in to Fantasyland at 7:45am only the 3 most popular Fantasyland attractions will be open The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan’s Flight and The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. In addition to the rides, guests will get breakfast at Pinocchio’s Village Haus from 8:30-10am. Tickets will be limited and this event is on select days. The park will open to day guests at 9am.
Is it worth 75 minutes of park time and breakfast for $69 + tax? That decision is up to you. Our family has never even done a breakfast character dining because we can’t justify paying $25+ for breakfast! I will say that Disney Early Morning Magic might be worth it for families with young children who are saving a lot of money by staying off property. You could take some of the money you saved and splurge on this, get three must-do rides and breakfast taken care of and use your Fastpass+ selections elsewhere.
I would love your thoughts on both of these new offerings. Am I wrong? Are you willing to pay the extra money for shorter lines? Disney has said both of these new offerings will not interfere with Extra Magic Hours that are currently available to guests staying on Disney property, let’s hope that is the case.
If you are ready to book your Walt Disney World vacation please Email Me , I’d love to be your Disney Vacation Planner.
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