Hi there, Roberta, and welcome back to planDisney!
I love that there are countless options for getting the most out of the magic while at Disney World. One of those options is taking advantage of cool, exclusive experiences. It’s my pleasure to answer your question about exactly when you can get your (nighttime) party started!
You’re off to a fantastic start by planning on entering the park at the earliest possible time. I prefer to get the most value out of park tickets, too, so the
Disney After Hours pre-party access entry time is a must. For that in-between time, you can definitely experience theme park attractions and pre-book
Lightning Lane access in the
My Disney Experience app. However, the Lightning Lane options are not available during the official hours of special ticketed events, like After Hours and the holiday parties, because the queues are already on the shorter-side due to the limited event capacity. Depending on the night, I’ve had many “walk-on” moments for rides that sometimes have hour-long waits. It kind of feels like the red carpet is being rolled out for me and my family.
If you want to extend your fun, you’ll need a standard theme park ticket or annual pass to explore the theme park from park open to park close. By the way, if you’re staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you will have
Early Theme Park Entry, which means that you can enter the theme parks up to 30 minutes before regular park hours.
Roberta, I hope that this helps you with those final vacation planning details. Can you imagine that you will be at The Most Magical Place on Earth in just a matter of weeks?! Until then, if you have additional questions, please
revisit us here at planDisney.
Magic always,
LeAndra