Hiya, Stephanie, and thanks for stopping by planDisney! Your
Walt Disney World Resort visit is just around the riverbend, so I hope your suitcases are by the door. Since I'll be arriving soon and still need to pack, let's jump into how
Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom Park works. Those Minnie ears won't pack themselves!
Disney After Hours events are separate tickets that allow you access after the theme park closes. With this ticket, you can actually enter the park as early as 7:00 PM with regular guests. I often make a dining reservation for 7:30 PM or so and still have time to enjoy a few experiences with low waits like the
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. When the event begins at 10:00 PM, I head for popular attractions like
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to enjoy the lighter crowds.
If you also have regular park admission to Magic Kingdom Park that day, you can head there anytime you like. You could purchase
Disney Genie+ service to schedule Lightning Lane entries during regular park hours, but you won't be able to book Lightning Lanes once the after-hours event begins. The good news is that you probably won't need to since wait times are typically much lower.
Since you should be able to experience several popular attractions during After Hours, my tip is to skip Disney Genie+ service earlier in the day. My itinerary is to sleep in, head to the pool for a dip, and get to the theme park around 3:00 PM on days I have regular park entry, too. That gives me several hours to enjoy shows and attractions at a leisurely pace until the party begins. And since I take it slow in the morning, I'll have more stamina to enjoy the after-party!
My final tip is to eat a light dinner because you'll want to leave room for the complimentary snacks offered during Disney After Hours. My husband tends to eat his weight in popcorn while I gravitate toward the ice cream!
Stephanie, I'm waving my wand so you'll have a magical visit, and please
stop by planDisney anytime. Look for me in the parks this week; I'll be the one with the wrinkled Minnie ears!
Magic awaits,
Elaine