Last year I went to Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom and it was so much fun. During my last visit I gave the After Hours at Hollywood Studios a try to see how it compared.
When my friend and I arrived, a cast member scanned our MagicBands for the After Hours tickets and gave us our wristbands. This was different from Magic Kingdom, because at that time they were giving out lanyards. The lanyards make for a better keepsake, but it’s definitely not a dealbreaker for attending this event. With the wristbands you can enter the park at 7 p.m., over two hours before the event began. So, you don’t need a separate theme park ticket if you are not going before 7 p.m., which is nice.
Once it’s officially After Hours time you will need the wristband to get on any ride that is open. There aren’t as many rides in Hollywood Studios as there are in Magic Kingdom, but that means you can ride some of your favorites over and over without feeling like you have to get to other things. My friend and I rode Slinky Dog Dash at least three times with no wait, which is fantastic, considering the what the wait times are during the day. In fact, none of the rides that we went on had a wait. Honestly, you spend more time speed walking through the queue than you do waiting in line.
Attractions Open During After Hours:
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Toy Story Mania!
- Twilight Zone Tower of TerrorTM
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- Star Wars Launch Bay
- Character Greetings
- Mickey Mouse
- Minnie Mouse
- BB-8
- Chewbacca
- Kylo Ren
- Olaf
- Toy Story Land Pals
The park felt just as empty as Magic Kingdom did during the After Hours event, hence the lack of lines at the rides. There were definitely no crowds and there was plenty of space to walk around. It’s amazing how empty the park feels during After Hours and that emptiness provides a great opportunity to take pictures in the park.
Another fun part of these events are the free food and drinks. Carts are stationed throughout the park that offer free ice cream, free popcorn, and free bottles of water and soda. There’s no limit of how much you can get, so you can stop at every cart if you want to. Though, I would be careful having too much ice cream and riding Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror. 🙂 Don’t be shy about taking drinks either, especially the water. In addition to the free snacks and drinks, there are select locations where guests can purchase menu items, as well.
The cost of the Hollywood Studios After Hours Event is $125 in advance or $129 on the day of the event. Disney Vacation Club Members and Annual Passholders can get the tickets at a discounted price of $95. The prices are for both adults and kids.
Upcoming Dates for Disney After Hours at Hollywood Studios
- June 28, 2019
- July 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2019
Overall, I would say this was a fun event, but I felt like I got more at the Magic Kingdom After Hours. There were definitely more rides available during the After Hours in Magic Kingdom. However, if you haven’t had a chance to ride Slinky Dog Dash you might want to try this event. It will give you the chance to ride it multiple times in the three hour period. Plus, since you can get into the park at 7 p.m. with the event ticket you don’t have to buy a theme park ticket. So you can still get a good 5 1/2 hours in the park with just the event ticket. It’s a bit pricey, especially for families, but if it can be added into the budget it’s a good way to ride one of the newest rides with no wait time.
Have you tried any of the After Hours events?
Thanks for reading!
Liz
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Liz
I love all things Disney, but my main love is for Disney World and I'm always planning for the next trip. Before becoming a Disney blogger, I was a radio DJ, so I guess I'm just continuing in the communication industry, just in a different form. I love talking Disney and I could talk about Disney all day. That's why I started blogging and created the Facebook group. The Disney community is full of friendly, helpful, and happy people...and I love being a part of it! If there is any Disney subject you would like to see covered just let me know! Need help planning your Disney vacation. Feel free to contact myself or Melissa at Never Stop Dreaming Travel Co. We love helping people plan their trips! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to check out our Countdown to Disney app! Feel free to email me with suggestions of things you would like to see in the app :-)