What is Disney After Hours and who benefits the most at Walt Disney World?

If you’re like me, then your goal is to spend less time waiting in line at Walt Disney World. While figuring out how to do so, you’ve probably heard this time-saving adage: Start early and stay late. 

Indeed, maximizing those hours on the fringe of a park’s operating day usually means shorter lines, but what if I were to tell you there was a way to all but guarantee walk-on status lasting multiple hours with the added perk of all-you-care-to-enjoy Mickey Ice Cream Bars?

I was recently invited by Walt Disney World to experience Disney After Hours at Hollywood Studios to see how this late-night offering benefits guests visiting this summer and beyond. Now through September, Disney After Hours events will take place on select evenings at Hollywood Studios and EPCOT (Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom will resume in 2026).

Let’s break down exactly what Disney After Hours is, who benefits the most from this event, and tips to make the most of your evening in the parks.

What’s included at Disney After Hours?

Your ticket to Disney After Hours allows you to enter the park and mix in with regular day guests a couple of hours before the event starts. For example, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can enter the park starting at 7:00 PM with your Disney After Hours ticket, with the event officially starting at 9:30 PM. This gives you the chance to get a head start on a couple of rides, enjoy the nighttime entertainment, grab a bite to eat, and more.

Once Disney After Hours starts, attendees have access to most of the park’s rides. Because Disney After Hours is a limited-attendance event, the wait times are significantly shorter than they are during the day (and often non-existent). Some attractions, including shows and entertainment, are not available. 

Character meet-and-greets are available, though they usually differ from who you can meet during the day. You may even spot rarer characters during Disney After Hours! 

Limited Quick-Service dining locations are open with menu items available for purchase during Disney After Hours. Throughout the park, you can also pick up complimentary ice cream novelties, popcorn, and bottled beverages.

And, if you forgot to pick up that last-minute souvenir, select stores remain open throughout Disney After Hours.

SKIP THE LINES: ULTIMATE GUIDE TO LIGHTNING LANE AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Who benefits the most from Disney After Hours?

Like most aspects of a Walt Disney World vacation, Disney After Hours events work best for some groups of guests and may not be right for everyone. One key factor to consider is financial. It’s important to note that attending Disney After Hours costs more than a day ticket. Currently, Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ After Hours event costs $155 to $185 per person, varying by date. A 1-Day ticket to Hollywood Studios in 2025 starts at $139.

Knowing this, it’s important to carefully consider the value proposition of Disney After Hours to determine whether it’s right for your family. While anyone can find something to enjoy, the true value of a Disney After Hours ticket is ideal for the following parties:

• Families with short trips. If you have only a couple of nights at Walt Disney World and you want to fit as much into those few days as possible, then Disney After Hours is a great tool to do just that. 
• Anyone looking to check off every ride in with no wait. For many, the best part of Disney After Hours is the opportunity to experience their favorite attractions multiple times with little to no wait. Disney World completionists who want to ride every ride in a park have a better chance of doing so when attending Disney After Hours.
• People visiting in the summer who want to dodge the blazing hot sun. I cannot overstate the value of being able to enjoy a Disney theme park at night during the summer. The heat and humidity are very taxing during the day. I found myself much more comfortable and enjoying my time in the park more during Disney After Hours because the sun had set and the temperatures were lower.
• Anyone looking for more unique ways to experience the Disney Parks. If you’ve been around the Disney World block and want to jazz up your vacations, then Disney After Hours offers a different way to enjoy the parks and feel like a VIP. I walked on multiple rides during my visit, which is something you can almost never experience during regular daytime hours.
• Families looking for the perks of Lightning Lane Premier Pass at a lower cost. Disney World rolled out Lightning Lane Premier Pass as a way to enjoy one-time entry to each Lightning Lane experience in a park without needing to book an arrival time. The cost is eye-popping, with Premier Pass ranging in price from $269 to $329 per person daily. Admission to Disney After Hours costs far less ($155 to $185, varying by date) with standby lines only, but those standby waits are minimal. And, you can repeat your favorite rides at Disney After Hours as many times as you like.

START SAVING NOW: HOW MUCH WILL DISNEY WORLD TICKETS COST IN 2026?

Tips for maximizing Disney After Hours

So, you purchased your Disney After Hours tickets and are wondering how to make the most of your precious time in the parks. Here are my biggest takeaways after attending a recent event:

Arrive Early. You want to take advantage of every minute your ticket allows by entering the park at the exact moment the mix-in starts. If you also have a Park Hopper ticket for that day, you can enter even earlier and check in for Disney After Hours at a kiosk set up inside the park (no need to exit and re-enter!).

Grab a bite to eat before Disney After Hours begins. Some Quick-Service locations are open during Disney After Hours, so you can get hot food during the event, but the majority of the park’s dining locations will be closed. That means you’ll probably want to plan on eating dinner either before arriving or during the mix-in period. Be sure to check the operating hours of the park’s dining locations, as some may close before the park does. 

Take advantage of the unlimited free snacks. This is another easy way to maximize the value of your Disney After Hours ticket. Every attendee has access to all-you-care-to-eat ice cream novelties (Mickey Ice Cream Bars and Ice Cream Sandwiches), popcorn, and bottled beverages like soda and water throughout the event. If you’ve ever dreamed of a constant stream of Disney popcorn at your fingertips, this is the event for you.

Enjoy the nighttime entertainment. You can enter early enough where you can catch whatever the park’s nighttime spectacular is (For example, “Fantasmic” at Hollywood Studios or “Luminous” at EPCOT). Just make sure to line up or find a spot early, as all of the regular day guests will also be lining up to catch the show before park closing!

By crunching the numbers and keeping these tips in mind as you plan your next Walt Disney World vacation, you may find that Disney After Hours is a great tool to give you more flexibility in the parks. It eliminates the stress of waiting in long lines while offering bottomless popcorn – what more could you need?

TIME TO PLAN NEXT YEAR’S TRIP: WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT 2026 WALT DISNEY WORLD VACATIONS

Disclosure: I was invited by Disney World to attend Disney After Hours. When I attend events as invited media, I am not required to review that event on my channels, and I am not required to review that event favorably. My goal, as with all of my coverage, is to provide an unbiased and honest recap of any event I attend. This includes coverage where I pay full price for my own travel as well as hosted events. Thank you for your support!

Should You Attend Disney After Hours at Walt Disney World? originally appeared on The World of Spark.

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