Disney after hours vs Deluxe extended hours

[scrappinginontario]

Also unable to buy food/drinks or anything else. (I assume you can shop for merch on Main Street still, but maybe not)

I’m not 100% sure about regular AH parties but I know for MNSSHP and MVMCP, only guests with party wristbands can enter a store after park closes to day guests.

 

[Chili327]

I’m not 100% sure about regular AH parties but I know for MNSSHP and MVMCP, only guests with party wristbands can enter a store after park closes to day guests.

My experience was at Oogie Boogie in DCA, but I'd assume that's how it works for any after hours.

 

[Rpo0921]

Also unable to buy food/drinks or anything else. (I assume you can shop for merch on Main Street still, but maybe not)

You can go to some stores past park close on a normal day. So I’d assume you could still shop during an AH event. For example you can mobile order for Main Street confectionery right now with a time of 10:55-11 while MK closes at 10.

 

[Chili327]

You can go to some stores past park close on a normal day. So I’d assume you could still shop during an AH event. For example you can mobile order for Main Street confectionery right now with a time of 10:55-11 while MK closes at 10.

But on a normal day, there isn't another group that paid for a less crowded park. So I'm not sure if they would or not.

 

[scrappinginontario]

You can go to some stores past park close on a normal day. So I’d assume you could still shop during an AH event. For example you can mobile order for Main Street confectionery right now with a time of 10:55-11 while MK closes at 10.

There isn’t an AH party tonight so your example is not accurate for an AH party night. What you are experiencing is normal for non-party nights but not accurate for party nights.

 

[focusondisney]

We attended AH at Studios Monday night. It wasn’t listed as sold out as far as I know. I was happily surprised the crowds seemed appropriate. The park wasn’t empty, but it certainly wasn’t oversold or crowded.

Monday was our travel day & we were up at 4:30. We’re also APs & visit 2-5 times a year. So we weren’t worried about getting every minute we could out of our ticket. We got to the park just before the park was closing. There was no line for event admission. We went on Mickeys Railway, had a brief pause (maybe 5 minutes) in line before the CM who lets you into the ramped area. Then stopped again on the ramp. We were off the ride after the park closed. CMs were at the entrance to the different lands checking for bands. We also had to show bands as we entered rides. We headed to Rise, it was a walk thru right to the Rae Room. We had to buy a gift for our son, so we shopped in Dok Endor’s next. My husband did slinky dog with about a 20 minute wait. We stopped & snacked on popcorn & ice cream. We did Toy Story & walked straight to the loading platform. After that my husband did ToT. In walking around, GE was pretty empty, the area near Slinky dog had the most people, most of whom seemed to be waiting for other member of their party to get off SD. After ToT it was about 11:50. We were just exhausted from traveling & the long day. I grabbed another popcorn & some waters to bring to the room & we headed out.

We saw characters as we were walking around but for the life of me, all I can remember was Raffiki. And Mickey was greeting just outside the main shop. If we weren’t slowing down as we get older & it wasn’t our arrival day, we could have done some ride repeats & stayed longer. But considering Rock N RollerCoaster is down, I thought it was still a good event & worth the money. Especially with our AP discount.

 

[ALDSMD]

Yes. The evening queue drops at 6 pm Eastern.

Do you have to be in the park for the 6pm drop?

 

[mort1331]

Disney is very very good at convincing people that their vacation will not be complete without This One Cool Thing. Guess what? None of it is necessary. None of it.

That's not to say I don't do those things. But, on most trips I pick one or two "splurges" depending on how long the trip is, and ignore the rest. So far, the best splurge was Savor the Savanna. That was great fun, and an experience that would be hard to duplicate any other way.

Thanks,,I have been to a couple of AH MM events, and thought,,,hmm glad I didnt pay for this. Now we are trying the Savor this April,,,hope it is as good as all say it is.

I was wondering about that one, I did the rhinos and the elephants, but wasn’t sure if that one would be worth it, I decided not to because when it includes food, etc it makes me think the actual tour isn’t really worth more, you’re just paying for food and service, etc.

We thought about these 2,,save them for when we bring the kids,,,little less than Savor.

 

[Chili327]

Do you have to be in the park for the 6pm drop?

EEH VQ? No, actually I shouldn't answer this... I was on a bus with a bunch of people all jumping on the app at 6pm & we all got a spot in line, but not sure if we were close enough to the park, or if it didn't matter, but we were definitely not checked into a park.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Is there anywhere you can see when past after hours event sold out

 

[Chili327]

Is there anywhere you can see when past after hours event sold out

Not sure if that helps or not, but it appears to be the first time it sold out??

https://www.wdwmagic.com/events/dis...e-first-time-in-2024-at-walt-disney-world.htm

 

[CarolynFH]

Do you have to be in the park for the 6pm drop?

No, you don't have to be in the park and you don't have to have entered the park already (and then left) that day. All you need is valid admission to the park that evening and be registered as staying at an eligible resort.

 

[meanwoodwhite]

We did deluxe hotel guests extended hours last October and it was a god send. Ratatouille, Frozen and Test Track never dipped below the 60-90 min mark. Which with a 3 and 6 year old didnt sound fun. Then we were able to ride Frozen, Ratatouille x2 and test track within the time frame and with time to spare. We did go back resort for a nap in the middle of the day. Worked out well anyway because the heat was unbearable.

 

[Ishika]

I've tried both deluxe extended hours and after hours events. After hours is my pick for lighter crowds and more time on rides. But if you're into the deluxe hotel vibe, go for the extended hours.

 

[Mermaidtails1323]

We did deluxe hotel guests extended hours last October and it was a god send. Ratatouille, Frozen and Test Track never dipped below the 60-90 min mark. Which with a 3 and 6 year old didnt sound fun. Then we were able to ride Frozen, Ratatouille x2 and test track within the time frame and with time to spare. We did go back resort for a nap in the middle of the day. Worked out well anyway because the heat was unbearable.

Just want to confirm that you are saying the Deluxe after hours allowed you to do those things without much of a wait? I was just confused when you mentioned the waits were consistently 60-90 minutes. We are looking to do deluxe after hours at our next trip instead of paying for it and wanted to make sure it was worth it!

 

[Mle8308]

Just want to confirm that you are saying the Deluxe after hours allowed you to do those things without much of a wait? I was just confused when you mentioned the waits were consistently 60-90 minutes. We are looking to do deluxe after hours at our next trip instead of paying for it and wanted to make sure it was worth it!

There's no charge for EEH if you are staying in a deluxe resort, so unless you are debating on staying deluxe, it may be worth it. If you are staying for a long period of time and are looking at the differences between an AH event and EEH, it might be cheaper to pay for the AH event and stay at a value or moderate resort (again, depending on length of stay and number of people). During busy times, the EEH events are more crowded because they do not stop day guests from entering lines until park close. So, as long as a day guest is in line for an attraction by 8:59pm (on a 9pm close), they stay in line. The first hour of the EEH events are usually a mix of day guests and deluxe resort guests. The second hour is less busy as most day guests have made it through all the lines and can't get back in them. It's only 2 hours and it is possible to get 3-4 rides done depending on the season and the park. For AH events, you are allowed in usually at least 2 hours prior to park close and the event lasts for 3 hours past closing time. For these events, you also get free snacks and soda/water. The number of tickets sold are limited, so it is a much more exclusive event and wait times can be minimal. My experience at the EEH events have been good, at the MK we were able to do 7DMT with about a 25 minute wait and the rest generally 15-20 minutes at the most. Epcot was not as good as the MK because of fewer attractions and things open. Everyone jumped into the Remy line or TT line (we did 2 at Epcot as we stayed 12 days) after what was Harmonious, so both were about a 45 minute wait. We did get a LL for Guardians at the 6pm drop and by the time we were called, it was only about a 10 minute wait. If you want to do the main attractions (Frozen, Remy, TT), you may want to skip seeing the nighttime show and get in the line for one of them then, that way you will be ahead of the crowds. There are so many factors to consider when determining if "it is worth it", and it is an individual decision. If I only had 4 days or less, I would buy an AH ticket.

 

[ChiBears01]

I hate to complain but it bothers me that the majority of the After Hours events at HS are on Wednesday evenings, the same night that MK has extended hours for deluxe resorts. I’d love to do After Hours at HS once, but I have to give up one of the major perks of paying for deluxe in order to do HS After Hours. I just wish Disney would schedule these on non extended hours nights, basically any night except Monday or Wednesday. It doesn’t seem fair to make us choose. Oh well.

 

[Mermaidtails1323]

There's no charge for EEH if you are staying in a deluxe resort, so unless you are debating on staying deluxe, it may be worth it. If you are staying for a long period of time and are looking at the differences between an AH event and EEH, it might be cheaper to pay for the AH event and stay at a value or moderate resort (again, depending on length of stay and number of people). During busy times, the EEH events are more crowded because they do not stop day guests from entering lines until park close. So, as long as a day guest is in line for an attraction by 8:59pm (on a 9pm close), they stay in line. The first hour of the EEH events are usually a mix of day guests and deluxe resort guests. The second hour is less busy as most day guests have made it through all the lines and can't get back in them. It's only 2 hours and it is possible to get 3-4 rides done depending on the season and the park. For AH events, you are allowed in usually at least 2 hours prior to park close and the event lasts for 3 hours past closing time. For these events, you also get free snacks and soda/water. The number of tickets sold are limited, so it is a much more exclusive event and wait times can be minimal. My experience at the EEH events have been good, at the MK we were able to do 7DMT with about a 25 minute wait and the rest generally 15-20 minutes at the most. Epcot was not as good as the MK because of fewer attractions and things open. Everyone jumped into the Remy line or TT line (we did 2 at Epcot as we stayed 12 days) after what was Harmonious, so both were about a 45 minute wait. We did get a LL for Guardians at the 6pm drop and by the time we were called, it was only about a 10 minute wait. If you want to do the main attractions (Frozen, Remy, TT), you may want to skip seeing the nighttime show and get in the line for one of them then, that way you will be ahead of the crowds. There are so many factors to consider when determining if "it is worth it", and it is an individual decision. If I only had 4 days or less, I would buy an AH ticket.

Thanks for the feedback! We’ve done AH in the past. Loved it at MK, hated it at Epcot. We are staying deluxe this time since we got a really good deal for a 1BR suite, which gives us more flexibility. We are thinking of taking advantage of EEH as a result. We’ll be there 9 days, so less pressure. However, favorite park is DHS, so tempted to do AH there since they don’t have EEH. It would mean missing MK EEH though.

 

[Tbiafore]

I want to reserve some restaurants in the parks, but want to do this based on the parks that have Extended Evening Hours as that will be how I will adjust my itinerary for our trip. So our park selection is based upon if they have evening hours and our restaurants will align with that as well.

However, since they seem to be only listing extended evening hours 60 days out, it's also the same time (60 days) when you make the restaurant reservations. This gives you no time to plan. Is there a way to navigate this problem? I would like to have a game plan (itinerary) figured out before I do my early morning rise and make restaurant reservations for the parks we will be in that day.

 

[meanwoodwhite]

Just want to confirm that you are saying the Deluxe after hours allowed you to do those things without much of a wait? I was just confused when you mentioned the waits were consistently 60-90 minutes. We are looking to do deluxe after hours at our next trip instead of paying for it and wanted to make sure it was worth it!

I meant the those rides were 60-90 mins wait throughout the day and once extended hours started we were able to ride all of them within 2 hours with time to spare as they were walk-ons