Disney After Hours BOO BASH

[Disstevefan1]

It's similar in price to a WDW 1-day ticket.

So really, there are a couple ways to analyze this:

For someone considering visiting WDW just for 1 day:
For a regular 1 day ticket, you could spend about 12 hours at Magic Kingdom, mostly in sweltering heat, long lines and high crowds...
Or for about the same price, you can spend 5 hours (admission at 7pm) in the cooler evening and night, mostly with very low lines and low crowds, and with some special features.

Under that analysis, $150 doesn't sound so bad. In fact, it actually is a pretty good deal.

The analysis where it seems like a lot, is where people are adding in into the price of a multi-day ticket.

A 6-day regular ticket for WDW in August is about $500, maybe a bit more. So adding another 30%, "just for 3 hours" seems like an awful lot. (An argument could be made that Disney should offer a different price if you're adding it to a multi-day ticket, instead of purchasing it as a stand-alone ticket. For example, if you already have a multi-day ticket that includes the DAH day, then you can "upgrade" it to include the DAH for $79-$119 instead of $129-$169)

Of course, now that they have eliminated night time EMH.... I wonder how that affects DAH sales. Guests can no longer wait for their "free" EMH if they want a late night in MK. Purchasing DAH is the only way.

I am ready, I have my "A visit to WDW has value" rationalization hat on.
If you use the $129 ticket price, its not too much as the highest single day price - GOOD!
I did not know they were letting folks in at 7PM, if they let folks GET ON RIDES starting at 7 - GOOD!
I now know there is free ice cream and other stuff like the old after hours events - GOOD!
Crowds; Will guests be able to ride many rides over and over - UNKNOWN?

 

[Jon81uk]

Or they weren't 100% sure that party level capacity and meet and greets would be safe, so they planned on this instead.

They get $150x15k guests instead of $100x25k guests with no risk of having to cancel the event

it’s a mix of both. They first offered After Hours events at least three years ago so this isn’t a completely new format. Fairly recently they ran Villians themed After Hours events. The pricing was $129-$149 for the After Hours events so with the exception of Halloween night this all seems to be in line with previous After Hours.
Whether that price is worth it for the shorter lines and ice cream & soda is subjective and I think the discussion was done in previous threads about After Hours events.

 

[Ayla]

I am ready, I have my "A visit to WDW has value" rationalization hat on.
If you use the $129 ticket price, its not too much as the highest single day price - GOOD!
I did not know they were letting folks in at 7PM, if they let folks GET ON RIDES starting at 7 - GOOD!
I now know there is free ice cream and other stuff like the old after hours events - GOOD!
Crowds; Will guests be able to ride many rides over and over - UNKNOWN?

You can enter at 7pm as a party guest. The special party extras you paid extra for don't start until 9 or 9:30, depending on date.

 

[Disstevefan1]

You can enter at 7pm as a party guest. The special party extras you paid extra for don't start until 9 or 9:30, depending on date.

As a party guest, of you can't get past the hub before 9 or 9:30, that that comes off my rationalization list as a GOOD thing.

 

[acup313]

As a party guest, of you can't get past the hub before 9 or 9:30, that that comes off my rationalization list as a GOOD thing.

Starting at 7:00 you have full access to the park. I know before you could even make fast passes during this time.

 

[Jon81uk]

As a party guest, of you can't get past the hub before 9 or 9:30, that that comes off my rationalization list as a GOOD thing.

For the After Hours events guests can do everything from 7pm, go on rides, watch shows, watch fireworks (when available in non-pandemic times) and then after 9pm they have the exclusive ride access as day guests leave.

 

[havoc315]

I am ready, I have my "A visit to WDW has value" rationalization hat on.
If you use the $129 ticket price, its not too much as the highest single day price - GOOD!
I did not know they were letting folks in at 7PM, if they let folks GET ON RIDES starting at 7 - GOOD!
I now know there is free ice cream and other stuff like the old after hours events - GOOD!
Crowds; Will guests be able to ride many rides over and over - UNKNOWN?

Yes, you can enter and get on rides at 7pm. They don't just let you enter and then put you in a cage until 9pm.

The crowd question: There is plenty of precedent. So it's not exactly a total unknown. Assuming they are indeed following the After Hours template and capacity limits, then crowds will be very very low and by 10-10:30 pm, almost every ride will be walk-on.

Now, of course there is a chance they are changing the DAH template -- there is a chance they will admit far more people than they admitted for DAH -- And without stage shows drawing people away from the rides, the lines could be longer.
So I wouldn't say Unknown. I'd say: "Walk-on/Low-waits" -- Probably, but not guaranteed.

As a party guest, of you can't get past the hub before 9 or 9:30, that that comes off my rationalization list as a GOOD thing.

Of course you can get past the hub. They don't have security holding you down on main street. You can't get free soda and ice cream until 9pm. But you can be a normal guest from 7p-9p.... then at 9p, you get the "extras" added.

 

[marni1971]

I’d say a night in the Magic Kingdom with minimal lines for a little over $200 for two people is a steal.

A night would be. Did you ever do E Ride night?

 

[GhostHost1000]

Yes, you can enter and get on rides at 7pm. They don't just let you enter and then put you in a cage until 9pm.

The crowd question: There is plenty of precedent. So it's not exactly a total unknown. Assuming they are indeed following the After Hours template and capacity limits, then crowds will be very very low and by 10-10:30 pm, almost every ride will be walk-on.

of course by 10:30 the event is half over tho

 

[HauntedPirate]

If I were to attend one of these, allowing me unlimited Mickey Bars could be detrimental to their profits. Just saying.

So... How many bottles of Diet Coke could one get “for free” from a Boo Bash and walk out of the gates with? Asking for a friend.

 

[havoc315]

of course by 10:30 the event is half over tho

Still have half the event left!

If it's like regular DAH events..... Then the first 30 minutes still sees remnants of lines at E-ticket rides. Secondary rides are walk-on for the first 30 minutes.
By the 60 minute mark, Mine Train may have 20-30 minute line, other E-tickets may have a 5-10 minute line, tops.
By 90 minutes, Mine Train should be down to 15-20 minutes top, other e-tickets down to under a 5 minute line.

 

[CastAStone]

Still have half the event left!

If it's like regular DAH events..... Then the first 30 minutes still sees remnants of lines at E-ticket rides. Secondary rides are walk-on for the first 30 minutes.
By the 60 minute mark, Mine Train may have 20-30 minute line, other E-tickets may have a 5-10 minute line, tops.
By 90 minutes, Mine Train should be down to 15-20 minutes top, other e-tickets down to under a 5 minute line.

That makes total sense.

Touring strategy: start with the carousel.

 

[flynnibus]

Or they weren't 100% sure that party level capacity and meet and greets would be safe, so they planned on this instead.

They get $150x15k guests instead of $100x25k guests with no risk of having to cancel the event

How is that any different from where i said…

“You know darn well it probably was "Oh how can we run our holloween and christmas profit wagons this fall with all this pandemic crap?" - and they figure out how to modify it and keep SOMETHING to sell”

 

[Parker in NYC]

Still have half the event left!

If it's like regular DAH events..... Then the first 30 minutes still sees remnants of lines at E-ticket rides. Secondary rides are walk-on for the first 30 minutes.
By the 60 minute mark, Mine Train may have 20-30 minute line, other E-tickets may have a 5-10 minute line, tops.
By 90 minutes, Mine Train should be down to 15-20 minutes top, other e-tickets down to under a 5 minute line.

On our last DAH, Mine Train was down completely. Whoops! But you know, nothing's guaranteed in life (as is no doubt be repeated ad nauseum 'round these parts).

 

[iowamomof4]

Best strategy for DAH (imo, of course) is to ride longer and/or less reliable rides from 7-9 and save the shorter and more popular rides for the event hours. So People Mover, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Small World, etc... are all very good rides to get out of the way (and not take a chance getting stuck on during the event!) while you wait for HEA and the start of the party. Save 7DMT for the last 2 hours and work on other rides during the first hour (like Space, Buzz, Pooh, PP, Splash, BTMR, etc...). Haunted Mansion is a roll of the dice. I was looking back at trip reports from early 2020 and read about the time HM had a serious failure during an AH event (was it even Villains after Hours?). I recall it took awhile before it got up and running again (days/weeks) and then COVID happened. Anyway, I'd probably ride it from 7-9 and then again later at night, during the last hour or so.

 

[MisterPenguin]

This is absolutely insane! It will cost a single person up to $199/180 = $1.10 per minute to attend this 3 hour event! For a family of 5 they will be spending $5.55 every single minute. Who the hell can afford $1000 for a family of 5 to go to this pared-down "party"?

It's 5 hours, not 3.

The $199 is just the one, most expensive night. The other nights are comparable in price to previous After Hours events, especially the Villains After Hours. ($145).

You still get the fireworks, trick or treat, ice cream, cavalcades, and only about 15K in the park, making almost all rides walk-ons (7DMT may be 15-20 min at times).

 

[Parker in NYC]

It's 5 hours, not 3.

The $199 is just the one, most expensive night. The other nights are comparable in price to previous After Hours events, especially the Villains After Hours. ($145).

You still get the fireworks, trick or treat, ice cream, cavalcades, and only about 15K in the park, making almost all rides walk-ons (7DMT may be 15-20 min at times).

Unless of course, they sell more tickets than in past After Hours. I wouldn't put it past WDW these days to sell Clarabelle Cow to the Russians.

 

[Ayla]

It's 5 hours, not 3.

The $199 is just the one, most expensive night. The other nights are comparable in price to previous After Hours events, especially the Villains After Hours. ($145).

You still get the fireworks, trick or treat, ice cream, cavalcades, and only about 15K in the park, making almost all rides walk-ons (7DMT may be 15-20 min at times).

You're paying for 3 hours of extras, not 5.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The thing that surprises me as I’ve said before is how many want to do this event mainly for less lines for rides. To me Disney is about way more than that.

For you, and for a lot of people.

But for others, it's about the rides. Imagine waiting 90 minutes for 7DMT with children, and another 90 for Peter Pan, and 45 minutes for HM.

Now imagine doing all three in under 40 minutes.

We've had people on these forums complain about how DHS and DAK and Epcot are "half-day parks." Why? Because they're all about the rides. If anyone is "all about the rides" then an After Hours event would be worth it to them (especially if they didn't buy a ticket for the day, they can still do 5 hours in the park at night, and then the cost would only be about $30 extra for the day).

Remember when the parks stayed open later to everyone without paying extra for it and things weren’t so trimmed down. Ahh those were the days…but hey free Mickey ice cream bars just pay $199 per person

The $199 is for the one, most expensive night the other nights are comparable in price to previous After Hours events, especially the Villains After Hours. ($145).

You still get the fireworks, trick or treat, ice cream, cavalcades, and only about 15K in the park, making almost all rides walk-ons (7DMT may be 15-20 min at times).

 

[acup313]

You're paying for 3 hours of extras, not 5.

But the ticket gets you all 5 hours. There is value in that two hours of park time.