News Disney Villains After Hours coming to the Magic Kingdom

[voodoo321]

There is a sucker born every minute and I'm embarassed to say that Disney got me again. I've been so frustrated in the past few years with fighting the crowds and trying all different times of the year. I can't enjoy myself when walking through MK seems like Penn Station at rush hour, all day everyday. Like a junkie I keep going back and making excuses, saying the next time it will be just right. This after hours thing sounded like my solution to get back to enjoying the park that I have loved in the past.

I don't know if last night was normal or they oversold the thing or what but it was crowded. Not crowded in the normal MK sense but still more crowded than a EMH. I didnt expect it to be a ghost town but it wasn't as advertised. Maybe people have figured out that they can just wrap a purple colored band around their wrist and stay in the park. There was no scrutiny in checking the bands. Space Mt's lowest posted wait time was 15 min. Great. But I was in line for 30 with no break downs as an excuse. Mine Train never dropped below 30 but it was accurate. That's over 1/3 of this supposed exclusive ticket time right there. There were long and chaotic lines to get the "free" snacks and drinks. The only thing that made the walking around less crowded and stressful was the lack of strollers. I don't know what the cap is supposed to be on these things.

I'll have more to say about it later if anybody cares to hear.

 

[The Pho]

There is a sucker born every minute and I'm embarassed to say that Disney got me again. I've been so frustrated in the past few years with fighting the crowds and trying all different times of the year. I can't enjoy myself when walking through MK seems like Penn Station at rush hour, all day everyday. Like a junkie I keep going back and making excuses, saying the next time it will be just right. This after hours thing sounded like my solution to get back to enjoying the park that I have loved in the past.

I don't know if last night was normal or they oversold the thing or what but it was crowded. Not crowded in the normal MK sense but still more crowded than a EMH. I didnt expect it to be a ghost town but it wasn't as advertised. Maybe people have figured out that they can just wrap a purple colored band around their wrist and stay in the park. There was no scrutiny in checking the bands. Space Mt's lowest posted wait time was 15 min. Great. But I was in line for 30 with no break downs as an excuse. Mine Train never dropped below 30 but it was accurate. That's over 1/3 of this supposed exclusive ticket time right there. There were long and chaotic lines to get the "free" snacks and drinks. The only thing that made the walking around less crowded and stressful was the lack of strollers. I don't know what the cap is supposed to be on these things.

I'll have more to say about it later if anybody cares to hear.

That sounds very different to the parties I have done. Maybe they are selling more tickets for the Villains party than for normal After Hours. I’ve done a bunch of after hours now (but no Villains one yet) and they’ve generally all been great experiences. Usually next to no waits unless a ride was down. So everything in Magic essentially walk on except for Mine Train which was always under 10 minutes. During the last one I did, which was the worst experience I have had, Tower of Terror went down for nearly the entire party and Slinky had a significant line (40-60 minutes until the end). On the best one, I rode Space Mountain 31 times in a row.

Curious if you brought this up at Guest Services. If you didn’t, you should.

 

[MisterPenguin]

There is a sucker born every minute and I'm embarassed to say that Disney got me again. I've been so frustrated in the past few years with fighting the crowds and trying all different times of the year. I can't enjoy myself when walking through MK seems like Penn Station at rush hour, all day everyday. Like a junkie I keep going back and making excuses, saying the next time it will be just right. This after hours thing sounded like my solution to get back to enjoying the park that I have loved in the past.

I don't know if last night was normal or they oversold the thing or what but it was crowded. Not crowded in the normal MK sense but still more crowded than a EMH. I didnt expect it to be a ghost town but it wasn't as advertised. Maybe people have figured out that they can just wrap a purple colored band around their wrist and stay in the park. There was no scrutiny in checking the bands. Space Mt's lowest posted wait time was 15 min. Great. But I was in line for 30 with no break downs as an excuse. Mine Train never dropped below 30 but it was accurate. That's over 1/3 of this supposed exclusive ticket time right there. There were long and chaotic lines to get the "free" snacks and drinks. The only thing that made the walking around less crowded and stressful was the lack of strollers. I don't know what the cap is supposed to be on these things.

I'll have more to say about it later if anybody cares to hear.

I'd definitely contact Guest Service, too. I can understand the premier attraction, 7DMT, not being a walk on, but everything should have been. You didn't get what you paid for, and they should know that guests will demand their money back if they start increasing the crowd level.

 

[flynnibus]

There is a sucker born every minute and I'm embarassed to say that Disney got me again. I've been so frustrated in the past few years with fighting the crowds and trying all different times of the year. I can't enjoy myself when walking through MK seems like Penn Station at rush hour, all day everyday. Like a junkie I keep going back and making excuses, saying the next time it will be just right. This after hours thing sounded like my solution to get back to enjoying the park that I have loved in the past.

I don't know if last night was normal or they oversold the thing or what but it was crowded. Not crowded in the normal MK sense but still more crowded than a EMH. I didnt expect it to be a ghost town but it wasn't as advertised. Maybe people have figured out that they can just wrap a purple colored band around their wrist and stay in the park. There was no scrutiny in checking the bands. Space Mt's lowest posted wait time was 15 min. Great. But I was in line for 30 with no break downs as an excuse. Mine Train never dropped below 30 but it was accurate. That's over 1/3 of this supposed exclusive ticket time right there. There were long and chaotic lines to get the "free" snacks and drinks. The only thing that made the walking around less crowded and stressful was the lack of strollers. I don't know what the cap is supposed to be on these things.

I'll have more to say about it later if anybody cares to hear.

What about the rest of stuff? As I noted in my visit... those two attractions were the ones with the longest waits on my night. But they were the odd men out.

Carts could be busy early... but just walking to another was fine for me, or after the first hour or so... they all had little to no lines.

 

[xdan0920]

What about the rest of stuff? As I noted in my visit... those two attractions were the ones with the longest waits on my night. But they were the odd men out.

Carts could be busy early... but just walking to another was fine for me, or after the first hour or so... they all had little to no lines.

Sounds like they are simply selling more tickets. It was borderline insane to think they were gonna keep some hard and fast cap in place. If they can sell more tickets, they will. Simple as that.

 

[flynnibus]

Sounds like they are simply selling more tickets. It was borderline insane to think they were gonna keep some hard and fast cap in place. If they can sell more tickets, they will. Simple as that.

I don't leap to conclusions like that with a single data point that can actually mean many things. Like, my SM wait was the longest of the night... but somehow I hit the peak of a wave, because behind me.. because somehow I was almost the end of the line.

SM line was all the way back to the first stairway/ramp down when I got in line. When I got to the final back hallway, the end of the line was only in the switchbacks.

But having space and the mine coaster having the longest waits doesn't really say much about the rest of the event, hence the follow up questions.

 

[xdan0920]

I don't leap to conclusions like that with a single data point that can actually mean many things. Like, my SM wait was the longest of the night... but somehow I hit the peak of a wave, because behind me.. because somehow I was almost the end of the line.

SM line was all the way back to the first stairway/ramp down when I got in line. When I got to the final back hallway, the end of the line was only in the switchbacks.

But having space and the mine coaster having the longest waits doesn't really say much about the rest of the event, hence the follow up questions.

We also have years and years of evidence that they don't keep caps in place for parties though. Why would this party be any different?

 

[flynnibus]

We also have years and years of evidence that they don't keep caps in place for parties though. Why would this party be any different?

I think that's an big assumption as well. First, we don't even know if this instance was crowded...

Two, we know parties have grown over time (year over year) but I don't recall any hard evidence of event to event crowds surging during the cycle. Of course some parties will be more full than others.. and frankly there is nothing to say each date is intended to have the same number of tickets sold even from the start.

So no, I don't agree with the assertion that they 'dont keep caps in place' is some established fact.

 

[voodoo321]

What about the rest of stuff? As I noted in my visit... those two attractions were the ones with the longest waits on my night. But they were the odd men out.

Carts could be busy early... but just walking to another was fine for me, or after the first hour or so... they all had little to no lines.

Pirates and Pan both had about 10 minute waits but everything else was pretty much a walk-on. My main complaint is how crowded the park felt overall. I was still dodging people even on wide paths. There was no leisurely stroll through the park. Maybe my expectations were misguided.
This was my night: From 7-10 we walked around the shops and did rides with no wait(IaSW, LM, Pooh, People Mover). At 10Pm PoC had a 25 min posted wait and it looked to be accurate(skip); on to Splash, BTM and HM(walk-ons); snacks; Pan(10min); posted 30 min wait for 7DMT(skip); back to Pirates(10 min); then the plan was Space and Mine Train before 10. That may have worked but Space ended up being twice the posted wait(15min). It was after 1am so no Mine Train. This was all without stopping for anything else and no re-rides.

That may sound pretty good to most people but I thought the park felt way more crowded then it should have. Again, it was way more crowded than EMH's and that wasn't my expectation. Also, if I was going for the Villains aspect I would have been angry. There wasn't much to that. I'll probably write Guest Services but I don't want any free tickets or anything. I think I am done completely with WDW. It's Disneyland and the foreign parks for me from now on.

 

[LuvWDW2]

I’m sorry you felt that way. We went to the sold out Opening Night (and did EMH the night before). My experience with crowds was opposite (EMH was much more crowded). We had to deal with vloggers and bloggers everywhere so I concur paths were never empty.

I know it doesn’t help you now, but everyone runs to Pirates, Space and the Mine Train to start. The best time to ride Space is during the 11pm or 12am castle show. Do not make the mistake of going right after (or at the end of the night) because hundreds of others have the same idea. Pirates seems to recover after the first 30-45 minutes. The Mine Train never does.

 

[Hcalvert]

Could it have been closer to a sellout attendance because July 4th was a few days away?

 

[voodoo321]

I’m sorry you felt that way. We went to the sold out Opening Night (and did EMH the night before). My experience with crowds was opposite (EMH was much more crowded). We had to deal with vloggers and bloggers everywhere so I concur paths were never empty.

I know it doesn’t help you now, but everyone runs to Pirates, Space and the Mine Train to start. The best time to ride Space is during the 11pm or 12am castle show. Do not make the mistake of going right after (or at the end of the night) because hundreds of others have the same idea. Pirates seems to recover after the first 30-45 minutes. The Mine Train never does.

Perfect description. That is exactly what we experienced. I guess I should have asked some questions and gotten advice on here before I went. My fault totally. Still, I didn't feel that it was a good value.

 

[Disney Villain]

We went on Thursday the 27th and thought it was a great value. Arrived at 7:00pm, shopped for the event merchandise, picked up the passholder ornament, walked around, and rode some rides.

Then at 10:00, we headed towards the castle where there was a fun DJ party. Around 10:30 we stood at the front of the castle stage to get a front row spot for the show. After the 11:00 show we were able to ride everything we wanted with no wait and tried some of the unique food offerings.

We did both the special Pirates and Space Mountain with less than ten minute waits. We walked out of MK around 1:10am.

We are locals and passholders, and this was our first After Hours event. We would never have gone if it wasn’t themed. For the unique stage show, castle projections and overall ambiance we thought it was well worth the money and our time. Plus we love the Villains.

Not once did we feel it was overcrowded.

 

[Mikey73181]

I will be going with my kids in two weeks on August 1, and I just had two questions for anyone that has been. I thought I remembered seeing someone posting pictures of actual hard tickets that came in the mail (looked like any regular day ticket) is that something I should have received or since I can see the e-tickets on my MDE is that all I need at the park that night?? Second, I've seen pictures only from the very first night and people are wearing the lanyards that I remember them originally having for the regular after hours that seemed to have gone away, are they still doing the lanyards for the Villains, or was that just the first night??

 

[Jon81uk]

Space Mountain had all the lights off as a special for the Villians night, so it isn't surprising that it got a long wait, given it was offering an experience you can't get during daytime hours.

How were waits on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain and the other major rides?

 

[aw14]

Space Mountain had all the lights off as a special for the Villians night, so it isn't surprising that it got a long wait, given it was offering an experience you can't get during daytime hours.

How were waits on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain and the other major rides?

I’ll be at the villains event for 8/1. Very excited by some of the reviews.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

I will be going with my kids in two weeks on August 1, and I just had two questions for anyone that has been. I thought I remembered seeing someone posting pictures of actual hard tickets that came in the mail (looked like any regular day ticket) is that something I should have received or since I can see the e-tickets on my MDE is that all I need at the park that night?? Second, I've seen pictures only from the very first night and people are wearing the lanyards that I remember them originally having for the regular after hours that seemed to have gone away, are they still doing the lanyards for the Villains, or was that just the first night??

There are no physical tickets. It should all be on your MDE account.

The lanyards were for media members participating in the media event on the first night.

 

[Hcalvert]

I went on July 11 and the crowds (and the amount of small children--not a big deal, just surprising) were more than I expected, but the wait times were decent. Both Mine Train and Space Mountain had consistently 30 minute waits. All the rest of the rides were pretty much walk-ons with a periodic 20 minute wait here-and-there. What irritated me the most was that the CMs were allowing non-after hours people into lines until park closing even though the posted wait times were well past closing time (like Space Mountain having a posted 90 minute wait), thus making some of the attractions' lines needlessly longer during the AH event. If anything, at closing time, the AH guests should have been permitted to use the fast pass lines until all the other patrons were eventually filtered through the standby line. I did see CMs telling people that the park was closed and refusing non-AH guests in lines and I even seen some of those people throwing fits. Also, the trader store in Tomorrowland was selling the villains merchandise from 7 pm, whereas the Emporium had a cordoned-off area with the merchandise and people had to queue until 10:00 pm to view the merchandise. I didn't try any of specialty food offerings as the snack carts were very prevalent and I really did not have to stand in line for any of them. In fact, toward the end of the AH, a CM told me to take 6 sodas as she wanted to close up the cart. Overall, I enjoyed myself and would do it again, but only using the AP discount and hopefully not themed as the villain theme is not the reason why I chose to go.

 

[monothingie]

Here for the 7/25 event and the crowds are crazy for an upcharge event. No walk ons everything is 20 minutes or more.

 

[HoldenC]

I wasn't aware there was an event tonight. That explains the pyro I heard from my home a little bit ago