Disney at night

[disneydreamer1980]

What time is this? Sounds intriguing.

I think it was around 7:00 if I remember correctly, but that was early December, could be later now with season change

 

[PSUGuy]

We've been told Living With the Land is interesting at night, it's on our list for Oct.

Bill From PA

 

[rentayenta]

I think it was around 7:00 if I remember correctly, but that was early December, could be later now with season change

Thank you! Last time we were at WDW, AK did not stay open past 5 pm. I am so excited to see it!

 

[tidegirl]

Thanks for all the responses. I looked up the sunset times and unfortunately we are only going to have about an hour of true dark, so I will have to think about things and choose what is most important. But at least we will have plenty of true night in MK, which is just the most magical overall anyway.

It seems like some of the big night shows have overlapping times, i.e. Fantasmic and Movie magic/star wars. Are these times correct? Do we have to choose one or the other?

I'm gonna squeeze as much as I can in that night time at each park!

 

[bryanb]

You're going to love AK at night! I remember those times when it closed around 5:00pm on most days, even during the summer. I always wondered whether they put any work into the lighting design of the park -- and if they had, what was even the point in doing so. Even in the winter, by the time the lights started coming on, it was when people were filing out of the park and there was still sun outside so you never got the full effect.

Really, I think all of the Disney parks come to life with a different atmosphere after dark and AK is now a really special experience too. Plus, when it finally starts cooling down, you can really start to relax and take in the street performers, Tree Awakening, mysterious far off lands, and -- oh yeah -- Pandora.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We did AK during PM EMH many years ago. It's when I really appreciated and loved AK. It is a different world there at night. I also love to hang in the MK, on a bench and people watch as the masses leave at closing.

We usually do RD, midday breaks and back to the park at night but we usually leave a bit before actual closing. DD has asked that next trip we shut the park down more and have more late nights. She's my night owl. I have a mix of RD (we arrive 10 minutes before opening, not 45), midday break and back to the park at night with a few sleep in, get to the park in the afternoon and shut the park down. We are hoping for a 2 am PM EMH (going off last years calendar the same week) and we are also doing MVMCP.

 

[KellyHonos]

I remember last time in 2016, we did the safari at night and while the concept was cool, you couldn't see much. I think a different poster said to do right at dusk, which would probably work out better. We always do it in the morning/early afternoon based on the way we set up our fast passes, and we always see a lot of animals up and around.

 

[disneylover102]

I personally love Tomorrowland at MK at night. I also love the way EE and Tree of Life at AK light up at night. At Epcot, I love the way Spaceship Earth lights up and you can see it from just about anywhere in the park.

 

[hakepb]

And, if you can, stay past MK closing grab an ice cream sundae (or Starbucks) and sit at a (Plaza or Casey’s) table, soak in the hub atmosphere and wait for the “good night kiss” announcement

 

[Minnesota!]

I know you will probably want to watch the MK fireworks from in front of the castle, but my most favorite thing to do at night in MK is ride Splash or BTMRR during the fireworks. Its just so beautiful and I cry every single time lol.

YES!! We have timed Splash perfectly, once, to watch the fireworks from there. OMG...it was heavenly!

 

[disneydreamer781]

It's really too bad there aren't any Evening EMH at AK. I know there aren't any in May and frankly I don't understand that. Maybe eventually they will consider doing it. Since we only have a few days on our May trip we will probably skip it and do it in December. There are just too many other things we can do in the evenings that we don't want to waste. We saw Pandora on our last trip in October and sadly it doesn't really interest us. Also, the only time I have found FP for FOP was in the evening so I will just wait and try to schedule an AK night on our next trip. The only thing that's heartbreaking is passing on the safari. It's my favorite at AK.

 

[LizGirl]

We shut down the parks any day that we are there. Night time is so magical with everything lit up and, typically, lighter crowds.

We enjoy all of the night time shows. I think the castle projections are particularly impressive. Attraction lines are open until the exact park closing time. We stay and enjoy until the last possible minute and then do any shopping or photos on our relaxing stroll to the exit.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We shut down the parks any day that we are there. Night time is so magical with everything lit up and, typically, lighter crowds.

We enjoy all of the night time shows. I think the castle projections are particularly impressive. Attraction lines are open until the exact park closing time. We stay and enjoy until the last possible minute and then do any shopping or photos on our relaxing stroll to the exit.

What time do you usually get to the parks?

 

[disneyseniors]

Another vote for the People Mover at night. That area of the MK is just magical to me, with all the neon lights and futuristic look. That's my one can't miss.

 

[LizGirl]

What time do you usually get to the parks?

Typically around lunch time or a little after. Depending on the day (and how many late nights we've already had during the trip), we may not show up until after the mid-afternoon craziness.

We were AP holders and took several long trips this year so we definitely can be a little more relaxed with our schedule. For shorter trips, we still do long days but we try to get to the parks by late morning. My kids can't sustain staying up late and not sleeping in. We enjoy the late nights more than early mornings.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Typically around lunch time or a little after. Depending on the day (and how many late nights we've already had during the trip), we may not show up until after the mid-afternoon craziness.

We were AP holders and took several long trips this year so we definitely can be a little more relaxed with our schedule. For shorter trips, we still do long days but we try to get to the parks by late morning. My kids can't sustain staying up late and not sleeping in. We enjoy the late nights more than early mornings.

I'm planning to do half of our trip like this in November. For the first few days we are fine doing RD, midday break and close a park down. But by day 3 that adrenaline dies down and we get tired. So for the rest of the trip I'm hoping for a 2 am EMH at MK (from last years calendar) so we will start late that day, late start the day of MVMCP and late starts after those two nights. DD specifically asked for more late nights in the parks so I'm looking forward to it. We last went in August and park hours weren't that late and with the heat RD was essential.

 

[mamamelody2]

Ooh, WDW at night. So magical! We went last November after only going in September before that. Loved the many hours of full dark in the parks!
BTMRR so fun in the dark! Also 7DMT. People Mover. Just walking around seeing everything lit up. Lovely. Ooh, and being in Frontierland when the fireworks were going off was really cool.
Pandora was beautiful at night, along with all of AK.
Loved being at the back of World Showcase when Epcot closed, then making our leisurely way to the front gates. Hardly anyone back there! Got some really nice pics.

 

[mamamelody2]

OH, and let me just say I hear ya on the foot issues!
DH and I are also mid-40s. Boy, did we struggle last year! LOL. We'd make it to the bus, then after sitting down for 20-30 minutes, once we got to our resort, we'd HOBBLE down the steps and to our room. So pathetic!! I am currently searching for better shoes/inserts for this year's trip, because man, that sucked!

 

[brewhome]

Night time is my absolute favorite time to be in the parks!

MK - the lights on Main Street are incredible - go to the second floor of the train station for a great picture of Main Street and the castle all aglow in the background. We also love to climb the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House at night - when you get to the top, look across to see Tomorrowland all lit up. There's also something we love about the queue for Pirates of the Caribbean at night... it adds to the ambiance. We've also found that the Jungle Cruise guides throw in a few extra jokes in the evening!

AK - we did all of the evening events for the first time on our trip last November and loved it! The Tree of Life Awakenings runs every 10-15 minutes and it's beautiful. We loved Rivers of Light, and of course Pandora is lit up beautifully in the evening. We strolled through there with a margarita and enjoyed every minute. We had dinner just after sunset at Flame Tree and sat near the street side to watch the dance party, which was great. We did the evening safari right around sunset and it was cool, but don't plan on taking any pics - it's way too dark to get any good images. next time we want to ride Everest at night, too.

HS - We love to grab a Dad's Electric Lemonade with a glow cube in it, sit near the lake, and people watch in the evening. It's also just beautiful to walk down all of the streets toward Tower of Terror and see all the lights. I know you won't be there at Christmas time, but I will say - the new show that projects on Tower of Terror was awesome... and it snowed!

EPCOT - This is our most favorite park at night. Try to time it right around dusk that when you go into a ride or indoor show, it's still light out and no outdoor lighting is on yet, and when the ride or show is done, everything is lit up - it's like walking into a whole new world! The countries are just gorgeous at night, and if you like cocktails, it's a great time to grab your favorite and just wander around enjoying the views. We love to sit down near the fountains in France and Italy and just soak it all in. The Fountain of Nations show is also great in the evening - tons of colors. We also love the "starry" sidewalks on our way out of the park, and that awesome purple glow on the ball.

Have fun!!!

 

[tidegirl]

OH, and let me just say I hear ya on the foot issues!
DH and I are also mid-40s. Boy, did we struggle last year! LOL. We'd make it to the bus, then after sitting down for 20-30 minutes, once we got to our resort, we'd HOBBLE down the steps and to our room. So pathetic!! I am currently searching for better shoes/inserts for this year's trip, because man, that sucked!

I recently discovered Brooks running shoes. They are EXPENSIVE but they are so worth it. I have the Ghost 10s but I would recommend calling Brooks and asking which shoes will meet your specific needs. I have spurs so need a wide toe box, plantar fasciitis so I need good support, but prefer soft, cushioned support. I called and that is what they recommended for me and I can't believe the difference. I work in a hospital and I am on my feet for 12 hours, these have saved my career.

As for the hobbling, my DH recommended just this morning that I hobble again at Indiana Jones so we get offered the handicap seating at the top again. LOL