Bustling Disney After Hour Crowds Cause Big Backup as Guests Attempt to Exit Park

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disney after hours crowds

Credit: Inside the Magic

This holiday season, Magic Kingdom has been full of Christmas cheer! The stunning decor has taken over Main Street U.S.A. with a massively stunning and jar-dropping tree at the tip of the street. The cherry on the top of the cake for Disney World Guests is that they can purchase a ticket for Disney Very Merriest – After Hours event, but day Guests attending Magic Kingdom on these dates should be wary. 

Disney Christmas Parade
Credit: Disney

If you are going to Magic Kingdom this month for your vacation and want to spend as much time in the Park as you can, visiting on a Disney Very Merriest – After Hours event night may not be your best bet as the Park closes to day Guests at 8:00 p.m. to allow the party to begin at 9:00 p.m. Personally, I do not see too much of an issue with this as Guests are still able to enjoy Disney Enchantment which has been beginning at 8:00 p.m. on After Hour event days.

There is another issue; however, that day, Guests may run into. Once the fireworks have come to an end, day Guests must leave while some After Hour event Guests continue to enter. Since this is an immediate push, the exit crowds can tend to get very crowded. Yesterday evening while exiting, we were stuck in crowds for almost one hour before we were able to line up for the monorail!

disney after hours crowds
Credit: Inside the Magic

As you can see below, the large crowds were at a standstill for large chunks at a time! This is something that Guests will typically experience after fireworks on any night, but with an After Hours event, you have an increased number of Guests in the Park as they are able to enter starting at 7:00 p.m. and are not included in the overall capacity count when making Disney Park Pass reservations!

disney after hours crowds
Credit: Inside the Magic

At the After Hours event, Guests can enjoy:

Mickey & Minnie’s Very Merry Memories

Join Mickey and his pals for a celebration filled with music, dancing and nostalgic yuletide fun!
Behold a brilliant holiday performance at Cinderella Castle inspired by beloved Magic Kingdom holiday shows of the past—including “Mickey’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” “Celebrate the Season” and “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration.”

christmas parade disney world
Credit: Disney

Throughout the show, enjoy harmonious medleys of holiday songs both classic and contemporary. And be on the lookout for beloved Characters, including:

Mickey Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Donald Duck
Daisy Duck
Goofy
Pluto
Chip ‘n’ Dale
Mickey & Minnie’s Very Merry Memories is presented on nights when Disney Very Merriest After Hours is offered. Characters are subject to change.

christmas parade disney world
Credit: Disney

Catch a Christmastime Parade and More!

Get in the Christmas spirit with a parade, fireworks and more.
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade: Wave to Disney friends during a holiday parade brimming with joy and magic. This jolly procession begins with Mickey and Minnie, and ends with an appearance by Santa Claus himself!

Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show: Feast your eyes on a scintillating fireworks display, hosted by Minnie Mouse. See the sky light up in dazzling colors to the tune of favorite Christmas carols.

Club Tinsel Dance Party: Club Tinsel in Tomorrowland becomes the coolest place to get down when denizens of the North Pole drop by for the cheeriest dance party in the whole Magic Kingdom park!

Disney very merriest after hours Christmas parade
Credit: Disney

All in all, we were able to eventually make it out of the Park thanks to the work of the fantastic Cast Members directing the large amount of traffic! The tickets for this event are now starting to sell out, despite the slower demand from Guests. 

Have you noticed that there are an increased amount of Guests at Magic Kingdom on After Hour event days?

Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Walt Disney World Resort’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district!

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