How to avoid crowds: attend Disney After Hours

An introvert’s guide to 2024 Disney After Hours at EPCOT

 

Introversion Insight:

A lot of people don’t like crowded places, but for introverts, it can be overstimulating. Way too many strangers in one place. (And let’s hope they don’t want to strike up a conversation.)

 

Disney After Hours is a ticketed event that allows you to visit a Walt Disney World park after it closes for the day. You have three hours to do all the things—but with fewer people. They limit the number of tickets sold.

 

That’s why I think Disney After Hours is worth it and perfect for D•Introverts. Guaranteed lower crowd levels! It’s becoming harder and harder to find a “slow season,” so with these limited-capacity events, you’ll notice a difference. 

 

Avoiding the crowds—my mission in life

 

What’s included?

This is what you’re paying for:

  • Lower wait times for attractions
  • No blazing sun at night (especially important for the summer)
  • Ice cream, popcorn, and bottle soda/water
  • Characters 

 

And what I’m really paying for is a way to experience the park without the crowds. 

 

Who should attend?

If crowds zap your energy, this event is for you. Less people-y for the win. 

 

If you have a rest day during your trip, do Disney After Hours on that day. Sleep in and relax at your Resort during the day and then you’ll be ready for the late night.

 

If you don’t want to mess with Genie+, Individual Lightning Lanes, or virtual queues for rides, consider Disney After Hours. They’re not used during the event because you don’t need them. 

 

If it’s your favorite park, try the after-hours event as a different way to experience it.  

 

If you’ve already visited the park on a previous trip, Disney After Hours is a good way to repeat your favorite rides and attractions. If you’ve never visited the park, I don’t recommend Disney After Hours because not everything is open. You won’t receive the full park experience. 

 

If you’re visiting Walt Disney World at a busier time of year, this event allows you to bypass the crowds.

 

Which park?

At different times during the year, you have four options:

 

Let’s talk about Disney After Hours at EPCOT in 2024.

 

How does it work?

Pick your night

The event takes place on select nights in February through July 2024:

  • February 2, 8, and 15
  • March 7 and 28
  • April 4 and 25
  • May 9, 23, and 30
  • June 6 and 20
  • July 18

All are on Thursdays except February 2, which is a Friday.

 

Buy your ticket

Prices range from $149 to $159, depending on the night. Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members can receive a $30 discount. 

 

Tickets can be purchased online and in the My Disney Experience app. You have the option of electronic (mobile) delivery or postal delivery. Electronic is preferred because it links with your account, and then you can just use your MagicBand or MagicMobile to get in.

 

(If you don’t want to use a MagicBand or MagicMobile and you don’t have your ticket mailed to you, you’ll need to go to a ticket window where they’ll issue a physical card to you. The purchase confirmation email with barcode can’t be used to get in.) 

 

On a related note, you don’t need to make a park pass reservation for Disney After Hours. 

 

Create a plan

Introverts are planners, so you’re probably already thinking (and overthinking) about what you want to do during the event. You definitely want to have a plan for Disney After Hours. Three hours go by fast. Figure out your priorities. Rides? Characters? Ice cream? Unfortunately, you can’t do it all. (Oh? Is that a challenge?!) 

 

What’s available during Disney After Hours at EPCOT

Attractions
disney_after_hours_epcot_guardians_standby

You have twelve options (thirteen if you count both missions on Mission: SPACE):

  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Did you notice the image above? Guardians is only standby during After Hours! No need to mess with the virtual queue or Individual Lightning Lane.

Tip: Be near this ride shortly after 9 p.m. when it switches to standby. In my experience, they had us queue up early and reopened the ride before the official event start time. We were on and off by 9:50 p.m.

If you plan on watching the fireworks, watch them closer to Mexico so you can quickly escape to Guardians when the show is over.

  • Test Track Presented by Chevrolet
  • Frozen Ever After
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
  • Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana
  • Soarin' around the World
  • Spaceship Earth
  • Journey into Imagination with Figment
  • Mission: SPACE (Green and Orange Missions)
  • Living with the Land
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends 
  • Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros

 

Note: Compared to other parks with After Hours, EPCOT doesn’t have as many headliner attractions where you’d typically find longer wait times on a regular park day. 

 

They are also spread out more. With EPCOT being a large park, be prepared to do some walking in these 3 hours!

 

Food and beverages

As mentioned above, ice cream, popcorn, and bottle soda/water are included in your admission. You’ll find them at snack carts near Mission: SPACE, Creations Shop, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Imagination! pavilion, Norway, and Canada.

 

Note: Locations subject to change.

disney_after_hours_epcot_maple_popcorn_canada

Tip: Maple popcorn from the Canada popcorn cart is included in After Hours!

 

For purchase, you have limited options and many close early:

  • Connections Eatery (until 10 p.m.)
  • Connections Café (until 10 p.m.)
  • Yorkshire County Fish Shop (until 11 p.m.)
  • Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe (select menu items)
  • World Discovery Hot Dog Cart
  • Rose & Crown Pub

 

Note: Mobile order is not available during Disney After Hours at EPCOT. 

 

Entertainment

Did I mention 3 hours go by fast? If you can squeeze in some shows and characters, here are your options:

  • DJ in World Discovery

The music is piped throughout the entire park. (I must admit it’s a little odd to hear DJ music being played within the World Showcase.)

  • Mariachi Cobre in Mexico
    • 10:10 p.m.
    • 11:10 p.m.
    • 12:10 a.m.
  • Live bands at the Canada Mill Stage
    • 10:30 p.m.
    • 11:30 p.m.
  • Classic characters (I spotted Mickey and Pluto, but characters seemed hard to find.)

 

Note: Disney PhotoPass Photographers are in the park during Disney After Hours at EPCOT.

 

Merchandise

Since time is limited, I wouldn’t recommend shopping during the event, but in case you do, here are your options:

  • Creations Shop
  • ImageWorks—The “What If” Labs
  • Treasures of Xandar
  • Mission: SPACE Cargo Bay
  • Test Track SIMporium
  • SeaBase Gift Shop
  • Plaza de los Amigos
  • World Traveler

 

Head in to the park

Your plan is planned. The 1,861 points of light on Spaceship Earth await.

 

Event hours go from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m.

 

Your ticket actually gets you into EPCOT at 7 p.m., so you have 6 hours in the park—roughly half the time with all the regular day guests and the other half with just event guests. That’s good to remember because that means you won’t escape all the crowds until later.

 

(Official park closing time is 9 p.m., but that’s when Luminous: The Symphony of Us starts. By the time it’s over and the day guests have filtered out of the park, it may be closer to 9:30 p.m. before crowd levels seem low.)

 

Note: After the fireworks crowd leaves, they block off a large portion of the World Showcase. You’ll find it’s blocked off from China to Morocco. 

disney_after_hours_epcot_world_showcase_map

Check-in

Check-in takes place at the park’s main entrance on the far left side as well as the International Gateway entrance. You’ll see large yellow signs to guide you. Oftentimes there will be a Cast Member out front directing guests as well. You’ll want to stay to the left as the right side will still be in use by guests with regular park tickets. 

disney_after_hours_epcot_event_guest_entrance

In my experience, guests started queuing up between 6 and 6:30 p.m.

 

A Cast Member will place a wristband on you. Throughout the night you may be asked to show your wristband to go on rides.

 

If you’re already in the park because you’re using a regular park ticket or Annual Pass, you’ll need to exit the park to check in and get your wristband. I only found check-in locations at the main park entrance and the International Gateway entrance.

 

General Tips

  • Don’t spend all day at a park and then attend Disney After Hours. You’re asking for an introvert hangover if you do. 

 

  • Eat dinner before the event starts.

 

  • Don’t expect to walk on all the rides.

    However, it’s not uncommon to find 10- to 20-minute wait times during Disney After Hours. Wait times typically go down the later it gets. The longest wait I experienced was 55 minutes, and that was for Test Track.

 

  • As much as I like to leisurely stroll through the park, I wouldn’t during Disney After Hours. In fact, I would speed walk. 

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