Disney After Hours
Maybe the Magic Kingdom is a “Small World,” after all. At least that’s how it feels to me anytime I access the park with a Disney After Hours pass. The special event gives a limited number of ticketholders access to Walt Disney World parks after they close for the day. Entry includes all-you-can-eat soda, popcorn and ice cream. But the best part is the short wait times, at least by Disney standards. The crowds are so light and the lines are so quick, the park literally feels smaller. No Lightning Lane passes needed. Here’s how I recently used credit card rewards to plan my latest Disney After Hours trip. Update 4/11/26: There are still tickets available for April's Disney After Hours events at all three participating parks.
My Experience
Capacity is extremely limited at Disney After Hours events, which sometimes sell out. Disney does not publish official crowd limits, but attendance is likely in the low thousands. During our Disney After Hours visit in January 2026, we rode 16 rides in the span of about five hours. We walked from one end of the park to the other multiple times, happily clutching our complimentary popcorn and ice cream. We even rode the popular Tron Lightcycle Run coaster—in the front row—twice. We spent about 20 minutes in the queue the first time we rode, and even less on our second ride. (For comparison, the last time I visited Magic Kingdom using regular admission, the wait was around 70 minutes.) Most rides had 5-minute waits, if there was even a line at all. Pro tip: The lines will only get shorter as it gets later, so save the busiest attractions for the end of the night.
There are also multiple characters around the park, and with fewer children in attendance compared to daytime entry, it is a great opportunity for families to meet their favorites. Even though Disney After Hours tickets are more of a splurge than regular park admission, I think they offer much stronger value—especially if you can use card perks to lessen the cost.
How I Booked With Credit Card Perks
Disney is generally looked at by award travelers as more of a points-earning opportunity. Some like to book through Undercover Tourist, which codes as travel on cards like the Ink Business Preferred Credit Card (for 3x earning) and the Venture X Rewards Credit Card (where you can use the purchase eraser). For my last Disney After Hours trip, I went a different direction. I wanted to use card perks to offset as much of the cost as possible.
- Park tickets:
- I used my Citi Strata Elite’s Splurge Bonus credits for 2025 and 2026 to buy two $200 Disney gift cards from Best Buy. This covered two After Hours tickets in full.
- Total: $201.29 (including taxes and fees) per person
- Out-of-Pocket Cost: $1.29/each
- Hotel:
- I booked two nights at Disney's Pop Century Resort through Citi Travel with my 2025 Citi Strata Elite hotel credit, worth up to $300 annually.
- Total: $402.20
- Out-of-Pocket Cost: $102.20
- Travel: We flew using airline miles and booked our rental car through Capital One Travel using part of our $300 annual travel credit Venture X Rewards Credit Card.
- Total out-of-pocket cost: Our two-night trip for two people came to $104.78.
2026 Disney After Hours Dates + Cost
Disney After Hours runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., but passholders can enter the park as early as 7 p.m. By then, many daytime attendees are camping out on the parade route, and lines will have already shortened. Once the park closes at 10 p.m., only those wearing After Hours wristbands are permitted to stay, and lines shrink even more.
Magic Kingdom Park:
Magic Kingdom's dates all fall on Mondays:
January 12 and 19February 2, 9 and 23March 2 and 9- April 13 and 20
- May 4, 11, 18 and 25
- June 1, 22, and 29
- July 13 and 27
- Hollywood Studios and EPCOT have separate dates, including April 29 for the former and April 15, 23 and 30 for the latter. You can find full calendars for the rest of the year here.
- Disneyland in California also has its own version of the event.
Ticket Prices
Admission for Disney After Hours ranges from $155 to $199, depending on the park and date. For comparison, a standard one-day ticket to Magic Kingdom currently runs for $119. But with unlimited snacks and drinks and 5-minute lines at some of the most popular attractions, I think the cost is well worth it.
Staying at Disney Skyliner hotels
We try to stay on property whenever possible to enjoy perks like free standard parking at the parks. We especially love the hotels on the Disney Skyliner route, which are an easy 15-25 minute ride from Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. Using my Citi Strata Elite’s hotel credit, we grabbed two nights at Disney’s Pop Century Resort for our most recent Disney After Hours trip.
Other hotels on the Disney Skyliner route include:
You can also easily access the Skyliner at the EPCOT station with a short walk or boat ride from Disney's BoardWalk. We’ve previously stayed at The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels and found this to be an awesome way to explore the property.
We booked a Preferred Room, which offered close access to transportation and the pool and a courtyard view. We were booked into the 1960s-themed section, and we could literally see the Skyliner stop from our doorstep. The hotel has a funky midcentury modern aesthetic that reminded me of The Saguaro in Palm Springs, an Instagram-famous hotel known for its rainbow-colored courtyard. Our room had a queen bed and was also equipped with a queen-sized Murphy bed. The Murphy bed could be converted into a table for use a desk or dining surface. Nice touch for families.
Rather than eat at the hotel’s dining hall in the morning, we chose to take a 5-minute Skyliner ride to Disney's Riviera Resort. We dined at Topolino's Terrace, an Italian-French-style restaurant that plays host to an art-themed character breakfast. We enjoyed the complimentary pastries and juices included in the breakfast cost, and we were totally charmed by Minnie, Mickie and the crew wearing their art-themed outfits. Classic Disney.
Disney After Hours: ToP Thoughts
As a Florida native who spent much of my childhood with the privilege of season passes, I’ve experienced Disney World in almost every way possible. But there’s something special about being the only ones on the carousel—and to get to feel the wind in your hair not once but twice riding front row on Tron. Dare I say, Disney After Hours even felt a bit like magic.
