Night owls-what do you do at park closing time?

[Cinderumbrella]

I never tracked this but with going in early Dec and early May, I always thought the parked closed at the same time as fireworks.

So I've been missing out on extra rides on the people mover????

Check park hours for your trip. Fireworks aren’t always at the end of the day.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

You can still do a lot after the fireworks show. On a recent visit, we found a 40 minute posted wait on Peter Pan. However, there were only about 10 guests in line and the wait was less than a minute,

Next up was 7DMT. Posted wait was 90 minutes with an actual wait of 10.

We finished the night with 4 rides on Space Mtn in 35 minutes.

Jeesuz....I would have been sick to my stomach. This is the one and only ride that literally gives me a nasty migraine and makes me nauscous to a degree you shouldn't be feeling while in Disney. I hate that it does. It's been that way since I was on the college program back in 2000. Haven't been able to ride Space Mountain in 19 years.

 

[cmwade77]

If we make it to the kiss goodnight will we still have monorail or bus or someway back to TTC?

Yes, the buses and monorails run until something like two hours after the park closes.

 

[XYSRUS]

...I like to do laundry back at resort in the wee hours of the night...

 

[sam1998]

Getting ready to leave for my fifth trip and somehow never really considered that I could still get on rides after the fireworks. Yay! Gonna do this next week!

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Getting ready to leave for my fifth trip and somehow never really considered that I could still get on rides after the fireworks. Yay! Gonna do this next week!

That’s why it works so well. The vast majority of guests leave immediately after the fireworks show.

Just make sure that the park does have extended hours beyond the fireworks.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We hop on rides while everyone leaves. I love hearing the “Kiss Goodnight”. We drive to the parks (except for MK, and Epcot when we stay at Poly) so no need to wait for a bus. We’re rope drop to close people.

 

[Marcus A. Jordan]

Just to be clear, ‘Kiss Goodnight’ happens over 15 minute intervals within the hour after the park closes.

 

[jenhelgren]

Is there any way to confirm when Plaza Ice Cream and Casey's will close? Is it listed in the app or a per night/crowd determination made by CM's? If we wait for our nightly snack and they are closed already--my DH will not be happy with me! He is a "here for the Disney snacks" guy..lol

 

[ScubaCat]

When did the ice cream shop start closing with the park? In January it was open until the other shops closed.

Our experience in February as well. The ice cream parlor & Caseys were both open 30 minutes after. The shops were closed an hour after.

Is there any way to confirm when Plaza Ice Cream and Casey's will close? Is it listed in the app or a per night/crowd determination made by CM's? If we wait for our nightly snack and they are closed already--my DH will not be happy with me! He is a "here for the Disney snacks" guy..lol

I've seen them open and I've also seen them lock the door right at closing time. It seems logical to me for them to stay open a little longer to catch people getting off last-minute rides, but I wouldn't plan my night around the plaza parlor being open later if I really wanted a treat on the way out. Traditionally the merchandise shops on main street stay open an hour past closing, but again, these things change based on any number of factors from the crowd size, weather, mood of the on-duty manager, phase of the moon, etc.

 

[DisneyFan06]

We always hang around for this, as well.

Thank you for posting this. I am a Florida resident and even when I stay on property, we tend to leave after the fireworks.

Can’t wait to stay for this next time.

Side Note: this is my first post after several years of being away.

 

[sam1998]

That’s why it works so well. The vast majority of guests leave immediately after the fireworks show.

Just make sure that the park does have extended hours beyond the fireworks.

Thanks! Just double checked and MK closes at 10pm and fireworks are at 9:15.

 

[The13thLetter]

What times of the year are these super late park hours and EMHs? I think the latest I have ever seen MK open while I was there was 11 (with EMH). Do the other parks every stay open later than 9/930?

 

[Cinderumbrella]

What times of the year are these super late park hours and EMHs? I think the latest I have ever seen MK open while I was there was 11 (with EMH). Do the other parks every stay open later than 9/930?

Busy times (around July 4, Easter week, Christmas week etc)

When do you go?

 

[The13thLetter]

Busy times (around July 4, Easter week, Christmas week etc)

When do you go?

Usually Aug or Sept, so that makes sense. We have a trip booked for late June though and the hours at the moment seem to still not be very late (although I know those can change like a month before) so i was just curious.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Usually Aug or Sept, so that makes sense. We have a trip booked for late June though and the hours at the moment seem to still not be very late (although I know those can change like a month before) so i was just curious.

Normally I would say to expect longer hours than posted now. BUT I really think June & July will be slower this year as people wait for SW and cooler weather.

But expect 10pm MK, 9pm at the other 3 for most normal closings.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

You can still do a lot after the fireworks show. On a recent visit, we found a 40 minute posted wait on Peter Pan. However, there were only about 10 guests in line and the wait was less than a minute,

Next up was 7DMT. Posted wait was 90 minutes with an actual wait of 10.

We finished the night with 4 rides on Space Mtn in 35 minutes.

We have been staying until park close for years. In short, the experience varies widely.

While crowds generally diminish, waits are not always this short right after the fireworks end.

In our experience, there is typically a surge of folks on the rides just after the fireworks end. This is especially true for rides that are close to the hub, like Buzz. One moment the queue is empty, then people stream in, but sometimes the posted wait still says 10minutes. Even BTMRR can have a significant surge.

If the weather is nice, the parks tend to stay more crowded. People tend to leave when it is very hot, cold, windy, wet. People tend to stay later on nice weather, holiday weeks, and during special events.

I still have old paper FP with like 2am return windows stamped on them. We generally DID ride the attractions that late, we just opted to keep the paper FP as proof. Usually come 2am the standby wait wasn't very long.

I hope WDW will go back to offering more (non-upcharge) late hours!

 

[ScubaCat]

I hope WDW will go back to offering more (non-upcharge) late hours!

"A dream... is a wish... your heart makes."

In other words, don't bet on it. They've long discussed getting rid of EMH completely. Obviously I have no idea if they actually will, but I wouldn't bet on them expanding. They're already down to 2 hours in the evening, which is quite a difference (not for the better) during business times.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Aug 29 HS park hours are still listed as: 9am-8:30pm.

Yet oddly, on Aug 30and 31, Epcot's posted hours are 9am-10pm. That's pretty rare.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Another late night-ish treat - if you stay at a Bay Lake resort (monorail resorts, WL and Ft. W) is the water parade. It often happens around 10pm, and is just a fun little way to end the day.

Another important thing to note is that eateries do NOT always stay open very late. Closing times vary by resort and season, but eleven pm is pretty common.

Our favorite fool-proof late night option is always to keep some late-night snacks on hand.

Late nights, I also try to: check the weather, drink plenty of water, and give our feet a little TLC before going to bed.

I also enjoy going out on the balcony or looking out our window late at night, especially when we have a high floor room (usually offsite for those). everything just looks kind of magical all lit up and empty, and a bit eerie after most the lights are off.