Walt Disney World has announced that After Hours is coming to EPCOT for the first time, returning to Typhoon Lagoon, and having dates added at Hollywood Studios in Summer 2023. This post covers everything you need to know: dates, details, pricing–plus our commentary.
In case you aren’t familiar with Disney After Hours, these late-night, separately ticketed events let you enjoy a Walt Disney World theme park for three additional hours after regular park hours, with treats such as ice cream, popcorn and select beverages included. The number of tickets for these After Hours events is limited, which means lower wait times for popular attractions.
After Hours event tickets also allow guests to enter the park early during the “mix-in” period when it’s still open to day guests. That means After Hours ticket holders have access to the park beginning at 6 p.m. at Typhoon Lagoon, and beginning at 7 p.m. for EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
For the first time in forever, EPCOT is hosting After Hours in Summer 2023! This means that for 3 hours after the gates close, After Hours guests will have access to Frozen Ever After, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and more. This is your chance to explore all four neighborhoods in the park with shorter attraction wait times.
Disney After Hours at EPCOT takes place select nights June 1 to August 24, 2023. Ticket prices vary based on date:
| Event Date | Price (Excludes Tax) | Price for Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members (Excludes Tax) |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, June 1 | $139 | $99 |
| Thursday, June 15 | $129 | $99 |
| Thursday, June 22 | $129 | $99 |
| Thursday, June 29 | $139 | $99 |
| Thursday, July 6 | $139 | $99 |
| Wednesday, July 12 | $139 | $99 |
| Thursday, July 20 | $139 | $99 |
| Thursday, July 27 | $129 | $99 |
| Thursday, August 3 | $139 | $99 |
| Thursday, August 10 | $129 | $99 |
| Thursday, August 17 | $129 | $99 |
| Thursday, August 24 | $129 | $99 |
EPCOT After Hours attractions include the following:
- Frozen Ever After
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
Attractions and experiences are subject to change without notice.
But that’s not all! Grab your neon swimwear and get ready for some glowing tropical fun! Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park will reopen in Spring 2023 and along with that, H2O Glow After Hours will be back and ready to “light” up the summer.
With its vibrant decor, a specially themed menu of snacks and treats throughout the park and your favorite watery attractions under the stars, the popular after-hours party is a “must-do” with friends and family this summer. Don’t miss out on what could be the high-“light” of your summer! Move and groove to hot beats during a DJ dance party! H2O Glow is yet another new experience returning to Walt Disney World’s After Hours lineup.
Disney H2O Glow After Hours takes place select nights May 20, 2023 to September 2, 2023.
- May 20 and 27
- June 3, 10, 17 and 24
- July 1, 3, 8, 15, 22, 29 and 31
- August 5, 12, 19 and 26
- September 2
After Hours at Typhoon Lagoon Prices:
- Adult (ages 10 and up): $75 plus tax
- Child (ages 3 to 9): $70 plus tax
After Hours at Typhoon Lagoon Discounts:
- Passholder or DVC Member – Adult (ages 10 and up): $59 plus tax
- Passholder or DVC Member – Child (ages 3 to 9): $54 plus tax
On another positive note, After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is adding more 2023 dates! The event has been selling out quickly at DHS, and offers guests the chance to take control of the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, ride through a cartoon adventure in Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, play like one of Andy’s favorite toys in Toy Story Land and more.
This event takes place select nights through June 28, 2023. Below are the previously-released dates, many of which are now sold out, plus the new ones scheduled for Summer 2023. Ticket prices vary based on date:
| Event Date | Price (Excludes Tax) | Price for Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members (Excludes Tax) |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, January 4, 2023 | SOLD OUT | SOLD OUT |
| Wednesday, January 11, 2023 | SOLD OUT | SOLD OUT |
| Wednesday, January 18, 2023 | SOLD OUT | SOLD OUT |
| Wednesday, January 25, 2023 | SOLD OUT | SOLD OUT |
| Wednesday, February 15, 2023 | SOLD OUT | SOLD OUT |
| Wednesday, February 22, 2023 | SOLD OUT | SOLD OUT |
| Wednesday, March 8, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, March 22, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, March 29, 2023 | $145 | $115 |
| Sunday, April 2, 2023 | $139 | $109 |
| Wednesday, April 5, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, April 19, 2023 | $145 | $115 |
| Wednesday, May 3, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, May 17, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, May 24, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, May 31, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, June 7, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, June 14, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, June 21, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
| Wednesday, June 28, 2023 | $149 | $119 |
Guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels can begin purchasing Disney After Hours tickets for EPCOT and Typhoon Lagoon as early as February 28. The advance-purchase window is available to guests at Disney Resort hotels and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, as well as Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort.
After Hours event tickets for EPCOT, Typhoon Lagoon, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios can be purchased by all guests starting March 3, 2023, with prices ranging from $75 to $149 (plus tax). Disney Vacation Club members and Annual Passholders can also purchase discounted tickets for select dates.
In terms of commentary, it’s interesting to see the announcement of After Hours at EPCOT. As noted above, this is the first-time the park has ever hosted After Hours, which probably was not offered pre-closure due to the limited ride roster. Both Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure are recent additions, so those draws would not have existed previously.
On top of that, Frozen Ever After and Test Track haven’t always been the most reliable rides (I’ve done Extended Evening Hours when one or both went down, which really threw a monkey wrench into my plans.) So it probably didn’t make sense to offer After Hours before.
Now that those new attractions have debuted, and the front of the park is closer to coming together, it makes sense to offer After Hours at EPCOT than it does to bring it back to Animal Kingdom.
There, the main draw is looping Avatar Flight of Passage, which quickly loses its luster since you’re “forced” to do the interminably long pre-show in between rides. (If you didn’t hate it before, you will definitely hate it after seeing it ten times in one night–I speak from experience!)
It stands to reason that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will lose its virtual queue before After Hours at EPCOT. Then again, I’ve thought this was an inevitability that was “right around the corner” since about last July. The only conceivable issue is the lack of physical queue space.
Regardless, I’m guessing Cosmic Rewind drops the VQ before TRON Lightcycle Run opens. There’s plenty of space for an overflow queue outside the building, just like the line for Slinky Dog Dash extends far beyond that attraction entrance on a daily basis.
It’s also unsurprising that more dates are being added for After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Not to pat ourselves on the back since it was hardly a bold prediction, but we called this one. (We also called or hoped for a themed Magic Kingdom After Hours event this summer. Here’s hoping that has simply yet to be announced.)
If you haven’t already read it, we’d recommend checking out our standalone Guide to 2023 After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While we are critical of “overbuying” upcharge offerings due to FOMO and so forth, we actually love After Hours at DHS. It’s definitely a splurge, but it’s one that’s actually worth the money. After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios adds a VIP vibe to the visit, and at a fraction of the price of hiring a tour guide. After Hours at DHS is our favorite of these events, and the one that offers the most value for money due to lack of alternatives to the paid event.
I assume we’ll end up doing After Hours at EPCOT, but I cannot imagine that’ll earn as enthusiastic of a recommendation. In large part, that’s because we’ve already done the free version of After Hours there many times via Extended Evening Hours. We really like that event…when it’s free.
The difference between EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the number of headliners. While the number has increased at EPCOT, there are still more at DHS–and it’s a more difficult park to “conquer” with conventional strategy. Early Entry still works pretty well at EPCOT, as does Genie+ if you don’t mind criss-crossing the park.
We have similar feelings about After Hours at Typhoon Lagoon. Without question, nighttime is the best time at Typhoon Lagoon. We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth reiterating that sunset and beyond is our favorite time to visit the water parks. We’ve done Typhoon Lagoon in the evening several times, including Moonlight Magic (again) last summer.
With that said, the critical distinction is that all of those were free. I’m not sure I’d pay ~$75 per person for this experience if I were an average guest. There are a lot of other things I’d first prioritize with that money. With that said, if I were choosing between the cost of a single-day water park ticket or H2O Glow After Hours event admission…I might be willing to pay the premium price for evening. It’s really a much more pleasant experience, at least in my opinion.
Ultimately, we have very mixed feelings about After Hours and how it has essentially put a paywall around what used to be normal operating hours at Walt Disney World. However, we’ve made those complaints many times in the past (see this if you’ve missed them), so I won’t rehash them here.
Setting all of that aside, we like After Hours and recommend it to a lot of first-timers and infrequent Walt Disney World guests. Between the low crowds and the timing (late at night during what will be the hottest months of the year in Florida), it’s a pleasant and quasi-VIP experience.
Compared to other Walt Disney World upcharges, After Hours is actually one we can endorse. It’s only slightly more expensive than the Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Parties (which have increased in price a ton over the years).
After Hours is comparable to the Halloween and Christmas parties, albeit with significantly lower crowds and minus the seasonal entertainment. In fact, we’re so pleased with this event that it made our Best Value Splurges at Walt Disney World List.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Have you attended After Hours at Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios this year? Planning on attending the event at EPCOT, Typhoon Lagoon, or one of the summer dates at DHS? Hopeful that a themed party comes to Magic Kingdom this summer? What do you think of the event? Would you attend, or is it too pricey? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
