Disclosure: Spirit of the Castle is an Amazon Associate/Amazon Influencer which earns from qualifying purchases. This blog post may contain affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

Celebrated my 35th birthday a little early this year by attending Disney After Hours at Hollywood Studios. Both my hubby and I had a magical time. It was a perfect way to celebrate my upcoming birthday and to experience one of our favorite parks.

Looking for some T-shirts to wear at Hollywood Studios? Click here to view my favorite ones that I linked to my Amazon Storefront.

What is Disney After Hours?

Disney After Hours is a special limited 3-hour ticketed evening event where you can experience low wait times on rides. 

Also included in the price of the ticket are selected snacks like popcorn and soft drink beverages in bottle form along with bottled water. The parks where Disney After Hours takes place are Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on certain dates in 2024. 

This blog post focuses on the Disney After Hours at Hollywood Studios. 

Details of Disney After Hours at Hollywood Studios

Dates

My hubby and I attend the April 10th, 2024 event. There were some dates in January -March of 2024 for this event. The remaining dates for Disney After Hours at Hollywood Studios 2024 include

  • May 22nd
  • May 29th
  • June 12th
  • June 19th
  • June 26th
  • July 10th
  • July 17th
  • July 24th
  • July 31st
  • August 7th
  • August 14th
  • August 21st
  • August 29th. 

This event has had a few past sold-out dates so do not wait to get your tickets.

Hours

The event takes place from 9:30 PM to 12:30 PM, but you can enter the park at 7 PM. You can enter the park earlier than that if you have a valid theme park admission. I recommend getting there when you are first allowed to enter because it is a great way to experience some of the rides/attractions, shows, shops, and/or restaurants that may not be open during the event. 

My hubby and I took the time to go through some of the shops to do a little pin trading with cast members and made a reservation at Oga’s Catina before the event started since we wanted to do the majority of the rides during the event. Also, Oga’s Catina is a favorite of ours to visit. Oga’s is open during the event, but as I mentioned we wanted to tackle the rides during the event to take advantage of low wait times since that was our main goal for the event.

Make sure you get the special After Hours wristband before you enter which have to wear during the whole event. This is how cast members identify those who can stay in the park after the park closes before the event.

Price

The price for tickets starts at $145 plus tax. For the date, we attended the price was $175 plus tax. A little hefty price but worth it for what we got to do and what was included in the price of the ticket. 

Rides/Attractions

The rides/attractions open during the event include:

  • Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • Star Tours®- The Adventure Continues 
  • Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance 
  • Alien Swirling Saucers
  • Slinky Dog Dash 
  • Toy Story Mania! 
  • The Twilight Zone of Tower of Terror

Attractions and experiences are subject to change without notice. Admission to this event does not guarantee access to any attraction or experience.

We were sad to find out the Rockin Roller Coaster was closed due to refurbishment. It is one of our favorite rides. According to Disney’s website, it says it will be closed through the Summer 2024.

Wait Times

My hubby and I did not have to wait long at all to ride the rides. We rode every ride except for the Tower of Terror, but that was because it was not our favorite.  We wanted to stay on the side of the park where the majority of the rides/attractions were. 

Some rides we got to ride twice like Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog. The longest wait time I saw when checking in the Walt Disney World Experience App was 30 minutes for Slinky Dog. Everything for us was a walk on and the longest we waited in line was about 15 mins.  I studied the wait times during other After Hours Events at Hollywood Studios before our event and had a plan to do what rides in what order which helped. It was not a sold-out event for the night we attended.

Shops

Shops open during the event include:

  • Tatooine Traders
  • The Market Merchants in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
  • Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities
  • Jessie’s Trading Post
  • Tower Hotel Gifts

To my surprise, Savi’s Workshop- Handbuilt Lightsabers and Driod Depot were open during the event. Savi’s had limited walk-up reservations, which were available on a first come, first served basis for the event.

Droid Depot had walk availability. We went shopping in the Droid Depot during the event, and there was hardly anyone building a droid. I was tempted to build a BB Series to go with my R Series droid– Genie that I made back in 2021. 

There are select merchandise offerings also available on Hollywood Boulevard.

Character Meet and Greets

During the event, there are chances to meet with some Disney Characters. According to the information pamphlet we received for the event, character meets and greets were available on Hollywood Boulevard, Grand Avenue, and inside Disney Junior Play & Dance! 

Passed by the Mary Poppins Meet and Greet as we were heading back in Batuu aka Galaxy’s Edge

Some characters that I saw during the event include Jimmy Cricket, Princess Tiana, Pocahontas, Meeko, Mary Poppins, and Stitch. Some of the lines to see these characters were longer than some of the lines for the rides.

Snacks and Beverages Included in the Price of the Ticket

During the event, popcorn and select ice cream novelties like Mickey Ice Cream Bar and Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich are included with select beverages like Coke, Sprite, Diet Coke, and Dansai avaiable at snack carts. Most of the beverages came in bottle form however I saw one stand offering soft drink beverages in cups. The snack carts were located on Hollywood Boulevard, Toy Story Land, Grand Avenue, and Sunset Boulevard. 

Most snack carts had the popcorn and drinks ready for you to grab and go. I thought that was very convenient especially for us trying to ride all the rides. 

One of the Snacks Carts in Toy Story Land

Food for Purchase

If you are looking for something a little more to eat other than popcorn and ice cream, there are some locations where you can purchase food and beverages. Milk Stand and Woody’s Lunch Box were open with the option of mobile and food ordering. Oga’s Cantina had walk-up available. Some outdoor bars will be available and can be found throughout the park. 

Overall my hubby and I had a magical time and think the After Hours Event at Hollywood Studios was 100% worth it. We want to do the After Hours Events at Epcot and Magic Kingdom since we had a blast at the Hollywood Studios.