Best Tips for Visiting Disney Villains After Hours

Is Disney Villains After Hours worth the cost? Grab my Best Tips for Visiting Disney Villains After Hours. This post is sponsored by Walt Disney World. All magical opinions are my own.

Best Tips for Visiting Disney Villains After Hours

A fire breathing dragon roaming the streets of Magic Kingdom at night, an all-new villains themed stage show, all-you-can-eat snacks and access to the best Disney rides – with little to no wait? It may sound like an evil prank, but it’s the all-new Walt Disney World nighttime event, Disney Villains After Hours.

Before you start planning your next villains inspired trip, grab these Best Tips for Visiting Disney Villains After Hours. I’m sharing everything from best photo spots to capture Maleficent, best FREE souvenir, treats ordered from must-have to skip and answering the question “is it worth the cost?”

Buy Tickets Online & Save

Saving time and money at Disney – yes, please! Tickets are limited on each Disney Villains After Hours events (usually a few thousand) and have the possibility of selling out early.

Best tip: When you purchase your Disney Villains After Hours tickets ahead of time, not only can get you save time not standing in a ticket line, but you also can save money. Score! Plus special AP & DVC discounts also apply. Current Disney Villains After Hours ticket prices are as follows (and subject to change):

$139 when purchased in advance
$144 when purchased the day of event
$109 for Annual Passholders & Disney Vacation Club Members

Plan on Dressing Up

Did someone say Disney Villains costumes? Heck, yes! Walt Disney World encourages everyone to come dressed for the night, inspired by only the best Disney Villains characters. It is one of the few costume approved events for adults, including “some masks.” Be sure to still abide by the Disney costume guidelines.

Best tip: No need to break the budget dressing as your villainous best. If you need ideas, check out this amazing Yzma Disneybounding look I styled for under $50!

Come Early

Similar to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, you can actually enter Magic Kingdom BEFORE Disney Villains After Hours starts. Come early at 7 pm to take advantage of extra park time, get your wristband, and settle into the event for the night (perfect for kids that need extra time to adjust).

Best tip: If you’re a passholder, this is a great time to FastPass any rides that won’t be open during the actual event, that starts at 10 pm – 1 am.

Grab a Disney Villains After Hours Guide

No, really. Get yo-self one! Walt Disney World has really stepped up this guide, and visiting Disney Villains After Hours gives you exclusive access to these one-of-a-kind Disney “keepsakes.” Printed on high quality glossy cardstock, they make great souvenirs from the night!

Best tip: If you don’t want to carry one all night, grab one on the way out (on Main Street) before you head home. The guide won’t get bent or ruined this way!

Catch Maleficent for the First Time Roaming at Night!

Fire breathing dragon at night. Enough said. For the first time ever, you can catch Maleficent dragon roaming up and down Magic Kingdom with her handlers in a mini parade, starting at Frontierland, making a loop around the castle and back.

Best tips: she usually breathes fire right in front of the castle (she will be sideways)! Grab a great shot as she passes, with you standing directly across from the castle walkway. Maleficent also travels down Main Street during the last show at 1:20 am. This is another great opportunity to grab shots of her fire breathing before heading to the exit.

See the All-New Villains Unite the Night Stage Show

Pyrotechnics, fireworks, and your favorite Disney Villains? It must be the all-new Villains Unite the Night Stage Show! This 20+ minute show in front of Cinderella Castle is a great new addition featuring Hades, Meg, The Queen, Maleficent, Jafar and Dr. Facilier. Acrobatics, sword fighting, and more, I found all of the castle transformations so fascinating!

Best tip: There are 3 shows at 11 pm, 12 am and 1 am. I highly encourage you to attend one of the earlier shows for best viewing. The 1 am show will be packed due to the last Maleficent sighting immediately following the show at 1:20 am.

Want to see the all-new show? Get a sneak with our Villains Unite the Night Stage Show video!

Plan Out Your Disney Villains After Hours Rides

Over 20 rides with little to no wait. Sounds like a magical night to me! One of the perks of the Disney After Hours events is the short wait times. With limited tickets comes limited crowds, a great time to plan out your favorite rides. And with added surprises on Pirates (with live pirates!) and Space Mountain (completely in the dark with evil music!), there’s definitely some evil fun to be had.

Best tip: the lines for Pirates and Space Mountain fill quickly due to the new enhancements. Try to catch during one of the Villains Unite the Night shows or first thing upon arrival for the best wait times. Here’s what’s open so you can plan prior to visiting Disney Villains After Hours:

Adventureland

Swiss Family Treehouse
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Jungle Cruise
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
Pirates of the Caribbean (with villainous adventure enhancement)***

Frontierland

Splash Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Country Bear Jamboree

Liberty Square

Haunted Mansion

Fantasyland

Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Peter Pan’s Flight
“it’s a small world”
Under the Sea Journey of The Little Mermaid
The Barnstormer
Dumbo The Flying Elephant
Mad Tea Party
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland Speedway
Space Mountain (with villainous adventure enhancement)***
Astro Orbiter
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Capture Unique Nighttime Photos

Speaking of Maleficent at night, don’t forget to take advantage of those amazing nighttime photos too! From capturing your amazing villain inspired outfit, to getting amazing shots of the castle to villain themed photo backdrops.

Best tip: don’t forget to capture exclusive PhotoPass Magic Shot opportunities. Look for the PhotoPass folks throughout the park. Visiting Disney Villains After Hours is the perfect time to capture those priceless Disney photos.

Come Hungry for Villainous Treats

Disney food just tastes better, especially then they’re perfectly themed for your favorite Disney villains! If you’re addicted to the specialty food that rolls out during Disney events, then be sure to grab at least one of these Villains treats.

Best tip: I’ve rated these favorites from must-have to skip (including repeats from Not So Scary) to get the most bang for your buck:

Hades Temptation (Tortuga Tavern) Frozen non-alcoholic purple cosmo, just like the one from the movie! Topped with a gummy worm.
Dr. Facilier’s Tarot Card Tart (Sleepy Hollow) Chocolate and peanut butter tart, topped with a tarot card chocolate piece.
Dragon’s Breath Float (Storybook Treats) Inspired by Maleficent, this lemon soft-serve is topped with cherry syrup, red spun sugar decoration and two green dragon eyes (green cherries).
Intergalactic Noodles (Cool Ship) Chilled purple noodles with snap peas, red onion and sweet garlic chili sauce. A nice savory dish to balance the sweets.
Headless Horseman Browkie (Liberty Square Popcorn Cart) Can’t go wrong with a brownie and cookie combo, right? Topped with a Headless Horseman chocolate piece.
A Drink From the Other Side (Sleepy Hollow) A non-alcoholic hurricane-like drink, inspired by New Orleans.
De Vil’s Treat (Casey’s Corner) Brownie topped with black and white icing.
Yzma’s Llama Potion (Cool Ship) A bubbly dry ice Strawberry Fanta drink, inspired by The Emperor’s New Groove!
Maleficent Cone (Storybook Treats) Lime soft-serve, chocolate horns, purple sprinkles in a black cone. Also the same from Not So Scary.
Not-So-Poison Apple Cupcake (Main Street, U.S.A.) A spiced “apple” cupcake with pecan crunch and buttercream. It’s the same one from Not So Scary.
Hades Nachos (Tortuga Tavern) Black bean nacho chips with “fiery” buffalo chicken and nacho cheese. Get the theme yet? Also from Not So Scary.

Stay for the FREE Snacks!

Eating this much in FREE snacks – it sounds like a villainous plot. But it’s ALL true! Be sure to come hungry when visiting Disney Villains After Hours. Disney takes care of those sweet and salty late-night cravings! Included with your ticket price is unlimited ice cream novelties (Mickey ice cream bars, ice cream sandwiches and fruit bars), popcorn and select bottled beverages (like Dasani water and Coke products). Look for the snack carts throughout the park, usually with very little line. There are also other food and beverage items for purchase.

Best tip: I highly recommend having dinner PRIOR and enjoying the FREE snacks and drinks throughout the night.

Grab Limited Edition Merchandise | FREE Disney Villains After Hours Passholders Gift

The merchandise is in two words – flipping amazing. From exclusive tees to limited edition Tervis tumblers, phone cases to ears and mugs, be sure to grab your Disney Villains merchandise, only while visiting Disney Villains After Hours.

Best tip: Starting June 27th, annual passholders can get a FREE Hades ornament at Mickey’s Star Traders (be sure to have your photo I.D., valid annual pass, and your Disney Villains After Hours wristband), while supplies last. Here are the event merchandise locations:

Main Street, U.S.A. – Emporium
Adventureland – Plaza del Sol and Caribe Bazaar
Liberty Square – Memento Mori
Fantasyland – Fantasy Faire
Tomorrowland – Tomorrowland Power & Light Co. and Mickey’s Star Traders

Get an Unadvertised Villains Farewell

Hands down, this had to be one of my favorite parts of the night. Before you bid Magic kingdom adieu, make sure to look up at the train station on your way out. You’ll find some familiar Disney Villains faces as they say goodbye in the most diabolical way! I could have watched them interact with guests ALL night long. Hilarious!

Best tip: While no photo ops or meet and greets are available with these characters, definitely enjoy a good selfie and possibly a tease or two from the Tremaine sisters on the way out.

Visiting Disney Villains After Hours | Worth The Cost?

So the question that I have been asked the most about visiting Disney Villains After Hours, is it worth the $139 ticket cost? While I can’t decide how you spend your Disney dollars, I do have some overall opinions on this event as a whole. Being that summer is one of the busiest times of the year for Walt Disney World, having that ultimate “FastPass” for 3 hours of unlimited rides, snacks and Disney Villains theme is pretty great. That 10 pm – 1 pm time is tough though, especially with kids in tow. Check out my Disney After Hours Tips for Parents to see if it’s worth bringing the kids.

BUT, I will say that if I had to pick an exclusive Disney nighttime event, I would choose Not So Scary over this one. With character meet and greets, candy and similar villains themed treats, I think you would get more bang for your buck. So who should be visiting Disney Villains After Hours? Here’s who I recommend:

Hardcore Disney lovers. This is a new and unique Disney nighttime event with a lot of “Disney firsts” – like an all-new stage show, villain themed treats, exclusive PhotoPass ops, and Maleficient at night!
Disney Villains Fanatics. If you thrive on everything Disney Villains themed, this event is it. From Disneybounding as your favorite villain to enjoying all of the “evil” fun, this is one heck of a night.
Those who CANNOT make Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Maybe August – October is not your ideal time to visit Magic Kingdom. This is a great alternative for those who want to enjoy a similar kind of villains themed nighttime event.
Ride enthusiasts. It’s basically the ultimate FastPass. Being able to ride some of the best and most exclusive attractions at Walt Disney World with little to no wait – it’s ideal for those ride lovers who want to make the most of their time while in the park.
Summer visitors who hate summer. There’s a reason why summer is the most popular time to visit Walt Disney World. School is out. Vacation mode is on. But between the summer crowds and the summer heat – it can be brutal to wait in those long lines. Visiting Disney Villains After Hours gives you the opportunity to beat the heat. Lower temperatures, no sunscreen required and less crowds, this is a great opportunity to take advantage of the best of Disney summer.

Disney Villains After Hours Dates

Plan your Disney Villains After Hours event before they’re gone! Here are the remaining dates for this special ticketed event:

Thursday, June 27, 2019
Monday, July 1, 2019
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Thursday, August 8, 2019

Disney Villains lovers, rejoice! This summer, Walt Disney World has the perfect Disney After Hours event just for you! With the new show, fire breathing dragon, some fun villains photo ops, and more, this event may be worth checking out. Find out more info about Disney Villains After Hours Events, purchase tickets, and follow along with hashtag #VillainsAfterHours.