Review: Villains After Hours at Magic Kingdom (2020)
Hades help us, there’s another upcharge after-hours event at the Magic Kingdom. It turns out to be one hell of a fun night.
The characters we love to hate take over the Magic Kingdom for three hours during Disney Villains After Hours, a refreshed event taking place about once a week until mid-July.
There are several big draws for Villains After Hours:
- Cursed Caravan of villains;
- Villains Unite the Night show at the castle stage;
- free snacks (Mickey bars, y’all!);
- special backdrops for photos;
- access to rides with little or no wait.
In addition, there are “villain-inspired enhancements” at the Pirates of the Caribbean and Space Mountain, and a DJ dance party in front of the castle.
The biggest difference in this year’s Villains After Hours is an expanded “Cursed Caravan” of villains. Last year, Maleficent the dragon traversed the parade route with a small entourage. This year, Gaston leads the caravan of villains atop a massive draft horse. You’ll also spot Ursula, Oogie Boogie, Cruella DeVil, Captain Hook and more. The caravan moves slowly enough — and the crowd is small enough — to allow for real interaction with the villains.
One caveat: On the first night of the party, the fire-breathing dragon didn’t actually breathe any fire. It remains to be seen if that was a one-time glitch or if it was because there isn’t any formal crowd control for the caravan.
The Villains Unite the Night show is a reprise from last year, and it’s still a lot of fun, with Hades and Meg joined by Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar and Dr. Facilier — and their dancing minions. One highlight of the show is a pair of fire dancers who really light up the stage.
Both the show and the caravan happen twice a night. In between, you can dance in front of the castle, sprint to the rides, do a little villainous shopping or grab a snack.
There are villain-themed food and beverage offerings for sale throughout the park — or you can walk up to one of the many open food stands and grab some popcorn or ice cream and a soda or bottle of water. Or all of the above!
The second caravan of the night leads guests down Main Street toward the exit. But don’t leave before the kiss — or, rather, kiss off — goodnight. Shortly after the second caravan heads backstage the villains appear at the train station to heckle guests as they leave the park.
As the night began I was skeptical of the value of the ticket. The event is only 3 hours long, which amounts to almost $50 per hour if you’re paying the regular price. I thought it would take too long for the daytime crowd to leave. And I cynically assumed the free snacks and beverages would be hidden in the far corners of the park behind long lines. I’m happy to say I was wrong on both counts.
Villains After Hours takes places on select nights — mostly Fridays — through mid-July. Here are the details:
- Tickets purchased in advance: $145 per person, plus tax
- Same-day ticket: $155 per person, plus tax
- Annual Passholder or Disney Vacation Club member ticket: $115 per person, plus tax
