We are always looking for new things to show you from Walt Disney World. This past week, I was able to experience Villains After Hours thanks to a media opportunity. This hard-ticketed event gives you three hours of very low crowds in the Magic Kingdom with a villainous flair. I’ve also got a quick Epcot update for you, so please read all the way through to the bottom! 

Villains After Hours at the Magic Kingdom

If, like me, you find yourself missing Halloween as soon as it’s over, you are really going to like what I have to show you. It’s a bit like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, but more for teens and adults and without the trick-or-treating. The focus here is on the Villains themselves. 

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There are special photo ops like this all throughout the park.

The main attractions of Villains After Dark are a stage show at the castle, a “Villains’ Cursed Caravan” mini-parade, Villain-inspired enhancements at Pirates of the Caribbean and Space Mountain, a dance party in front of Cinderella Castle, themed photo opportunities throughout the park, and special event music and lighting. And if you just want to see a few villains and ride the attractions, that’s cool too. Lines are at a minimum for your favorite rides.  

Villains’ Cursed Caravan

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There is a villains parade that runs twice during the night. Gaston is on horseback!
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Queen of Hearts with her card soldiers.

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, Dateline Disney World – Villains After Hours and Ratatouille Construction Update
The queen of hearts and her troop of cards do some fun moves.

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, Dateline Disney World – Villains After Hours and Ratatouille Construction Update
Ursula is very cool as she glides through the park.

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Oogie!
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The main fire-breathing Maleficent float from Festival of Fantasy rides here as the anchor of this parade.

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If you miss the Villains’ Cursed Caravan, they do it twice a night! It’s not a full parade like they do for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, but it is a fun diversion. Aside from the show at the castle, this is your main way to see the actual Villains. There were no character meet-and-greets that I could find.    

Villains Unite the Night

In the other big show, Hades and friends take over the castle stage. Dr. Facilier, The Evil Queen, Maleficent and others seek to control all the power in the universe.  Our friends at Attractions Magazine have a nice video of the show: 

Enjoying the Park

But, for me, the most refreshing thing about this event was being able to enjoy the park largely uncrowded. It’s a real treat: 

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, Dateline Disney World – Villains After Hours and Ratatouille Construction Update

, Dateline Disney World – Villains After Hours and Ratatouille Construction Update
Special lighting on the Haunted Mansion.
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Special lighting on Cinderella Castle while the DJ plays on the castle stage.

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Villains After Dark Merchandise

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There were a few exclusive items to the event:

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Shirts…
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Mugs…
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Hats…they’ve got you covered

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Special pass holder shirt.

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, Dateline Disney World – Villains After Hours and Ratatouille Construction Update
Spooky!

Villains After Dark Special Food & Beverage

There is also some tasty specialty food available during the event . . . most of it with a sinister flair.  

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Hades Hot Dog (Available at Casey’s Corner) – All-beef hot dog topped with buffalo chicken, diced celery, fiery cheese dust, and spicy ranch drizzle
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Locked Away Maiden (Available at Main Street Bakery) – Loaded grilled cheese sandwich with pepper jack cheese, provolone cheese, bacon jam, and tomatoes
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Hades Temptation (Available at Casey’s Corner) – Frozen mocktail “Cosmo” with lemonade, violet syrup, and a gummy worm
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Body Language (Available at Storybook Treats) – Cookies and cream mousse with chocolate cake, glace, meringue tentacles, and a chocolate shell. These were my favorite.
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Sugar on sugar on sugar. Actually, it’s a Five Dozen Eggs Slush (Available at Gaston’s Tavern) – Frozen custard with brown sugar topped with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick
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And, from the Queen of Hearts: Painting the Roses Red (Available at Cheshire Café) – Cheesecake mousse with raspberry gelee, red cocoa butter, and buttercream leaves
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Hearts on Fire (Available at Cheshire Café) – Fruit punch, Coke, and strawberry popping candy garnished with a strawberry.
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Dr. Facilier would like these, and so did I. The Just Take Three (Available at Sleepy Hollow) – Three beignets dusted with powdered sugar and served with vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream and chocolate ganache

Thoughts on Villains After Dark

Disney Villains After Hours is $145 if you buy your ticket in advance and $10 more if you take the risk of buying at the gate. That’s a lot of money, more than a single-day admission to the park. However, it’s also uncrowded and offers special touches and entertainment. I think this would be the perfect event to do if you happen to be arriving in Orlando on the day of the event and have missed park hours, or you are simply tired of the crowds and want an easy day with the Villains After Dark event to cap things off.  The event is 3 hours and takes place from either 9:00 PM to 12:00 AM or 10 PM to 1:00 AM on the following dates:

  • Friday, February 14, 2020
  • Friday, February 21, 2020
  • Friday, February 28, 2020
  • Friday, March 6, 2020
  • Wednesday, March 11, 2020
  • Wednesday, March 18, 2020
  • Friday, March 27, 2020
  • Friday, April 3, 2020
  • Friday, April 10, 2020
  • Friday, April 17, 2020
  • Friday, April 24, 2020
  • Friday, May 1, 2020
  • Friday, May 8, 2020
  • Thursday, May 14, 2020
  • Friday, May 22, 2020
  • Friday, May 29, 2020
  • Friday, June 5, 2020
  • Friday, June 12, 2020
  • Friday, June 19, 2020
  • Friday, June 26, 2020
  • Monday, June 29, 2020
  • Monday, July 6, 2020
  • Friday, July 10, 2020

Have you done Villains After Dark? Would you recommend it? 

Epcot’s Ratatouille Construction Update

Now let’s take a quick ride on the Disney Skyliner for a sneak peek into the upcoming Ratatouille attraction.

, Dateline Disney World – Villains After Hours and Ratatouille Construction Update
We can just about envision the France expansion the way it will look to guests, as Disney nears its targeted May opening.
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You can see the fountain installed in this photo.
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The top of the attraction has been painted to look like the Paris skyline.
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The Gusteau’s sign has also been installed.
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This ride will offer much-needed additional capacity in Epcot once it arrives. Won’t be long now!

And, one last quick tease. One of our MiceChat staffers, Laura Gonzalez, caught the Flower and Garden Festival tapestry garden being planted yesterday. The festival starts March 4th, so there’s a lot of work for the horticulture team to do between now and then.  

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It won’t take long for the color to fill-out and brighten here. Can’t wait!

2020 Spring Ticket Savings

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Our partners at Get Away Today help you save money on Disney theme park tickets and travel packages. For Discounted theme park tickets, hotel, airfare, and travel packages to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal, Knott’s Berry Farm and other family vacation destinations, always start HERE: Get Away Today

(When calling, mention MiceChat so you get your special rates and deals!). 


Let’s Hear From You!

Well, that does it for this week. What are your thoughts? Is the cost of Villains After Hours worth it to get nearly exclusive access to the Magic Kingdom’s attractions? Do you think that the event should include character meet-and-greets? Excited to see the Ratatouille attraction later this year? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

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Cory Disbrow
Cory likes Walt Disney World so much, he recently packed his bags and moved to Orlando. Cory is a photographer and writes MiceChat's Dateline Disney World columns every Friday.