My Moonlight Magic Experience

Moonlight Magic is a special after hours event that has recently returned to Walt Disney World. It is exclusively for Disney Vacation Club Members and their guests. I am not a DVC Member, so I thought that this free event was out of reach for me. Then a good friend, who is a DVC Member, asked me if my daughter and I would like to be part of his group on June 16 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I was thrilled to accept!

This is one of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken!

Disney Moonlight Magic is similar to Disney After Hours. Guests were allowed into the park at 7:00, but the actual event ran from 9:30-12:30. A limited number of spots were available, giving everyone a chance to enjoy a near empty park.

The major attractions were all open, the smaller ones were closed. The Wait Times were all over the place, some rides were walk on while others did have a fairly significant wait. The waits were still much shorter than on a regular day. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance closed at 11:30, which was stated in many places so that no one would be taken by surprise.

One of the main draws of Moonlight Magic is the addition of rare characters. There were plenty to be found! I had never before seen Darkwing Duck at any Disney Park! Monterey Jack and Fat Cat were another fun sighting, they rotated with the version of Chip ‘n Dale from the new Disney+ movie. There were other characters on hand as well.

Am I the only one who takes a picture EVERY time they get a Mickey Pretzel?

Disney Vacation Club did not want to leave its members hungry! Each person received three snack certificates. One of the three could be traded for an exclusive Moonlight Magic popcorn bucket and popcorn. We got to pick what to use the other two for. Choices included Num Num Cookies, Mickey Pretzels, Blue or Green Milk, and much more. The brochure that was handed out upon arrival listed the places where you could redeem your coupons. Mickey Ice Cream Bars and Fruit Bars were included at no cost and you didn’t need to use a snack coupon for them.

At 11:30 there was a special showing of Wonderful World of Animation. This was nice, because there was no crowd. It’s a beautiful show. For other entertainment there was a DJ dance party at the front of the park, and another DJ was inside the Disney Junior Play and Dance building.

A special shoutout to the Cast Members. We encountered only overly helpful, extremely friendly workers. Many of them don’t usually work that late, but they didn’t seem to care. I always love it when the Cast Members seem to be having a great time, and this group was like that.

Moonlight Magic is a nice complimentary bonus for Disney Vacation Club Members and their guests. From what I’ve been told, spots open up first for those who are using DVC points the night of the event, and then for other DVC Members a couple of days later. Spaces go quickly. I’m glad that I was finally able to check Moonlight Magic out, it was very well done.