Back in 2025, I did After Hours at Magic Kingdom for the first time during one of the earliest January dates. I had a pretty great experience and found it to be a valuable way to spend my money, which made me open to trying it again at Magic Kingdom. So when I was planning a March trip with a friend, we opted for After Hours tickets given that it seemed like the value had been pretty good in January. We booked the tickets and I was looking forward to it after having a really pleasant and laid back experience in January of 2025.

That said, things definitely were a little different during the March After Hours.

So let’s assess the differences between a January After Hours (the second of the year) and a March After Hours (right before Spring Break) so you can make a decision about whether going to After Hours in March is right for you and whether it’s actually worth the high price tag (because it isn’t cheap to attend).

Now that 2027 tickets are on sale for After Hours, you might also be curious if paying the price is worth it. Now that I’ve visited during two of those windows, let’s dive into what that visit looked like at both times to help you make your decision about whether it’s worth it. In the past, I’ve advocated to skip a park ticket for the day and do this instead.

Now that I’ve gone in March, we’ll review if that tactic still holds out.

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THE CROWDS

January: Let’s use Tron as our example between January and March. When I went in January, it was the second event of the year. For Tron, the busiest of the night, I was in line and off the ride in a maximum of 17 minutes. Total. During the January timeframe, I only arrived at 9:30 and still managed to watch the bonus fireworks and ride everything I wanted to, stopping to snack in between. I started in Adventureland and tracked my way through Fantasyland and over to Tomorrowland before ending the night at the carousel. I did everything without sweating it.

March: However, in March, at the end of the night when I would think crowds would ease up, it was a full 32 minutes to get through that same time on Tron. Those crowds were everywhere, and even getting in was hard. We lost a full twenty-minutes just getting into the event at 7PM when they released the crowd. It’s anecdotal, but I genuinely think they’re overselling the event versus the past to make more money.

I thought January was bad, but March was even worse. I felt strained to finish things. Watching the fireworks and stopping for food actually felt like I was going to miss things, and at the end of the night, there were rides we didn’t get to because we just didn’t have the time. We started on the same Adventureland to Tomorrowland path, but gave up on multiple rides because the lines were long — even for things like Winnie the Pooh.

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THE PERKS

January: The draw of the After Hours ticket isn’t just an emptier park, but that you also get some food in the mix. This includes Mickey Premium Bars, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Fruit Popsicles, Popcorn, and all the bottled water and bottled pops you can drink. In January, these snack stands were plentiful and had so much stock that they were giving bottled pops away right up until 1AM when it was ending. It was awesome value, especially to skip dinner and save the room for snacks. Plus, having a backpack means being able to stock up on pop for the rest of your trip if After Hours is early enough.

March: One thing that was different this time around is that a full hour before closing (at midnight), they had started to close off some of the treat carts. I was in Fantasyland and the staff were already wrapping it up for the night, which made it a little more difficult to get access to the pop and treats that you get for the price.

In general, I noticed by the last hour that there were very few snack carts operating. It definitely wasn’t like January when they were giving away bottles of pop right before 1AM to wind it down. Otherwise, in terms of snack quality, the offerings didn’t change. You can choose between Mickey Premium Bars, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Fruit Popsicles and Popcorn for food. Then there’s the range of water and pop bottles for drinks. If that’s what you’re after, make sure you don’t leave your snacking to the last minute, though, or you could be disappointed.

THE RIDES

January: The rides for After Hours offers pretty much the same mix as the daytime with a few exceptions — mainly the shows. There’s one big one, though, and that’s Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. I highly recommend that you do this before the After Hours event kicks off (if the weather is good for it).

March: The ride mix didn’t change at all versus January. I had hoped that because it was later in the year, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure would stay open, but I guess it was still “cold” enough that it stayed closed (even though it was definitely a muggy night). I consider that a bit of a detractor. After all, given the warm temperatures coming in, I would expect Tiana’s to be open and to increase the range.

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THE WEATHER

January: January wasn’t warm by any means. I wound up needing to wear a pretty thick sweater even though during the day, I had been in a t-shirt and sweating my way through Animal Kingdom before the event. That said, it was a perfect temperature to be walking around and not too cold at all to be enjoying ice cream.

March: March had one benefit over January — it was warmer. That said, during my March visit, it was unseasonably warm so I would have actually liked it to be a bit cooler once the sun went down. That wasn’t the case. The lines were stuffy because it was so muggy outside and there wasn’t much wind to help with that.

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THE PRICE

January: Here again, January is a big winner. It’s $189 for the After Hours event in January in 2027. That’s actually lower than what I paid in 2025 and given the math exercise I did, it actually works out to be a decent value.

March: March starts getting expensive for tickets. They’re $204 for the 2027 season ($15 more expensive than 2026). Given all the other categories, this is something else that works against it, because it starts pushing the price out of the “worth it” category.

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So, what’s the overall verdict?

I stand by my original decision. January After Hours is absolutely worth the ticket in lieu of a full day at the park. Within a few hours, you can do everything you wanted to without paying for the Lightning Lanes or the day park pass.

Add in the snacks to make up the rest of the value and it’s a valuable prospect. Plus, because it’s January, a bit cooler, and a touch less crowded, it might still feel a little oversold, but tolerably and in a way that doesn’t rob your ability to conquer the rides you want to — even if you show up right at 10PM.

In March, it really didn’t feel like that. You’re still stuck in long lines and because of the strangeness of shutting down carts early, that includes snack lines too. Your time is no longer as valuable, which means the cost to attend is no longer as valuable either.

I would recommend instead doing a full park day and just buying Lightning Lanes, which nets out to a cheaper value prospect than dealing with the crowds at After Hours and being disappointed because you’d hoped for something else.

So all in all, my opinion is: Enjoy After Hours in January (and maybe into early February), but as you start creeping toward March and the Spring Break season, just enjoy the park and some Lightning Lanes for an equal (if not cheaper) price. However, it’s up to you to decide. Tickets are now on sale for the 2027 season. If you want to try it, there’s still a magic to the event — you just have to manage your expectations and you’ll be fine.

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