You can have your rope drop, your mad rush into the parks–I’ll sleep in, go later, and stay until closing. Sure it means I’ll miss out on getting a fastpass for certain attractions (although with the new Magic Bands coming, not for much longer), but visiting the parks at night is pure magic.  I love that energized feeling you get after dinner when it’s cooler out and you’ve gotten your second wind. It’s always sweet to see sleepy families walking out of the park, happy and exhausted, holding hands.  Nighttime in the parks offers a different kind of energy than what you see during the day and to me, it’s the best part of any Disney vacation.

My favorite park at night is Hollywood Studios. It isn’t the rides or the shows, it’s the lighting. It’s beautiful shining on the old-fashioned Art Deco buildings as you walk into the park, but even buildings as simple as those in Pixar Place get a festive glow from twinkle lights strung across the buildings and in the trees.  Grab a carrot cake cookie–it’s practically mandatory that you stop in at The Writer’s Stop and get one while visiting–and find a bench and people watch.Read More »Why Disney Parks are Magic at Night.