Moonlight Magic at Hollywood Studios is an exclusive event for Disney Vacation Club Members and Annual Passholders. The after-hours celebration is hosted by a select theme park and held on specific dates throughout the year. Guests are allowed to enter the park prior to closing to enjoy attractions and dining before the festivities begin! At 9PM, once the park has officially closed, Hollywood Studios will welcome guests to Moonlight Magic. Guests will be able to enjoy a complimentary dining experience, access popular attractions and shows, meet their favorite characters and purchase exclusive Moonlight Magic merchandise.
As Disney Vacation Club Members we were lucky to have been able to secure tickets when they came available in late August. Although the event may say sold out, there were a number of cancelations and DVC members were able to check in at their resort if additional spots had opened up (never hurts to check!). The next celebration will be held on October 3, 2018! Keep reading for some of my personal highlights and information on which attractions are open, Moonlight Magic exclusive merchandise and more!
Merchandise
DVC and Annual Passholder merchandise is long sought after and this couldn’t be more true for Moonlight Magic merch! There were so many cool products that it was so hard to decide. A Disney Life board game set, Moonlight Magic ornaments and T-shirts, special magic bands! In the end, I purchased the Dooney & Bourke magic band! Every product can be found in Mickey’s of Hollywood for purchase the night of the celebration!
Attractions
Moonlight Magic provides access to the all-new Toy Story Land as well as the classic, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and Star Tours. The celebration is offered to a limited amount of guests making wait times nonexistent! Any attraction we went on we were able to hope on again and again without a wait! We were especially excited to explore Andy’s backyard in Toy Story Land and ride some new attractions as well.
Character Experiences
Character experiences are almost always skipped by us due to the insanely long lines. There is no doubt that I would love the chance to meet Buzz or Woody, but the wait is a strong deterrent, especially when we hope to get on all of our favorite attractions. At Moonlight Magic, characters make special appearances with little to no wait and they are super interactive! Make sure you watch out for the First Order because they may be lurking around looking for rebel spies!
Buzz and Jessie were over by Slinky Dog Dash, Rey and Chewbacca were in the Star Wars Launch Bay along with BB8, a few Storm Troopers and other Star Wars Characters! Although I would have loved to meet them all, there was no way I was passing up an opportunity to my Chewy and I was completely star struck (I’m such a Star Wars fan!!)! Funny story. I was so excited when I saw Chewy, that when Rey asked me what planet I was from I honestly couldn’t think of the answer and said, “I don’t know!”. haha Well at least we know I’m not quick on my feet!
Dining
As a Moonlight Magic perk, guests were offered one complimentary meal at a quick service restaurant such as Rosie’s All American Cafe. There were also complimentary beverages at select locations around the park and free Mickey Ice Cream Bars. Repeat!!!…all of this was FREE! I don’t know about you, but I love free things, especially free Disney things, so I made sure to take advantage of all of these!!!
Entertainment
Indian Jones and Fantasmic! were both open for guests. There were particular show times that could be attended! Typically, we will get FastPass+ to watch these shows so we utilized our time by making sure we hit up all of our favorite rides instead, but I can only imagine how wonderful it must have been to be front row to see Mickey or Indy!
Disney Style Highlight:
The Amanda Uprichard Pineapple Dress is simply stunning with the most beautifully retro colored stripes, so much so that there couldn’t have been a better outfit to dress the part for Moonlight Magic at Hollywood Studios! The bow details on the straps are so pretty and make it easy to adjust for size. The fabric is also incredibly light, perfect for the Florida humidity!
The night was full of walking the entire park! To make sure my feet were comfortable I wore my Whipstitched Jack Rogers, which kept my feet comfortable and blister free all night!
