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Update: Disney After Hours is returning for the summer of 2018.

What I used to say about Disney After Hours, after my 2016 and 2017 experiences with it, was that it is a separately-ticketed “opportunity to be in the Magic Kingdom with next to no one, and for three hours to ride the best rides (not all are open, but most are) with next to no waits.”

After my January 26, 2018 experience with Disney After Hours, I’d modify that a bit, to an “opportunity to be in the Magic Kingdom with very few other people next to no one, and for three hours to ride the best rides (not all are open, but most are) with in most cases next to no waits (but expect minor waits at Peter Pan and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train).”

Above is Fantasyland in 2017.

And here’s about the same space at about the same time in 2018.

Remaining dates for Disney After Hours in early 2018 are

• Tuesday January 30: 8 to 11p
• Thursday February 8: 8 to 11p
• Thursday February 15: 9p to 12MN
• Thursday March 1: 9p to 12MN
• Thursday March 8: 9p to 12MN

Those with the special tickets (buy them here for $89 to $119/person) are allowed in around 7p, and, after the event starts, are the only people permitted to ride the open rides.

Two things were different for 2018.

• First, instead letting people in at the traditional 4p time, Magic Kingdom enforced much more sharply the 7p opening.
• Second, more people attended than were at either of my prior visits.

Both of these have the effect of reducing the value of the event–although not enough to annoy me.

In general it’s good to plan out what you want to see in advance–all the major rides except those closed for refurb will be open, and most of the minor ones–and to plan your evening to go Adventureland–>Frontierland–>Liberty Square–>Tomorrowland–>Fantasyland.

You do it in this order because, as usual, the best approach to reducing waits is to figure out what most other people will be doing–which is starting their night in Fantasyland or Tomorrowland–and do the opposite.

This order also lets you put the Jungle Cruise at a time when other people will be riding–it’s the only ride where you want your ride vehicle full, as it’s more fun that way!

On my 2016 Disney After Hours I tried to see as many rides as I could, and on my 2017 experience of Disney After Hours I tried to mimic what the typical family would be able to do.

For 2018, I took a plan of seeing all the headliners, and then seeing how much time was left over for re-rides or other rides.

I began at Jungle Cruise, where I had to wait one boat. Above is the Jungle Cruise waiting area.

Then I walked on to Pirates of the Caribbean. Above is my boat and the boats ahead of me.

My last sight of the redhead in her current role…whom I first met in this role in Disneyland in the late 1960s.

Next was Big Thunder Mountain (Splash Mountain is having its usual January closure).  A hundred or so people were ahead of me in line, but the ride loaded (using both sides) just about at our walking pace, so I had to wait for only a train or two to board.

Next was the Haunted Mansion, where I walked right into the ride.

I then got a free Mickey Bar and bottle of water in Liberty Square (your ticket includes free ice cream, popcorn, and drinks) and walked over to Tomorrowland.

There, I had to wait a couple of rocket ships at Space Mountain, but walked right on to Buzz Lightyear.

The worst waits at the event will be for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan. The later you ride these, the lower the waits will be.  I got to them about mid-way through the event, and waited 17 minutes for Seven Dwarfs and 8 minutes for Peter Pan.

I completed all these headliners by 10.10 pm–so would have had 50 minutes left for Splash Mountain (once it re-opens), re-rides, or non-headliners. Instead, I left.  Those who leave right when the event closes will find, as usual, that doing the same thing everyone else is doing will lead to lines at transportation.  Leaving a few minutes before the end of the event, or half an hour after, will have an easier trip back to the parking lots, or, via shared buses, to their Disney hotel.

Disney After Hours is expensive, and with the reduction in time in the park before 7p, and the increased attendance, its value has gone down.  But especially for returning visitors who know their way around Magic Kingdom and want to nail a lot of rides, it can be well worth it.

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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

THE LANE GRAVES MEMORIAL AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT

By Jim Korkis

In August 2017, Walt Disney World installed a memorial sculpture of a lighthouse in a little alcove near the Big Pine Key building at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa near the beach, to honor Lane Graves.

Lane Thomas Graves was the two year-old boy who was snatched by an alligator on June 14, 2016 at about nine o’clock in the evening at the Seven Seas Lagoon. His body was found after a sixteen hour search on June 15th by divers.

Graves was with his family from Elkhorn, Nebraska. His parents are Matt and Melissa Graves and at the time they were also accompanied by their four year old daughter.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office recovered the body of the boy, intact and about fifteen yards from where he was taken and about six feet underwater. A medical examiner determined that Lane had a traumatic neck injury and drowned and his death was ruled an accident.

Lane’s death marked the first alligator attack on the park’s property since a predator bit the leg of an eight-year-old boy, Paul Santamaria, and tried to drag him into the water at Disney’s Fort Wilderness campground in 1986. Lane’s death was the first alligator fatality in Disney World’s 45 year history.

Alligators have been prominently seen on WDW property since its opening in 1971. During the search for Lane, investigators pulled and killed six gators from the area but were not able to fully determine if they had captured the culprit. Officials estimated the responsible gator to be between four and seven feet long and two of the gators were at least seven feet.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which generally responds to nuisance gator reports, gives Disney full autonomy in handling the problem on property and isn’t often involved.

The family was relaxing on the shore in a Grand Floridian play area when Lane bent over to scoop wet sand into his small plastic bucket in order to build a sandcastle on the beach. The area had signs posted against swimming in the lake, but they didn’t warn of the lurking gators.

Lane’s father, who was standing nearby heard a splash and turned to see the alligator grab Lane’s head and jumped into the water, pulling on the gator’s snout in an unsuccessful attempt to free his son from its grip. Seconds later, the gator pulled Lane underwater and both disappeared into the Seven Seas Lagoon. The father was injured and treated.

After the attack, Disney built wide boulder walls and fences along all of its breaches in an effort to keep alligators away from the shore. They also put up signs warning of alligators and snakes, and instituted training for cast members.

The statue of a lighthouse is a symbol of the Lane Thomas Graves Foundation — a charitable fund created by the boy’s parents after his death that helps financially support families with children who need organ transplants.

The gold and blue statue, marked with two stars, was placed near where the tragedy occurred. A plaque at the bottom reads: “Presented to the Lane Graves Foundation. A beacon of hope. A light of love.”

In a statement issued by Lane’s parents, they said: “We find comfort that so many people continue to remember our sweet boy, Lane, and we believe the lighthouse stands as a beacon of hope and support for families in the depths of despair.”

George A. Kalogridis, the president of Walt Disney World Resort, stated, “To provide continued awareness of the foundation and its mission, we commissioned an original sculpture of the lighthouse the foundation uses as a symbol of love and hope, to be installed on our property.”

The memorial is both a lovely and tragic reminder of the life and death of Lane Thomas Graves.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Call Me Walt, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JANUARY 27 TO FEBRUARY 4, 2018

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on January 2018 at Disney World, see this, and for more on February, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/27-2/4/18

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-12MN 1/27, 9a-8p 1/28 through 2/1, 9a-10p 2/2, 9a-12MN 2/3, and 9a-9p 2/4

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-9p 1/27, 9a-8p 1/28 through 2/2, 9a-9p 2/3, and 9a-8p 2/4

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-8p every day

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/27-2/4/18

Saturday 1/27 Morning: Animal Kingdom   Evening: none

Sunday 1/28  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 1/29 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 1/30 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 1/31 Morning:  none  Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 2/1 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 2/2 Morning:  Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 2/3 Morning: Magic Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 2/4  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening:  none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/27–2/4/18

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/27-2/4/18

Happily Every After at Magic Kingdom: 8p 1/27 through 2/2; 7.55p 2/3 and 2/4

IllumiNations at Epcot:  9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  7p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8p 1/27 through 2/2; 8.15p 2/3 and 2/4

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom 7.15 and 8.30p 1/27 and 1/28; 7.15p 1/29 through 2/2; 7.15 and 8.30p  2/3 and 2/4

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/27-2/4/18

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

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For the first page of this review of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, click here.

THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort has two pools and a kids splash area.

The principal pool at the Grand Floridian, the Courtyard Pool, is among the accomodations buildings.

It’s the only principal pool at Disney World not aimed at kids, and is marketed by Disney as “tranquil.”

The Courtyard Pool at night.

There’s also a hot tub here…

…and a pool bar…

…with an extensive menu. See the current menu here.

On the far east side of the resort is a more kid-friendly pool/water play area. There’s an Alice in Wonderland-themed water play area here.

The play area at night…

…and also a second pool, the more kid-friendly the Beach Pool…

…with a slide…

…and another bar. The menu for the Beach Pool bar is here. I particularly recommend the Crab Cake Sandwich.

The Beach Pool in the evening.

The actual beach here.

A fire pit in the beach area is used for making S’mores in the evening.

Movies are shown on the nearby beach most evenings.

Most of the deluxe resorts have a better suite of pools than these, but they function perfectly adequately for a visit.

PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT

• Overview and summary of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• Theming and accommodations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• A photo tour of a standard room at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• Amenities at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• Dining at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• The pools at at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

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For the first page of this review of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, click here.

DINING AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort has the best adult dining of any single Disney resort, some fun options for kids, and easy access to even more great dining via the monrial at the Polynesian Village and Contemporary Resort.

All but one of the table service options is in the main building.

On the first floor is 1900 Park Fare, where at breakfast you can find Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, Tigger and Winnie the Pooh, and at dinner Cinderella and her homies–Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, Drizella, and the Fairy Godmother.

From our book, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019:

More on 1900 Park Fare is here.

Between breakfast and dinner, 1900 Park Fare hosts the Wonderland Tea Party.

This event, only for children 4-12 (parents leave after drop-off), includes fun with Alice in Wonderland characters, decorating cupcakes and such.

Around the corner is another of the resort’s five table service restaurants, the Grand Floridian Cafe. Alone among the Grand Floridian table service offerings, there’s nothing special here, so it can be a quite easy reservation to get.

From our book, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019:

Centered at the back of the lobby is the Garden View Tea Room with its Perfectly Princess Tea Party, which is I suppose a steal at $333 for a parent and a princess–or more specifically (there’s more fine print to this offer than any other Disney World thingy) one guest 10 or older, and one guest 3-9 years old:

I will have to borrow a princess (and $333) and do this someday.

At the back center of the second floor is the bar Mizner’s Lounge. On the lobby side of Mizner’s you’ll commonly find a band in the evenings.

On the left is the stunning Victoria and Albert’s–some of the best dining you’ll ever enjoy.

From our book, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019:

(Find even more details in this review)…

…and further back, Citricos, a two-credit signature dining venue. From our book, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019:

Downstairs, outside, and around the corner you’ll find one of the best counter-service venues in a deluxe resort, the Gasparilla Island Grill. (Menu here.)

Gasparilla Grill has both indoor and outdoor seating, and the outdoor seating is popular during the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

Near the boat dock is the remaining table service restaurant, the two-credit Narcoossee’s.

Among the three top dining options at the Grand Floridian–Narcoossee’s, Citricos, and Victoria and Albert’s–Narcoossee’s has the most familiar menu and the hardest name to spell. From our book, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019:

There’s more dining at each of the pools.

THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT

This review continues here.

PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT

• Overview and summary of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• Theming and accommodations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• A photo tour of a standard room at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• Amenities at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• Dining at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
• The pools at at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

YOUR DISNEY LIBRARY: THE IMAGINEERING FIELD GUIDES TO THE PARKS

By Jim Korkis

• The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom Updated Edition (2009)
• The Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot Updated Edition (2010)
• The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney’s Hollywood Studios (2010)
• The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney’s Animal Kingdom (2007)

The Imagineering Field Guide series answers the question: “What would it be like to walk through a Disney park with an Imagineer by your side?” That Imagineer might share some interesting stories behind the making of something, or point out some storytelling details that are generally missed by a casual visitor. That is what this book series does.

The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World was released in 2005 and was instantly popular, with additional guides covering the other three WDW theme parks plus Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure soon following.

The editions for the Magic Kingdom and Epcot were updated several years after their first appearance, but while it is recommended to get these latest editions, the updating is not extensive enough to make the original editions without value.

Each guide is roughly 128 pages long (each volume includes the exact same thirteen pages of introductory information about Imagineering) and includes development art, sketches, schematics and color photos in addition to proprietary information from the files of the Imagineers about the particular park.

Author Alex Wright, an Imagineer based in Florida, has been involved in a variety of different projects over the years, ranging from Magic Kingdom’s Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor to the renovation of the Haunted Mansion (he worked on the staircase and the stretch room) to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

Wright grew up in Pensacola, Florida and is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelors degree in Design Theory. He began his career with the Walt Disney Company in 1995. Wright wrote and designed the books with assistance from Imagineers like Marty Sklar, Tom Fitzgerald, Jason Grant, Gary Landrum and others. His writing is clear, informative and accessible.

The odd dimensions for the book were because it was meant to mimic the extremely popular Hidden Mickey book series by Steve Barrett so that it would be easy to fit in a pocket or a purse while a guest is touring the park. The huge disadvantage and perhaps the biggest complaint about the books is that this size meant that the wonderful, never-before-seen art of these books was reproduced in such tiny images that it is difficult to really enjoy the details in the illustrations.

Some have complained that Wright only gives a brief overview of a favorite attraction, but they fail to realize that he was working under extreme page restrictions and that the books were never meant to be definitive. They are exactly as they are prominently described, field guides to help better understand and appreciate what is being seen. Each topic gets roughly two pages. For most park visitors, there is enough trivia and background in that limited sample to provide real value.

Unfortunately, since things change so rapidly at the WDW theme parks, these books are now often an ancient history lesson for some areas of the parks, while newer additions are undocumented. I doubt there will ever be a way for a book about any of the WDW parks to remain current for more than a few years but much of the information in these guides about the major attractions is still accurate and insightful.

Another advantage to this series is that it gives a nice glimpse into how Imagineers work and approach a project. Copies of all these books are in my personal library and one of the things I especially appreciate is that the information can be trusted.

Some readers of this column will already have these books in their personal library, but for those who don’t, they are a good investment and reading them will help you to better understand other things that you read about the WDW parks, the process of Imagineering, and the parks themselves.

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Thanks, Jim! I love these books. And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Call Me Walt, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!