Disney Announces Moonlight Magic Dates for 2024

I’ve got excellent news for Disney Vacation Club members. One of your favorite Membership Extras will return in 2024. DVC has announced the dates for Moonlight Magic. Here’s what you need to know.

What Is Moonlight Magic?

A few years ago, DVC officials finally acknowledged the requests of DVC members and introduced a new amenity. As part of Membership Extras, qualifying DVC owners gained access to Moonlight Magic. 

This event is quite similar to Disney After Hours, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas. When you purchase tickets to these after-hours events, you gain access to a Disney park at a time when it has closed to guests with regular admission tickets. Basically, you get to hang out at a Disney park for three hours when it’s nearly empty.

I mentioned that Moonlight Magic is similar, but there’s one extraordinary difference. DVC members don’t have to pay a dime for the event! Disney allows us to attend a Moonlight Magic event of our choice for free each year. 

Disney even throws in free snack and drink credits during the event. So, you pay nothing, and Disney feeds you while you experience E-ticket attractions. You don’t have to wait in line for hours to ride. 

Here’s how Disney describes the benefits of Moonlight Magic:

• Shorter-than-usual wait times for popular park attractions

• Disney Characters greetings

• Exceptional entertainment

• Complimentary special treats and delectable delights

The only catch is that you must reserve a spot, which is easier than it sounds. Demand for Moonlight Magic is outrageously high. 

That’s because many DVC members have been visiting Disney theme parks for a while. We’ve seen it all and done it all, which makes us a bit more passive during our visits. 

When we have free park access at a time when it’s empty, well, that changes everything. So, Moonlight Magic almost always sells out, usually within hours of the booking window opening for the event. 

When Is Moonlight Magic 2024?

Disney just announced the 2024 dates for Moonlight Magic. Here’s when each park will host the event:

• Disney California Adventure – January 29th, 2024

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom – February 27th and April 23rd, 2024

• Disney’s Hollywood Studios – August 27th, 2024

• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon – June 4th and July 11th, 2024

• EPCOT – January 25th and March 1st, 2024

As a reminder, Animal Kingdom will host a Moonlight Magic event on December 13th, 2023, as well. That’s important because of DVC’s rules. “Only one event date for each participating park will be available per Membership, per calendar year.” 

In other words, if you’re attending the December 2023 Moonlight Magic at Animal Kingdom, you cannot attend the ones in February and April. You’ll be within the one-year window. That same rule applies if you went to any other Moonlight Magic events in 2023. 

To reserve a spot at Moonlight Magic, you must visit the official Disney website when reservations go on sale. An option will appear for “RSVP online.” You’ll click that link and enter a virtual queue. Once it’s your turn, you’ll fill out a registration form, so make sure to have your DVC membership number. The system will ask for this information.

Disney has two other caveats you should understand about Moonlight Magic. There are no walk-ins for this event and available only to direct owners. It’s entirely a reservation-based system. 

Also, the person who books the reservation must perform check-in duties for the party. If that person doesn’t attend, you cannot enter Moonlight Magic. You’ll again need to show your membership details and provide identification here.

Speaking of which, your reservation will host up to a party of five. That’s you, presuming you book the reservation, plus four guests. Disney won’t include children under the age of three in this headcount, though.

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