DVC Moonlight Magic can be a quick three-hour event for most guests, but having a little one along for the ride makes it even more important to make the most of every minute. Here is how we made the most of the December 2023 Moonlight Magic with our then 11-month-old son without staying for the whole event!
Make a Plan
Parents know their kids best. While we knew that our son could handle a stroller nap, my husband and I decided to stick to a hard stop of 8:30pm to get our son to bed at a somewhat decent hour.
With that in mind, I prioritized the following:
- Riding at least one attraction
- Seeing a rare character
- Using all snack vouchers
- Using the game vouchers
- Eating a complimentary Mickey bar
Start Early
With our annual passes, we showed up early to enjoy Animal Kingdom during regular hours first. Besides taking a bunch of PhotoPass photos, we also made sure we ate full meals at Satu’li Canteen since we knew that the Moonlight Magic vouchers would only cover snacks, beverages, and desserts. We also made it to our first ride by 7:30pm.
Without a separate ticket, you could have entered Animal Kingdom with your Moonlight Magic registration as early as 6pm even though the event officially started at 8pm.
Focus on One Part of the Park
Knowing that we didn’t have much time to explore everything at Moonlight Magic, we decided to focus on…DinoLand U.S.A. Yes, that meant skipping headliners like Flight of Passage and Everest, but the goal here was to find as much as we could enjoy as a family in a limited amount of time.
Besides enjoying TriceraTop Spin (which we could all ride), being in DinoLand U.S.A. also meant we were near the games, one of the DJ dance parties where we found Scrooge, and a few spots for snacks and ice cream bars. On our way out, we were also able to catch the adorable Merry Menagerie puppets and Tree of Life Awakenings projection show.
Be Patient with the Games
Just after the official start of Moonlight Magic, the lines for the Fossil Fun Games were already very long! After scouting the lines a bit, I realized that although the basketball one had an equally long line compared to the other games, the line seemed to move quickly since it can be played as individual players rather than as a group.
The cast members were extremely generous with the prizes. Even after unsuccessfully shooting hoops, I was awarded a very cute little dinosaur stuffed animal, which my son liked to play with long after Moonlight Magic had ended.
Take Some Treats to Go
My husband and I had 6 snack vouchers between the two of us. After eating at Satu’li Canteen for dinner, we weren’t all that hungry. We enjoyed the Menagerie cupcake, some fries, and a Mickey pretzel from Restaurantosaurus but still had 3 vouchers left by the time we ate our Mickey bars and needed to start heading out of the park.
Luckily, I took a tip from fellow DVC Fan Facebook group moderator, Ryan Chung, and brought a ziplock bag. We ended up taking a Mickey pretzel and two churros to go!
Overall, we had a blast. We got to do a lot in a very short amount of time without any meltdowns! Animal Kingdom is admittedly my least favorite of the theme parks, but it’s so much more enjoyable in the cooler evening temperatures, and the park is beautiful all lit up.
Special thanks to DVC Fan Facebook group member, Juan Carlos Barrientos, for generously sharing his Moonlight Magic tickets with us!
