Being a new parent this year, I knew my Disney trips would be different. I also assumed that any late night events would be out of the picture for the first few years of my son’s life. However, when fellow DVC Fan Moderator Ryan Chung kindly offered a ticket for Moonlight Magic at Hollywood Studios, I decided to take a chance and bring my infant son to Moonlight Magic.
In a previous blog, I actually ranked Hollywood Studios last on my list of Disney theme parks for babies. There are very few rides at Hollywood Studios that don’t have a height requirement. That doesn’t leave much for babies other than character meet and greets and shows.
With that in mind, here’s what my son and I ended up doing during Moonlight Magic as well as what other things we could have done, and some thoughts on what is helpful for Moonlight Magic (or really any other late night event) with a baby.
What We Did
We went to Moonlight Magic with a bunch of our DVC Fan friends but didn’t follow along on the rides. Instead, the focus was on food and entertainment. Using my snack vouchers for the event, I was able to get a few of my favorite snacks from Hollywood Studios, including the Mickey brownie sundae at Hollywood Scoops and Jack-Jack’s Num Num Cookie from the Market kiosk in Pixar Place. With my last snack voucher, I got the Pineapple-Coconut Slushy (also from the Market), which was much needed on the very hot and humid evening. Before Moonlight Magic officially started, I even got a few PhotoPass photos with my son while everyone else was on Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
The highlight of the night and also the most challenging part of the night was Fantasmic. There was a special showing at 10:30pm, and by that point my son was already fast asleep in the stroller. I made the rookie mistake of trying to carefully transfer him out of the stroller to park it. He cried for a bit before falling back asleep during the show. The theater wasn’t even close to full, and everyone got a nice centered view of the show. We were right where the Fantasmic dining package guests would normally sit.
What Else We Could Have Done
I chose to hang out and wait for the others to finish the rides, but if I were wandering around with my son, we would have been able to ride Mickey and Minnie’s Run Away Railway or Toy Story Mania. Both rides do not have a height requirement. We technically could have also tried Muppet Vision 3D. However, I admit I was concerned that the explosion in the final scene would scare my son.
There were also rare characters to find in the following locations:
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue – Phasma
- Commissary Lane – Donald and Daisy in their formal attire
- Toy Story Land – Lotso Bear, Bo Peep, and Bullseye
- Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Boba Fett and BB-8 plus Chewbacca, Rey, and Vi Moradi whom you can meet during the daytime
This is something I probably could have even done while my son was napping in the stroller. Although there were no Photopass photographers in these areas, I could have snapped some photos with my phone.
There was also a DJ dance party at the Disney Junior Theater. This is where you could find Stitch and Angel along with Agent Wendy Pleakley.
With all the treats I picked up, I was way too full to enjoy one of the other perks of Moonlight Magic: free ice cream bars! I skipped out on the Mickey bars, Mickey ice cream sandwiches, and strawberry bars.
What I Recommend for Moonlight Magic with a Baby
If you do Moonlight Magic, Extended Evening Theme Park Hours, or any other late night event in the parks with a baby, here’s what I suggest:
- Bring a baby carrier. I forgot to bring mine, and it would have been much easier to use instead of carrying my son when we needed to park the stroller and also when he didn’t want to be in the stroller.
- Try out the baby headphones in advance. Knowing that Fantasmic could get loud, I tried to put headphones on my son before the show started, but he made it very clear he didn’t want them on his ears.
- Have your baby nap beforehand, and prepare for stroller naps. Having a stroller with a large canopy is helpful to keep the lighting dim for a napping baby. If your baby is used to sleeping with a white noise machine, a portable one could help with stroller naps too.
- Pack plenty of milk/snacks for your baby. I kept my son’s bottles in a small insulated bag with ice packs, and they stayed nice and cold despite the hot weather.
- Pack the stroller rain cover. You never know when it will rain, even at night. Sure enough, it did rain for a bit during Moonlight Magic.
- Stay at a resort that doesn’t rely on buses for transportation. At the end of a late night, the last thing you want to do is hassle with collapsing a stroller, especially if you are traveling alone like I was. Staying at Riviera was perfect since I just pushed the stroller onto the Skyliner. Even the transfer at Caribbean Beach was simple.
- Be patient, and have a plan B. Babies are unpredictable. I could have merely lucked out that my son handled the night pretty well, but my backup plan was to head back to Riviera if he had enough.
Overall Thoughts
All in all, Moonlight Magic at Hollywood Studios turned out to be surprisingly doable with my son. I enjoyed some great company, got a perfect view of Fantasmic, and got some of my favorite treats. It was a very slow and low-key way to spend the night. While I did make some concessions and missed out on rides, I still had a good time, and my son still got plenty of sleep.
Have any of you done Moonlight Magic or any late night events at the theme parks with a baby? What worked well for you?
