Full report: Disney World special event returns but not as great as before

Many character fans were hoping for a magical experience at last night’s special DVC event. Unfortunately, it is not as great as it once was.

DVC Moonlight Magic

Disney Vacation Club offers many benefits on top of just owning rents to use for room accommodations. Membership Magic is a super fun perk that allows DVC members (and their guests) a late evening in the parks. Take a look at the announcement HERE.

Last night’s event took place at Epcot and was villains themed! Kenny has a full report on what characters were present, what the longest lines were for, and how it compares to past Moonlight Magic events.

Characters

Let’s start with the big one: characters. We were hoping character hugs and autographs may return at the event last night, but unfortunately, that was not so. Barriers like fake plants and short walls kept characters from a distance.

While you could not hug them, you could pretty much walk right up to them and grab your selfie and have a short conversation.

Since the event was villains themed, Kenny got to meet a ton of villainous characters! Some were quite rare, while others were ones we have seen over and over in the past. Here is a list plus where he located them:

• Big Bad Wolf: near Guardians of the Galaxy
• Captain Hook: near Guardians of the Galaxy *Smee was pictured but not with Captain Hook
• Evil Queen as the queen and as the old hag: near Port of Entry
• Kronk: Mexico Pavilion *Kronk was the most popular meet of the night, likely due to his rareness!
• Sheriff of Nottingham: Mexico Pavilion

• Gaston: France Pavilion
• Queen of Hearts: UK Pavilion
• Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella: Canada Pavilion
• Pain and Panic: across from Starbucks
• J Worthington Foulfellow (Honest John) and Gideon: across from Starbucks (Gideon not pictured on map)
• Oogie Boogie: Imagination Pavilion

Characters who met in the same location rotated out every 30 minutes or so.

There were no maps or character listings which was also disappointing for those attending. Instead, Cast Members had a map at the actual locations. Another disappointment was the lack of PhotoPass photographers at the event. You had to rely on your cell phone to get those character photos.

Additionally, character autograph cards were not handed out either. For some of these rare characters, an autograph card would have been really cool.

Food changes

As we reported last night, snack vouchers and a popcorn bucket took the place of a quick-service meal voucher. Depending on your preferences, that is either a good thing or a bad thing.

What was disappointing was the popcorn bucket situation. They gave out DVC buckets but the lines moved incredibly slow all night long. Plus, you couldn’t even use the bucket until 10:00 pm, but you could use your snack vouchers anytime (including before the event start time).

Lines for attractions

Attraction wait times for popular attractions were also higher than past Moonlight Magic events. Since these events are usually capped pretty low, you used to be able to get through lines fairly quickly. It appears that they are possibly raising capacity on these events. Or, it could simply be the fact that Epcot does not have the same number of attractions that the other parks do.

Guests utilizing Disability Access Service could enter Lightning Lane lines immediately, which was nice of Disney to accommodate. DAS is not in place at other special events like the After Hours events.

Overall, we are glad that Disney brought these events back. It’s something. However, it definitely does not compare to the past Moonlight Magic events that had amazingly rare characters and low wait times for rides.

Did you attend the event last night? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and on Facebook.