Disneyland All-Nighter 2013 RECAP - Part 1

The Main Street Clock Tower around 4:00 AM

I arrived at 6:00 AM on the morning of May 24th, and stayed until 6:00 AM, May 25th. So yes, I spent the full 24 hours at Disneyland and was one of a relatively small number of people who did so. This is a recap of the experience. I will also publish a recap of my own personal views here.

It was not nearly as crowded as I had anticipated. Last year's celebration was packed within hours with lines extended all throughout the park. This year, many factors prevented a hectic version of last year's catastrophe. I think the fact that it was right before summer (Disneyland's busiest time of year) coupled with the opening of California Adventure Park, slimmed down attendance at the Magic Kingdom, where I stayed for 23 of the 24 hours.

The lines for all the rides, except Space Mountain, remained reasonably short all night. Space Mountain peaked at over two hours. My party and I were able to board Matterhorn at 2 AM with standard wait times of just under an hour. Autopia also reached relatively long wait times, but Fastpasses for that ride were being distributed until about midnight.

I was able to get in tons of rides, especially early in the day. It seems that most people got some sleep during the day, so lines for the rides were extremely short all morning. I hope that the next 24-hour celebration, should they choose to do one, is just as organized.

For my experience and takeaway from the 24-hour event, check out part 2.