Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite is back at the Disneyland Resort this Valentine’s Day season with more nights than ever. Although the event is four hours long (not including the mix-in), time can fly while attending. It often seems like it has just begun and then it is already over! To help you get the most out of your Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite experience, here are some tips that the Daps Magic team have learned through the years they have attended this particular after-hours event.
Mobile Order Ahead of Time
If you want to try any of the foods at Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite, mobile order is your friend. You can mobile order earlier in the day, and really, this is a good idea. The lines often get quite long for foods at these events. I generally suggest mobile ordering early and setting the time for the beginning of the event. Then you can grab your food at the beginning of the event, get fed, and then enjoy the rest of the evening!
Prioritize & Plan
Take a look at the guide for what is being offered during the event before you go. Keep in mind that on top of entertainment and character offerings, there are also photo opportunities, and the food (as mentioned before), along with shorter lines than an average day/night at the park. Pick a couple of things you want as most important for the event and then build around that. Remember that characters will often be swapping out with other characters every half hour. Also keep in mind the different times for things throughout the night. If you have things you REALLY want to do, make the investment in it but recognize that there might be a cost to that. Then, make a plan, keeping in mind where people might be drawn to at different times with different events.
Don’t Start with the Most Popular Offerings
One thing a lot of people do is start with the same, most popular, offerings. This can mean the Royal Ball at Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite. If it is something really popular that has set times on the app/guide, it often is smart to go to a later showing. The last Royal Ball of the night is generally the least popular. This can often be true for other entertainment offerings, characters, and photo opportunities as well.
Utilize the Mix-In Time
Guests at Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite can get into Disneyland starting at 6:00 PM as part of the mix-in. This is a great time to get food (unless you want exclusive event foods that won’t be offered until 9:00 PM) before the event begins. Sometimes photo opportunities will open a bit before the event officially starts as well. It isn’t a bad thing to kindly ask when you can get in line for these and/or asking if they will be taking photos before 9:00 PM. Some locations are a no and others are a yes. We have had several experiences where we have been able to get one or two photos taken at photo opportunities before the event officially began. You can also use the mix-in time to scope out where everything is going to be, particularly in the hour before the event begins. This can help you tweak your plan of attack for the night.
Be Flexible
As with every trip to Disneyland, be flexible and also patient. Sometimes things won’t go as planned. Recognize that you are at a place that people spend most of their lives dreaming about visiting and you are lucky enough to be there. Also, recognize that the cast members who are putting on Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite are all doing their very best to make this a magical event. The whole goal is for everyone to have a great night. If things don’t go quite as planned, chalk it up as part of the adventure and find something else fun and amusing to do!
Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite is a wonderful event at the Disneyland Resort that has returned for multiple years now. It is a perfect Valentine’s Day date night or just a fun night at the park for people who like the characters that will be attending the event. This event always sells out (and already is sold out). If you are one of the lucky ones to be going, we hope these tips will be helpful to you and help you have the best time! If you have any more tips for attending this event, please share them in the comments below! Happy Valentines’ Day!
