Disney GradNite

Has anyone ever been to a Disney GradNite? If so, how is it? Is it worth the $100 for admission and transportation from Atlanta?

For those that don't know, the park will be open only to graduating seniors whose schools have signed up. Magic Kingdom will be open from 10 PM to 4 AM just for us. There are also some decent concerts (New Found Glory, Default). I'm mainly wondering what to expect in terms of wait times (will FastPass be needed?) and general park atmosphere from anyone who may have been before. Thanks!

------------------
Sean Paul
CP 'Screw Crew 2003

Hey, I went to Disneyland GradNite quite a few years ago. Let's just say Smantha Fox and New Kids on the Clock performed. But it was GREAT! Saw my cousin there. Well worth the price. My parents went too. Nothing like riding the Matterhorn at 4AM.

Oh, and there were only a handful of people watching Information Society play at the Tomorrowland Stage. What a concert. Very cool!

------------------
"Know thyself!"

Grad Nite has a reputation among WDW cast members as one of the two worst nights to work because of unruley guests. The other would be Night of Joy (which, ironically, is attended heavily by church groups). One cast member I know has called security people in lines for smoking pot, starting fights, line jumping (we're talking entire lines, not just a few people)... all on various grad nights.

------------------
- John
Dag, yo
Support Rob in the Great DDR Challenge!

Sean, I went to GradNite and I've also gone as a chaperone two times recently. Unless something's changed this year (or last year) don't expect FastPass to be open. The park isn't open long enough to be feasible.

The lines? Well, with tens of thousands of seniors in the park you can guess. It's summer-bad for the three Mountains. Don't go thinking it's ERT or anything. It's a festive affair. The upside is that the concerts are usually pretty good and it's relatively easy to get close to the stage.

Keep in mind that you're talking about seniors, some with dates, dressed to the nines (and, yes, they do enforce the dress code) in a park. While the queues may be long it's a festive affair.

If you're going just to go to the Magic Kingdom, don't bother. You can head out when the crowds are lighter for less. But if you value the whole package it's a high school memory for the Florida-Georgia crowd. I certainly am glad I went to mine.

I went to GradNite last year, I really had a good time. Lines were never really that horrible. I believe the longest I waited at DL was 45 mins for Indiana Jones. I really thought they put on a great night, I had been looking forward to it for months too.

I would love to go again, too bad you can only be a senior once. It definatly was one of my most memorable experiences, as a last good time with all my friends.

To clear one thing up. The original poster was asking about GradNite at Disney World. The Disneyland version is probably more spread out since the park has a lot more E-tickets than Magic Kingdom.

At MK you have the Mountains. At Disneyland you have all three Mountains -- and Indy -- and Matterhorn -- and more.

I would do it if I were you. Running around the park at that hour is unique. Everyone dresses up really nice for the one in Florida.

My brother was the class of '93. A classmate of his entered an MTV contest where the winner was flown to Disneyland in California for grad night. His school won and she took 93 of her classmates with her, including my brother.

The following weekend they went up to WDW for their official grad night. Quite a week!

Hey, how often do you get to ride Splash Mountain in a suit?

------------------
"Know thyself!"

It isn't at all uncommon for them to turn off a ride and leave evryone in the dark. From there they wait until people light up their "cigarettes" Then the fun police comes in and hauls people to jail for drug possesion. What'll they think of next.

Just a little heads up for you so you or any of your friends don't have to call your parents from the county jail.

Here is my take on Grad Nite. We were at the Magic Kingdom, and the performers were Run DMC, Micheal Bolton, Club Nouveaux, and the best was Expose'. Really. It also rained like a banshee from 10pm until Midnight. So the riding was limited the boat ride across the Seven Seas Lagoon, the Monorail back, the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and that people mover gig above Tomorrowland.

That night blew. But, we spent the the entire trip going to EPCOT, the marketplace, and Wet N Wild. Which was good. Yep, Grad weekend was good, but I would do it again, even with the rain.

------------------
The Empire will Strike Back....
"What do I know, I only work in an Amusement Park?"
"You are paying to get in. Period."

AJ, you caught Expose' at GradNite. Cool. I'm good friends with their producer -- he wrote all the songs on their first two albums (He was actually Billboard Magazine's Songwriter of the Year in 1987). My band played a few shows with Expose' back in the day. Gioia is actually giving music another shot right now.

GradNite is definitely different. If the money isn't earmarked for something else and your friends are going it's something you won't forget.