Disney Vacation Club members converged on Disney California Adventure for a night of free rides and snacks, along with some fun character greeting opportunities.
Moonlight Magic visited the west coast on January 29 as DVC members enjoyed up to 3 hours of complimentary entertainment at Disney California Adventure.
Attendees could arrive as early as 6:00pm with the event formally beginning at 9pm. As evidenced in the photo above, many guests did take advantage of this early entry opportunity on a warm winter Monday in January.
Crowds were heavy during the early hours of the event, with day guests and passholders eligible to remain in the park until 9:00pm.
One of the highlights of Moonlight Magic is always the unique characters to be found around the park. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck and others were often positioned around the main entry plaza.
Later in the evening, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were found laughing and dancing just outside Carthay Circle Restaurant.
Toward the end of Hollywood Boulevard, fan favorite Roger Rabbit posed for photos near the Hyperion Theater marquee.
As expected, attraction wait times steadily decreased over the course of the evening. At 6:30pm, Monsters Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue! had an estimated wait time of 45 minutes. By 11pm, it was a literal walk-on most many vehicles departing the load station without guests.
Carsland is a particularly stunning destination at night. While we did not spot any character greets in this area, guests queued for up to an hour to ride Radiator Springs Racers. (A 15-20 minute breakdown extended wait times for some guests early in the Moonlight Magic event.)
Three times during the evening, Avengers Campus was home to the "Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off."
Popular characters like Captain America, Spider-Man and Loki were spotted meeting with guests.
By 10:30pm, WEB SLINGERS had a wait time of just 10 minutes before entering the pre-show.
San Fransokyo Square made its Moonlight Magic debut. Disney spent 2 years converting the area to add theming from the film 'Big Hero 6'. This area was a popular destination for guests given the variety of quick service dining venues, as well as the Lunar New Year Celebration food booths.
Each Moonlight Magic attendee was given 3 coupons for a complimentary food items up to $10. While one coupon had to be redeemed for each entree or beverage purchased, guests could pay the difference for items priced over $10.
Unfortunately, the free food vouchers lead to long lines at many food and beverage locations. Attendees looking to purchase larger food entrees earlier in the night could easily face 30 minute lines. The same was true of guests using their vouchers for popcorn, churros and other snack items, particularly later in the night.
Guests were treated to a showing of World of Color - One along the shores of the lagoon.
Further up on Paradise Pier, characters like Buzz Lightyear and Jessie greeted families outside Toy Story Midway Mania.
While several characters from 'A Bug's Life' including Flik and Atta were also posing for pics.
Other appearances included Ariel, Prince Eric and the chef from 'The Little Mermaid', and characters from 'Country Bear Jamboree' and 'Rescue Rangers.'
Moonlight Magic is a free event to qualifying Disney Vacation Club members. Advance registration is required and attendance is limited. Other events are planned this year at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. See the complete schedule for dates and registration information.
