Trip Report: Disney Vacation Club Exclusive Moonlight Magic Event At Typhoon Lagoon

Walt Disney World has run a series of “Moonlight Magic” events for Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members for a while now. Joe has been a DVC member since the early 90s (the running joke was that I married him for his points) and after going to and enjoying our time at the Magic Kingdom event in February 2017 (click here for that trip report, as well as a brief history of DVC and how it works), we decided to go to the Typhoon Lagoon event on July 5th. We had gone to a similar event last summer, so we figured it would be a good way to compare last year’s event to this one.

As per Disney’s website, these were the highlights of the event:

Enjoy an evening of fun, games, dancing and more as the park becomes your playground. Throughout the event, you’ll have access to select attractions and experiences.

Plus, delight in some complimentary refreshments, including assorted ice cream novelties, cookies, chips, lemonade and water.

The important details included:

Where & When – UPDATED EVENT DATE
Please be aware that the Moonlight Magic event originally scheduled for Thursday, June 22 has been moved to Friday, June 23, 2017.

• Event Dates: Friday, June 23, 2017; Wednesday, June 28, 2017; Wednesday, July 5, 2017; Thursday, July 13, 2017
• Time: Event is from 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM; Members and special guests can enter the park as early as 7:30 PM
• Location: Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida

Important Details

• Reservations are required and limited. Unfortunately, walk-ins will not be permitted.
• Valid Disney Vacation Club Membership Card and photo ID required at check-in.
• Complimentary admission to the after-hours event at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park is valid for the duration of the event. If you wish to enter the water park before the event, valid park admission is required.
• For early admission, use regular bus location to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park.
• Complimentary bus transportation will be provided between 6:30 PM and 12:30 AM for those staying at Disney Vacation Club Resorts. Bus service will run between Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park and the main bus stops in the following Disney Resort hotel locations:
  • Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  • Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
  • Disney’s Contemporary Resort
  • Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village
  • Disney’s Beach Club Resort
  • Disney’s BoardWalk Resort
  • Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
  • Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Complimentary bus transportation will also be available between the Disney Springs bus stop and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, provided between 6:30 PM and 12:30 AM.
• Offer is complimentary, non-transferable and cannot be sold.
• Party size limits apply:
  • For Members with a reservation at a Disney Resort hotel, party size is limited to the Member and up to the number of guests listed on their Disney Resort hotel reservation.
  • For Members without a reservation at a Disney Resort hotel, party size is limited to the Member and up to 5 guests.
• Guests under 18 must be accompanied by a participating parent or guardian.
• We request that Members cancel at least 48 hours in advance.
• Event may be canceled at the discretion of Disney Vacation Club due to inclement weather and Guests will be notified via resort communication.

They even had exclusive event merchandise!

Event T-Shirt 

Wear your Member pride on your sleeve with a Moonlight Magic-inspired t-shirt. This teal-colored shirt features Donald Duck and a playful design celebrating Disney Vacation Club Moonlight Magic at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park. 

Joe and I arrived at Typhoon Lagoon a couple of minutes after 7:30pm. We approached the entry to the park and had to queue up to check in, show our DVC ID cards, and get our wristbands for the event. I was pleasantly surprised they didn’t do a bag check here.

Complementary towels were available at High ‘N Dry and Singapore Sal’s but we had brought our own.

We worked our way to the lockers, going past the High ‘N Dry merchandise store on the way. We weren’t interested in getting the event exclusive T-shirt or pin, but a whole lot of people seemed to be!

Locker obtained and our stuff put away, we found 2 lounge chairs for our towels and started wandering around Typhoon Lagoon. Unlike last year, when Crush ‘n’ Gusher was closed for the event (???) it seemed as if just about all of the attractions were open:

1. Typoon Lagoon Surf Pool
2. Castaway Creek
3. Ketchakiddee Creek (for the enjoyment of children 48″ and under)
4. Keelhaul Falls
5. Mayday Falls
6. Gangplank Falls
7. Humunga Kowabunga
8. Storm Slides
9. Bay Slides (for the enjoyment of children 60″ and under)
10. Mountain Trail
11. Miss Adventure Falls
12. Crush ‘n’ Gusher (presented by Chiquita)

Lines varied from 15 to 30 minutes for most attractions, with the exception of Crush ‘n’ Gusher (45 to 60 minutes) and Miss Adventure Falls (a new attraction, 60 to 90 minute wait). This was a nice change from last year, when most waits averaged 30 to 45 minutes for most of the evening, but I wonder if that’s because more people were on Miss Adventure Falls (since it was new) and Crush ‘n’ Gusher (because it was open this year).

We hit pretty much all of the attractions, save for the kid stuff, Humunga Kowabunga (because huh-uh, no WAY!) and Miss Adventure Falls (I don’t care if it’s new and we’ve never been on it – there are very few water rides that are worth a 90-minute wait). I tried to videotape what I could, but the only one that came out OK was Crush ‘n’ Gusher:

Food and beverages were both available, with 2 snack stations (one on either side of the water park) that included Lay’s potato chips, Mickey Pops, fruit/ice bars, ice cream sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies and sugar free lemon cookies. Lemonade and water were also available, and everything was all-you-care-to-eat-and-drink. Leaning Palms was available for burgers, pizza, chicken, sandwiches, salads, snacks and kid’s meals, and Let’s Go Slurping was open for adult beverages – those two locations were not complementary and required payment (last year, the only food available was the complementary snacks).

Donald Duck, Genie and Sebastian were all available for photo ops and Disney Vacation Club executives were on hand, if you cared to to rub elbows, from 8:30pm to 10:00pm. There was also a DJ to the side of the wave pool for most of the event, leading rousing games of Simon Says, telling corny jokes, and playing some pretty decent music (said this lady who likes stuff from the 80s). We didn’t take part in any of these activities, but it looked as if a lot of people did.

Overall, it was a fun evening. I’m not sure if they allowed less people this year, if they had more attractions open, or if it was a mixture of both, but it seemed as if the queues were generally shorter (except for the 2 water coasters). The snacks were pretty much the same as last year, although the inclusion of “real” food and adult beverages for those who wanted them, even for a price, was very nice. Comparing this year to last, I’d give this year two thumbs up…which is 1 thumb more than last time. WTG, Disney Vacation Club; we look forward to your next Moonlight Madness event!

Liked this post? We have trip reports of several other DVC Midnight Magic events:

• Feb. 2017: Magic Kingdom
• July, 2017: Typhoon Lagoon
• Dec., 2017: Epcot
• Jan., 2018: Magic Kingdom (compared to 2017)
• Mar., 2018: Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• Jan., 2019: Magic Kingdom (compared to 2017 and 2018)
• May, 2019: Epcot (compared to 2017)

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