My family of 4 paid $300 for an after-hours Disney World event. It's a great deal for early park access, live music, and more.

A daytime park ticket to Typhoon Lagoon ranges from $64 to $69 for adults and $58 to $63 for kids ages 3 to 9 (depending on the time of year and block-out dates).

Tickets to H2O Glow Nights cost $75 for adults and $70 for kids, but discounts are available for Disney World annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members. Kids aged 2 and under get free admission to both.

Although H2O Glow Nights costs a bit more, a ticket comes with added perks, including late-night access to the water park and free Mickey-shaped ice-cream bars, soda, and popcorn throughout the night.

Tickets to the event are also sold at a limited capacity each night, meaning wait times for popular waterslides and attractions are shorter than they would be during the day.

H2O Glow Nights officially kick off at 8 p.m., but purchasing tickets to the after-hours event gets you early access to the water park. You can enter Typhoon Lagoon at 6 p.m. and enjoy the park along with regular daytime guests for two hours before the party begins.

We arrived right at 6 p.m. to try to get the most from our ticket, but we had to wait in line for about 30 minutes to get through the park gates.

Other guests we spoke to that evening arrived closer to 7 p.m. and said the wait was minimal, so consider whether or not earlier access is worth a long line if you arrive right when cast members start letting H2O Glow Nights guests into the water park.

If you're hoping to sit right in the middle of the action, the first thing to do once you make it through the park gates is to head for the wave-pool area and secure beach chairs for your party.

Throughout the night, there's a dance party on a stage on the beach in front of the wave pool, so try to sit as close to the stage as possible if you want a good view.

We found most guests at Typhoon Lagoon seemed to respect "reserved" chairs, so a lot of people placed their towels, clothing, and other items where they were hoping to sit throughout the night.

After-hours events at Disney World are not as crowded as normal park hours, so H2O Glow Nights is a perfect time to hit every waterslide and attraction with extremely short wait times.

Most lines during this event took less than 20 minutes to get through, which allowed my family to do every slide we wanted and have plenty of time for the wave pool, lazy river, and beach dancing.

Even areas like the wave pool and the lazy river were significantly less crowded on this night than they are on a normal day at Typhoon Lagoon.

As someone who visits Disney World often, any event that brings the benefit of fewer crowds is always worth the cost for me.

Performers, lit with glow sticks and bright costumes, danced with guests while passing out hula hoops and other fun accessories.

Characters like Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Goofy, and Chip and Dale also came out once an hour to dance in the sand with guests for about 15 minutes at a time.

My family loved dancing the night away to songs like "Cupid Shuffle" and "Stayin' Alive." We enjoyed seeing so many other kids and families getting silly and having fun together.

Because H2O Glow Nights occur on select nights from May 23 through September 2, it's not uncommon for a Florida thunderstorm to briefly roll through the area.

This occurred during our visit and ended up being an unexpectedly fun part of the evening.

When lightning was detected in the area, an announcement was made that all water attractions and beach areas were temporarily closing, so we took shelter under a picnic pavilion to wait out the storm.

As we waited, lifeguards entertained guests with Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars trivia games. Even young kids who were anxious to get back to the water-park fun seemed to enjoy themselves, and I was reminded that Disney truly does think of everything when it comes to guest service.

Since the normal rain-check policy at Disney water parks requires inclement weather that includes thunder and lightning for four or more hours, it seems unlikely an H2O Glow Nights party will be completely rained out.

To keep additional costs down, we took advantage of Disney Parks' cooler policy and brought in a small cooler filled with snacks and water.

Between our prepacked dinner and the popcorn, ice cream, and sodas that were included in our ticket cost, we had plenty to eat and drink without purchasing additional food.

Typhoon Lagoon does have several restaurants and bars, though, and many sell themed food and beverages exclusive to H2O Glow Nights.

H2O Glow Nights seem designed for attendees to have a fun, silly time with family, from the ease of navigating a less-crowded park to the simple joy of dancing on a beach with Goofy and friends.

Throughout the party, there were opportunities to interact with characters, participate in dance contests, and more. It was a great place to let go and cut loose.

Were my teenagers a bit embarrassed when my husband tried to hula hoop or I shook my booty to "The Twist"? Sure, but they know their mom and dad don't take everything in life too seriously — knowledge that will serve them well as they enter adulthood themselves.

In the decade that I've been taking my kids to Disney World, the property's after-hours parties have become my favorite ways to enjoy a less-crowded park and soak in perks that are outside the normal guest experience.

H2O Glow Nights was no exception and has become a fast favorite in my family.

For the $75-a-head ticket price, we received early access to Typhoon Lagoon, a three-hour after-hours event, as much popcorn, ice cream, and soda as we wanted, limited attraction wait times, character interactions, a live DJ, and more.

This event will become a summer tradition in my family and felt well worth the price of tickets.