Disney’s Extra Magic Hours have been replaced by Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours.
EPCOT in the morning
Early Theme Park Entry began on September 26th, with all Disney World hotel guests getting to enter all four Disney World parks an extra half-hour before opening time. Extended Evening Hours are a little different, but now we have some exciting news about this Disney hotel perk — AND some mistakes to avoid!
Extended Evening Hours have officially begun in Disney World! These extra hours are offered to guests staying at a Disney World Deluxe hotel, Shades of Green, or one of the Swan and Dolphin hotels. If you qualify, you can stay in a certain Disney World theme park on select days for up to two hours past normal closing time.
EPCOT
Today was the first day of this new perk, taking place in EPCOT from 10PM till midnight. We entered the park after 10PM, and Cast Members checked our deluxe hotel reservation before scanning our ticket. We were also told at each ride that guests will have to scan to provide their confirmed resort reservation.
EPCOT at night
Only select rides are open in the theme parks during Extended Evening Hours. In EPCOT, the following rides and attractions remain open:
- Beauty and The Beast Sing-Along
- Frozen Ever After
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
- Mission: SPACE
Mission: SPACE
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Note that one major ride, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, is not listed as being open during the extra hours. When we checked this evening, we noticed that Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and La Crêperie de Paris were both closed.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Here’s a look at the wait times in the middle of the extended evening hours!
Wait times at EPCOT during extended evening park hours © Disney
All of the rides were either walk-on or had a short wait of 20 minutes or less! When’s the last time you were basically able to walk onto Frozen Ever After or Test Track?!
Wait times at EPCOT during extended evening park hours © Disney
Compared to the crowds that we saw EPCOT have during Disney World’s 50th anniversary, the parks were pretty quiet! We noticed that many guests were leaving after Harmonious. So, if you plan on sticking around for the evening, you may either want to skip the show and continue to ride attractions during that time or head straight for the rides after Harmonious concludes.
Spaceship Earth crowds during EPCOT’s extended evening park hours
But, one of the best parts about EPCOT is its delicious food (and lots of it)! When we were ready to find a late-night snack, we looked around to see which restaurants and snack booths were open. Rose & Crown Pub is open until 12AM! But, it’s important to note that many of the restaurants you may see during the day are closed around this time. We recommend eating prior to the Extended Evening Hours, just to be on the safe side!
Rose and Crown pub is open all night long!
Here’s the thing about that food though. Don’t be too tempted; it might lead to a mistake! You might think that two hours of post-park close time is PLENTY to ride everything you want, but if you spend too much of that time snacking and sipping, you might not be so lucky. Don’t make the mistake of heading into your extra hours unprepared! Have a game plan and keep it moving!
If you don’t plan to take advantage of staying late every day you can, we recommend skipping EPCOT. This perk is most likely much more valuable at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (if/when it’s added) where there are more high-demand rides. In EPCOT, most of the rides are pretty accessible during regular park hours. If you only use this perk for EPCOT, you might be making a mistake!
Spaceship Earth
In Magic Kingdom, the park is open later at night from 9PM until 11PM for guests staying after-hours. These hours will vary and shift depending on the day and the regular park hours. Crowds tend to really pick up around the Magic Kingdom at around 9, as guests leave the park after Disney Enchantment. So, you definitely want to steer clear of places like Main Street, U.S.A. since many guests head towards the exit around the start of Extended Evening Hours. Personally, we find it EXTRA magical to ride outdoor attractions like Splash Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and more when the fireworks are taking place.
Disney Enchantment Crowds
Throughout the night, you can go on the following rides and attractions during Extended Evening Hours in the Magic Kingdom:
- “it’s a small world”
- Astro Orbiter
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- Mad Tea Party
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- The Barnstormer
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
As you can see there are MANY more rides available in the evenings at Magic Kingdom, so the perk is definitely more helpful here. If you do head over to Magic Kingdom, it’s even MORE important to have a plan of action. You won’t be able to ride everything in two hours, so prioritize! And remember, you can get food without waiting too long during the day — it’s the rides that usually have long lines!
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
These are the only two parks with Extended Evening Hours listed so far. You can find the complete list of Extended Evening Hours on our main page.
Click Here to Find the Complete Schedule for Extended Evening Hours
If you’re wondering whether your hotel qualifies for the extra hours, just check this list of all the qualifying hotels:
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Grand Floridian lobby
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Yacht Club Lobby
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Shades of Green Resort
Swan Reserve
When choosing your hotel, you may want to consider picking a Deluxe Resort in order to be able to take advantage of both Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening hours. You will need to see if the extra cost is worth the hours for you and your family (because Deluxe Resorts can be a pricey hotel option). Of course, we’ll continue to give you a look at what the crowds continue to be like around the park during regular hours and after hours. Keep following DFB for more updates on what’s new in Disney World!
Click Here to Learn More About the Extra Theme Park Hours Benefits for Disney World Hotel Guests
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Very excited about using this perk. I am curious as to what the wait times will look like. I was disappointed to see that Ratatouille was not on the list, but that means we will just have to get into the virtual que. Looking forward to this. Let’s go!
You must have enough money to be in a deluxe resort. How nice. I’m not interested in spending $1000.00 a night for 2 extra park hours. I think Disney is really wrong on this one.
Were any of the food & wine booths open during these two hours? Or was it just a handful of the permanent dining locations?
Jacksterisk, Food & Wine Festival booths typically close during the Extended Hours (when it was known as Extra Magic Hours). I’ll confirm with our reporters.
Once the Extended Evening Hours time period begins, if you aren’t staying in a Deluxe Resort I get that you can’t ride any of the still-open rides. But if you’re waiting for the crowds to dwindle as you make your way out of the park, would you still be allowed to visit any of the shops?
Or is it that Disney has “jumped the shark” on deluxe hotel pricing and is not selling out as they used to. Disney is just getting to expensive and with all the perks that have been cancelled from the old days, they are not meeting the forecasted revenue goals.
Tre, you would likely be able to do that, yes.
Doesn’t Shades of Green qualify for extended evening hours? According to the Disney website it’s on the list.
I am getting more and more disappointed in the direction Disney has taken over the years and most recently. I worked for the company for thirteen years (stores and Disney records) and was always so excited about everything Disney, still have my records jacket! I started getting disappointed when one by one the “gentler” rides started to disappear (ok so that what kids like), costs always went up (no surprise there), but these recent changes are actually very non Walt Disney and my opinion is he would not be happy about this and to roll them out on the 50th anniversary stinks. Why would they create a caste system and only allow extended evening hours to those that are in the Deluxe end. That is prejudicial and frankly a slap in the face to many. My disappointment level is getting higher and higher. Thanks for your article and yes I will be sending an equivalent email to Disney, probably stronger.
Taylour, it does. Thanks for reaching out.
Being told thar Disney Springs hotels were considered the same as other Disney hotels, it is very disheartening that the Deluxe hotels such as Lake Buena Vista Disney Hilton Palace,a Deluxe hotel across the street from Disney Springs does NOT qualify for Extended park hours. No way we can get to a park for early hours trying to rangle grandsons in the early morning.
I agree with the comment above: the Disney springs hotels are listed as deluxe hotels on the Disney website. Do we know why they are not included in the deluxe extended hours??
Can’t wait for this! We’re staying at Boardwalk so that makes this an even greater perk! I don’t feel it’s a waste because Epcot has more to offer for me than just rides. Just taking in the atmosphere in a practically empty park is heaven!
Is this a temporary situation? If Disney no longer includes All their resorts in the extended park hours policy, people can rent beautiful, private, quiet homes very close to Disney for a reasonable fee. For the price of a Disney value resort room, I can have a full kitchen, a private pool, beautiful Disney Decor, plus peace & quiet. And NO daily parking fees! I always get an annual pass so I don’t have to pay themepark parking fees.
Disney World always used to be magical! Now it’s just a regular greedy business trying to run a business model doesn’t work with Disney magic. As an extreme (former) Disney fanatic, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, our next Florida vacation will be to Sea world & Busch Tampa Gardens. Those Parks have a lot to offer & wait till you see their annual pass prices! I’ve never been to Universal Studios; perhaps it’s time to check them out too!
Disney Company is Not on a path to magic anymore. How can they keep charging their patrons more, but giving them less? WDW is way too complicated, too aggravating, & beyond expensive to enjoy anymore. I’m out.
I am interested in resort hopping. If I leave a deluxe hotel for a moderate on the day of extended hours, would we still be permitted to attend the extended hours in the evening? Just not sure since technically we would be staying at the deluxe until checkout in the morning and then switching in the afternoon. Thanks for your help!
Heather, that’s a tough question, and I do not have the answer. I suspect because you’d be “checking into” a Moderate that day, the system would read the Moderate stay as the current stay and prevent you from using Extended Evening Hours. I would recommend calling Disney (or chatting with Disney) about this. I hope they can tell you I’m wrong!
So here is my plan. I’ll will be staying at the Shades of Green from 5 – 15 May 2022. I will purchase a 5 day Park Hopper Ticket 60 days out and plan on visiting each park. Now to avoid the need of the genie plus I want to utilize the early entry and extended hours option. For me and the wife it’s three to four rides we love to get on (like everyone else) eat, shop and repeat. How far in advance does Disney release the extended stay schedule? If I wanted to ride Rise of the Resistance the extended stay would be a great option but I suppose park hopping eliminates the need or do you think there is a better option?
My family booked a trip last minute. We arrive on Wednesday March 9th (an MK extended hours night) staying at DVC-Saratoga Springs. Crowds still pretty light or at least reasonable during evening hours? We get in early afternoon so won’t hit MK until 3:00ish. Trying to decide if the potential to avoid lines will offset the hours needed to cover most things we want to see. Also thinking Wednesday is just a better day to go to MK in terms of crowds.
Its nice that they included the military (Shade of green) Bit otherwise it is only the most expensive, of the all over priced Disney Hotels. It used to be a standard perk for ALL Hotels. Now they want you to think they are giving you something new and special. NOT.
They just gave back to a select few something that they already took away. Cheaper to stay off property