Disney World has seen many changes in the past year.
Cinderella Castle
The global health crisis has Disney making adjustments to Park Hopping, safety regulations, and more. When the theme park’s reopened, Disney made the decision to suspend Extra Magic Hours to reduce early morning crowds. Now, a new experience is coming to Disney World this year that will allow resort guests to enter the parks early.
As part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations, early entry access will make a return in an entirely new way. Guests staying at Disney-owned resorts and other select resorts will be allowed 30-minute early entry to ANY theme park every day. Guests will have the ability to enter the parks early, no matter what day it is. This is a change to and different from Extra Magic Hours that allowed one-hour early access to certain parks on certain days.
EPCOT
Disney has stated that the new early entry benefit will help them spread visitation throughout all four theme parks and offer guests more park time. The new early park entry system will give back a benefit to resort guests, while potentially dispersing early morning crowds to all four theme parks. As opposed to, reintroducing Extra Magic Hours and having guests flock to one theme park for early access.
Magic Kingdom Balloons
Guests will need a valid theme park ticket and we’ve confirmed with Disney that you will also need a Park Pass reservation for the park you’re planning to visit in order to gain early access. Disney has not stated when the early entry benefit will officially begin.
Animal Kingdom
Over the past year, we’ve seen Disney change experiences with the focus of reducing crowds in the theme parks. Theme park capacities have been limited, Mobile Order is encouraged, and new offers like Table Service To Go have been introduced. Reducing incoming morning crowds and outgoing closing crowds has been one of Disney’s main goals.
Harambe Market Mobile Ordering
Among many new regulations, we’ve also seen changes to popular attractions like Rise of the Resistance. Prior to closing (and for a few months after reopening), guests would have to be located inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios in order to book a Boarding Group and ride the attraction. Disney started a new system that allowed guests to book a spot in the virtual queue without entering the theme park. This allowed people to book from their resort and not fight the morning crowds in order to do so.
Rise of the Resistance
Likewise, Disney suspended fireworks and nighttime shows upon reopening. This has helped discourage a big congregation of people waiting to watch the fireworks and a mass exit towards Disney transportation when it’s over. We’ve seen other crowd-reducing techniques like introducing character cavalcades. The mini-parades allow for guests to spot characters without getting too close and attempt to limit crowds waiting for a scheduled parade throughout the day.
Fireworks Testing
What does this new announcement mean for the future of Disney World? We could potentially see more benefits returning this year. It seems that the theme parks are slowly reinstating more benefits with modifications like early entry and Park Hopping. We’ve seen Disney testing fireworks and projects continuing with construction as well. 2021 could bring back more experiences as Disney navigates health and safety regulations.
We’ll continue to update you on early park entry and more updates in the future.
Check out our ultimate guide to the Magic Kingdom in 2021 here!
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Does this include Swan & Dolphin?
Do you know what other select resorts will allow the early entry? We are staying at the Swan in April and we want to know if that non-Disney owned hotel will qualify.
Thank you and keep up the great work!
Disney has gotten out of control. They have jacked their prices and have taken away most of the magic. Removing the Magical Express all but guarantees that out of town guests will not be visiting. Having to find a ride from the airport or pay an additional fee to park at a Disney resort is a deal breaker.
Thirty minutes early? That’s nothing…..nothing at all…..
I have spent every vacation for the last 30 years at Disney. I have seen a lot of changes over the years. They may be cancelling the Magical Express due to the light rail system being built from MCO. With that said, am I the only person who thinks that paying full price for a park ticket is crazy due to the diminished experience currently being offered? We were there this past October. Completely different experience. We have been there so many times, that we didn’t care about fireworks or shows but what about families who have saved for years only to get there and find out no fireworks, no parades, no fast passes, no character meet and greets, no dining plan only VERY limited mobile ordering and reservations made for the few restaurants that are open in advance. They won’t let you walk in. The resort buses aren’t running as frequently and Skyliner always seems to have problems. It is really not worth buying a hopper pass. You can’t hop until after 2pm now and when you decide to hop you need to check your MDE app to see if your next park has any availability. You can’t just pop in. If you didn’t start in DHS, you can’t hop and expect to enter their virtual queue for ROTR. Honestly, I need to start thinking of a new vacation spot!
Do you know if they will start up the Skyliner earlier too, to match the early open8ng for resort guests?
On our trip to the parks over the holidays, we were able to get into the park 45 min before official opening time every day of our trip, no matter which park we went to. Does this mean that only hotel guests will get in 30 min before official opening, and others will have to wait until official park hours to get into the park? I guess I’m asking if they’re doing away with early entry for people that show up for rope drop.
When does this start?
If I pay triple or greater rack rate for WDW onsite resort, I can enter the Parks a Whole 30 minutes sooner ???
All these New Changes have Burst the Bubble……..Very Discouraging and SAD. Why is Disney on a Self Destruction Course ?
This is a down grade for sure. Sad.
They should make it an hour, not just 30 minutes.
Early admittance is good if you like getting up early but Iam a big fan of extra hours night They keep referring to morning anything happening for extra time night rather that then morning How about moonlight madness anything So sad to think I have to rethink visiting new Disney when over 150 trips since 71 has to be rethink when all is ending Not liking limited Disney
Hm, well that’s good news! Sorta. It’s weak compared to “get in an hour early/stay 1-2 hours later” that was the BEST hotel perk, but it’s something, at least. Especially if it’s universal to every day.
I believe this perk, is well deserved. I like the fact you get a 30 minute jump start, ahead of standard opening time in all parks. I think that this is better than Extra Magic hour. This may allow you to get in two popular attractions prior to park opening. IMO, that is a huge plus.
Wow, a whole 30 minutes early entry. With no character dining, no parades, no fireworks, no luggage delivery with Magical Express, no dining plan, No meet and greets, I have to say I’d cancel my trip if I wouldn’t lose my airfare and if we weren’t traveling with another family, who has never been to Disney. I’m sorry they’ll miss out on so much. Not excited for my upcoming visit.
Kelly, no word from Disney yet on when this will start.
Jessica, you might want to call the hotels to see what they say. I would expect yes, but I don’t believe Disney released that information.
I agree with Mama. 2 extra hours at night after park closing is much more appreciated by me!
30 minute early entry is an insult. It might take 30 minutes just to get through the gate. Disney is going to lose so much money on these dumb ideas they have been pushing so far this year.
NO more Magical Express to and from the Airport. One of the dumbest ideas. Now you will either have people renting cars for thier stay, Which diney charges you $25,00 a night to park your car at the Hotel you are staying at. Get an Uber, Taxi or Limo, all of which add to my expense even before getting to my over priced on property hotel. So you are going to add that much more traffic to the already crowded traffic in and around WDW.
Extra Magic Hours before or after was far more apealing than this 30 minute early nonsense.
Who is making these decisions at Disney, Someone needs to be fired.
I need an annual pass to come to the parks 30 minutes early. Looking forward to these being reinststed very soon. (AP ran out last February 2020. No trip planned until following January 2021 so did not renew. Now can’t get. Cancelled the January trip. Hope to buy before trip two and three in 2021 or will cancel one.)
I am an early riser unless I am on vacation. Opening the park early is not a perk for me unless it clears out the breakfast crowd at the hotel.
Give me late hours any time.
They’ve been allowing guests in up to 45 minutes early everyday anyway so how does this change anything?
30 min early every single day is better than an hour early twice IMO. Also the magic express is being replace by a train. The magic is still there, I’m just grateful they are doing whatever is needed to stay OPEN.
Thirty minutes is really nothing, an hour wasn’t really much either. As to the magical express being replaced by a train, What a joke! How do you get from whatever airport terminal you are in to the train station…..AFTER you go to baggage claim to wait for your luggage and drag it along to wherever the train station is? OIA is a very big airport, unless you forgot. Now may the train will drive around the airport and stop at all the terminals and pick up passengers and their luggage? 🙂
I was going to RV to the East Coast and spend 3.5 months at Disney ( not on property). Was just waiting to see if APs were coming back. This news is VERY deflating. As someone coming off site you could plan around Early Magic Hours, hit a non EMH park at opening and not have to wait too long at a top tier ride. Now there will be lots of people already in every park. Understand on site hotel guests need some perks, but don’t totally hose day guests.
All this negativity! Wow. I’m STILL excited about my upcoming trip in December. The whole world just went through an unforeseen pandemic, of course a place like Disney — that welcomes guests from all over the world — had to take EVERY precaution. I think the idea of being able to enter any park early, everyday, is wonderful. Takes some of the stress off of planning your morning around certain parks being open early. Yes, I wish it was an hour. But you know what? I’m grateful I get to experience Disney and share it with my kiddos, no matter what the circumstances. It’s still a magical place to our family.
This story is 11 months old??? And you posted it now like this is current news????
Steve, this post is from January 2021.
In defense of both Steve and DFB, it would be very helpful if you included a “post date” on every post. I have read older posts before too, only to realize it’s old news. With (Covid) rules changing so often, having a “posted” date might help when trying to get to what is current…although many do seem to cycle. Thanks for keeping us informed.