Extra Magic Hours are no longer in place in Disney World. But if you want extra time in the parks, you can still get that thanks to 2 perks that were introduced as part of the 50th Anniversary celebration.
Cinderella Castle
Currently the Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours perks allow select hotel guests to spend some extra time in the parks. We’ve already experienced both of these offerings, but one BIG thing with the Early Theme Park Entry perk is about to change!
At the moment all Disney World hotel guests and guests at select other hotels can get extra time in the parks in the morning thanks to Early Theme Park Entry. Right now Early Theme Park Entry allows all Disney World hotel guests (and guests at other select hotels) to enter any park of their choosing 30 minutes early on any day, but soon things will be changing!
Resort Guest? Right this way!
Today Disney announced that from December 19th, 2021 through January 3rd, 2022, Early Theme Park Entry will be bumped up to 60 minutes before park opening time! That means that Disney hotel guests will actually get to enter any theme park of their choosing on ANY day 60 minutes early (instead of just 30 minutes early) throughout that time period. Keep in mind that theme park admission, a Park Pass reservation for the park you want to visit, and your resort ID will be required.
©Disney
This could be a HUGE benefit considering the holiday crowds that likely will be present throughout Disney World during this time. Having 60 extra minutes in the park early in the morning with a limited group of guests could give you the chance to get in more rides and fun.
Hollywood Studios Entrance
Just keep in mind that not all attractions, shops, and restaurants are available during the Early Theme Park Entry time. Only select rides, shops, and restaurants are available during that time, so that’s something to be aware of.
Click here to see the FULL list of rides available during Early Theme Park Entry!
Also note that this change is limited for now and will only be in effect until January 3rd, 2022. That is, of course, subject to change.
If you’ll be heading to Disney World soon, limited time changes for Disney Genie+ and Pay-pEr-Ride selections have been announced.
Click here to learn more about these Genie+ limited time updates!
We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates and share those with you. Stay tuned for more Disney news!
Click here to see what hotels qualify for Early Theme Park Entry!
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Will you be staying at a Disney World hotel during this time and taking advantage of this benefit? Tell us in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
Wish this change has been last week when we are there. 30 minutes didn’t get too much of advantage. It also depends on the park how it is handled and it seemed to impact the advantage. Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom I liked they let people in but then limited you access past the front to certain guests. We didn’t do early at Epcot as we ended there many nights because we were staying at Beach Club. Hollywood Studios it really created a bottle neck at the front with people waiting to get in and needing to navigate past them to get in. Now what I would really like to see if the other two Parks adding the after hours events for certain guests. We got on an incredible amount of rides in MK and Epcot with those two extra hours- everything was a walk on. We were able to do Remy 5 times in a row and could have done one more but we were getting dizzy from the quick turn around and decided to call it!