Disney World Extends Holiday Hours & Adds New 2021 Dates
Walt Disney World has added new hours through January 9, 2021 for Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios, while also extending hours for peak holiday season dates in December 2020. In this post, we’ll share the new calendar dates, extended hours for Christmas week, plus commentary on best & worst days of the week for each park.
The good news is that this continues the trend of restoring (and even extending) the Walt Disney World reduced fall hours. As you might recall, post-reopening park hours were initially limited, then further cut due to low attendance (especially the last ~2 hours of the day) and subsequently added back due to soaring guest numbers in the last month-plus.
Helping fuel the extensions, Walt Disney World Announced Christmas Entertainment that required nighttime operating hours. In the last several weeks, the calendar has been adjusted accordingly with each new release of park hours for the holiday season. Notably, EPCOT’s hours shifted to 12 pm until 8 pm and Magic Kingdom expanded its hours to 9 am until 7 pm…
This go-round, we have both extensions for the Christmas 2020 season and new dates added to the calendar in January 2020. Not a ton of either, but extending upon the familiar trends from 200+ Park Hours Added to Walt Disney World’s Calendar Through Christmas 2020 that occurred two weeks ago and the New January 2021 Hours released last week.
Anyway, here’s what was just posted to the calendar on DisneyWorld.com for January 3-9, 2021…
Added hours are the same for all dates that week through January 9, 2021:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 6 pm
- EPCOT: 12 pm to 8 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 10 am to 7 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 9 am to 5 pm
Walt Disney World has returned to its normal, pre-closure practice of releasing boilerplate hours in advance before extending those based on attendance and hotel occupancy projections closer to the dates. The only difference to these hours is that Magic Kingdom is closing at 6 pm instead of 7 pm like during the previous week.
However, these initial “lorem ipsum” Walt Disney World park hours are simply a placeholder, and serve as a minimum baseline for what the ultimate hours will end up being, with hours only extended and not reduced. Prior to the closure, Walt Disney World released these hours ~6 months in advance, with there being seasonal trends and holiday variations based upon past precedent.
In short, the initially weekly releases of new hours does not account for crowd trends, special events, holidays–literally anything. It’s a copy & paste job from the new template established for the holiday season.
As we pointed out last week, there is a 0.07% chance that the hours for New Year’s Eve will end up being shorter than the hours for November 19, 2020, absent aliens invading Magic Kingdom again.
Note that those shorter park hours are still showing for New Year’s Eve despite this week’s announcement that the 2020 Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will end on December 30, 2020, potentially clearing space for crowd flow of guests wanting to ring in the New Year at EPCOT.
Also announced this week is that the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts will begin on January 8, 2021. While we’ve been questioning whether January & February 2021 crowds would be lower than in the recent past due to a lack of conventions, runDisney, and youth sporting events, that weekend will unquestionably be busy. Accordingly, those hours are unlikely to be accurate.
Next, we have the extensions. The big weeks changing this time are the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year’s Eve (December 20-30, 2020), and it’s a curiously uniform change:
- Magic Kingdom: 8 am to 10 pm
- EPCOT: 10 am to 9 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 9 am to 8 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 7 am to 7 pm
For comparison, here were last year’s Christmas week park hours
- Magic Kingdom: 8 am to 12 am
- EPCOT: 9 am to 9:30 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 8 am to 10 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 9 am to 9 pm
Note that last year, each park had longer hours on December 25 and thereafter. Additionally, there were slight variances due to Extra Magic Hours and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party running later than normal. However, those were the norms.
In addition to extended hours for Christmas week, Magic Kingdom will now be closing at 9 pm all Fridays through Sundays in November 2020. Previously, the park was closing at 8 pm the first three weekends of the month.
EPCOT is receiving an hour closing time extension for those same November weekends, now closing at 10 pm instead of 9 pm. Animal Kingdom is also adding one hour, closing at 7 pm instead of 6 pm, but only for the first two weekends of the month. No changes at DHS for any of those dates.
Two things are interesting to me with this year’s Christmas week operating schedule, which still may not be the final hours.
First, every date has the same schedule. This wouldn’t make sense in a normal year since Christmas day is more popular than the week leading up to it. However, it does make sense in this capacity-constrained year.
There’s a very good chance that all four parks are going to have their Disney Park Pass reservations fully booked well before those dates arrive, and be at 100% of their reduced capacity that entire week.
While in the recent past, Walt Disney World has adjusted hours, restaurants, retail, etc. to “create” more capacity, they’re probably pulling out all the stops for the entirety of Christmas week. The upper limit on capacity and attendance will be reached every single day that week. Meaning there is no reason for differing hours…and also that every single day in every park will be equal(ly bad) from a crowd calendar perspective.
The other surprise is that 7 am opening time for Animal Kingdom during Christmas week. We remarked on this when Animal Kingdom moved to a 7 am opening time for Halloween. It’s a tad surprising that Walt Disney World would make that same, rather bold adjustment for Christmas week without first seeing how Halloween played out.
In our extensive experience doing those crack of dawn park openings over the last several years, we’ve found that very few guests will get up that early to visit the parks. That’s true no matter how busy things are predicted to be later in the day. This is doubly true with a predominantly local audience that has visited countless times and doesn’t have the same motivation as one in a lifetime guests. Not that we’re complaining–we’ll take advantage of those sunrise hours, cool weather, and low crowds at Animal Kingdom!
The same “all parks will be equally bad” prediction almost certainly will apply to Thanksgiving week, as that’s another period of the calendar with uniformly long park hours across the board. Several of you have asked for ‘best/worst day’ advice for that week; our response has typically been to do Magic Kingdom earlier in the week, but it probably doesn’t really matter.
The same will almost certainly hold true for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. On the plus side, if you’re an annual visitor during these weeks, you should still benefit from a pronounced reduction in crowds relative to that same week in a normal year. This is a contrast to what guests are experiencing right now, but that’s entirely because normal demand for October is significantly lower than it is for peak holiday dates.
If you’re planning for non-peak dates in November or December, you’ll want to keep an eye on our Walt Disney World Park Reports. We have a Disney’s Hollywood Studios report coming tomorrow or Monday that’s…not great. We’ll also have other new reports for Magic Kingdom and EPCOT this coming week.
Although CEO Bob Chapek claims Walt Disney World Capacity Is Still Capped at 25%, that’s disingenuous and misleading. The low crowds from the summer are now a thing of the past, as attendance levels are now increasing every single week and “feels like” crowds are worse right now than in a normal October.
When it comes to best & worst days to visit, our top recommendation is to avoid Walt Disney World on weekends, federal holidays, and Southern school breaks. Guests right now are disproportionately from Florida and other nearby states, so you basically want to avoid any time they’re off work or school.
That advice will not change for the remainder of 2020. Regardless of which day you’re visiting, we’d advise following the steps in our Post-Reopening Walt Disney World Itineraries. Those are optimized for moderate or lower days, but the same steps are applicable for busier times–you just won’t get everything done.
If your Walt Disney World trip encompasses a weekend, schedule Disney’s Hollywood Studios for least one of those days. The park now hits or comes close to hitting capacity every single day of the week. Accordingly, there is almost no difference in crowds there on weekdays v. weekends. Consequently, DHS feels very busy every single day of the week instead of just weekends.
If Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a must-do for you, schedule DHS both of those days. This is because Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has essentially become a de facto lottery. It turns out of boarding passes immediately at both 10 am and 2 pm–even if you’re quick to the draw using My Disney Experience, luck dictates whether you’ll score spots in the virtual queue.
EPCOT is the worst choice on weekends. Our EPCOT Photo Report: Stay Away on Weekends is essential reading. It’s arguably the most important piece of advice for families visiting in the next few months (perhaps beyond).
Mondays through Wednesdays are all equally good for EPCOT. We’ve noticed a slight uptick in crowds on Thursdays, and a more significant one on Fridays. Still, not nearly as bad as Saturday or Sunday.
As for the your other weekend choice, we’re starting to lean towards Animal Kingdom–and that’s even more true if you’re visiting from early November 2020 on, when Magic Kingdom shifts to closing after sunset on weekdays. Animal Kingdom is attractive on weekends thanks to the earlier 8 am opening time and later 6 pm closing.
Most locals will not get up that early, so you can still accomplish an efficient itinerary solely by virtue of arriving early—or even staying late. Our Awesome Afternoon in Animal Kingdom for a rundown of everything we recently accomplished there, including actual v. posted wait times.
Crowd-wise, Magic Kingdom is a good pick Monday through Thursday, with Wednesday being the best day of the week there from an objective perspective. You’ll get more done those days, even with the park being open for one less hour.
With Magic Kingdom now closing after sunset on a regular basis, it’s not necessary to do the park on a weekend. However, you will get more time in Magic Kingdom after dark Fridays through Sundays, and that does have undeniable subjective appeal.
Ultimately, Walt Disney World crowds are getting worse with each passing week. Midday wait times have been bad and lines are lengthy, but it’s possible to beat the crowds with efficient strategy. Arriving early, doing a midday break, and staying late is the best tactic–familiar advice for longtime fans that proves even while virtually everything is in flux, some things never change.
Visiting Walt Disney World exclusively on weekdays will be the best low crowds experience, even if it means shorter hours. How you order the parks Mondays through Thursdays matters less, but we’d recommend doing Magic Kingdom on Wednesday or Thursday and EPCOT earlier in the week, but that’s really it.
If you’re visiting Walt Disney World for a long weekend, do Magic Kingdom on Friday, Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Saturday, DHS again or Animal Kingdom on Sunday, and EPCOT on Monday. The longer hours can be worth the higher crowd levels, especially if you value sunset and dusk in the parks and are able to avoid the middle of the day. As always, things continue to ‘evolve’ so we’ll keep you posted as to how this strategy changes over the coming weeks and months.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your thoughts about the latest Walt Disney World calendar additions? Think crowds will be “equally bad” for the duration of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve weeks? Do you agree that more park hours between Christmas and New Year’s Eve will be extended? Will you be visiting Walt Disney World for the holiday season? Concerned about the ever-increasing crowds at Walt Disney World? Does the schedule influence your decision to visit or not? Do you agree or disagree with our advice and commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
With single day bookings – are you allowed to leave the park and come back in or does that count as hopping?
Yes, you can leave and then go back to the same park.
Love the Blog Tom! Used it a few years ago when we went to Disneyland. We have booked a trip to Disney World over the holidays. We are in the park 12/31-1/4. Will we miss some of the crazy crowds coming on the back end or is that wishful thinking?
We decided to plan a last minute trip the week of thanksgiving for my birthday! Worrying about how bad the crowds will be. Thank you Tom for the covid park itenaries! Plan on using them!!
This is good news. Seems like they are moving back towards reality. As for capacity, 25% of 100,000 in Magic Kingdom will still seem heavy, with the distancing situation and still closed eateries and such. But it’s about time they start bumping out up slowly.
What they really need to do is figure out a way to increase hourly throughput on attractions. Operating rides at 25-50% of their normal numbers plus closed or reduced capacity restaurants plus entertainment loses plus physical distancing results in “feels like” crowds that are becoming worse than they’d be in a normal October.
Putting more dividers in ride vehicles or whatever is necessary to decrease the number of empty seats is the best solution–and is going to be necessary as these peak season holiday weeks approach.
Agreed. All of these chokeholds make the parks seem super-crowded. While I really hate the plastic dividers ruining the view and effects on many rides, they make people feel safer and MAY actually help. Adding them to the Droid cars in ROTR will at least allow them to run more people through.
FYI, these are not the correct hours. If you look at the calendar depending on the day MK is 9-8 or 9-7, EPCOT is 11-9 or 10-9. For anyone planning a trip, dining, etc., please look at your specific dates.
Hi Tom,
Thank you for your blog. It has helped us tremendously when planning our trips. When WDW first opened back up you and Sarah were very apprehensive about eating indoors and staying safely at a distance from people. Now that the crowds have increased so much, how are you feeling now about safety and eating indoors? Are you still sitting outside and do you feel social distancing is getting much more difficult? Thank you and stay safe.
We still don’t eat indoors. That’s the highest risk activity possible in a theme park, and something we probably won’t do again anytime before Spring 2021 (at the earliest).
Physical distancing is definitely getting more difficult in some scenarios, but I’m not the least bit concerned with fleeting encounters outdoors with (mostly) masked individuals.
We just scheduled a trip for the week of Christmas, due to a death in our extended family. So we’re running away to Disney. Do I need my head checked?
Nope it will be great for you to get away from it all. Sorry to hear about your loss.
Cristy-No head checking needed. It is a great place to just go and spend time with family and get away from whatever is consuming you!! Enjoy your trip. For the record, I wondered the same thing when we booked our trip in late August-I knew it was going to be hot and we were smack dab in the middle of the pandemic but I realized that we needed to leave 2020 behind for a week and just enjoy each other’s company! We wore masks, sanitized/washed hands often and ate outside whenever possible. We had a blast and I am sure you will too! I am sorry for your loss. -Fellow Disney Addict in Michigan. 🙂
As long as you are willing to be flexible with your expectations of what happens once you are there, absolutely not! I’m sorry for your loss, and hope this trip brings some happiness your way.
3rd week in Nov. I have no idea what to bring for clothes. I need help, Any suggestions. I don’t want to bring my whole summer and winter closets.
Just bring a sweater to put over your short sleeve clothing. I wear shorts about 95% of the year in SW Florida, just a bit further south than Lake Buena Vista. Winter down here usually lasts about two or three days. We had our AC turned on all year long
Layers! We have gone in November and it was cool in the morning then warm in the middle then cool again at night. So we needed shorts and pants. T-shirts but sweatshirt/sweater as well.
When the park was open early if the weather was supposed to get warm (for shorts) we would force ourselves to leave the hotel in shorts and a t-shirt and it warmed up fast. (Of course that was during non-COVID times and we were leaving early)
We usually wear convertible pants. When it gets warm, zip the legs off and stick them in your park pack. When it cools off again in evening, put them back on. You’re probably going to buy a new hoodie thereanyway, so pick the one you want and then buy it when it gets cooler to wear.
I wear capris and take a cozy hoodie. My husband just wears his shorts and rarely wears his hoodie. We have had lovely weather that time of year. Depends on what you consider is cold.
If you had to choose between visiting dec 11-20 or Feb. 27- march 6, in terms of crowds, which would you suggest??
Not Tom but I would absolutely DO feb-March. Most schools are in session. Unless seeing Disney at Christmas is a must, I would void the crowds then.
Even without a fireworks show how late do you think can we expect the parks to be open New Year’s Eve? I just can’t imagine Disney sending thousands of guests back to their rooms before midnight with nothing to do.
Yes we will be there that entire week and am wondering if park times will be extended out…especially with Universal staying open til 10pm….
“Also announced this week is that the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts will begin on January 8, 2021. While we’ve been questioning whether January & February 2021 crowds would be lower than in the recent past due to a lack of conventions, runDisney, and youth sporting events, that weekend will unquestionably be busy. Accordingly, those hours are unlikely to be accurate.”
Do you think the first day of the festival, January 8, will be considerably less crowded than Saturday the 9th? Or will the days most likely both be crowded the same? I scheduled DHS for Friday as it’s my birthday and favorite park and Epcot Saturday, but wondering if I should switch strategy. I have Sunday scheduled for a second DHS day in case I don’t get ROTR the first day, but might switch to a second Epcot day to enjoy more of the festival if we do get ROTR the first day.
We’ll be at AoA over the weekend and moving to AKV on Monday, so have AK on Monday and MK on Tuesday.
What time do we expect for MK on Dec. 3rd. We have 5:40 reservations at California Grill and we are hoping to see them
Sorry, hoping to see what?
No fireworks. They haven’t figured out how to keep people distanced during them.
We’re hoping for a bit cooler weather in Nov and Dec than it was in Oct.
Ha, same! There was one cool week in early October that spoiled us. Since then, it’s been back to normal.
Are in park ADR hours typically added alongside park hour extensions? When usually does this occur?
And, ironically, weekends seem to be a bit cooler. In this area, it’s important to check “real feel.” 85 degrees can be just that, but often is 95+. I’ve been moving local visit days back and back trying for some “cool.” It was last week, then this next week, and now first week of November. I have onsite the first week of December so if it’s hot, it won’t be a much of an issue.