Disney World Cuts Fall Park Hours
Walt Disney World has cut park hours for Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios, with later openings and earlier closings for September & October 2020. In this post, we’ll cover details with commentary on why Disney is reducing hours. (Updated September 8, 2020.)
For both July and August, all Walt Disney World theme parks operated for 10 hours per day. Opening and closing times were staggered, meaning that each opened at a different hour from 8 to 11 am, and each closed at a different hour from 6 to 9 pm. Logistically, this made sense in terms of resources (like buses) and physical distancing (guests returning to hotels at staggered time eased elevator burdens).
This is the second time that Walt Disney World has reduced operating hours for its first few months after reopening. Normally, Walt Disney World extends hours rather than cutting them back. Of course, nothing is normal right now. Given the circumstances and what we’ve observed, it’s not surprising that Walt Disney World is reducing park hours. It is concerning, but we’ll get to that in the commentary…
Here were Walt Disney World’s previous park hours, which are still valid through Labor Day:
- Magic Kingdom — 9 am to 7 pm
- Animal Kingdom — 8 am to 6 pm
- Epcot — 11 am to 9 pm
- Hollywood Studios — 10 am to 8 pm
Here are the reduced hours, beginning September 8, 2020:
- Magic Kingdom — 9 am to 6 pm
- Animal Kingdom — 9 am to 5 pm
- Epcot — 11 am to 7 pm
- Hollywood Studios — 10 am to 7 pm
As you can probably see, Magic Kingdom’s closing time moves forward by one hour, Epcot’s closing time jumps up 2 hours, Animal Kingdom opens an hour later and closes an hour earlier, and Hollywood Studios closes an hour earlier.
None of this is particularly surprising, and these reductions are no doubt made in light of guest attendance patterns. As we’ve observed and shared in our Walt Disney World reopening reports, the parks are least busy their last two hours of operation (plus right at park opening for Animal Kingdom) and guest utilization during those hours is really low.
September 8, 2020 Update: After a busy (but lighter than expected) Labor Day weekend, Walt Disney World’s reduced off-season hours begin today. Originally, this scaled-back schedule was slated to run through Halloween. However, Walt Disney World has since updated its calendar three times, each time extending the hours another week into November 2020.
At present, these cutbacks extend until November 21, 2020. With Thanksgiving, always a popular travel holiday for Walt Disney World, the following week, it’s possible regular hours will be restored the following week. It’s also entirely possible this schedule will continue beyond then, until Christmas.
On a positive note, at least Halloween Begins in Magic Kingdom next week!
As we discussed at length in Will Walt Disney World’s Low Crowds Continue?, September and October are likely to see some of the lowest crowds in Walt Disney World history. The weather is still uncomfortable then, schools are back in session, whatever pent-up demand exists among lower-tier APs will likely be exhausted, and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Part has been cancelled.
September is always the slowest month of the year at Walt Disney World, and that’s likely to be especially pronounced this year. In fact, September 2020 will likely be the least busy month at Walt Disney World since September 2001, when people feared traveling in the aftermath of 9/11.
October is usually a different story, but so much of that is fueled by special events and school breaks. Those events are not occurring and there are a lot of unknowns about school breaks. Accordingly, October is likely to be a slightly busier version of September–but still not even remotely busy. Likely slower than both July and August.
Pretty much since reopening, we’ve been predicting that this fall would be really slow for Central Florida tourism. The likelihood of things being particularly rough was exacerbated when cases surged and parks cancelled Halloween events. Universal Orlando has also reduced hours, and we remain worried that some non-Disney parks will shift to seasonal operating schedules, potentially closing on weekdays. (It’s unlikely Walt Disney World would do this, as it’d be game over for attracting tourists.)
Consequently, this won’t necessarily have a big impact on your itinerary. (In terms of attractions, perhaps the biggest downside is one less hour for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance to operate.) You should still be able to knock out each park in a single day thanks to the short wait times and low crowds. You’ll just have less flexibility and latitude in your arrival time, and won’t be able to enjoy the ‘late arrival’ strategies we’ve been touting.
From our perspective, the most frustrating aspect of this change is that it means no parks will be open after sunset. September and October are still fairly hot and humid, and all of these parks are open during the “worst” hours of the day from that perspective. These early closures will also push more guests to Disney Springs, which has already seen a surge of crowds in recent weeks due to the shorter park hours. (So much so that we’ve stopped visiting Disney Springs.)
There are obvious negative ramifications for guests (and no corresponding price reduction on tickets!), but reducing park hours is also a risky move for Walt Disney World. Every cut sends a signal to guests with trips booked for this fall and holiday season–or those thinking about booking trips.
In part, Disney is a “victim” of its own success (heavy air quotes), as the feedback loop between its cuts and guest behavior appeared to be broken. Walt Disney World could raise prices, scale back entertainment, and reduce hours, and guests would be unfazed. Attendance would still increase.
It should go without saying, but such a disconnect is not normal. Reductions do not occur in a vacuum—even if that’s what Walt Disney World leadership might like to believe since their product has been so popular during the economic boom of the last decade that they’ve been able to make cuts and increase prices with impunity.
This is a new and totally different landscape, and we hope Walt Disney World leadership understands that. As we enter a recession and the guest experience has been fundamentally altered in so many ways (for the worse), potential guests are going to be much more responsive to negative changes, reductions to the experience, and perceptions of value for money. It is well established that consumers become more price sensitive and less brand loyal during recessions.
It doesn’t require a vivid imagination to envision a hypothetical guest with a trip booked in November and December who has been on the fence about cancelling their vacation. They’ve seen and are apprehensive about all of the temporary new rules, entertainment modifications, already reduced hours, and more. They’ve also been watching closely and are reassured by low crowds, the downward trend of new cases in Florida, safety measures, and the likelihood that Disney would do something for the holidays.
Now comes this reduction of park hours for September and October. While it does not directly impact their vacation, it does send a signal about Walt Disney World’s trajectory–cutting more instead of gradually restoring the normal experience. If we were tourists, I’d be worried about more targeted reductions on the horizon to specific attractions, entertainment, and restaurants. The move also calls into question whether Disney will even do the Cinderella Castle Holiday Dream Lights (if Magic Kingdom isn’t open after sunset, it doesn’t make much sense). Basically, it nudges those on the fence in the direction of “not worth it.”
Ultimately, a couple of hours per day during times when attendance is low might seem minor, but this is a big concern. (And one we also address at length in Why Walt Disney World Needs to Go Big for the 50th Anniversary.) Now is not the time that Walt Disney World can be fixated on the short term, trying to make the current quarter’s numbers look marginally better. In so doing, attendance woes will become a self-fulfilling property when coupled with cuts that are supposedly to help stem the bleeding.
When describing all of this, we’ve eschewed the term “new normal” in favor of “temporary abnormal.” However, the former term is apt for guest demand and attendance trends at Walt Disney World. It’s going to take several years for travel to fully recover–until 2025 if experts are to be believed. Hopefully Disney’s leaders realize this, and understand that the shenanigans they pulled during the strong economy of the last decade are not viable. The “new normal” here is that travel is a buyer’s market, and Disney will need to do more to entice guests to visit.
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
Surprised by the reduced operating hours, or did you expect this? Do you expect Walt Disney World to make additional cuts for specific attractions, entertainment, restaurants, or anything else? Will you be visiting Walt Disney World in September or October? Will shorter hours influence your decision to visit later in 2020 or in early 2021? 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!
We canceled our October trip simply because of the people mover (TTA) being closed!! Lol!! We are rebooked to the first week of February, but will be keeping a close eye on what Disney does going forward. If there are no Extra Magic Hours we will move offsite because we can get a 2 bedroom condo for a whole week vs the same price of 1 night at one of the premium resorts.
This may be just my own thought but as Disney keeps whittling away at experiences.. dining.. hours .. etc.. it just seems that they are just silently moving to another shut down if things ramp
Up in the fall between Covid and flu complications …please say I’m wrong !!!
Despite all this, I still booked a trip for the first week of October. Not the wisest choice to make given everything going on, as I’s sure I’ll be told several times between now and then. The combination of low crowds, BOGO flights, military discounts, and social distancing/cleaning procedures in effect at the resort are our main factors in deciding to book a trip during these times. We haven’t been there in years so this trip will be a ride-centric one with some merch hunting on the side. Shows and fireworks are pretty low on my Disney gotta do list anyway. I’m not paying full price so I’m okay with not getting the full on experience. Is there risk? Undoubtedly. I feel that the steps that Disney is taking and enforcing at the resort combined with a commitment to social distancing on our part help to mitigate the risk we are taking.
Does you all happen to know what this means for dining reservations with the new hours? I called and they said we’d likely be able to keep our 6:45pm BOG reservation even though the park now shows it closes at 6pm. There aren’t any earlier dinner reservations available the Disney dining rep told me. Ugh..that was the dinner reservation we were most excited about. Wondering if they will end up canceling it on us with no replacement?
I’ve read elsewhere that Disney *should* be reaching out to those affected and trying to offer substitutions but if there aren’t any open tables for earlier in the day I don’t know what they’d do besides “generously” waive cancellation fees.
I think this is a terrible idea. Is the money they will save from reducing employee’s hours enough to offset additional revenues lost in people no longer eating dinner in the parks? I’m sure they’ve crunched the numbers and their bean counters must think so. I’ve been behind Disney on most of their actions, but this one is nothing but greed. The horror stories about reduced transportion from Disney resorts as well. We’ve cancelled our Disney hotel for October, are getting a car and staying offsite and are still saving about $3,000 for 2 rooms for a week.
“I’m sure they’ve crunched the numbers and their bean counters must think so.”
I wouldn’t be so sure of that. It wouldn’t be the first time that Disney management made a decision without regard for the indirect or long-term consequences.
The shortened hours caused me to cancel my trip. I was already reeling from all the cuts and a certain amount of worry about Florida. This is kind of the straw that broke the camels back. All the other things I could justify with the idea of shorter lines…..but that is negated by having less time.
Dear Tom
I always love reading your blog. It’s informative and upbeat. I especially love your use of the term temporary abnormal rather than the new normal. It made me laugh in agreement and made me think about my favorite Disney movie Alice in Wonderland. This year definitely has thrown some Wonderland like surprises that have knocked us off our feet but we like Alice, we will survive.
“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar.
Alice replied, rather shyly, “I–I hardly know, Sir, just at present–at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”
“I ca’n’t explain myself, I’m afraid, Sir,” said Alice, “because I am not myself, you see.”
This quote sums up how I’ve felt all year.
I dunno – sounds pretty smart to me on Disney’s part. There are less than 30 countries (down from 184) where the US passport may still be used for tourists. Many of those countries have explicit rules again travel here as well. Several have enforced quarantine (locking you in a hotel) upon return. Walt Disney World is losing out on a big guest demographic.
Furthermore, numbers aren’t getting better in the US. The government is explicitly interfering with testing reporting and reporting by hospitals, large numbers of tests are being “lost” or inconclusive. and a substantial number of people are shunning simple responsibilities like physical distancing and proper face masks.
If this keeps up, WDW may have to do a GoFundMe. Hey, if it worked for the Smithsonian, it can work for the Mouse!
Say what? Interfering how, exactly? There is no point in this whole fiasco where numbers of any kind have been reported accurately and truthfully by any party. There’s always “well, you see this and then this was caused by this and that made this that and well, just stay home or you’ll die.” I understand people being nervous about traveling, especially being crowded in a plane. But the same people who claim everyone will die because the parks or a store reopened are almost certainly having food or groceries delivered to their house by people they don’t know, who may or may not be clean, with food or goods packaged or prepared by yet more unknown people in an unknown facility. It’s absurd.
The numbers are absolutely getting better in the US, driven by the decreases in Florida, Texas and California. Conspiracy theories that the numbers are being tampered with and falsified are just that, conspiracy theories. I could make the same argument that the numbers were “tampered with” during the spikes as there were numerous reports of bad reporting and falsified increases. At the end of the day, the trend in the numbers do tell the story.
The interference I’m referring to is the White House announcement that reporting by hospitals no longer goes through the Center for Disease Control. Now reporting goes directly to Washington, and is no longer publicly available. There isn’t a precedent for this since 1946 when the CDC was established.
The loss of transparency is a huge problem.
Steve you say you can easily do all parks in a day. Didn’t park hopping Get cancelled? It isn’t in the reservation system that you can ‘hop’. That was my reason for canceling. If you have more info let me know. Lisa
You’re correct, Lisa – NO park hopping at present.
The only way to “park hop” right now is through a VIP tour, you are allowed to go to more then one park as long as you have a ticket and park reservation for which ever park you want to start at, if you go to a second park there is no additional ticket or park reservation required. Start at MK or AK and finish with HS or Epcot.
We are old folks and had booked an “adult ” experience without kids/grandkids planned for April, moved to November and just canceled. Cant express how disappointed we are but this costs a great deal of money on retirement income and diminishing chances of the full Magic. Maybe someday…
Hopefully this won’t carry into Nov/Dec. interestingly. this operating hours chop without slashing prices as well makes me wonder about the ‘worth’ of our December trip. I mean seriously, they can’t think chopping to the bone on hours, shows, parades, etc yet keeping the prices sky high will enable them to continue enticing guests into the parks.
My November trip already shows these new hours in My Disney Experience. I have a strong feeling these new hours are another “new normal” going forward, they’re only “officially” announcing the cuts in smaller chunks.
@Matt B so does my November trip. Just checked in MDX. 🙁
People are seeing the same for Disney Park Pass reservations all the way through next year at times when the hours definitely would not yet be set.
I don’t think that’s indicative of anything–probably just an error with Disney’s system.
Thanks @Tom–that makes me feel better!
Judging from watching the wait times for attractions in My Disney Experience, it feels like they’ve already made cuts that are reducing in reduced ride capacity. I understand blockouts have ended for Silver Passholders, but I don’t see how this alone, given that park capacity and passholder capacity was already limited, could account for the substantially increased wait times over the last few days.
AP holder and DVC member here. DVC keeps us locked in even with the constant cut backs and cancellation of events. I would call myself a Disney Loyal Extremist but even I will tell the casual Disney fan that all of this is ridiculous.
I’m really getting fed up with constantly having to modify my Disney dining reservations due to the cutback or park hours. AK closing at 5 pm is ridiculous and MK closing at 6 pm is mind blowing.
Is it really to cut back costs? That’s a legitimate question. I would love to see the numbers in seeing how the cutting of these park hours will save disney money. I get it that these are unique times for the entire world but Disney really needs to look at the long term here.
If prices remain the same now, what will prices be for tickets and hotel rooms when things finally return to normal?
I think Disney need to think a bit more long term here. Cut the prices slightly, and announce early that Christmas will be going ahead. They need to entice people in not put more thoughts of uncertainty in their heads!
We’ve a trip planned for Feb (if the US will have us from the Uk!) and are desperate to go. But even for us these “steps back” are a bit concerning.
I currently have a reservation in Oct. for 10 days with Park Hoppers at Pop Century for around $3300. I contacted my travel agent to see what the price was without the Park Hopper and it was $3400! That makes no sense and I will be calling back tomorrow. I just don’t see the point of going in October with the shortened hours and experiences. We go every year in the fall, but it just doesn’t seem that this year is going to happen. We are waiting til the last possibly minute to decide. Without Park Hoppers, limits on bus transportation to the parks, and limited experiences in the park along with shortened hours, it doesn’t make much sense unless prices are lower.
I was on the fence, I reserved a room back in the Spring for October, but with this news I’m leaning towards canceling. We’ve gone almost every year since 2012 in October to Orlando or Anaheim for the Halloween party and food/wine at Epcot.
Disney must be really hurting for cash. When the PPP ends they will have to make decisions on how many people to keep to operate the parks at the current usage, I think they are just getting ready for that decision.
PPP is only for companies with fewer than 500 employees. Disney does not qualify for PPP and therefore does not have a PPP loan. A few companies that independently operate restaurants at Disney have fewer than 500 employees and did take PPP loans. Those companies will be in a bind if the PPP program is not extended (though it likely will be extended based on current negotiations in Congress).
I completely understand the logic that Disney is a reduced experience right now and that ticket prices should come down to reflect this. However, for someone like me, whose “home” park is DLR in California, this time presents a fantastic opportunity. None of the ridiculous Fastpass+ system. None of the insane advance dining reservations (where I can never eat where and when I want). And a fond farewell to micromanaging every day and hour of my trip around “plans” I was forced into based on availability. I’ve always dreamed of a situation where I could be as spontaneous at WDW as I am at DLR, and now it seems I can. On top of all of this: lack of crowds and lines! I see a glass half full here.
Overall, I’d say it’s definitely glass half full! We’ve repeatedly pointed out the upsides and been fairly optimistic in other articles, and our reports from the parks. I just don’t see any upside in this specific piece of news.
Honestly, I am unsure why Disney didn’t opt to open the park later versus cutting the hours in the evening. This would offered guests
1. Cooler weather
2. Both day/night experiences
3. Reduced crowds and risk of contagions at Disney Springs
4. Offer more flexibility for annual passholders
How can we start a petition and do you think our voices would be heard? I am planning a birthday trip early Oct and definitely would like to experience the magic of the sun and moon at Disney World Resort!
There’s good reason we’ve called it the Fastpass-Minus system for a long, long time.
We are coming from CA and have our first ever trip planned for October. I feel like we will miss out on so much of the experience coming now. I kept thinking I can live without the fireworks, ok now I can live without the shows, I guess I can do without all the restaurants being open, I know we will need to wear a mask which bums me out for pictures, I can’t get close to characters, get autographs or takes pictures with characters. I know the hours are shorter than normal, but without the crowds that should be ok. I kept telling myself all these things because I’m naturally an optimist, but the further reduction in hours just might be the last straw the breaks me. I’m so sad about all the stuff we are already missing out on, but this is really the only time we can come for the next couple of years. It’s hard to justify spending so much money on less than half a normal experience. I honestly really need some kind of discount or incentive now for us to keep our reservation.
Have you looked at any of the on-site, third party hotels? Many of them have already slashed rates. For example, Swan & Dolphin have <$150/night rates a lot of nights.
We live in CA and Universal Orlando is advertising on TV 2 for 2 deals. Since Universal Orlando is trying to entice tourists from CA to visit with a nice 2 for 2 deal it would seem Disney could do some kind of special deal also. I understand your previous statements about bad press and Disney not wanting to encourage people from out of state to visit. It seems Universal has no issue with the bad press. They seem more concerned with satisfied guests and keeping employees employed. Maybe it’s time for Disney to take some advice from Universal.
It’s a great point. Universal Orlando has led from the start here, being one of the first theme parks in the country to re-open. For whatever reason, they seem much more immune to the negative headlines than Disney is. But certainly they have rolled the dice with re-opening, and personally, I applaud them for giving us all the option to get back to the parks. I’m not so sure that Disney would have re-opened so soon had Universal not take the lead.
Although I would be extremely leery of flying to Orlando, the low crowds might entice me, yet I would not go because absolutely the best thing on my last trip was MK’s FIREWORKS. The night time fireworks and parades are just fantastic.
I agree we always watch the fireworks the very last night were there we try to catch it the week but the day before we leave we always catch the fireworks it’s sort of like our ways of saying goodbye. But we also canceled because they canceled our dining plan package. That’s one of the big reasons why we go And now they’re shortening the hours well it’s not worth it. I can wait a year .
Sorry for all the misspellings I’m dictating
I love the smell of burning black powder in the morning… Or at night. Or lunch time…
Basically same thought as almost everyone else: where are the ticket deals? With low crowds I’d still be willing to go (and it’s actually somewhat nice to be forced to take a more relaxed vacations – we are the types who are in the parks open to close no matter how much we plan to take some downtime at the resorts), but they need to offer some ticket deals to make up for incredibly reduced offerings. We are thinking about an October trip (have long been planning on Disneyland but that’s not looking likely) but waiting to see what happens with ticket prices.
I also worry this will make resort pools and Disney Springs super crowded at night, and weekends crowded with locals who really can’t visit during the week.
Thanks Tom and as always your info is great. We have reservations for 2 weeks in October. We feel it is much to dangerous to go to Disney and will cancel reservations. We have booked 1 week through Disney and the other with David’s Rentals. Never booked with David’s before and not looking to good for getting our money refunded. David’s has been helpful and is trying to resell points we already paid for. I assume that if Disney is open we won’t get even a credit. I hope I’m wrong but have to wait and see. Thanks again.