Early Entry & Extended Evening Hours Coming to Disney World
Walt Disney World has announced more details about the replacement for Extra Magic Hours, which will be offered both in the morning and evening at every park–Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom–daily. In this post, we share more details. Plus, commentary about the “pay to play” nature of the extended hours, recent rope drops, and what’s still unknown. (Updated July 8, 2021.)
Just in time for the start of the 50th Anniversary celebration, on October 1, Walt Disney World will be rolling out a new early theme park entry benefit for on-site guests (meaning Disney-owned resorts plus some third party ones like Swan & Dolphin, Shades of Green, etc.) giving them the first chance to enjoy select attractions at every theme park, every day. Guests will need a valid ticket or pass and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same date for early theme park entry.
In addition, guests staying at Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resorts at Walt Disney World will also be able to enjoy extended evening hours on select nights in select theme parks. Extended evening hours will begin in early October 2021. Further specifics, including dates and parks will be shared at a later time…
For the extended evening hours, guests will also need valid park entry and a reservation for the same park on the same day to experience extended evening hours. Alternatively, guests may Park Hop for extended evening hours so long as they entered their first park where they made their reservation earlier in the day.
During both of these extended park hours options, select attractions, merchandise, and food and beverage locations will be available. Eligible guests will need to bring a MagicBand, Disney MagicMobile pass, or Key to the World card linked to the hotel stay, or another form of Resort ID.
Back at the hotels, the “Caravanning ‘Round The World” RV will continue to roll around during Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. This is a nice touch, and we’re totally on board with the ways Walt Disney World has found to infuse characters into the experience, despite the lack of meet & greets and regular character meals.
During the World’s Most Magical Celebration, characters will be dressed in their EARidescent best and dropping by to visit with guests at Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Sounds nice!
In one final tidbit before we get to the commentary, Walt Disney World gave a non-update update on the Disney Dining Plan: “While we’re not quite ready to share an update on timing, we are planning to bring this guest-favorite option back at a later date. We will also continue to reopen more Resort offerings, including restaurants like ‘Ohana (with the noodles!).”
This is undoubtedly because it’s among the top 2 most asked questions by guests, right after when will FastPass+ return? It should come as absolutely no surprise whatsoever that the Disney Dining Plan will be coming back, and as soon as possible. As we explain in When Will the Disney Dining Plan Return?, it’s a cash cow for Disney that is only temporarily suspended out of necessity. What’s “interesting” is that no such reassurances were given about the fate of FastPass. 😉
As for commentary, my main thought is that this is all super vague. Honestly, this feels more like a “hey, we haven’t forgot about this, it’s still coming! Please keep booking resort stays.” reminder than anything else.
Based on Disney’s verbiage, I’m not even totally confident that morning early theme park entry begins on October 1, 2021. That seems to be the implication, but there’s enough ambiguity and it’s possible they’re simply reiterating that’s when the 50th Anniversary starts. Personally, I think having a little bit of a buffer between launching theme park early entry and the onslaught of the World’s Most Magical Celebration makes sense, but that’s just me.
In addition to whether theme park early entry will start on October 1, there’s the question of duration. In the first reveal of this program, it was stated to be 30 minutes at every park, every day. This “details” post glossed over that important detail. Perhaps it’s an oversight, but in an announcement that’s 75% fluff, it seems like that would’ve merited inclusion as something substantive.
My hope here is that there’s still internal debate over how long early entry should be, and the potential for it to be expanded from 30 minutes to an hour. That seems inconsistent with the direction Walt Disney World is taking things right now, so we can probably file that under naive wishful thinking on my part.
Recently, rope drop has returned to “normal” at all four Walt Disney World theme parks. In the process, it has become something of a de facto early entry, but for everyone who is able to arrive in time for it. (I’m guessing it’s mostly on-site guests given the challenges of driving, parking, and entering on time.)
If our preliminary “restored” rope drop experiences are any indication, early theme park entry will not be particularly valuable. I’m still not totally sure what the deal is, but in our (admittedly limited) visits thus far, it has felt like we would’ve been better off sleeping in, arriving late, and staying late. We plan on making some more visits before jumping to any conclusions, though.
On a random note, I think it’s odd that they’re dropping the Extra Magic Hours moniker. The names for these future offerings are more descriptive than anything, and the lack of capitalization (which was present in the original announcement) suggests these are not even proper names.
I’m guessing no one reading this cares, but it’s fascinating to me. Walt Disney World is usually so good with branding, and Extra Magic Hours is a beloved offering. Tweaking the details while retaining the Extra Magic Hours name would’ve made sense. Dropping the EMH branding and replacing it with a descriptive name is surprising. (I feel the same way about FastPass, which I suspect will return with a different name, too.)
This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I’m fine with extended evening hours being limited to only guests staying in Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts. I’m going to assume this includes guests staying in Disney Vacation Club units, as those are technically Deluxe Villas. The positive impact it would have on DVC sales if included and the negative impact if not included makes that a no-brainer.
July 8, 2021 Update: Disney Vacation Club has confirmed exactly this in their latest Membership Magic email: “Members and Guests staying at a Disney Vacation Club Resort or Disney Deluxe Resort hotel will exclusively be able to enjoy extended evening hours on select nights in select theme parks providing more time to enjoy the Magic. Extended evening hours will begin in early October with specific dates and parks to be shared at a later time, so please be sure to check back on DisneyWorld.com for the latest.”
While bookings at most resorts are through the roof right now, numbers at the Deluxes have lagged behind Values and Moderates for years. That will likely be true once again once pent-up demand fizzles and the first few months of the World’s Most Magical Celebration play out.
I’m not convinced that someone otherwise considering Caribbean Beach will upgrade to the Poly now because of this–I think pricing is the core issue there and the return of discounts like Free Dining are more or less necessary to prop up the Deluxes–but it’s worth trying out. Walt Disney World can tweak this down the road or expand eligibility as necessary.
From a practical perspective, limiting the pool of guests eligible for nighttime extended hours is necessary to make it a worthwhile benefit for anyone. Evening Extra Magic Hours were a nightmare in their last few years due to the larger pool of eligible guests.
As a result of Walt Disney World expanding and building new resorts and adding to the list of participating on-site hotels, crowds had become pretty bad. It got to the point that not only did we recommend avoiding Evening EMH, but also the park hosting that hour during the day. As it turns out, people are more likely to be night owls than early risers on vacation!
The core problem here is the gradual reduction of park hours. This was becoming a pronounced issue pre-closure, and we actually had a post in draft form comparing park hours to a decade earlier. In the last couple years, there have been days when the Magic Kingdom was open for 4-5 fewer hours, despite millions more guests per year visiting the park.
This undoubtedly contributed to crowding in more recent years during Evening Extra Magic Hours, and it will likely lead to more frustration about the extended evening hours reserved only for Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resort guests. It was one thing for Walt Disney World to reduce park hours last year post-reopening due to low crowd levels. However, with attendance projections for October and beyond sky-high, regular fall and holiday season hours should be extended significantly.
If regular operating hours were longer and allowed guests to have a satisfying day even without extended hours, I think the perk would be less controversial. In such a scenario, since it will operate on a more sporadic schedule (like EMH), it’ll be easy to plan around.
Early entry, by contrast, will occur daily and off-site guests won’t be able to plan around it. Nevertheless, I see that as less of a source of frustration since it’s shorter, fewer people rope drop, and most of those who are serious about the morning efficiency stay on-site.
As Annual Passholders who make most of our park visits without accompanying hotel stays, neither of these perks bother me. Personally, I think better benefits for on-site guests is fair, and more for the higher resort tiers is likewise reasonable. Don’t be surprised if the eventual replacement for FastPass and the included access it entails for resort guests works the same way. Every on-site guest gets something, but perhaps Deluxes receive more than Values. (Conversely, it’s ridiculous when the Deluxe Resorts have shared bus service.)
I love several of the Value and Moderate Resorts and we stay in them regularly, but Walt Disney World’s approach here strikes me as reasonable. As someone who wants there to be actual on-site advantages, instead of the illusory ones, I’m cautiously optimistic about this news. While some people might lament this as “pay to play” or elitist, my response would be–that’s the nature of on-site perks. It has always been that way, and just like Deluxe Resorts are a luxury some can’t afford, so too is staying on-site in a Value Resort…or even visiting Walt Disney World, period. It’s all relative. Exclusive perks are something everyone wants, until they’re the one being excluded.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of this news of early theme park entry and extended evening hours at Walt Disney World? Excited for these on-site perks? Disappointed the nighttime bonus time will only be for Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resort guests? Hoping for an announcement on the Disney Dining Plan in the near future? Planning on going to Walt Disney World this summer, or holding off until the start of the 50th Anniversary celebration? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
“Off topic, but I’ve long thought that DVC should be eligible to purchase any of the passes available to Florida residents.”
Hi Tracy – As a DVC member and non-Florida resident, I have a gold annual pass offered only to Floridians and DVC members.
I don’t think people would be nearly as upset with this decision if normal operating hours and on-site resort benefits were restored. People are upset because Disney is reducing so many offering and adding them back as a deluxe perk instead of giving guests at least what they got before and finding other ways to incentivize deluxe/villa stays.
Their (We) are yelling at this deluxe perk because of the totality of everything Disney has been doing under Chapek. He is going to go down as the grinch of Walt Disney CEOs. Short-term shareholder gain perhaps, along with lasting legacy of the guy who took away the magic.
Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part, but I assumed DVC members would be eligible. I can’t imagine excluding their most loyal guests. My annual dues alone equal a week’s stay at a value resort. Also, DVC members are temporarily limited to borrowing 50% points, and there haven’t been any Moonlight Magic events. Members should receive some exclusive perks. I remember when OKW was the original Vacation Club Resort and had free park passes and the first bus stop at each of the parks.
Off topic, but I’ve long thought that DVC should be eligible to purchase any of the passes available to Florida residents.
Secondly, as Tom already mentioned, EMH was hardly a “perk” anymore prior to Covid. Those hours were just as crowded, if not more so, than normal hours due to the extremely large pool of people that received them. How was that a “perk” at all?
Not sure why people are so upset about people who pay more (Deluxe) getting an extra perk. That is pretty much how it works at any travel related business. People who fly first class get perks those in coach do not for example. It has been that way at Universal for a while now I believe as well. Sometimes I stay at Deluxes, sometimes I dont. I feel like there should be an extra something when I decide to splurge and pay more. I am 100% fine with it.
I just read comments on the Disney site about the EMH and ME announcements. More than 95% were very critical of WDW because of these changes and the loss of so many of the usual benefits to on-site visitors. The idea that these reductions have occurred because of COVID and are continuing due to staffing shortages is now doubted by many of the avid fans who have been so loyal. It is really sad to think that Disney can be so short sighted. The company seems to be making wrong decisions all around. The immersive quality of a WDW vacation has been one of, if not the most, important factor for many guests. The high quality of service and product from first to last was terrific. I just can’t credit that the company will ignore so much negativity. I did see that the comments were closed, so I guess they had had enough. Do you think someone will listen to these upset guests, or do they believe that the customers will come anyway?
Have they announced whether the Disney springs area resorts will be included in the morning extra half hour? I’ve booked the doubletree suites in Disney springs for February, mostly for the benefits (early entry and early fast passes mostly). I’ll only keep that reservation if these perks still apply, so I want to know if that policy is still in place. Thanks.
Thanks for the perspective, and sharing your opinion. My opinion, and it’s just that, is this is a step in the right direction. It could be great with some small tweaks.
All resorts are getting extra time in the AM, across all 4 parks. I wish it were a bit more time, but the premise is good in that it will spread the guests out and doesn’t require any special planning.
An additional perk of night hours for some resort guests also seems like a fair way to incentivize folks to stay at Deluxe. Your analogy about the entire system being relative in favoritism is spot on. I rarely stay Deluxe, but occasionally splurge or find an economical way into this tier (big discount or renting DVC points). I realize this isn’t possible for everyone, but it’s not fair to say it’s only for the rich. That being said, WDW could really solve the problem by extending hours for everyone, and then adding these extra hours on top of that. I’m sure some folks will still think it’s unfair, but if everyone can stay in the parks on a busy nights until 10 or 11pm, I think it would be justified to “overlook” these complaints … and then let those in Deluxe stay even later.
Early entry is the same perk offered at Disneyland Paris to guests staying at Disney hotels. It facilitates planning your vacation.
Imagine juggling park pass and extra magic hours! It was sometimes difficult to plan for FastPass and Extra magic hours.
I adn’t even realized this was a polarizing topic until I read the comments. I was honestly just thinking ‘finally, there’s actually a perk if I feel like saving for a Deluxe.’ I’m shocked Disney is actually bothering to add something of value, but the fact that they’re announcing it means they’re well-aware that they aren’t getting the level of bookings they want at their Deluxes and are incentivizing it. It makes business sense and it doesn’t seem to be taking anything away from other guests…I really can’t see anything wrong with this move?
I love your posts. Even those that are not well received. They are always full of info that is typically correct. I think early entry is great and late night for deluxe resorts is great too. I appreciate your insight, which is earlier than most blogs and mostly correct. We are heading down for the 50th anniversary celebration as I will be sharing my 50th birthday with Mickey. I hope to run into you and your wife while we are there! My daughter is a DCP employee as well so lots of disney love too!
Wholeheartedly agree with you Tom. I think this is reasonable and gives those paying for Deluxes some sort of perk. It is frustrating to pay those kind of prices with limited benefit.
Meh. I’m happy to stay in the values and save my money for a whole second vacation to hike a national park or explore a new city. I cannot justify $700+ a night when there’s actual traveling to be done in this world.
And if they kick me out of the parks early, I’ll just go drink in their resorts. Getting rowdy at Trader Sam’s or eating a dole whip on the beach can be way more fun some nights than the crowds.
So how many Deluxe Resorts are there? How many people are going to be in the parks after hours??? Disney will have to pay out that extra payroll, and not be making the profit they are used to. When extra hours applied to everyone in a Disney hotel there were A LOT of people in the parks during those hours. That meant more money made on food and merchandise etc. Now their going to lose a lot of revenue. They may try this out but I think it will go back to the original format or a pay to play type of offer.
One of the best things about Disneyworld is the Fast Passes. I think people will work around anything with early or late Magic Hours. I think they will work around Disney Dining Plan. I have done it both ways and much prefer to pay as I go due to more flexibility. But I really really really want the Fast Passes to come back!!!
I Soooo Agree. What the hell? So us moderate and value resort people are not entitled to benefits we had in the past? Extra Magic Hours and perhaps Fast Passes? What happened to the Magic?
We always stay Deluxe at Disney and Universal, the Universal stays with express pass are awesome and feel like a real perk. The last few stays at Disney have been less than magical (waiting 30 minutes for bell services upon check in as they only had 1 worker), check in online (I.e. go straight to your room and don’t bother us) . I hope Disney actually makes this a real perk as it would sway us to stay at WDW vs Universal since we enjoy parks in the evening more than mornings. It would need to be 2 hours though imo, for it to matter. It will be interesting how they would police it as you can stay in parks forever after they close and poor cast members will face the brunt when some people can ride rides where others can’t. It will be interesting if this ends up being a real perk or just window dressing.
The way they worded that I feel like I can pretty much count out getting the dining plan by the end of July :/ opinions???
I think it’s highly unlikely the Dining Plan is back by then, but I’ve been wrong plenty of times before.
Having different perks for each tier is reasonable and the way it should be same as a motel 8 and a Hilton different perks.
Ok, I 100% disagree with the whole EMH for rich only. You mean to tell me that DW can not figure out some sort of new and different perks to give those who stay at these Deluxe resorts some extra perks that DOES NOT TAKE AWAY from us low life middle class workers? Why not give them free passes to Boo Bash, or one free fancy overpriced dining meal per day. maybe even better access to Char meals, exclusive transportation around the parks etc or hell even some sort of free fast pass? Why are the rest of us being punished for Covid? Why should we fund their magic? I understand that you may of not cared for EMH but we did, and I can go on about my wonderful exp, but why? Why did they build the value resorts in the first place then? If all DW wants to do is cater to the ultra rich, then tear down all the value and moderate resorts, and build all the super deluxe they want. This was something we liked. a nice perk for some of us who enjoyed it. I see no reason to do away with it, especially for no real reason. Tell me then, what reason should I go to DW, and why should I even want to stay on property, to help pay for someone whom already can afford it, and more.