Empty Magic Kingdom Morning: Extra, Extra Magic Hours Report & Tips
Continuing our Extra, Extra Magic Hours mornings around Walt Disney World, we head to Magic Kingdom. During ExEMH, this park is opening at 7 am, with daily regular openings at 8 am. In this post, we’ll offer a report on our experience, strategy & tips, plus sunrise photos from Magic Kingdom.
This follows our Extra, Extra Magic Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Report & Strategy, which documented a low-crowds pre-dawn visit to DHS. Our next and final stop will be Animal Kingdom, as Epcot is not participating in ExEMH (but is doing normal Extra Magic Hours on select mornings.)
Once again, we’d implore you to take advantage of Extra, Extra Magic Hours if at all possible. Because so many people are unable or unwilling to get up this early on vacation, this is the best time to experience Magic Kingdom. As with our DHS report, what follows is a breathlessly long-winded post about why Extra, Extra Magic Hours are the greatest thing at Walt Disney World in a while…
We’ll start at the Polynesian Villas, where we did a one night stay prior to Extra, Extra Magic Hours. We actually had this booked months ago, and for earlier in week, but decided to reschedule due to Hurricane Dorian. This is Sarah’s favorite DVC resort and she was excited to revisit, as it had been a while.
Given that, she opted to “enjoy our room” for a bit longer while I got up at 5 am to wander around the Poly’s grounds before heading over to Magic Kingdom. I needed to get my camera ‘adjusted’ to the heat and humidity, and it took nearly 30 minutes before the fog cleared from my lenses.
Once the monorail opened, I set out for Magic Kingdom shortly after 6:30 am. After breezing through the turnstiles, I joined a small group of early-rising Walt Disney World guests waiting by the train station to enter and experience Extra, Extra Magic Hours.
Rope drop occurred shortly before 7 a.m., allowing for the rare experience of seeing Magic Kingdom during sunrise, which would occur roughly 15 minutes later.
As I’ve said countless times, this is one of my favorite times in Walt Disney World. I realize I’m probably beating a dead horse, and no one else cares nearly as much about this as me.
Nevertheless, just because everyone else is wrong doesn’t mean I should shut up about the gloriousness of experiencing sunrise at Walt Disney World.
Sunrise at Walt Disney World is an incredible experience, and you should do whatever necessary to watch the sun rise at least once during your vacation.
Whether that be inside the parks during Extra, Extra Magic Hours, while strolling around Crescent Lake, Seven Seas Lagoon, Bay Lake, Hourglass Lake, or [insert body of water at your resort here].
Experiencing the solitude and serenity of a normally crowded place like Walt Disney World as it wakes up for the day is something that’s truly magical.
Well, I’m assuming it’s serene and peaceful…I’m usually racing around to chase the good morning light, but I still get that sense. (Joking aside, I do slow down and set the camera down every once in a while to savor these early morning moments at Walt Disney World. They’re pure bliss.)
Over the years, I’ve mellowed out when it comes to many of my strong Walt Disney World opinions, and I no longer will offer impassioned arguments for/against much.
The greatness of experiencing sunrise at Walt Disney World is one hill I’m willing to die on. Sunrise at WDW is as good as Dino-Rama is bad.
Since it was just me at Magic Kingdom’s ExEMH and my primary focus was sunrise and early morning photos, we don’t have a ride-by-ride recap of the event.
The good news is that the strategy will follow a normal Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom, with one caveat…
This is that it may or may not make sense to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Train first–it really depends upon the number of people at your ExEMH. During my Extra, Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom, most guests beelined towards Seven Dwarfs Mine Train first thing. The result of this was that the attraction’s wait time peaked at the very beginning of ExEMH.
If crowds are low, your better option is starting with Peter Pan’s Flight and doing that as many times as you’d like while it’s a walk-on, then moving on to the other Fantasyland dark rides before arriving to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train towards the end of Extra, Extra Magic Hours.
I did Seven Dwarfs Mine Train around 7:45 am when the posted wait had dropped 15 minutes, and in actuality, it was nearly a walk-on. It stayed this way for the entirety of ExEMH.
Had I wanted to, I probably could’ve experienced Seven Dwarfs Mine Train around 4-5 times with minimal wait during Extra, Extra Magic Hours. This is after doing the other Fantasyland attractions, minus it’s a small world.
We saw the same thing with Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run and I know from watching wait times that the same is also occurring with Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom. With this trio of attractions, capacity exceeds demand after the initial rush, meaning that more guests are exiting the rides than entering the queue about 30 minutes into ExEMH.
Once Extra, Extra Magic Hours crowds start getting larger, demand will start exceeding capacity for these attractions and other headliners, meaning that the lines for this trio of attractions will, at some point, start getting longer as the morning wears on.
As you can see from my photos, Magic Kingdom was an absolute ghost town, and this is no Photoshop trickery. There were several times when I couldn’t see anyone else in my vicinity, and most of the time only a handful of guests were around.
The attendance during ExEMH was undoubtedly lower than what we’ve experienced during paid events like Villains After Hours at Magic Kingdom (and certainly the Halloween & Christmas parties). It was pretty awesome.
On this note, it’s worth underscoring that we do expect crowds to get larger. September is historically the slowest month of the year at Walt Disney World, with things picking up considerably towards the end of the month.
October has become one of the busiest months of the year, getting progressively worse throughout the month.
However, we’ve done 7 am openings at Magic Kingdom during the heart of spring break, Easter, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, etc–all times that are busier than October–and it’s consistently true that this is the best time to experience Magic Kingdom.
Most families simply cannot get out the door of their hotel room this early, and other guests don’t want to wake up at the crack of dawn on vacation. That’s not going to suddenly change come October.
However, more guests will start taking advantage of Extra, Extra Magic Hours. The normal ebb and flow of crowd trends plus the “word getting out” about how great ExEMH is will all but guarantee that.
Despite this, the offering should remain relatively uncrowded, because it’s the early hour is simply a non-starter for the vast majority of Walt Disney World visitors. Even if you triple (or whatever the term is for multiplying something times six) the crowds, they’re still going to be low and manageable.
Irrespective of all that, the silver lining with Extra, Extra Magic Hours is that it’s only going to improve over the course of the next couple months, even when it invariably gets busy.
Right now, sunrise times are shortly after 7 am and average temperatures are still in the high 70s or low 80s. Humidity is of the “fog your glasses up the second you walk outdoors” variety, too. My shirt was soaked with sweat by the time I left Magic Kingdom (in fairness, a bit part of that is self-induced), and it was already time for shower #2 of the day.
As we get into late October, sunrise times will occur around or after 7:30 am, and average temperatures will be at or under 70 degrees. Crisp morning air will be more common, and humidity won’t be oppressive. The last couple weeks of Extra, Extra Magic Hours should be a delightful time, one way or another.
We’re banking on as much. After having a great time at our first couple ExEMH mornings, I’ve started monitoring DVC availability for late October, and will pounce on any low-point room options that become available. We saved a lot of points for (what we thought would be) the late-year opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Disney’s Riviera Resort, and have used exactly 0 points on those two things. It’s looking increasing unlikely that our Riviera waitlists are going to come through, so might as well blow those points on Extra, Extra Magic Hours sunrises!
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
Have you ever spent an early morning in Magic Kingdom just wandering around, savoring the atmosphere? Ever had the chance to do super early Extra Magic Hours during peak season? Thoughts on any of these photos, or the sometimes-random, rambling text? 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!
Thanks, AGAIN! I’m heading to MK this am and hoping for the same experience. I’m booked at Disney Springs so hope to get to MK by 7 after parking at HS.
Does anyone know why frontier land, adventure land and Libery square aren’t part of EEMH and EMH? Would love to ride my favorite ride Big Thunder early on. Fantasy land doesn’t do as much for me as the western part of the park.
Fantastic pictures as always. If given the opportunity I would certainly take advantage of Extra, extra Magic hours; such a great and unique way to experience the parks. I think they should really work on that name though.
Do you think this will continue? We are going late February. I would love to experience the peacefulness
Jim and Sarah,
We sure do appreciate you both! Thank you for sharing such practical and detailed information. In the midst of my busy days, it’s always a pleasure to read your blog and live a little Disney vicariously!
Thanks for awesome am pics, my favorite time. Cant wait to get back from NH to catch up on all the going on I am missing but your blog definitely keeps me in loop.
I’m a former CM at EPCOT and DAK back in the stone ages and could not possibly agree with you more.
Through the years, I have gone on my myriad Disney geek rants and told anyone who will listen that there is nowhere more beautiful than being inside a Disney park at sunrise. The parks have been cleaned and sanitized all night long, the ambient noise and music is already turned on, food is being prepared, coffee is being made, and there are few if any other people around to experience the multi sensory goodness with you. When I worked in the parks, I lived nearly an hour away for part of the time but would regularly volunteer for any and all morning shifts just to experience this. (What is sleep, after all?) Your photos are amazing, and yet somehow undersell it a bit. I highly concur with Tom. Anyone and everyone who CAN experience this, should. At least once.
Can’t go right now. Oh how I wish I could. Your pictures are so serene and gorgeous. Hopefully they’ll offer extra extra early magic hours in future years as well.
We are taking 6 adults and 5 kids this October and I’ve already told everyone that we WILL be there before the park opens for ExEMH. I can’t wait! Love all the photos.
I’m curious for your advice about handicap visiting. I have to use a walker or wheelchair and am planning a Disney vacation. I want to use motorized scooter rented at Park but what do I do with my personal wheelchair while using the scooter? Will need it to get back to the hotel. Can only walk short distance with walker. Thanks for your consideration.
I’d recommend contacting this group: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/ecv-rentals/
Hope you’re able to work everything out and have a great vacation!
You touched on it a little in this article, so I will admit to ALWAYS being very curious when I read your articles as to how you afford, plan, and mange to go on your many trips to WDW. Day job? I’d also love to read an article that addresses that in any way you see fit since I love reading your articles. I now know you are DVC owners but I bet you have loads of tips on booking, deals, times of the year, etc. Just a thought…
He’s an attorney. Have you ever had to pay for an attorney before? Disney also cooperates with him on many adventures as his writings help much much more than they hurt Disney. Then finally and most important do you see the amount of adds that flash by you, linger on the side, pop up in your face or appear in your email ??? He gets paid an incredible amount of money for these because his following is enormous and these companies want to reach all of us.
Let me finish by saying Tom and Sarah are worth every penny they earn doing this. I have been a regular at Disney for years and read many sites and no one I mean no one gets it better than these two when it comes to guidance of this massive vacation spot. Thank you Tom and Sarah for all your work over the years.
JD
I know the attractions in Frontierland and Adventureland are closed but are you able to walk around those areas during morning EMH or is it roped off?
Over the years, I’ve been arriving more at rope drop but never took advantage of EMH. I love the park atmosphere first thing in the morning and makes the dreaded early wakeup worth it. My upcoming October trip, I will utilizing the EMH.
Over the years, the “best kept secrets” of Disney have evolved from best months to visit, to fast pass strategies, to best uses of dining credits. One “secret” that has remained constant is rope dropping. If you can get yourself out of bed and into any park at opening, or shortly thereafter, wait times are a fraction of what they will be later in the day. This past April, the week after Easter (PRIME SPRING BREAK TIME), we rope dropped MK and were in the park five minutes after opening. We had fast passes later in the day for some of the heavy hitters so our strategy was any place other than Fantasy Land or Tomorrow Land. We sped through Adventure Land, Frontier Land and Liberty Square, hitting all the majors before strolling back to our first fast pass in Frontier land. All before noon!
Can’t say enough about it. Rope drop!
Your photos are amazing. I so want to do this. I am an early riser but for health reasons I can’t get myself moving too early but I just may have to push myself one of these times to do it. Thank you so much for sharing. I only get to Disney every 3-4 years and I am new to your blog/posts/e-mails and I am so happy that I found you. Thank you for all you do for keeping those of us who don’t have the pleasure of being able to go that often informed of all the changes and tips and tricks. Very much appreciated from a Canadian Disney fanatic.
BEAUTIFUL pictures! We are an early morning family, and I remember loving Disneyland at sunrise 2 years ago. We head to WDW next Sept and I sincerely hope they do early magic again!
Totally agreed! I was at opening day for Galaxy’s Edge and it was so unusual to experience sunrise in a park – and it was awesome! Absolutely recommend it at any park. Same with runDisney through Epcot in the early AM hours…just beautiful.
I totally agree with the bliss of sunrises at Walt Disney World! Jogging the trail that connects Polynesian Resort to Grand Floridian during sunrise is one if my favorite things to do. However, for the time being, based on your photos, our October trip will be packed with Extra EMH’s! Thanks for the great photos!
We arrive Nov 21. Do you think there is a chance of this continuing?
Can’t wait, we are leaving this Friday and really hope that things stay nice and quiet next week!
Will be waiting to see how much of this is hurricane related, how much is “September” related, and maybe how much is related to “Disney has outpriced its consumers” related! (I can only hope for the latter – we are going in December from a last year bounceback and are thinking next year will be too expensive). I am guessing these pictures were taken the week of the hurricane though?
Do you still think all this goes away come early November? That is, I thought I had read your opinion that this won’t be extended.
We arrive shortly after the scheduled end of this benefit, and I am quite bummed as I get up early everyday anways…
Well good. Hope end of October EEMH’s are manageable! Picked that time for weather, even though I knew full well it will be crowded. Love the pics!
Me too!! I’m getting married in late October and we’re honeymooning there Oct 24-30. My fiance isn’t an early riser, but I’m really hoping to convince him to go the parks early in the morning and go back to the room to take naps in the early afternoon! Hope the weather is nice then!
Try to get your fiancé to go early on the first day. That way when they see how great it is, you can do it a couple of more times while you are there! Throw in a special treat, giant cinnamon roll, turkey leg, dole whi, mid morning Starbucks trip or pack snacks for your early morning.
You can ride SO many things before 10-11 am if you can just get there early!
Pick the park or ride they are most excited about to try that morning. Even Oga’s Cantina in Star wants Galaxy Edge serves a breakfast pastry of sorts!
Happy travels!