Shorter Park Hours When Disney World Reopens
Walt Disney World has reduced park hours for Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios, with later openings and earlier closings between July and October 2020. In this post, we’ll cover the shorter hours, offer thoughts on special events, and why this is likely happening.
The obvious backdrop for this change is the announcement that Walt Disney World Will Officially Reopen Beginning in July 2020. As covered there, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will debut first, followed shortly thereafter by Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. These changes to park hours correspond with those dates.
It feels odd to be doing a park hours update that covers a reduction of park hours; every month following the debut of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance was seeing regular extensions. Of course, nothing is normal right now. It’s not even remotely surprising that Walt Disney World is reducing park hours for the coming months given the circumstances…
In addition to park hours being condensed for July through October 2020, the calendar on DisneyWorld.com for June 2020 and all dates prior to July 11, 2020 has been removed entirely. Again, no surprise there given the official opening announcement. However, it is worth noting that this does not account for the soft opening preview periods, but we’re not expecting those to show up on the official public-facing calendar, anyway.
Let’s start with a look at the calendar of park hours for July 2020 at Walt Disney World:
For August, September, and October 2020, park hours follow the same pattern:
- 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
The schedule of morning and evening Extra Magic Hours has likewise been adjusted to match with the earlier closings or later openings. Additionally, the Early Morning Magic and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party hard ticket events both still appear on the calendar.
In the case of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, the regular Magic Kingdom park closing time has actually been extended from 6 pm to 7 pm on event nights. This is an interesting change that raises a red (or at least yellow) flag. (More on that a bit later in the post.)
One thing we always note when it comes to the initial release of their monthly calendars is that it’s commonplace for Walt Disney World to release boilerplate hours prior to a final calendar. This practice was implemented following complaints about guests having to book Advance Dining Reservations when Walt Disney World hadn’t even set its calendar.
Normally, it’s a valid complaint. Walt Disney World expects guests to have their days planned half a year in advance, but the parks can’t be bothered to do the same? Of course, the new practice doesn’t really resolve that complaint. These template calendars are fairly predictable based upon previous years, and often the final hours differ significantly from what DisneyWorld.com initially posts. (But I digress.)
In this case, the boilerplate calendars are certainly more understandable as Walt Disney World leaders don’t know what operations or hours will look like in October 2020. This is a totally unprecedented situation, and like everyone else, Disney is figuring this out as they go.
Decisions are being made dynamically and on the fly, with Disney itself scrambling to strike the right balance. For proof of this, look no further than Walt Disney World suspending new ticket sales, hotel bookings, etc. a few hours after the reopening announcement was made.
With that said, at least for the month of July, these hours are probably more or less accurate as-is. The July 2020 calendar is similar to Shanghai Disneyland’s operating hours for its first few weeks, and is likely a byproduct of attendance caps and reduced demand.
It’s worth noting that at Shanghai Disneyland, even with reduced capacity on attractions, wait times have been minimal. Attractions are peaking below half their norms, which means that even with reduced hours guests can still accomplish as much or more than previously. That’s not to say the same will hold true at Walt Disney World, but it is one explanation. (Another obvious explanation is that Walt Disney World needs to reduce labor and operating expenses while the parks are running at a fraction of normal capacity.)
There are a number of variables at play that will influence the final park hours for late summer and fall. What will attendance have been like in July? What operational adjustments will need to be made based upon guest feedback and what works/doesn’t? Will any entertainment be able to resume? What about projections for fall hotel bookings and park ticket sales? Will safe capacity for the parks have increased? Is it feasible to host entertainment-heavy special events?
These are just some relevant considerations–there are undoubtedly more, and no one can answer these questions right now.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party still appearing on the calendar for August, September, and October 2020 dovetails with all of these questions. Bluntly, there is no way Walt Disney World can know today whether this event–which begins less than one month after Magic Kingdom reopens (yes, you read that correctly)–can be held in 2020.
On a normal night, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party requires an attendance cap. In recent years, this has been a major problem (we covered this in our Is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Too Crowded? post). It’ll be an even bigger issue in 2020. This is in part because of the event’s lineup, which consists of entertainment that is temporarily suspended. It’s also because the marquee entertainment occurs in quick succession in a guest-dense area of Magic Kingdom, where physical distancing is impossible.
Attendance would need to be capped significantly lower (at which point the party probably runs at a loss) or the event will need to be cancelled or restrictions on entertainment/crowds will need to be loosened by August. (Or a combination of the three–earlier dates could be cancelled, the attendance cap modestly lowered for mid-September through October, and some entertainment modified to get guests out of the Central Plaza.)
The presence of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Part on the August 2020 calendar should be indicative of what these fall hours represent: placeholders reflecting current intent that can still be heavily influenced by future events/circumstances changing.
It’s entirely possible that the normal park hours and events will remain totally unchanged between now and October 2020. It’s also possible they will change radically. As always, the closer the dates, the less likely there will be change. The more remote, the greater likelihood they’ll be modified.
That doesn’t make them accurate or inaccurate right now–basically, the fall hours are instructive, albeit inconclusive.
Editorializing a bit more, this could also be a matter of reseting guest expectations for the foreseeable future. It’s going to be a rough few months for Walt Disney World, and fully apprising potential visitors of the compromises they’ll have to make if visiting in the near future is a savvy move.
Judging by online reactions, a lot of people are still expecting the normal Disney experience in the midst of a pandemic, which is patently unreasonable. Walt Disney World needs to get people to cancel or adjust their patience, flexibility, and tolerance pretty quickly.
To the former point, Walt Disney World is no doubt bracing for a deluge of trip cancellations. That’s inevitable and unavoidable. It’s inarguably better for Disney to be up front in presenting the complete picture (or even worst case scenario) in terms of the modified guest experience. That way, people can make a fully informed decision to cancel or postpone prior to their trip, rather than showing up, complaining, and Disney having to issue nonstop guest recovery or concessions.
All of this goes well beyond park hours, but those do play an important role in presenting a sobering view of the limitations and requirements guests who choose to go during the first phase of reopening will encounter. On the flip side, this also offers a unique opportunity for Walt Disney World to underpromise and overdeliver. By being transparent in presenting the worst case scenario and reducing the potential audience on that basis, Walt Disney World can potentially provide a superior experience to those who accept the compromises. That’s digressing quite a bit from park hours–and something we plan on discussing in greater detail in the near future.
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? Will you be visiting Walt Disney World right away when the parks reopen in July or will you wait? Will shorter hours influence your decision to visit? Do you think Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will happen this year? A variety of viewpoints are welcomed here, but we will not tolerate insults, arguing, or politically-charged comments. Additionally, please do not debate the efficacy of health safety policies—all such comments (for, against, otherwise) will be deleted. Those arguments are played out and isn’t the appropriate forum for that. (Saying you will or will not visit in light of certain measures is fine.)
We have a trip that was rescheduled from May to September and have Halloween party tickets. We will definitely cancel if event is canceled and hours are not changed. Spending the day at the pool and then going to the parks after 4 is usually how we like to do things. It is unrealistic to expect young children and older people to wear masks in the heat of the day and enjoy themselves. It’s not worth the money for such a limited experience. No magic, no fun, and worthless vacation. I don’t go on a trip to be miserable and not have fun. It’s a huge NO for us.
I thought I read all the pools will be closed? Except Universal’s Volcano Bay water park, which is an enigma since they require masks elsewhere. Is that accurate? And I agree: smarter to open parks later than earlier. As far as that is concerned, why not have two shifts of guests? Maybe not worth it economically but they might be surprised. I’d bet the later hours would see more crowds so long as a mask requirement is in place.
Just saw on MDE all my fastpasses are gone for July 23rd to 30th. I expected it given the new reservation system, but so bummed to have just lost them all.
I have a trip planned for late August, and I expect we will cancel. If I lived closer, I would love to go for a few days and see how it goes. I live in Connecticut, so we are unaccustomed to the Florida heat & humidity. We have vacationed at WDW in August before, taking advantage of early & late extended hours, being careful to hydrate, and taking a break at the hotel when needed. I worry that wearing a mask in the heat of the day will be really uncomfortable. It’s a lot of money to spend on the trip if we have limited hours and don’t know how well we would tolerate wearing masks in the heat. I work in the school system, so it’s not easy to find time to go to Disney World in cooler temperatures. If I were able to plan my trip for the mid-winter months, I would definitely go.
Tom,
have you heard anything about traveling into Florida from the “hot” states and having to quarantine for 14 days prior to going into parks? I know that is still currently listed on the FL website for tourism, but do you have any insider information that suggests that will change. Trip planned for last week in August and coming from NJ.
I’m not Tom but he has posted on other threads with a link to the Florida Covid site. That order is set to expire July 7 with the state emergency order. So before Disney reopens. I’m from NYC so have also been paying close attention to this ! Hope that helps.
I just don’t see that your getting enough bang for your buck. It’s already expensive and with loosing fireworks and other things that I look forward to.
While with Reduced hours and they will definitely will be running rides at a very low compactly Forget park hopping! I like going early then going back to room for a swim and then heading back to parks after it cools down. Shoots that in the foot. Hard to justify till things get closer to normal.
Has anyone heard about how WDW will handle the transportation? Buses, Skyliner, boats and of course Disney Magical Express…
I’m very curious about Magical Express which we use all the time!
What does this mean for dining reservations for restaurants in the park? We rescheduled from March to first week in October and already have our ADRs booked. Most of these start at 6pm. Will we have to cancel those reservations or move them earlier?
We were originally scheduled to go the week of May 11th, back in May we rescheduled for July 16-24, I feel lucky to be one of the first back in the parks after they open. We are Disney regulars so we won’t really mind not having parades or fireworks. I’m looking forward to (hopefully) being able to enjoy the Disney Parks without large crowds. The only thing that would diminish the experience for our family is if rides or restaurants were closed that are normally open.
You can’t even purchase tickets for the NSSHP anymore, the link takes you to the Temporary Closures & Operations notice page
it would not shock me at this point if they didn’t even have those events this year. i mean, with no parades or fireworks or meet and greets, how can they even have a party? i’m sure they’d love the revenue, but will they save more by not operating the park, not paying CMs for it, etc.
You can’t buy anything right now. We’ll have to wait for either their new reservation system to launch to know if the ticket sales will resume or Disney will make an announcement beforehand
I had hoped the resorts would open sooner. I will be there mid June and even with the parks not open I would stay at a resort – as I like them much better than off site resorts- but my understanding is they won’t open resorts till mid July either? That I haven’t been able to find the answer to. I know DVC resorts are opening mid June after I leave but I believe the resorts are also mid July?
Evening hours are beautiful in many areas of the park and it’s a shame to lose that ambiance.
As an aside,
We have been booked for the first week in December of this year in Fort Wilderness for a while now and are in the process of making dining reservations ( we are on the dining plan). I find myself leery of the wdw restaurants like Boma that are all buffet dining until we know how the pandemic will play out. Tom, have you heard anything about how the buffets are to be handled when the park is up and running?
Opening later and closing earlier you are left with park hours that are the HOTTEST AND MOST DANGEROUS of the entire day, even in normal circumstances. When you add wearing a face mask, especially for children, this is a complete lack of common sense and forethought.
Please remember Disney is forcing no one to attend for now. If modifications aren’t acceptable vs being closed completely, just stay home so you can enjoy your trip when it’s comfortable for you and others.
Jc- just as you are free to give your opinion, so am I. Instead of giving me direction you might try giving your opinion on the article itself.
It’s about as backwards as their social distancing markers. They should fire the person who came up with that idea and hire the person from Universal…
there was no need to be rude to jc, that was an extremely polite response to the comment made. and i agree jc, people are not forced to go if they don’t wish to follow the new guidelines or if feel they will not work for their family. the constant complaints are doing nothing to change the situation. direct complaints to the appropriate places.
Susan Rinks- Actually my opinion was in response to the article. Sorry you can’t appreciate that and that you disagree but Disney is doing their best given this unprecedented pandemic so I think attacking their common sense and forethought is uncalled for and short sighted. And I repeat, a little common sense would support you staying home if you don’t like or approve of their rules. And thank you Laura for seeing my comment for what it was.
Tom Thank You for the update. Universal has the same hours for June right now, so Disney is definitely following their lead for now. I think they are definitely seeing how things work out for them and will hopefully change throughout this fluid situation.
I wouldn’t visit WDW right now but that’s largely because it’s an expensive trip for us – even using DVC to stay we have to fly (which I also don’t really want to do right now) and buy tickets since we aren’t passholders. Also actually I probably wouldn’t visit Florida in July or August period.
If Disneyland opens we’d go because we have annual passes and can drive. So less expensive and hassle and OK with a reduced experience. (Although we’d probably only do that once and then wait until at least parades and fireworks are back.)
We rebooked our May trip to late December hoping things will normalize. Interesting side note…because our 6 day parkhoppers (date priced) won’t grandfather in for our late December stay I called WDW ticketing and was basically told DO NOT take any actions to convert the tickets until much closer. I give Disney credit for trying to deliver some experience…but I haven’t seen anything about adjustment of any of the gate costs which makes me wonder if guest satisfaction/expectations during these early openings is going to have to contend with that reality as well.
What a shame. Our July 9th to the 16th is gone, along with the FREE Dining recovery program and I doubt they will honor it for a future booking… Now November 1st to the 8th is in jeopardy? This is really a shame & probably why the stock just got a downgrade this morning…
Tom. What have you heard about food and wine and all the events ? Thanks
That’s the real question. Tom doesn’t know, but you can bet that Disney corporate is planning it. Maybe fewer booths than normal?
We are scheduled for Labor Day Weekend and for EF&WF of course. Just renewed my AP. Thought about waiting to see if they offered a piece of cheese for renewals, but said why not do it now.
Love the idea of evening/late night hours, so much more comfortable for mask wearing. Also, they would be great for folks from the west coast. The 3 hour time change makes am hours tough!
Carrie, the concept of a morning person is a sick joke! Mornings are for sleeping. That said, last October we hauled our butts out of bed early to get the DHS way early, and got to do ROTR twice and Smuggler’s a dozen times, Oga’s 3x etc.
Do we know when phase too is hopefully going to start and what changes they’ll make then?
I’m due to go the end of July but I’m going to cancel, without fireworks parades, character meet and greets I feel it will be like any other park.
When you go with kids this is all part of the magic of Disney.
If they said how long these restrictions were to be in place I’d potentially just move my holiday but as they aren’t I’ll have to cancel.
It all feels like a roll of the dice at this point. If I was planning a once in a lifetime trip, I would definitely postpone.
We are coming up on six months out from an annual trip (booking airfare today), and are going to roll the dice and assume things will be more “normal” by then. It’s impossible to predict, but I do think there will be an amazing park experience to have shortly after more of the restrictions lift and before future vacation bookings really ramp up.
The go/no go for us will ultimately be evening entertainment. Some of our fondest memories revolve around the evenings at the parks. Heading back to the room without fireworks/shows/etc. wouldn’t have the same feel of a Disney trip to me. I understand why it might not be feasible, but at some point the diluted experience isn’t worth the cost…
They should open later in the morning or right after noon and stay open later in the evening when it is cooler. Mornings are really humid and hot. Afternoons would be, too, but evenings would be so much better. Open at 3PM, close at midnight.
Good point. I’d just go nocturnal: open at 6-7PM, close at 7AM.
Great point, no clue why they’re closing early… Makes no sense but much doesn’t these days.
Totally agree with this from a comfort perspective. Maybe it’d generate too many complaints from families, though?
I don’t think they’ll do this, but I would love it if they did. I’d move it a little later so as to miss the daily 3 pm thunderstorm. Sleep in, spend the heat of the day at the pool, and then head to the park after a nap and shower? Perfect.
I will add my voice to the chorus of agreement on this. We have gone in August the past few years because my husband does the pin trading event (doubt that will happen this year although it’s not officially canceled yet!). Evenings are so much better that time of year. Tom has a good point about families though…
Children under 10 would have a hard time finding the energy to visit a park during those hours.
I don’t see this schedule as a comfort move; it’s clearly a public health issue. During the bright, sun-drenched hours of the day, the virus is much less likely to remain viable. This is what they are seeing with the beaches opening up down there but no sizable increase in Covid cases. I’d love to have the cooler evening hours too, hoping for mild weather for an October trip.
I believe the change in hours are to give the cast members time to give the parks a good cleaning before the next morning. It will also give cast members enough sleep so they do not get worn down and sick also.
I dunno, Brighter, we always enjoy watching the little rats scurry back to their rooms at any sign of rain, so we can enjoy the lower crowds.