Extended Evening Theme Park Hours (what they are & who can use them)

Onsite resort guests have 2 new options for enjoying the parks outside the official park operating hours: Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.

But, while all onsite guests have access to Early Theme Park Entry, only guests staying at a Disney Deluxe or Disney Deluxe Villas Resort (plus a couple other select hotels) have access to the new Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.

Here’s everything you need to know about this new onsite benefit.

What are Extended Evening Theme Park Hours?

Simply put:

Extended Evening Theme Park Hours will allow eligible guests to stay in Magic Kingdom or Epcot for 2 hours past official park closing.

For years and years, the onsite benefits you got from staying at a Walt Disney World Resort were fairly consistent. You had access to Extra Magic Hours, use of the free Magical Express service, and even perks like complimentary MagicBands.

But, after the parks reopened and with the big 50th Anniversary Celebration kicking off, Disney has opted to make some changes.

Magical Express is being replaced, you now have to pay for MagicBands, and the once popular Extra Magic Hours have been retired, with 2 new options for enjoying the park past official park hours taking its place:

• Early Theme Park Entry (which is open to any onsite guests, plus guests at other select nearby resorts)
• Extended Evening Theme Park Hours (open to only guests staying at a Disney Deluxe or Deluxe Villa resort, plus a couple other select resorts)

Who can go to Extended Evening Theme Park Hours?

Unlike the old Extra Magic Hours and the current Early Theme Park Entry, eligibility for Extended Evening Park Hours requires that you be staying at a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort.

Note: These are typically the most expensive resorts, but you can save some money when staying at the Deluxe Villas by renting DVC points.

Disney Deluxe Resorts

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts

• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Other Select Hotels

• Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
• Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
• Shades of Green

Extended Evening Theme Park Hours Schedule

Early Theme Park Entry is available every day, at every park.

But, Extended Evening Theme Park Hours are only available at 2 parks (Magic Kingdom and Epcot) and only for a couple of nights per week.

Disney isn’t publishing the schedule too far in advance, but as you can see by the list below, Epcot Extended Evening Hours are for 2 hours on Mondays and Magic Kingdom Extended Evening Hours are for 2 hours on Wednesdays (with one exception on Tuesday, March 9th).

Extended Evening Theme Park Hours are also available at Hollywood Studios for one night only — Wednesday, April 13.

Which attractions are open during Extended Evening Theme Park Hours?

While not every attraction will be open, in the 2 parks that participate, you’ll find many of your favorites available:

Magic Kingdom Attractions Open During Extended Evening Theme Park Hours

• “it’s a small world”
• Astro Orbiter
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion
• Mad Tea Party
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Swiss Family Treehouse
• The Barnstormer
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
• Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room

(Notably missing: Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, & The Hall of Presidents)

Epcot Attractions Open During Extended Evening Theme Park Hours

• Beauty and The Beast Sing-Along
• Frozen Ever After
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
• Mission: SPACE
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Hollywood Studios Attractions Open During Extended Evening Theme Park Hours

*Only available for one night from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13.

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Muppet*Vision 3D
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Toy Story Mania!
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

How do Extended Evening Theme Park Hours work?

While we don’t know all the details yet, we do have some general ideas about how this new perk will work.

Typically, what happens when the parks officially close is that Cast Members close the lines to attractions (if you are in line when the parks close, you’ll be allowed to ride) and, as people exit attractions and restaurants, they slowly move them towards the front of the park by forming loose human walls that only let you move out, towards the park exits, and not back deeper inside the park.

But, on the select nights when there are Extended Evening Theme Park Hours, our best guess is that Cast Members will confirm at the attractions that an individual is allowed to ride.

We’re not sure if they will use wristbands like what they have for Boo Bash or Disney Very Merriest or if they’ll confirm by scanning your MagicBand or ticket, but you can be sure that Disney will have a method in place to confirm that you are eligible to be there.

Do you need a ticket for Extended Evening Theme Park Hours?

You don’t need to purchase a separate special ticket, but you DO need a park ticket for the day you plan to attend Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.

According to Disney:

Guests will need valid admission and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same day to experience extended evening hours–or, guests may experience extended evening hours if they have a ticket or annual pass with the Park Hopper option and first enter the park where they made their reservation.

What if I’m not eligible for Extended Evening Theme Park Hours?

Not staying at a Deluxe resort? Here’s what we’re thinking:

Historically, back when Extra Magic Hours were a thing, the park(s) that hosted them tended to be the busiest for the day – especially when they were Evening Extra Magic Hours.

As of right now, even though the new Extended Evening Theme Park Hours are only for Deluxe Resort Guests, we do think they’ll still be a big draw.

Therefore, at least until we get a few of these evenings under our belt (so we can start to see some trends), it may make sense to try to avoid the park hosting the Extended Evening Theme Park Hours for the day OR, if you have a ticket that allows hopping, have a plan to hop to a different park for the afternoon/evening.

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Heather Thomas

With 15+ years planning Disney World trips, Heather joined WDW Prep in 2014 to help others plan for their own families. As the WDW Prep Editor, she travels monthly to stay current and has helped propel the site to millions of views per year. Email Heather

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