Formerly known as Extra Magic Hours, Disney World offers extended operating hours at its theme parks for certain resort guests. Currently, Disney World has two extra hour offerings: Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours.

This article will give you all the must-know info you need about extra hours for resort guests at Disney World. Find out which resorts qualify for extra hours, which parks are participating, and which rides are available during Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours.

Update 5-17-22: Disney World just announced that eligible guests will be able to join the Guardians of the Galaxy Virtual Queue at 6 PM for Extended Evening Hours at EPCOT. Details have been added below.

What happened to Extra Magic Hours?

Extra Magic Hours was a perk for all Disney World hotel guests and certain Good Neighbor Hotel guests. On certain days, parks would either open 1 hour early or stay open 2-3 hours late just for these guests. Disney World stopped offering this perk when it closed in 2020, and Extra Magic Hours hasn’t fully returned since then.

Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours have replaced Extra Magic Hours. There are some benefits, such as Early Theme Park Entry happening daily at all four parks. However, the new perks have some downsides in comparison to Extra Magic Hours, such as shorter hours offered and fewer hotels offering access to evening hours.

Early Theme Park Entry at Disney World

Hollywood Studios - Early Morning Entrance

As part of Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration, resort guests get access to theme park rides 30 minutes before park opening. Sometimes, the rides will even start operating earlier than 30 minutes, although this is not guaranteed.

How often does Early Theme Park Entry happen at Disney World?

Early Theme Park Entry is a Disney World Resort perk that happens every day at all four theme parks. Unlike Extra Magic Hours, which had a rotating schedule of parks, Early Theme Park Entry is a daily perk.

Which theme parks offer Early Theme Park Entry at Disney World?

Early Theme Park Entry takes place every day at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. You read that right. All four theme parks at Disney World have extra morning hours for resort guests, every day.

Which rides are available during Early Theme Park Entry?

Rise of the Resistance Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney

While not every ride is guaranteed to be open during Early Theme Park Entry, each park has a great lineup of rides set to open early for resort guests. This includes Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Rise of the Resistance, Avatar Flight of Passage, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

Magic Kingdom Park

  • “it’s a small world”
  • Astro Orbiter
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant
  • Mad Tea Party
  • Mickey’s PhilharMagic
  • Peter Pan’s Flight
  • Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
  • Space Mountain
  • The Barnstormer
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Tomorrowland Speedway
  • Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
  • Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
  • Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

EPCOT

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

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

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

Animal Kingdom

  • Avatar Flight of Passage
  • DINOSAUR
  • Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
  • It’s Tough to be a Bug!
  • Na’vi River Journey
  • TriceraTop Spin

Which hotels qualify for Early Theme Park Entry at Disney World?

Many hotels include Early Theme Park Entry as a perk, including all on-property WDW Resorts, as well as some Good Neighbor Hotels like the B Resort, Waldorf Astoria, Holiday Inn Orlando, and Hilton Orlando.

  • Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
  • Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
  • Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
  • Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
  • Disney’s Pop Century Resort
  • The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
  • Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
  • Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
  • Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
  • The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
  • 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
  • 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
  • Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
  • Shades of Green® on Walt Disney World® Resort
  • B Resort & Spa Lake Buena Vista
  • DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
  • Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
  • Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
  • Holiday Inn Orlando
  • Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
  • Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
  • Four Seasons Resort Orlando
  • Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
  • Waldorf Astoria Orlando
  • Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista

How to make the most of Early Theme Park Entry at WDW

Slinky Dog Dash - Disney World Roller Coaster
Disney

To best take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry, you should try to get to the park at least an hour before opening. If you arrive at 30 minutes ahead of time, you will be behind lots of other resort guests who will already be in line for the most popular rides.

You should prioritize popular rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Peter Pan’s Flight at Magic Kingdom, Remy, Frozen, or Test Track at EPCOT, Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, or Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Hollywood Studios, and Flight of Passage or Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom. The extra 30 minutes of operation is a rare chance to get on these rides for a shorter wait.

Extended Evening Hours at Disney World

Epcot at Night - Disney World Tip

Extended Evening Hours lets guests at certain Disney World resorts stay 2 hours after park closing at a select Disney World theme park. Access to this perk is limited to Disney Deluxe Hotels, Disney Deluxe Villas, Swan, Dolphin, and Shades of Green.

How often does Extended Evening Hours happen at Disney World?

Unlike Early Theme Park Entry, Extended Evening Hours does not happen daily. Currently, Extended Evening Hours runs two to three times a week, usually on Mondays and Wednesdays, but the schedule does change. Only one theme park will have Extended Evening Hours at a time. So if Magic Kingdom has it, no other parks will have extra evening hours that day.

For the full Extended Evening Hours calendar, check out Disney World’s website.

Which theme parks offer Extended Evening Hours at Disney World?

Currently, Disney World only offers Extended Evening Hours at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.  Hollywood Studios offered extra evening hours on the night of April 22, 2022. Extra dates for Hollywood Studios may be added in the future.

Which rides are available during Extended Evening Hours?

Extended Evening Hours has a different lineup of rides than Early Morning Entry. Notably, Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are available in the evenings, as well as Gran Fiesta Tour.

Magic Kingdom Park

  • “it’s a small world”
  • Astro Orbiter
  • 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 Tree House
  • 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

EPCOT

  • Beauty and The Beast Sing-Along
  • Frozen Ever After
  • Gran Fiesta Tour
  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Opens May 27 2022)
  • Mission: SPACE
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
  • Soarin’ Around the World
  • Spaceship Earth
  • Test Track
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Which resorts and hotels qualify for Extended Evening Hours at Disney World?

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® on Walt Disney World®

Extended Evening Hours Tip: If you are a guest at one of these resorts, you should definitely take advantage of the extra evening hours, as lines will be much shorter for the two hours after the park closes for all other guests. However, if you aren’t staying at one of these Deluxe Resorts, you still should pay attention to the Extended Evening Hours calendar. Avoid the parks that are staying open late on those days. They will be more crowded during regular hours, as resort guests who can take advantage of the perk will flock to the park on those days.

What about the Virtual Queue for Extra Evening Hours?

When it opens, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will only be available via a Virtual Queue or Individual Lightning Lane. All guests can join the Virtual Queue at 7 am and 1 pm, but guests eligible for Extended Evening Hours can join a 6 PM opening of the Virtual Queue for timeslots during EEH.

Guests who can attend Extended Evening Hours at EPCOT are able to join the Virtual Queue at 6 PM from anywhere. You can read more details in our Disney World Virtual Queue guide.

We want to hear from you!

Do you have any questions about extra hours at Disney World? What has your experience been with these morning and evening hours for hotel guests? Let me know in the comments below!