Disney has announced a new extended evening hours offering for Disney resort guests, and shared more information about the Early Park Entry.
Starting October 1, Early Park Entry will give resort guests the first chance to enjoy select attractions at every theme park, every day. Guests will need a valid ticket or Annual Pass and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same date for early theme park entry.
In addition, guests staying at Disney Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort hotels will also be able to enjoy extended evening hours on select nights in select theme parks. Extended evening hours will begin in early October, with specific dates and parks to be shared at a later time.
Please note that guests will need a valid ticket or pass and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same day to experience extended evening hours. Guests may also visit with a ticket or Annual Pass with the Park Hopper option as long as they entered their reserved park earlier in the day.
Select attractions, merchandise, and food and beverage locations will be available for both of these options. Be sure to bring your MagicBand, Disney MagicMobile pass or Key to the World card linked to your stay, or another form of Resort ID.
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BOOO!! Magic hours for the rich folks?? Bad look Disney, bad bad look!
Walt Disney World has always offered more amenities if you pay more.
This park reservation system is absolute garbage.
Will guests of the Disney Waldorf Astoria continue to have access to early park entry?
You should get bot mornings and evenings extra hours no matter what resort you stay at..
It’s a money grab that a lot of people can’t afford a deluxe resort.
Many people cannot afford a great number of things at Disney theme parks and resorts. It has always been this way.
Both mornings and evenings extra hours should be available to all properties period
Why?
Because they are the most expensive park for entry, with the most expensive hotels. They cost twice as much as comparable hotels with less perks.
I’m with Christopher, I want more value for my $700+ hotel room. I’ll take deluxe evening hours! Now, give me priority in the virtual queues and I’ll be happy. ;-)
Why only Deluxe resorts?!? This is such discrimination from a company that’s supposedly so “woke”! That’s the same as Starbucks saying you can only get a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew if you can prove that you make at least $100,000 per year. Discrimination against those who spend less and/or can only afford so much. Again, from the same company that has made how many changes to park rides, themes, names, movie and tv show disclaimers, etc because they don’t want to offend anyone or discriminate. Such hypocrisy.
I wish they’d just extended park hours by half an hour for each park also. But can’t complain
Wow! We love staying for extra magic hours. And we spend craploads of money. Why insult the rifraff (us) by not offering extra magic just because we only spend $1k on a resort per trip instead of $3-5k? The rich get richer because they don’t blow their money on mickey bars and churros. I just don’t get Disney’s thinking on this one.
Their thinking is that they can increase the value of early by limiting the number of people in the parks during those hours, and at the same time drive occupancy to their more premium properties. They’re right.
I understand people staying deluxe are paying more for their room than those staying value but they also have many more amenities and a different room type. Why is staying on property not enough to have evening hours. Those are our absolute favorite – what’s more magical than walking down Main Street at 2am thinking about the incredible day you just had.
Yes, every resort comes at a different price and with different amenities. Some now come with extra hours. Make your choice about which amenities you want and how much you want to pay.
That sucks! We loved extra magic hours at night. Now only the wealthy who can afford the highest end resorts get it!
Are you not more wealthy than some families which cannot afford to stay on property or go to Walt Disney World at all?
Why should you be able to get in to the parks early by staying at Disney’s All Star while some people cannot afford to stay there? Why do I not hear you complaining about that?
that’s a ridiculous comparison.
This is disappointing…Joe Rohde was so right in his recent post. Disney is becoming just fun and that’s it. The higher ups in this current Disney are slapping fans in the face with this. Extra magic hours used to be an experience, and one all resort guests could share in. Now we are given this lack luster “early park entry” and only those who can shell out the high dollars can get “extended evening hours”. Disney is not cheap, no matter where you stay on property and all should be able to enjoy this. Not only that but the names of these “extras” again take away from the magic that once was so amazing and pure. Poor form Disney. You really are just all about increasing that bottom dollar now aren’t you.
How have you concluded that “no matter where you stay on property all should be able to” enter Disney’s parks early?
Because it’s been that way since I started coming to Disney in 1999. Part of the reason to stay on Disney property has been Extra Magic Hours, which were available to everyone staying onsite, from Fort Wilderness on up. And we never noticed that evening Extra Magic Hours were particularly crowded, so I’m baffled and disappointed at the exclusion of Moderate and Value resorts from their Extended Evening Hours in the name of crowd control. I can’t believe this is what Walt Disney had in mind, but apparently the organization no longer regards that.
any word on when they get rid of this reservation system? what is present park capacity up to now?
They are not getting rid of the reservation system.
Disney will continue to use the reservation system to 1) manage staffing and 2) manage the customer experience.
Does Swan/Dolphin get the extended evening hours benefit?
Did Swan and Dolphin get Extra Magic Hours before?
Yes, they have always functioned as Deluxe Resorts and they even share Disney transportation (the water taxis).
This has been Disney’s MO for quite some time now. They have been making this shift geared toward the elite class and pricing out the “average” family. Walt would totally ashamed of what management has done to his ideals of what his parks were founded on.
Good to see Disney finding value for spending more. About time.
This a little weird without park hopper as it was pre-covid. When will I know when the extended hours are and in which park? How does a person plan with park reservations and Disney not releasing the information until you are months away from going?
Staying on property has always meant extra hours. Now it makes no sense to stay at a moderate resort. Just stay at a Hilton or Marriott for half the price – you can’t stay late any way.