*Disney World no longer offers Extra magic hours. Instead, guest staying on-site at a Disney World resort can enter the park 30 minutes before general opening time. For guest staying at Deluxe Resorts or Villas have extended evening hours at Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
What are Extra Magic Hours?
There are EMH offered at both Disney World and Disneyland. They are both reserved for guest who are staying at a Disney hotel. You must also have valid admission to enter the parks. Even though you get in to the park early not all of the rides/attractions will be running. Most of the more popular rides should be available but its always best to check before hand so you can plan accordingly. The park that has extra magic hours for the day tend to be more crowded as well so you can use this to your advantage by visiting a park without magic hours and you should see less crowds and wait times.
The magic hour at Disneyland are offered in the morning 1 hour before the park opens to the public. The 2 parks alternate days on which offers the magic hour. For example Mondays California Adventure park has the EMH and on Tuesdays Disneyland park is open early.
The extra magic hours at Disney World are a little more complex. The magic hours are for Disney hotel guest, Swan and Dolphin resorts, Shades of Green resort or Disney’s Golden Oak. Each of the 4 theme parks have morning or evening EMH. Check your times guide to see which parks are offering extra magic hours during your trip. During the morning hours you get access to the park an hour before it opens and during evening hours the park will stay open 2-3 hours after official close time. During evening magic hours you may have present your magic band before you can get in line for a ride. The evening hours tend to be more crowded as well since some vacationers chose to sleep in.
The current schedule is:
Magic Kingdom
- Friday morning
- Wednesday evening
Animal Kingdom
- Monday and Saturday morning
Epcot
- Tuesday evening
- Thursday morning
Hollywood Studios
- Sunday morning
We have always taken advantage of the extra magic hours, it’s a great benefit of staying at a Disney hotel. We enjoy being able to walk right on rides first thing in the morning or reduced crowds in the evening. If you are staying at a Disney resort hotel be sure to take advantage of this!