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A note from Mommy Frog: During the holiday season from Dec. 19, 2021, through Jan. 3, 2022, the Early Theme Park Entry benefit for Disney Resort hotel guests is extended from 30 minutes to 60 minutes.
Rise and shine — Disney World's new Early Theme Park Entry benefit is here! Early Theme Park Entry grants Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests access to any of the resort's theme parks — Disney's Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Disney's Animal Kingdom — 30 minutes before the parks open to the public. And the best part? This perk is offered every day. Get your to-do lists (and coffee!) ready!
We recently utilized early entry at Magic Kingdom during our stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. While guests with regular admission were held by the castle, we were able to head over to Fantasyland and ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train!
While this new benefit is toadally exciting, there's more to know than which ride you're heading to first (though that's definitely also a priority). Early Theme Park Entry extends to select partner hotels, as well. And an even better bonus? Disney Deluxe and Villa guests also have access to the parks on select nights after they close. So, what else should you know about Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Theme Park Hours at Disney World? Let's jump in!
All About Disney World's Early Theme Park Entry Benefit
Extra Magic Hour benefits were suspended upon Walt Disney World's reopening last July. As a replacement, guests at official Disney Resort hotels and select Disney partner hotels can now enjoy 30-minute early entry to ANY theme park, EVERY day. Yep, this is a big change that has implications for all park-goers! The benefit became available just in time for Disney World's 50th-anniversary celebration. (Applicable theme park, days and times of operation and availability may vary and are subject to change, capacity and/or cancellation. For instance, during busier times, the benefit may be extended to a full hour of early entry.)
While giving on-site hotel guests more flexibility — and probably a better benefit than the original Extra Magic Hours, which was limited to one park each day — the new Early Theme Park Entry also helps Disney better spread visitation across all four theme parks. Note that hotel guests still need valid admission and a park reservation made via the Disney Park Pass system. Guests without the Park Hopper option must spend the day at the same park where they'd like to enjoy the Early Theme Park Entry benefit. Don’t froget to jump over to our full reopening post for all of the details you need to know before you go!
For those who might have frogotten, the former Extra Magic Hours were extended theme park hours available to Disney World Resort hotel guests and some Disney partner hotel guests. Each day of the week, these hotel guests were typically allowed to enter one park one hour early or stay up to two hours later than non-hotel guests. Like EMH, this change impacts all park-goers.
This new Disney early entry benefit gives hotel guests the flexibility to decide which park they want to visit 30 minutes ahead of regular park opening. By allowing hotel guests to enter all parks early, it lessens the benefit of arriving ahead of opening for non-hotel guests, who typically could have arrived at a non-EMH park and had a couple of hours with lower ride wait times.
Each theme park has a different method for how to utilize early theme park entry, so be sure to keep an eye out for cast members with signage. At EPCOT, for instance, there was a special section of touchpoints that resort guests could enter ahead of the general public, while non-hotel guests used other touchpoints and were stopped in front of Spaceship Earth. For Magic Kingdom, all guests were allowed into Main Street and the castle area, but only resort guests could enter into either Fantasyland or Tomorrowland.
Which Hotels Offer Disney Early Theme Park Entry?
All of Disney World's Resort hotels and Villas offer Early Theme Park Entry. The following non-Disney hotels also offer the new Early Theme Park Entry benefit:
- B Resort & Spa — Disney Springs Area
- DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
- Four Seasons Resort Orlando
- Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
- Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
- Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
- Holiday Inn Orlando
- Shades of Green on Walt Disney World Resort
- Waldorf Astoria Orlando
- Walt Disney World Swan Resort Hotel
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs
- Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
Available Attractions During Early Theme Park Entry
During this early entry period, select attractions, merchandise and food and beverage locations are operating. While attractions are subject to change without notice due to refurbishments or unplanned closures, here's a full list of the available attractions.
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
- 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!
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
- 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 Offer Extended Evening Theme Park Hours?
Guests of Disney Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resorts and a few select hotels will also have access to Extended Evening Theme Park Hours on select nights in select theme parks, beginning in October (similar to evening Extra Magic Hours of years past). If you've been wanting to check out the reimagined rooms at either Disney's Contemporary Resort or Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, here's an extra perk! Here's a full list of participating hotels:
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Jambo House and Kidani Village Villas
- Disney's Beach Club Resort and Disney's Beach Club Villas
- Disney's BoardWalk Inn and Disney's BoardWalk Villas
- Disney's Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort
- Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian
- Disney's Old Key West Resort
- Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney's Riviera Resort
- Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Boulder Ridge Villas and Copper Creek Villas
- Disney's Yacht Club Resort
- Walt Disney World Swan Resort Hotel
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
- Shades of Green on Walt Disney World Resort
In general, EPCOT has extended evening hours on Mondays from 10 p.m. to midnight, while Magic Kingdom has extended evening hours on Wednesdays from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. The schedule is subject to change, and you can double check the schedule here.
Guests will need valid admission and a Disney Park Pass reservation for the same park on the same day to experience extended evening hours. Or guests may visit with a ticket or annual pass with the Park Hopper option as long as they entered their first park where they made their reservation earlier in the day.
Available Attractions During Extended Evening Theme Park Hours
During extended hours, select attractions, merchandise and food and beverage locations are operating. While attractions are subject to change without notice due to refurbishments or unplanned closures, here's a full list of the available attractions.
Magic Kingdom Park
- "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
EPCOT
- Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along
- Frozen Ever After
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
- Mission: SPACE
- Soarin' Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Much like EMH, guests will need to present some sort of resort ID, such as a MagicBand, Disney MagicMobile pass or Key to the World card linked to their stay to access the parks during Early Theme Park Entry or Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.
By the way, we offer discounts on hotel rooms at all of these Orlando hotels and more, so you can get a hop on the savings!
Disney also announced that it would be ending its Magical Express airport service, starting with arrivals Jan. 1, 2022. Free transportation options — such as buses, monorails and Disney Skyliner — will continue to be available within Walt Disney World Resort for Disney Resort hotel guests, including to and from all four theme parks. Some familiar faces will be visiting Walt Disney World Hotels during the 50th-anniversary celebration too — favorite Disney pals such as Goofy and Pluto will be dropping by in their EARidescent best to say hello!
How Will Early Theme Park Entry Work with Disney Genie?
In addition to getting a jump start on your day using Early Theme Park Entry, Disney will debut a new service called Disney Genie on Oct. 19 at Disney World. This free planning service will provide recommendations to make the most of your time throughout your Disney day. There's also a paid skip-the-line add-on called Genie+. These services can all work together, but there may be some strategy involved — we frogs will be trying it out ourselves shortly and will be back with our best recommendations!
We are toadally excited for the opportunity to get a hop on our mornings with Early Theme Park Entry or stay late in the evening with Extended Evening Theme Park Hours! What are your thoughts? Be sure to drop us a line in the comments below!
Related: Here's How Park Hopping Works with Your Disney Park Pass
Hoppy planning!
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