Disney 101

Extra Magic Hours 101

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What are they and are they worth it? 

What are they?

One of the perks of staying on property during your Walt Disney World vacation is Extra Magic Hours, or EMH. This is a window of time in the morning or evening where the parks are open only to Disney Resort guests.

Because it’s outside of regular park hours, the windows are early in the morning and late in the evening. All four parks offer EMH, but only one park offers it per day, so be sure to check the schedule! Keep in mind only select attractions, dining and shopping are open during EMH.

 

Who can take advantage?

Guests staying at any Walt Disney World Resort or Official Walt Disney World Hotels can take advantage of this perk.

Official Walt Disney World Hotels (partner hotels) include: 

  • Swan and Dolphin
  • Shades of Green
  • Four Seasons Orlando
  • Waldorf Astoria Orlando
  • Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
  • Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels (see the full list here)

How does it work?

Everything is connected to your MagicBand! To enter the park for Extra Magic Hours, each person in your group will scan into the park normally, but then you also need to scan one of your party’s bands on a Cast Member’s iPad. This lets them know that you are staying on property!

Pros and Cons

  • Pros:
    • Less crowds
    • Shorter wait times
    • Better temperatures
  • Cons:
    • Only select attractions and experiences available 
    • All the resort guests flock to that park 
    • It’s very early or very late in the day
    • Subject to change at any time

Morning vs Evening EMH

The morning EMH are offered very frequently, especially at Hollywood Studios with the opening of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and its respective attractions. The other parks have morning EMH often, too, and they rotate the days those are offered to guests. Typically the park will open at 8am for EMH, and then at 9am for all guests. Be sure to check the attraction availability, as it differs from park to park on how much is open during EMH.

Recently, the evening EMH have been offered less frequently, which is for a few reasons. One reason is the high volume of crowds. To manage crowd flow, Disney extends park hours so they open very early and are open very late for all guests – leaving little room for EMH. Second, in recent years Disney has started offering Disney After Hours. This is a ticketed event where the park is open to guests for 3 hours in the evening, which brings in more $$ for Disney but less opportunities for resort guests to take advantage of evening EMH. 

Should you take advantage? 

There are a few strategies for Extra Magic Hours – to plan your trip around EMH (so you get optimal park time), avoid EMH completely (since most resort guests head to that park), OR just plan your trip ignoring them completely. It’s a personal decision that everyone has different opinions on from their past experiences and/or research!

Personally, I’m in the last group. I typically don’t plan my trip around EMH, unless it’s for something in particular like Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. If EMH works out with our plans, then great, but I really just consider it an extension of the regular park hours. In the morning, I still get there 45 minutes before the EMH start time (i.e. if EMH are from 8-9am at Magic Kingdom, I’m at the park by 7:15am). Park hours are always subject to change, and that includes EMH. I’d rather plan my trip going to the parks I want to hit on the days I want to go than having to shuffle things around if Disney changes EMH and park hours.

Overall, I love taking advantage of EMH but do not base my trip on the EMH schedule. What is your strategy?