Early Theme Park Entry at Walt Disney World begins October 1 and Extended Evening Hours coming for Deluxe Resort hotel guests

Jun 30, 2021 in "Early Theme Parks Entry and Extended Evening Hours"

Posted: Wednesday June 30, 2021 4:39pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney will begin rolling out a new early theme park entry benefit for Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests and guests of other select hotels each day at each park beginning October 1 2021.


In addition, with the kickoff of the 50th anniversary, guests staying at one of the 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.

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 both the Early Theme Park Entry and the 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.

The new early morning offering and extended evening hours replace the popular Extra Magic Hours at Walt Disney World. At its peak, Extra Magic Hours offered 3 hours of extended operating hours in the evening after regular park close, and an hour in the morning before park opening. However, the option was restricted to a specific theme park on a specific day. Extra Magic Hours were suspended along with the COVID-19 shutdown, and did not resume when the parks reopened in July 2020.

In addition to the new morning and evening extended hours, during the 50th celebration, favorite Disney pals like Goofy and Pluto, will be dressed in their EARidescent best and dropping by to visit with guests at Disney Resort hotels.

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    Sirwalterraleigh11 days ago

    Cause they’re trying to sell it to you for $28 an hour later?

    ToTBellHop11 days ago

    It’s a matter of budgeting. As I said, they’ve opened it for EE in the past.

    co1006411 days ago

    Is there any justification for TRON not being open for Early Entry, or is it strictly a cost cutting measure? For Tiana’s early closure and not offering it for Extended Evening Hours, they can at least pretend they’re doing maintenance on it

    ToTBellHop12 days ago

    It has already operated during EE during peak weeks. Experienced it myself.

    dmc49312 days ago

    A random woman on TikTok claims the new approach includes Fantasyland. She didn't have video proof so not quite verifiable

    Sirwalterraleigh12 days ago

    I’d think it’s like a 99% chance

    bork12 days ago

    Could this be in anticipation of adding Tron to early entry?

    Purduevian13 days ago

    So fantasyland was still roped off? was there a new rope (or 2?) between tomorrowland and fantasyland?

    DCBakerFeb 25, 2025

    Guardings of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has officially been added to the attraction lineup for Early Theme Park Entry:

    monothingieFeb 24, 2025

    Probably an after hours park buyout at EPCOT that night.

    DCBakerFeb 24, 2025

    According to updated park hours, Extended Evening Hours will occur at Disney's Animal Kingdom on May 5, 2025, instead of EPCOT.

    DCBakerDec 18, 2024

    Adding the Extended Evening schedule for February 2025 as there is one date out of the normal rotation: Monday, Feb. 3: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Wednesday, Feb. 5: Magic Kingdom Monday, Feb. 10: EPCOT Wednesday, Feb. 12: Magic Kingdom Monday, Feb. 17: EPCOT Wednesday, Feb. 19: Magic Kingdom Monday, Feb. 24: EPCOT Wednesday, Feb. 26: Magic Kingdom

    DCBakerNov 20, 2024

    Here's a look at the Extended Evening Hours schedule for January 2025: Wednesday, Jan. 1: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Friday, Jan. 3: Disney's Hollywood Studios Monday, Jan. 6: EPCOT Wednesday, Jan. 8: Magic Kingdom Monday, Jan. 13: EPCOT Wednesday, Jan. 15: Magic Kingdom Monday, Jan. 20: EPCOT Wednesday, Jan. 22: Magic Kingdom Monday, Jan. 27: EPCOT Wednesday, Jan. 29: Disney’s Animal Kingdom