Extra Fun with Extra Magic Hours

Guests at Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks often arrive at the park opening and frequently head straight to a favorite attraction hoping to enjoy it before the crowds. How can you avoid long lines at the most popular attractions and enjoy still more time in the Theme Parks?  If you are a guest at a Disney Resort Hotel, then Disney’s Extra Magic Hours are just for you.

Extra Magic Hours are those extended hours beyond the standard schedule that allow guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels to enjoy additional time in Disney Theme Parks.  Everyday, at no extra charge, one of the four Disney World Theme Parks open one hour early for an extra morning hour or remains open up to three hours after regular closing time for extra evening hours.

There are up to 16 extra park hours available each week – exclusively for guests of Walt Disney World hotels, Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resorts, Shades of Green and Hilton Downtown Disney.

To take advantage of this exclusive time in the parks, guests should have

• a valid ticket for the park offering Extra Magic Hours
• Disney Resort hotel identification, for each member of your party

To get the most out of the Extra Magic Hours benefit, the Park Hopper option should be added to your ticket.  If you only have the one park per day ticket, and choose to use the Extra Magic Hours, the theme park you visit must be the one hosting the Extra Magic Hours.  With the Park Hopper option, guests can visit one park for the Extra Magic Hour in the morning and then visit another park for the Extra Magic Hours in the evening.

On our first trip to Disney World with our children, I had heard about the Extra Magic Hours, and falsely thought it included every attraction in the theme park.  However, only certain attractions are available during the Extra Magic Hours.

Since the park sharing the extra magic hours varies from day to day, it is important to check the schedule of when each park offers Extra hours, and which attractions will be open, so you can plan and schedule your visits. By checking the schedule and with a little bit of planning, guests can see a whole lot of park.

Photo courtesy of wdw news