Disney World extended evening hours review and all the details you need to know for your Disney vacation.

Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Epcot now has extended evening hours for deluxe resort guests. But is it worth the premium price of staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort to get the benefits of this free perk?

Magic Kingdom Castle at night Review of Extended Evening Hours
Review of Disney World Magic Kingdom Extended Evening Hours

Disney Extended Evening Hours Review

We love Disney and had the opportunity to stay at a Disney Deluxe Resort at Walt Disney World where I was able to visit Magic Kingdom for a few hours after the park closed. 

The Disney extended evening hours perk is available to guests of Disney Deluxe Resorts only, and allows Disney guests access to some attractions and restaurants after the park has closed. 

So how did this extended evening hours experience stack up? Keep reading for my full review! (Plus, find out how you can score this perk yourself!)

Disney World extended evening hours review

How Does the Disney Extended Evening Hours Work?

Let me explain how the extended evening hours at Disney World works, then I’ll walk you through our experience and give you some tips.

4 Important Things to Know:

  1. The extended evening hours are only for Disney Deluxe Resort and Disney Deluxe Villa Resort guests. 
  2. The only parks open for extra hours as of now are Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.
  3. Extended evening hours only happen on specific dates. It’s usually every Monday at Epcot and every Wednesday at Magic Kingdom. Hours and dates vary, but expect at least 2 extra hours after the park closes.
  4. Valid Theme Park Ticket and Disney Resort Reservation required. Make sure your reservation is linked to your My Disney Experience app with each family member selected.

Disney Extended Evening Hours Magic Kingdom Main Street at night

Which Disney World Resorts Get Extended Evening Hours?

If you’re wondering which resorts have extended hours, here is a list of all the Disney Deluxe Resorts included in the Disney World Parks extended evening hours.

Disney Deluxe Resorts

Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts

Other Select Hotels

What Disney Rides Are Open During Extended Evening Hours?

As of now, these are the attractions and rides open at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT during the extended evening theme park hours. See park hours here.

Expect all of the rides to have a 20 minutes or less wait time!

Disney World extended evening hours review

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
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
  • Soarin’ Around the World
  • Spaceship Earth
  • Test Track
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends

How Does Disney Regulate Extended Evening Hours?

To enjoy the attractions a few hours after the park closes, guests must scan their MagicBands or show their ticket at each ride or attraction they want to experience.  

What Was Your Experience at the Magic Kingdom Extended Evening Hours?

We thought Magic Kingdom would be empty of all people but Disney Deluxe Resort guests. But that wasn’t the case. Disney actually allows any ticket holder to stay in the park with designated extended evening hours as long as they are still in the park when it closes. 

This was a huge disappointment for us. Main street was packed and it wasn’t much different at Midnight (an hour after the park closed) than when the park was open to everyone. 

I was expecting roped off areas and cast members directing guests out of the park like when they host special evening events. 

Since this is a free perk for resort guests, I guess Disney does not provide the staff like they do during paid ticket after hours events.

Not Worth The Wait…

The lines for photos in front of the castle with a Disney photographer were at least a 20-30 minute wait. If we had waited to do this, we would have only gotten to ride one ride. I’m assuming most people in those lines were not deluxe resort guests, otherwise they would have been enjoying the rides with no lines.

What We Did Wrong…

We didn’t take into consideration problems that might occur getting to Magic Kingdom. We arrived late, because the monorail stopped at several resorts before the park, then had to restart due to a technical error. 

3 Important Tips for Disney’s Extended Evening Hours

  • Plan to arrive at least 45 minutes before the evening hours begin, or be in the park before it closes. 
  • Have your rides planned out before you arrive. Know exactly where you want to go and walk quickly to do as much as possible! If you want to stop for food, make sure you have a plan for that as well.
  • Avoid Main Street at Magic Kingdom as it will be crowded.

What We Did During the Extended Hours:

Disney Seven Dwarves Ice Cream Cone
  • Walked quickly through the crowds on Main Street and took photos in front of the castle. (This was our only night at Magic Kingdom, otherwise I would have skipped this and went straight to the rides.)
  • We then walked through the castle and turned left to ride Peter Pan. (20 minute wait – normally this is over an hour wait)
  • After that, we headed over to ride Haunted Mansion (no wait)
  • Then to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (no wait)
  • We walked to Fantasy Land for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves Ice Cream Cone at Storybook Treats.
  • We ate our cones as we walked to Space Mountain. (no wait at the end of the night! If we hadn’t arrived late, we could have ridden it twice in a row.)

I wouldn’t normally stop for food, but I only had this night at Magic Kingdom and these cute ice cream cones were definitely worth a stop!

What are the perks for being a Disney Deluxe Resort Guest?

If Disney allows all ticket holders to stay late in the park, then what is the perk for being a Disney Deluxe Resort guest? 

The only real perk you have as a Deluxe Resort Guest is you are able to ride the attractions with little to no wait. Which is a HUGE perk!

There is a cast member at each ride scanning magic bands and tickets to make sure you are a Disney Deluxe Resort Guest.

Does Disney Provide Transportation That Late at Night?

It’s pretty hard to find an UBER at 2 am, so we were very happy that the Disney buses, boats and monorail transportation were still going late into the night. We rode a bus back to our resort.

Is it Worth Staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort for Extended Evening Hours?

If you are already planning to stay at a Disney Deluxe Resort and love riding rides, then YES! 

If you walk fast, you will get a chance to ride a few of the most popular rides in 20 minutes or less. We were so tired from our rope drop day at Animal Kingdom, but we still had a blast and enjoyed the cooler Florida weather. 

No lines and being alone in Disney at night is really cool, especially at the Haunted Mansion. It was extra creepy and so fun! 

After going to many after hours Disney events and having the parks to ourselves with only those who paid for the after hour tickets, I can say skip the extra cost of staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort just for the extended evening hours perk. I would choose to rope drop in the morning over the late night hours. 

Just note, there will still be crowds on Main Street. You’ll get to ride 3-5 of the most popular rides, but only if you walk super fast and don’t stop for shopping or food.

More Theme Park Tips You Might Enjoy:

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