EPCOT is opening earlier than EVER BEFORE as Disney World adjust opening times at the parks

Beginning today, EPCOT’s park operating hours have been modified to yield some of the earliest (if not the earliest) park opening times since Disney World‘s second theme park opened in October 1982.

Credit: Disney Parks

The new operating hours begin February 28. The first set of extended hours runs from today, Monday, February 28, to Saturday, March 5. The same extended hours are in effect from Sunday, March 13 to Saturday, March 19, 2022. On these dates, EPCOT will welcome Guests between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. EPCOT’s previous park operating hours were 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., meaning that during these extended periods, Guests can enjoy EPCOT for an hour and a half longer than on previous dates.

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From Sunday, March 6 to Saturday, March 12, EPCOT’s park operating hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Previously, those hours had been 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

EPCOT’s 8:30 a.m. opening is the earliest one the park has offered since Walt Disney World reopened after its nearly four-month closure in response to the coronavirus pandemic. An 8:30 a.m. opening at EPCOT is also a massive extension in hours when you consider that World Showcase currently does not have a separate opening from the rest of the park. Once upon a time, we never could have imagined World Showcase welcoming Guests around the promenade at 8:30 in the morning.

Perhaps the extension at EPCOT is the result of Disney World‘s anticipation of a higher number of Guests at the park during the month of March.

Credit: Disney Parks/Marvel

It’s not known at this time whether this extension will be gone after these dates in March, or if this will become more normal as EPCOT continues to undergo a complete overhaul in some areas of the park, including the addition of the new Guardians of the Galaxy: COSMIC REWIND attraction, the development of a new Moana-themed attraction, and an overhaul of the front half of the park.

Credit: Disney Parks

It’s important to mention that if you’re a Guest staying on property at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel, you can enjoy early theme park entry at EPCOT even earlier than these posted times, as Resort Hotel Guests get a 30-minute headstart in the parks. This means that on some days in March, Resort Hotel Guests can be at EPCOT as early as 8:00 a.m.!