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Guest Experience Impacted as Disney Makes Dramatic Changes to Park Hours

Mickey Mouse Christmas
Credit: Disney/Canva

The holiday season at Walt Disney World is always busy. Guests travel to Walt Disney World to experience the holiday magic found through Disney Park and Disney Resorts. Disney works hard to accommodate the crowds, and one of the ways they do so is by adjusting park hours. It has been discovered that Walt Disney World has once again extended park hours for the holiday season, giving guests even more time to celebrate the magical time of year in the parks.

christmas at disney world

Credit: Disney/ Canva

Extended Hours

For those guests who can stay up late, get ready to enjoy some late evenings at Magic Kingdom. From December 24 to 30, Magic Kingdom currently shows park hours from 8 a.m. to midnight.

cinderella castle at night magic kingdom walt disney world mickey mouse statute

Credit: Disney

This is a drastic change from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. posted hours. This will push early entry for Disney Resort guests to begin at 7:30 a.m. The extended hours will allow all guests to enjoy an additional four hours in the park.

Magic Kingdom isn’t the only Disney Park to give guests extra time. However, none are as drastic as Magic Kingdom’s. The park will open earlier than originally posted at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

tree of life walt disney world's animal kingdom

Credit: Brian McGowan on Unsplash

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will open at 8 a.m. on December 24. Then, on all days from December 25 to 30, the park will open at 8 a.m. and close an hour later than usual at 8 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.

From December 24 to 30, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will open a half-hour earlier than initially posted, opening at 8:30 a.m.

This extra time will give guests visiting during this magical time of year some additional time in the parks.

This is a good reminder that Walt Disney World is constantly adjusting hours. Double and triple-check the Walt Disney World Park hours so any adjustments don’t catch you off guard.

Related: December Park Hours Could Cause Guest Frustration

About Jennifer Retzlaff

My name is Jennifer Retzlaff and I became a lifelong Disney fan during my first trip to Walt Disney World in 6th grade. From that moment, Disney became a big part of my life. I live in Iowa with my husband and two kids who are growing up too quickly for my liking. I started introducing my love for Disney early to my family with a Disney honeymoon and then trips when our youngest of 18 months. Since then, our family has been to Walt Disney World over five times and we continue to plan and dream for the next trip. I love the magic that Disney brings to people through the theme parks, cruises, adventures and movies they create. As a teacher, I try to bring that magic into my classroom to help kids believe that “If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It.” I recently reached a dream of mine as I joined Magic Vacation Planner as a personal travel advisor. With this team, I can now help others plan magical vacations. As a passionate writer, I also have my own blog at magicalvacationsbyjen which is also where you can follow me on instagram for trip reviews along with tips and tricks for your next magical vacation.

One comment

  1. I LOVE DISNEY!!! And everything Disney has to offer!
    Thank you for extending the park hours…
    I LOVE when Large Corporations such as DISNEY will step to the front of the line and extend the “MAGIC “ for all of the park guests…it truly means a lot to us all…Hoping to become a
    Disney “employee” in the near future 👍🏼