Disney World Extended Evening Hours Guide

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Everything you need to know about Extended Evening Theme Park Hours at Disney World, including how to get them and are they worth it. 

There’s no doubt that the Walt Disney World theme parks are extra magical at night.

There are several ways to get additional time in the theme parks at night after the parks close to regular “day” guests:

• After Hours Events – This separate ticketed event gives you three hours in select parks with limited crowds. Cost = $155 – $185
• Holiday Parties – These separate ticketed events give you five hours in select parks with special offerings. Cost = $119 – $229
• Extended Evening Theme Park Hours – Deluxe Resort guests with standard admission get an additional two hours in the parks. Cost = $0

In this post, I’ll explain the third option in detail and share my tips for making the most of this extra time in the parks. 

What Are Extended Evening Hours at Disney World? 

A few years ago, Disney started offering a new perk just for guests of Disney Deluxe Resorts called Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.

It is part of the replacement for “Extra Magic Hours” which was a perk Disney offered for years. The other part of the replacement is Early Theme Park Entry, which you can read about here. 

Extended Evening Hours works like this: at least two nights per week, one Disney park will stay open for an additional two hours just for guests of Deluxe resorts. 

Disney cast members will scan your ticket or Magic Band to confirm that you are a Deluxe Resort guest before allowing you onto rides. 

Many attractions remain open for these two extra hours and crowds are significantly lower than during regular park hours, making this a great time to get on rides without long waits. 

Who Is Eligible For Extended Evening Hours?

Guests of resorts considered “Deluxe” at Disney World qualify for Extended Evening Hours. 

This includes those staying at Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resorts, standard Disney Deluxe resorts, the Disney Swan and Disney Dolphin, and Shades of Green. 

You’re entitled to access every night of your Deluxe resort stay, including both check-in day and check-out day.

My favorite way BY FAR to get access to perks like Extended Evening Hours is by renting DVC points to stay at Disney Deluxe Resorts for up to 70% off Disney’s prices. 

I’ve been renting DVC points to save money on my frequent trips to Disney World for 10+ years, so I can assure you it’s the real deal!

Click here to learn more about renting DVC points, or sign up for my email list below to receive my free 18-page printable guide. 

My second favorite way to get access to Deluxe resort perks is by staying at the Disney Swan or Dolphin. You can often find these resorts at a significant discount on Priceline, or you can use Marriott Bonvoy points to stay here for free. 

Click here for all of the details on staying at the Disney Swan or Dolphin resorts.

You’ll also get this perk when you book a stay at a Disney Deluxe Resort as a room-only reservation or as part of a package. Click here for free help booking these resorts from my travel agent partner Siera with Destinations in Florida.

And if you want a full explanation of all of the perks and benefits offered at Disney Hotels, click here for my guide. 

How Are Extended Evening Hours Different From Other After Hours Events? 

The main difference between Extended Evening Hours and other “after-hours” events is that you don’t need a separate ticket to stay late in the parks. 

If you have a ticket that gives you entry to the park and you’re a Deluxe Resort guest, you get the additional time in the park. 

While the time you get is less than what is offered during hard-ticketed after-hours events, you won’t have to buy an additional ticket or pay any more for the extended time. 

The other main difference is that the paid after-hours events include special offerings you can’t get otherwise (such as special parades at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party) and/or complimentary treats (such as free ice cream bars, popcorn, and soda at Disney After Hours Events). 

Depending on what kind of experience you want to have during your extra time in the parks, it might be worth it to spend the extra money on one of these “hard ticketed” events. 

What is the Extended Evening Hours Schedule?

Knowing when Disney is offering Extended Evening Hours is a bit challenging. The only reliable place to find out is the Disney World website’s events calendar. 

Disney releases park hours and special event schedules 60 to 70 days in advance, and the calendar is updated almost daily. But this calendar is unfortunately the only place that Disney releases information about which days/parks have Extended Evening Hours.

You’ll find Extended Evening Hours listed under the park information for the day:

While this is subject to change at any time, Disney has predictably been offering Extended Evening Hours on Mondays and Wednesdays. 

Epcot has pretty reliably had Extended Evening Hours on Mondays, while the park that offers it on Wednesdays is constantly changing. For example, this month Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom all offer Extended Hours on at least one Wednesday. 

One other pattern is that it is less common for Magic Kingdom to offer Extended Evening Hours during “party season”, which is roughly mid-August until Christmas.

What To Expect At Extended Evening Hours

If you attend Extended Evening Hours at any of the parks, you can expect the crowds to thin out as the night goes on. 

You can expect reduced wait times for most attractions, though the headliner attractions such as TRON and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will still get significant lines (think 45 minutes instead of 70 minutes). 

Click here for the full list of what attractions stay open during extended evening hours

Be prepared for very few food/beverage options in the parks. We were surprised that really only snack carts were open beyond the first 30 minutes of Extended Evening Hours at Epcot. 

The large gift shops in the parks typically stay open for the first hour of Extended Evening Hours, but then they will close, too. 

Are Extended Evening Hours Worth It? 

I personally love being in the parks when it feels like I’m the only one there. Towards the end of Extended Evening Hours, the parks definitely look and feel empty!

If you are already staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort and don’t have an early wake-up time the next morning, I absolutely suggest you take advantage of this perk and stay late in the parks. You’ll be able to ride things again or hit up attractions you missed during the day. 

In terms of which park gives you the most “bang for your buck” during Extended Evening Hours, it undoubtedly is Magic Kingdom. 23 attractions stay open late (compared to just eight at Hollywood Studios), so I would plan a trip around taking advantage of the extra time there. 

Since you’ll get access to Extended Evening Hours on even a one-night stay, I have planned a “split stay” (where I switch resorts during the trip) just to take advantage of this perk. 

For example, if I can find a confirmed DVC reservation for a one- or two-night stay that includes a Wednesday (when Magic Kingdom is offering Extended Evening Hours on a Wednesday), I will combine it with a stay at a Value Resort.

That way I can keep the overall cost of my trip down while still getting access to the Extended Evening Hours perk. 

I hope this post helped answer all of your questions about this after hours perk at Disney World. Any other questions? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.