Walt Disney World has added extra hours to the calendar via February 2025 at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom, and prolonged hours for the vacation season via the height week between Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve. This covers the modifications plus zig after they zag technique for Magic Kingdom and whether or not to belief standard knowledge at DHS throughout these dates.
We’ll begin with the newest launch of recent working schedules. All 4 theme parks have had hours for one more week added to DisneyWorld.com’s park hours, and the present calendar now runs via February 5, 2025. Listed here are the hours for many newly-added dates through the winter:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 9 pm
- EPCOT: 9 am to 9:30 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 9 am to 9 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 8 am to six pm
- Blizzard Seashore: 10 am to five pm
- Disney Springs: 10 am to 11 pm (11:30 pm on Fridays & Saturdays)
As a reminder, Walt Disney World’s regular apply is to launch boilerplate or placeholder hours earlier than extending these primarily based on attendance and resort occupancy projections. This has been frequent apply for years, and can proceed for the rest of this yr and possibly in 2025, 2026, and many others–till the rise of the machines.
One exception to the park hours above is that Magic Kingdom closes on a number of nights per week at 6 pm to day company for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion over the course of the subsequent couple weeks. This separately-ticketed occasion begins at 7 pm and runs till midnight, and happens a number of nights per week.
The excellent news is that Magic Kingdom will deliver the vacation leisure from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion to all company beginning December 21, 2024. So in the event you’re visiting that date or later, you’ve that “free” choice versus paying for the events, that are all offered out now, anyway. And actually, it isn’t free. It’s included with admission, which is dearer the final two weeks of the yr. To not point out considerably increased resort prices. Minor particulars.
Just like Magic Kingdom on MVMCP nights, Hollywood Studios closes at 7 pm on evenings when the Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas Occasion is held. That arduous ticket occasion happens with far much less frequency than Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion.
Along with these newly added hours, Walt Disney World has additionally prolonged park hours via the height week between Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve–however not all the way in which to NYE. Nonetheless, we do have already got the leisure schedules and park closing occasions (openings are prone to be prolonged earlier) as lined in our Information to New 12 months’s Eve 2025 at Walt Disney World.
Anyway, on with the added hours for December 2024, from current via the latest wave of extensions…
Magic Kingdom
- December 8, 2024: 8 am to six pm (beforehand 9 am to six pm)
- December 9, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 11, 2024: 9 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 12, 2024: 8 am to six pm (beforehand 9 am to six pm)
- December 13, 2024: 8 am to six pm (beforehand 9 am to six pm)
- December 14, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 15, 2024: 8 am to six pm (beforehand 9 am to six pm)
- December 16, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 18, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 20, 2024: 8 am to six pm (beforehand 9 am to six pm)
- December 21, 2024: 9 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 23, 2024: 9 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 24, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 25, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 26, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 27, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 28, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
Walt Disney World has solely up to date hours via December 28, 2024. Any dates past that present boilerplate hours. There will likely be extensions for dates from December 29 via January 4, 2025 within the subsequent wave of updates. Dates beginning January 6, 2025 are much less prone to see main extensions, however some smaller ones are attainable.
The opposite factor to which I need to name your consideration to is December 11, 14 and 18.
All of those are ‘purple flag’ dates to keep away from throughout weeks main as much as Christmas that can in any other case have solely average crowds. It is because every of those are the one day in 4-day stretches when Magic Kingdom doesn’t shut early for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion.
Past this, we need to reiterate but once more that midnight closures ought to be commonplace working process for Magic Kingdom throughout Occasion Season on dates when the park isn’t closing early. Disneyland closes at midnight virtually daily this vacation season, and Magic Kingdom ought to match. The crowds on non-party dates all through December are greater than ample to justify 8 am to 12 am hours each single day. Not doing so is a mixture of cheapness on Walt Disney World’s half, combined with desirous to push folks in the direction of Lightning Lanes.
On a optimistic observe, there are the extensions on days of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, with Magic Kingdom now opening at 8 am on many dates. That is the way it ought to be throughout Occasion Season (and, for my part, most days).
As we’ve mentioned numerous occasions, Occasion Season working hours trigger chaos with crowds, pushing attendance a lot increased on the dates it’s not occurring and decrease on the dates it’s occurring. On occasion nights, Magic Kingdom closes to day company at 6 pm. Additionally it is more and more opening at 8 am. Due to this, Early Entry begins at 7:30 am, which makes this on-site perk way more extremely really helpful.
Count on party-shortened days at Magic Kingdom to have crowd ranges of two/10 to 4/10 as a substitute of 1/10. This occurs as a result of crowd ranges as a complete are growing nearer to Christmas. That means they’re increased throughout the board, on each occasion and non-party days. It’s additionally occurring as a result of occasion dates have gotten extra frequent, making them tougher to keep away from. Meaning extra company may have no selection however to do Magic Kingdom on occasion days.
Ideally, you’ll have Park Hopper tickets and can be capable of bounce to a different park at round 4 pm. Animal Kingdom will at all times be your only option for lower-crowd evenings through the vacation season.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- December 11, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (beforehand 9 am to 7 pm)
- December 14, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (beforehand 9 am to 7 pm)
- December 18, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (beforehand 9 am to 7 pm)
- December 21, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (beforehand 9 am to 7 pm)
- December 26, 2024: 8:30 am to 9 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 27, 2024: 8:30 am to 9 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
- December 28, 2024: 8:30 am to 9 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
Just a few dates including hours for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and it’s “solely” half-hour. This can be a larger deal than it may appear as a result of Early Entry will as soon as once more formally begin at 8 am on these dates. As at all times, the sooner that Early Entry begins, the extra helpful it’s. There’s much less competitors and you will get extra executed.
It additionally helps that the majority of those extensions are Jollywood Nights dates. We’ve had a number of reader questions on whether or not it’s savvy technique to duplicate the zig after they zag method to Magic Kingdom throughout Occasion Season. Our reply, as mentioned at size again in Finest & Worst 2024 Crowd Days at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, might be not.
Admittedly, the sooner opening time does solid this into doubt a bit for on-site company. It most likely relies upon upon whether or not you’re an early chook or evening owl. For those who’re the previous, contemplate taking the sooner headstart. Most company ought to take the longer hours and later closing, although. In fact, strategic Park Hopping is at all times going to be essentially the most advantageous method, in the event you’re ready to do this.
It additionally helps that Jollywood Nights has not offered out most dates (and I strongly suspect it has a considerably decrease attendance cap than MVMCP within the first place), so it’s probably not having a pronounced impression on crowd ranges. We anticipate that to proceed to be true nearer to Christmas.
Animal Kingdom
- December 13, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
- December 14, 2024: 8 am to eight pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
- December 20, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
- December 21, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
- December 22, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
- December 23, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
- December 24, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
- December 25, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
- December 26, 2024: 8 am to eight pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
- December 27, 2024: 8 am to eight pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
- December 28, 2024: 8 am to eight pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
As with Magic Kingdom, the 8 am opening time is clutch at Animal Kingdom, and that’s the norm via December 2024. That’s actually excellent news even a baseline perspective, because it means extensions will likely be closing at 7 pm or 8 pm–which additionally means nighttime at DAK through the vacation season!
Critically, the baseline 8 am opening additionally means Early Entry at 7:30am, which is fairly sparsely attended. See Animal Kingdom Park Opening & Early Entry Experience Technique (or, “How I Did Each Experience at DAK Earlier than 10:30am.”)
On the reverse finish of the day, Animal Kingdom formally closes after sundown for the rest of the yr, in addition to all of Winter 2025. Between the later closing and Daylight Saving Time, you will get a pair hours in DAK after darkish–one thing not attainable a lot of the yr.
Tree of Life Winter Awakenings can also be again on the schedule (see our Information to Christmas at Animal Kingdom for full particulars). We extremely suggest staying for evenings in DAK to benefit from the Tree of Life Awakenings, plus Pandora and the remainder of the park after darkish.
Our Animal Kingdom Afternoon Arrival Technique is as soon as once more the best method for this park. Even on busier dates, Lightning Lane Multi Cross is pointless with even a modicum of strategizing. Please don’t be fooled by the “cut price” pricing on LLMP at Animal Kingdom. Keep in mind, one thing is barely a deal in the event you really need it–in any other case, you’re only a hoarder. (Properly, you may’t actually hoard Lightning Lanes in the identical sense…however you get the thought!)
In the end, the newest two waves of park hours extensions are usually not as strong as I hoped or anticipating to see. The week earlier than Christmas is rarely as busy because the one between that and New 12 months’s Eve, however the extra modest extensions at DHS and DAK counsel Walt Disney World is projecting solely average crowds. That’s stunning, as this might nonetheless usually be one of many 5 worst weeks of the yr.
Then there’s the week after that. Final yr was utter madness, the busiest stretch at Walt Disney World since (at the very least) 2019, surpassing even the height of pent-up demand in 2022. And consider, that was in what was in any other case a slower yr, as crowds have been already trending down final yr. This could lead us to consider that dates between Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve (actually via January 4, 2025 since blockouts lifting and faculty breaks additionally play a task) will all have 10+/10 crowd ranges and wait occasions far exceeding all different weeks of the yr.
These park hours extensions don’t essentially replicate that. Don’t get us improper, 8 am to 11 pm isn’t unhealthy for Magic Kingdom, but when these crowds are something like final yr, the park ought to be closing at midnight, if not 1 am, each evening that week. (Because it stands, this vacation season solely received one midnight closure, throughout Veterans Day weekend.)
Later closures at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and even EPCOT would even be known as for. So both Walt Disney World’s inner forecasts present decrease (comparatively talking) attendance or they’re opting towards longer extensions regardless of the heavier crowds. For those who’re visiting that week, we’d suggest making ready for the latter and following our new High 12 Ideas for Beating Heavy Crowds at Walt Disney World, however hoping for the previous. It’ll be fascinating to see the way it performs out.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Walt Disney World’s working hours extensions for mid-to-late December 2024? Dissatisfied at no midnight closures through the week between Christmas and New 12 months’s Eve? Suppose this schedule is cheap? Do you assume Magic Kingdom ought to be open later? What has been your expertise with crowds and wait occasions? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
