Disney World Extends Vacation Hours with Midnight in Magic Kingdom!

Walt Disney World has added extra hours to the calendar via early January 2025 at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom, and prolonged hours to begin the 2024 Christmas season. This publish covers the adjustments plus zig after they zag technique for Magic Kingdom and DHS throughout these vacation dates.

We’ll begin with the most recent launch of recent working schedules. All 4 theme parks have had hours for an additional week added to DisneyWorld.com’s park hours, and the present calendar now runs via January 3, 2025. Listed below are the hours for the newly-added dates through the vacation season:

• 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 Seaside: 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 follow is to launch boilerplate or placeholder hours earlier than extending these based mostly on attendance and resort occupancy projections. This has been widespread follow for years, and can proceed for the rest of this 12 months and doubtless in 2025, 2026, and so forth–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 friends for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Celebration and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration over the course of the following three months. These separately-ticketed occasions start at 7 pm and runs till midnight, and happen a number of nights per week.

Much like Magic Kingdom on MVMCP nights, Hollywood Studios closes at 7 pm on evenings when the Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas Celebration is held. That arduous ticket occasion happens with far much less frequency than Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration.

Along with these newly added hours, Walt Disney World has additionally prolonged park hours all through November 2024.

This was to be anticipated, as we’re getting into the house stretch of the 12 months when crowds can spike because of lengthy weekends, faculty breaks, holidays and different particular occasions. Consequently, you may count on much more extensions–on a weekly foundation–from Walt Disney World going ahead for Thanksgiving via New Yr’s Eve.

Anyway, on with the extensions for November 2024…

Magic Kingdom

• November 1, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 2, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 3, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 4, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 5, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 6, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 7, 2024: 9 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 8, 2024: 8 am to six pm (beforehand 9 am to six pm)
• November 9, 2024: 9 am to 12 am (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 10, 2024: 9 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 11, 2024: 8 am to six pm (beforehand 9 am to six pm)
• November 12, 2024: 8 am to six pm (beforehand 9 am to six pm)
• November 13, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 14, 2024: 8 am to six pm (beforehand 9 am to six pm)
• November 15, 2024: 8 am to six pm (beforehand 9 am to six pm)
• November 16, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)

Walt Disney World has solely up to date hours via November 16, 2024. Any dates past that present boilerplate hours. There can be extensions for many, if not all, dates in November and December 2024 past that in future updates.

The very first thing to which I need to name your consideration is these midnight closing time on November 9, 2024. We anticipated this and had been actually hoping it might apply to November 10, as that was what occurred final 12 months. Sadly, that’s not the case.

Whereas we’re excited for the uncommon midnight closing, there are some things value mentioning. In the beginning, there can be filming for the ABC Christmas specials in Magic Kingdom over this weekend. If you happen to haven’t already, we’d extremely suggest studying How one can See Mickey’s As soon as Upon a Christmastime Parade for “Free” Throughout Days at Magic Kingdom!

That covers my expertise final 12 months on this date, execs & cons of visiting throughout parade filming, and extra. Particularly, my advice–and what I plan on doing–is to do Sunday versus Saturday at Magic Kingdom. Although I used to be anticipating a midnight closing then, too, that recommendation/plan stays unchanged. Simply take into account that there’s a motive Disney prolonged till midnight on Saturday however not on Sunday.

Second, that’s Veterans Day weekend and there are a number of MVMCP dates within the week that follows. We at all times flag Veterans Day as a result of it continues to catch followers abruptly–it’s one of many busiest vacation weekends of your entire 12 months. There’s a motive these dates are on the ‘worst’ aspect of our listing of the 10 Greatest and 10 Worst Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World in 2024 & 2025.

Suffice to say, the chances are excessive of heavy crowds in Magic Kingdom on each Saturday and Sunday. So my ‘endorsement’ of Sunday isn’t even remotely the identical as, say, a random weekday in late August. It is going to be some extent of busy–I nonetheless like Sunday, particularly the evening, as a result of I’m optimistic that crowds will skinny out on the finish of the evening. Simply perceive what you’re getting your self into.

Lastly, we need to reiterate as soon as once more that midnight closures must be normal working process for Magic Kingdom throughout Celebration Season on dates when the park isn’t closing early. Disneyland closes at midnight usually, and Magic Kingdom ought to comply with go well with. The crowds on non-party dates all through November and December are greater than adequate 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, blended with eager to push individuals in the direction of Lightning Lanes.

Then there are the extensions on days of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration, with Magic Kingdom now opening at 8 am on these dates. One other constructive is that Magic Kingdom is opening at 8 am even on numerous non-party days! That is the way it ought to be throughout Celebration Season.

As we’ve mentioned numerous instances, Celebration Season working hours trigger chaos with crowds, pushing attendance a lot greater on the dates it’s not occurring and decrease on the dates it’s occurring. On occasion nights, Magic Kingdom closes to day friends at 6 pm. It’s also more and more opening at 8 am. Due to this, Early Entry begins at 7:30 am, which makes it extremely really useful.

Once more, we’d strongly suggest visiting Magic Kingdom through the day on MNSSHP or MVMCP nights. That is one thing we’ve lined at size, time and again. See Greatest & Worst Days to Do Magic Kingdom in 2024 for a rundown of when crowds can be particularly good or dangerous, together with a handful of ‘pink flag’ dates to keep away from in any respect prices this month via December.

All through November and December, count on party-shortened days at Magic Kingdom have crowd ranges of two/10 to 4/10 as an alternative of 1/10. This can occur as a result of crowd ranges as an entire are growing–they’ll be greater throughout the board, on each occasion and non-party days. Second, occasion dates have gotten extra frequent, making them harder to keep away from. Meaning extra friends could have no selection however to do Magic Kingdom on occasion days.

Ideally, you’ll have Park Hopper tickets and can have the ability to bounce to a different park at round 4 pm. Animal Kingdom will at all times be the best choice for lower-crowd evenings through the vacation season.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• November 8, 2024: 8:30 am to 9 pm (beforehand 9 am to 9 pm)
• November 9, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (beforehand 9 am to 7 pm)
• November 16, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (beforehand 9 am to 7 pm)

Only some 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 we’ve talked about numerous instances, the sooner that Early Entry begins, the higher. There’s much less “competitors” and you may get far more finished.

In reality, that’s how I Did Each Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Earlier than 11am Through Standby Traces. Don’t rely on replicating these outcomes on November 8-9, however the technique is sound. We’d thus extremely suggest doing DHS on one in every of these dates if in any respect doable.

As for which date, that actually relies upon upon whether or not you’ll keep at DHS all day. We’ve had numerous reader questions on whether or not it’s savvy technique to copy the zig after they zag strategy to Magic Kingdom throughout Celebration Season. Our reply, as mentioned at size in  Greatest & Worst 2024 Crowd Days at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, might be not.

With the park solely closing two hours early on occasion nights (versus 3-4 hours for Magic Kingdom), not almost as many friends are discouraged from doing DHS on these dates. Even on regular nights, not almost as many individuals keep late in Hollywood Studios as accomplish that in Magic Kingdom. Attendance at DHS may be somewhat decrease on occasion days, however not considerably so.

Conversely, there’s the Jollywood Nights attendees that may arrive throughout their mix-in time, and it will end in longer traces for headliner points of interest at a time after they’d in any other case be actually brief. Fantasmic is barely proven as soon as (and at an earlier time) on Disney Jollywood Nights dates, too. Against this, it has two performances–one in every of which is after park closing–on most vacation season dates.

So for me, the reply is apparent–I’m indubitably doing and recommending Disney’s Hollywood Studios on November 8 over November 9. That’s one particular instance, but it surely ought to maintain true with different adjoining dates all through the occasion.

The one exception to this may be if I had been merely beginning out at DHS and Park Hopping some place else. In that case, I’d start at DHS on November 9 or 16 within the hopes of ~10% smaller crowds. Simply take note, as soon as once more, that Walt Disney World extends hours for a motive–these 8:30 am openings are incredible from a strategic perspective, however Disney is forecasting greater attendance on these dates. Put together accordingly.

Animal Kingdom

• November 1, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
• November 2, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
• November 3, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
• November 8, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
• November 9, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
• November 10, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
• November 11, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
• November 15, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (beforehand 8 am to six pm)
• November 16, 2024: 8 am to 7 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 ‘new regular’ going ahead via December 2024. That’s actually excellent news even a baseline perspective, because it means extensions can be closing at 7 pm or 8 pm–which additionally means nighttime at DAK through the vacation season!

Critically, the brand new 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 all of nowadays! Between the later closing and Daylight Saving Time, you may get a pair hours in DAK after darkish for the primary time shortly!

I don’t see Tree of Life Winter Awakenings again on the schedule simply but–however Walt Disney World already confirmed they’d be again (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 strategy for this park. Even on busier dates, Lightning Lane Multi Go 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 when you really need it–in any other case, you’re only a hoarder. (Nicely, you may’t actually hoard Lightning Lanes in the identical sense…however you get the thought!)

Finally, it’ll be fascinating to see how dangerous crowds find yourself being over the Veterans Day vacation weekend, and what occurs with hours as soon as Thanksgiving rolls round. Whereas the park opening instances are effective, our hope is that Walt Disney World will get again to later closing instances for the Christmas season.

Magic Kingdom closing at 11 pm isn’t dangerous, however midnight could be lots higher–particularly with the variety of weekly MVMCPs and attendance each growing as Walt Disney World enters the center of the vacation season. All in all, it’s not too dangerous. Even with heavier crowds–and doubtless by lots on a few of these dates–November and December are amongst our favourite instances of the 12 months within the parks and on the resorts. Higher climate and a festive ambiance are powerful to beat!

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YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you consider Walt Disney World’s working hours extensions for November 2024? Assume this schedule is affordable? Do you assume Magic Kingdom must be open later? What has been your expertise with crowds and wait instances? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!