Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours at Disney World Data & Ideas

Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours is an on-site perk for Walt Disney World company staying at a Deluxe Resorts, DVC Villas, and choose different inns this yr and in 2025. This technique information covers every little thing you might want to know: eligibility, experience rosters, the way it works, and ideas for finest utilizing the additional time. (Up to date February 24, 2025.)

By way of fundamentals, Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours (ExEH) is the oblique alternative for Night Further Magic Hours and is the present counterpart to Early Theme Park Entry. Nevertheless, there are a variety of variations between the morning and night additional time within the parks.

Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours is normally supplied after common park closing on Monday nights at EPCOT and Wednesday nights at Magic Kingdom. That schedule does change every now and then, however is correct the overwhelming majority of the time. See Walt Disney World’s official calendar for particular instances for every occasion night time. Notice that if common hours are added inflicting park closing to happen later, which occurs often, Prolonged Night Hours shifts to after that.

The pool of eligibility for Prolonged Night Hours is pretty small. This nighttime profit is solely for company staying at Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts, Deluxe Villas (Disney Trip Membership items), and different choose inns (at present solely the Swan & Dolphin and Shades of Inexperienced). Company staying at Worth or Reasonable Resorts will not be eligible for Prolonged Night Hours.

Whereas initially promoted as a particular perk for the fiftieth Anniversary, Walt Disney World has confirmed that Prolonged Night Hours will proceed all through all of 2025. There are different updates because of official bulletins and omissions from Walt Disney World.

First, Walt Disney World has revealed its park hours calendar by means of the upcoming shoulder season, and in a uncommon twist, Animal Kingdom will host Prolonged Night Hours on Monday, Could 5, 2025. As famous above, this might usually be an EPCOT night time.

The schedule past that isn’t but recognized, however we don’t count on Animal Kingdom to take over Prolonged Night Hours from EPCOT this summer time. Extra doubtless, there’s a company buyout of EPCOT that night time, which occurs every now and then when massive conventions and different occasions are being hosted at Walt Disney World.

Usually, EPCOT hosts Prolonged Night Hours all year long with just a few random exceptions (like this) which can be normally one-offs. It’s Magic Kingdom that normally doesn’t supply Prolonged Night Hours on an prolonged foundation, however that doesn’t occur till later within the yr.

The park stops internet hosting ExEH when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Social gathering and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering kick into excessive gear. That usually begins in mid-to-late September and continues by means of early January. The traditional cadence is for Disney’s Hollywood Studios to take over ExEH in September and October, after which Disney’s Animal Kingdom in November as soon as the Jollywood Nights Christmas Events begin at DHS.

This will likely seem to be a downgrade, however we’ve performed Prolonged Night Hours at Magic Kingdom a few instances throughout the Social gathering Season previously, and it has been bonkers busy. Shifting it over to DHS and Animal Kingdom throughout these busy stretches is the fitting transfer for everybody. Particularly since Animal Kingdom is underrated within the evenings, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a number of headliners. (As a result of structure of the parks and distance between large rides, we favor Prolonged Night Hours at DHS to EPCOT.)

Subsequent, some experience roster adjustments for 2025. The excellent news is that digital queues are ending at Walt Disney World as of February 25, which means that Tiana’s Bayou Journey and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will now not person them as of that date. (TRON Lightcycle Run’s digital queue was retired final fall.)

Beforehand, there was a 6 p.m. digital queue entry time for Prolonged Night Hours for sights utilizing the boarding group system. Now, they’ll use standby traces similar to some other experience.

Walt Disney World nonetheless has NOT added Tiana’s Bayou Journey to the Prolonged Night Hours experience roster. That is one other reimagined experience–the alternative for Splash Mountain, which was an ExEH attraction.Tiana’s Bayou Journey had been utilizing a digital queue throughout its preliminary opening interval to take care of downtime points and reliability woes.

It switching to standby suggests these issues might now not exist, by which case, Tiana’s Bayou Journey would possibly be a part of the Prolonged Night Hours lineup quickly. This could be a really welcome addition, particularly with Huge Thunder Mountain Railroad down till 2026, and rolling refurbishments taking different rides down for shorter timeframes.

Turning to a subject of confusion, Prolonged Night Hours is distinct and totally different from After Hours at Magic Kingdom and After Hours at EPCOT. These are onerous ticket occasions to which anybody can buy admission. After Hours additionally lasts longer and consists of refreshments.

Though the schedule varies, Magic Kingdom usually hosts After Hours on choose Monday and Thursday nights–however not Wednesdays. It’s additionally value noting that After Hours costs vary from $125 to $175.

In contrast, Prolonged Night Hours are “free” for company staying within the aforementioned lodge tiers, are shorter in length, and don’t embody refreshments. After Hours and Prolonged Night Hours are additionally held on totally different dates. If cash is not any object, After Hours is certainly higher, however that’s a fairly large asterisk. We’ll take the “free” occasion any day of the week over having to pay additional–they’re not that a lot totally different.

Early Entry can also be totally different from Prolonged Night Hours. Clearly, one happens within the morning and the opposite at night time. Past that, Early Entry is obtainable in any respect 4 theme parks each single day, runs for half-hour, and each on-site resort visitor is eligible, together with the third get together on-property inns. For every little thing you might want to find out about that profit, see our Technique Information for Early Theme Park Entry at Walt Disney World.

As soon as once more, Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours has two sorts of resort eligibility, happens two nights per week, is at two parks, and runs for 2 hours (just about every little thing concerning the perk happens in twos).

The opposite large distinction is that you could accomplish an amazing quantity throughout Prolonged Night Hours. We’ve performed it at each Epcot and Magic Kingdom, and it’s been nice in each parks–eerily uncrowded by the tip, with most sights being stroll ons.

With that stated, it’s undoubtedly superior at Magic Kingdom, and that’s largely because of the extra sturdy experience roster–and the truth that a number of headliners are positioned close to each other. Magic Kingdom has as many standard sights in Fantasyland as is the case within the entirety of Epcot. (Examine one such expertise in our Night Prolonged Hours at Magic Kingdom Photograph Report.)

Talking of which, a little bit extra strategizing is required with the intention to knock out Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, Frozen Ever After, Check Monitor, Soarin’ Across the World, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind throughout a single Prolonged Night Hours in Epcot.

Examine considered one of our current makes an attempt at this in Night Prolonged Hours at EPCOT Technique & Report, which gives play-by-play from one night time that we did a pair months in the past. Nonetheless, we had a unbelievable time and extremely advocate profiting from Prolonged Night Hours in each parks, when you’re eligible.

Now that Cosmic Rewind has lastly dropped its digital queue, we’ll be discipline testing technique once more to see if it’s nonetheless attainable to hit the entire headliners in a single night.

Earlier than singing its praises an excessive amount of, we must always in all probability deal with the elephant within the room: that “if eligible” asterisk. Many Walt Disney World followers have been essential about Prolonged Night Hours for excluding Worth and Reasonable Resorts.

Their perspective is that it caters to the rich or creates two tiers of on-site lodge company. Clearly, the purpose about decrease tier resorts not being eligible is correct. The opposite factors are subjective, and the identical claims might be made about off-site vs. on-site company with the Early Entry profit.

Clearly, nobody likes dropping entry to a perk, however the cause Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours are this gratifying is as a result of it’s restricted to a small subset of company. Night Further Magic Hours had been crowded to the purpose of being virtually ineffective and unenjoyable of their final couple of years.

Prolonged Night Hours are method higher than that, and likewise superior to the brand new early entry providing. That’s regardless of this solely occurring two nights per week and thus “consolidating” crowds into that single night. For probably the most half, there haven’t been a ton of company profiting from this–and that has been true even throughout peak season. Prolonged Night Hours have been superb–for many who are eligible.

In any case, we’re not right here to debate the elemental equity of Prolonged Night Hours. Slightly, the aim of this information is to offer information concerning the profit and enable you profit from it.

To that finish, potential choices for profiting from Prolonged Night Hours with out breaking the financial institution embody doing Disney Trip Membership Level Leases or reserving the Swan & Dolphin Resorts, that are normally roughly the price of a Reasonable Resort.

One other concept that we actually like is doing a break up keep, splurging on an evening at a Deluxe Resort (see The best way to Do Break up Stays at Walt Disney World Motels) after which doing finances lodging the remainder of your trip. You may additionally do a two night-stay, checking in on a Monday and out on a Wednesday, with the intention to reap the benefits of each Prolonged Night Hours nights.

For those who actually needed to go large, pair that with Membership Degree, profiting from the early/late hours and having fun with the membership throughout the center of the day. You may fairly accomplish each worthwhile attraction in Magic Kingdom or Epcot throughout the first few hours of the day plus the previous couple of hours of the night time.

Do breakfast in one of many Membership Degree lounges, whereas additionally having fun with a pool day and each different foods and drinks unfold (save for desserts). That might be an superior solution to TREAT YO SELF, and might be made attainable by slicing prices elsewhere out of your Walt Disney World trip finances.

Subsequent, let’s check out the eligible inns for Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours…

Prolonged Night Hours Eligible Disney Owned Motels

Deluxe Resorts

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Seashore Membership Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s Up to date Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Membership Resort

Disney Trip Membership & Deluxe Villa Resorts

• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Up to date Resort
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Cabins at Fort Wilderness – Disney Trip Membership Resort
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo Home
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
• Disney’s Seashore Membership Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Outdated Key West Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Prolonged Night Hours Eligible Third Social gathering Motels

• Walt Disney World Swan Resort
• Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort
• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
• Shades of Inexperienced

Subsequent, the sights lineup for Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours…

Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours Sights – Magic Kingdom

• “it’s a small world”
• Astro Orbiter
• The Barnstormer
• Huge Thunder Mountain Railroad (closed till 2026)
• Buzz Lightyear’s Area Ranger Spin
• Nation Bear Jamboree
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion
• Mad Tea Social gathering
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Snort Ground
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice
• Area Mountain
• Swiss Household Treehouse
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• TRON Lightcycle Run
• Beneath the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
• Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room

Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours Sights – Epcot

• Frozen Ever After
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Journey of Water, Impressed by Moana
• Mission: SPACE
• Remy’s Ratatouille Journey
• Soarin’ Across the World
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas with Nemo & Buddies
• Check Monitor (closed for reimagining till Late Summer time 2025)

Prolonged Night Hours Sights – Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Seasonal)

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Canine Sprint
• Star Excursions – The Adventures Proceed
• Toy Story Mania!
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Prolonged Night Hours Sights – Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Seasonal)

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• It’s Powerful to be a Bug!
• Na’vi River Journey

As you’ll be able to see, not all Walt Disney World sights can be found throughout Prolonged Night Hours. With minor exceptions, these lists are an identical to the outdated night Further Magic Hours with headliners being the emphasis.

Furthermore, the Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours schedule and obtainable sights are topic to vary with out discover. Relevant theme park, days and instances of operation, attraction and repair availability might differ and are topic to vary with out discover. Topic to capability and cancellation. [Insert other boring boilerplate caveats.]

Legitimate theme park admission and MagicBand, Key to the World Card, or Disney MagicMobile move is required. Company with out the Park Hopper Choice or Park Hopper Plus Choice should spend the day on the identical park the place they’d wish to benefit from the Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours profit.

To validate eligibility, Forged Members are stationed exterior every attraction entrance, scanning MagicBands, lodge room keys, and so on. In contrast to Early Entry, this occurs at each single attraction all through the night time—not simply as soon as upon arrival. That’s as a result of different company are already within the parks–that’s the one possible solution to decide who can experience sights because the parks will not be actively cleared at first of Prolonged Night Hours.

Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours Technique

Technique for Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours is surprisingly easy. Begin with much less standard sights and end with extra standard ones. Mainly, do rides in reverse order of wait instances, whereas nonetheless protecting in thoughts that 2 hours goes by shortly, which means you don’t need to waste any of that point on sights that can have minimal daytime waits (assuming you’re additionally visiting the identical park throughout the day).

One key to that is coupling Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours technique with Lightning Lane utilization, or lack thereof. (See our Information to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World for every little thing you might want to know.) Particularly, company who’re eligible for ExEH in all probability do not want to purchase Lightning Lane Single Move, and may as an alternative backload these sights into the tip of their night.

Let’s shortly run by means of what this implies for every park.

At Magic Kingdom, your final three sights must be Area Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice–with that order making probably the most sense. Attempt to time it so that you get into line for Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice ~5 minutes earlier than the tip of Prolonged Night Hours. Disregard the posted wait time, because it’ll nearly actually be considerably inflated to discourage you from doing it.

Then there’s TRON Lightcycle Run.

As famous above, TRON Lightcycle Run dropped its digital queue, proper as Prolonged Night Hours ended at Magic Kingdom for the yr. We haven’t had an opportunity to check technique for TRON’s standby line throughout ExEH, however will very quickly. Our expectation is that doing it on the very finish of the night is the most effective strategy, however we’ll affirm and report again.

At Epcot, the technique is a tad harder as a result of there are solely a handful of standard sights, all of which command decently-long waits throughout Prolonged Night Hours. Conversely, every little thing else is comparatively unpopular and can be a walk-on, however that’s additionally true throughout a lot of the daytime working hours. With that stated, finish your night with Soarin’ Across the World, Check Monitor, Frozen Ever After, and Remy’s Ratatouille Journey.

Ideally, you’ll bounce into line for the Rat Journey about 5 minutes earlier than the tip of the night time. The additional benefit right here is that you simply’ll be capable to take a protracted, leisurely stroll out of World Showcase with nobody else round. You would possibly even be capable to go the “great distance” round to exit the park–assuming you’re not leaving by means of Worldwide Gateway.

Since Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind switched to standby, we haven’t had an opportunity to check ExEH technique. Our expectation is that the optimum strategy can be much like After Hours at EPCOT, the place doing it final can be finest. That is largely as a result of the pre-shows are so lengthy that Cosmic Rewind takes up a variety of time from start-to-finish. And demand is excessive, so pushing that wait till after ExEH has ended is right.

When DHS gives one other Prolonged Night Hours, our suggestion is beginning with Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, adopted by Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster and Tower of Terror, and ending with Slinky Canine Sprint earlier than leaping in line for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance proper on the very finish of the night time.

Mainly, the concept is beginning with the lowest-demand sights and ending with highest. It stays to be seen whether or not Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will take part in ExEH in Late 2025. It’s not on the official record, however it has been open on a hit and miss foundation previously. If it’s not collaborating, we’d advocate leaping in line for that shortly earlier than official park closing.

In the end, that’s every little thing you might want to find out about Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours at Walt Disney World. What you do earlier within the night time doesn’t actually matter, as long as you put aside enough time for the aforementioned headliners on the very finish.

We’ll proceed updating this technique information within the coming months as Prolonged Night Hours proceed to evolve, and as issues “quiet down” and discover their groove. Keep tuned–we’ll proceed to cowl the entire necessary planning particulars and likewise share extra Prolonged Night Hours picture experiences from our experiences with this new on-site lodge profit!

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Ideas on Prolonged Night Theme Park Hours at Walt Disney World? Excited to reap the benefits of the brand new on-site visitor perk or assume it’s too brief to be helpful? Disenchanted concerning the eligibility guidelines or attraction lineups? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!