Credit: DisneyWhen Guests visit the Disney Parks, sometimes time is of the essence. They might be staying for a weekend, a full week, or an extended stay for a special occasion. Walt Disney World offers so much to do and so much to see that it can be immensely overwhelming. However, there is one way to get the most out of your time at the Parks that seems to go overlooked.
Whether during the planning phases or the actual trip itself, one thing potential guests will be exposed to is the opportunity for “Extra Magic Hours.” That means Disney will allow access to their Parks before or after operating hours to guests who are willing to pay for the experience.
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Sometimes, it’s for a special event like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Very Merry Christmas Party. Other times, it might simply be extra time to enjoy what the Parks have to offer without worrying about extraneous wait periods. That’s all well and good, but some fans might be asking if it’s really worth the additional fees? We asked ourselves this question on our last visit and found that Guests can spend some extra time at the Parks for no additional cost.
During our last visit, one of the attending Cast Members shared what would be the best option for visitors wanting to do everything on their list. While they admitted Extra Magic Hours were a popular option in the evening, the best option was one that didn’t cost us a thing. What some fans, including this writer, might not know is that Guests staying at any Disney Resort Hotel automatically get early entry into the Parks. While this didn’t grant access to everything immediately, it did allow for us to experience everything we wanted to do at least once or twice.
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Guests willing to rise and shine early in the morning to catch that first bus to the parks for a rope drop won’t be disappointed. Disney offers a full list of what attractions and rides are operational, as well as which hotels offer this incredible service. In our experience, we were able to walk right on such hot-ticket attractions as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Rise of the Resistance with minimal effort. While this might be a bit of a stretch for Guests or families traveling in large groups, those with smaller parties should definitely take advantage of this complementary access. The early bird gets the worm, but the early Guest might get a front row view from the top of Big Thunder Mountain.
How have you benefited from Disney’s early entry? Tell us at Inside the Magic in the comments below!