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Credit: Disneyland ParisPlanning a Disney vacation takes a lot of work, and to find out that the time you are visiting will mean you will have far fewer hours in the theme park, even after paying more money to enjoy more time in the theme park will certainly put a damper on the vacation.
Sadly, that is what is happening for many guests traveling to Disney soon.
Disney park hours have evolved over time, and still, continue to change as different busy seasons arrive and leave. For example, if we look at Tokyo Disney Resort, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea typically close at 9:00 p.m. but over in Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom closes at 11:00 p.m. typically. That being said, even Walt Disney World has hours that very.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park typically shuts down around 8:00 p.m. making it the theme park guests can spend the least amount of time in. Although Magic Kingdom is open until 11:00 p.m., prior to COVID-19 and the pandemic shutdown, it was normal to see the park open until 12:00 a.m. or sometimes even 1:00 a.m., much like Disneyland Park in California.
One way that Disney guests tend to get extra time in the theme parks is via Extra Magic Hours. This is only available to guests who are staying on Disney property, so you do have to shell out more money on your stay, but it will mean more hours at Disney World without the high crowds.
When guests visit “The Most Magical Place on Earth” in Orlando, Florida, they’re faced with the difficult task of choosing between four fantastic theme parks to experience. From Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, each and every theme park in Walt Disney World is incredible in its own unique way.
However, to no one’s surprise, Magic Kingdom is always the most crowded and most popular. This is mostly due to the iconic nature of each and every ride at the park. Here, guests will find Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan’s Flight, “it’s a small world,” Space Mountain, and Haunted Mansion, just to name a few.
For those unfamiliar with the term, Disney’s Extra Magic Hours are essentially extra time in theme parks that guests can purchase for late in the evening or early in the morning. While many do indeed make use of this addition, it might be because they skip the ever-popular rope drop option.
All Disney World Resorts offer complementary early entry and early access to many popular attractions. Entering the parks 30 minutes earlier than most guests might not sound like a major perk to some, but a few willing to pull themselves out of bed in time to rope drop their favorite attraction were quick to defend their early-bird stance.
Recently, upon checking the official Walt Disney World website, we noticed that Magic Kingdom’s extended hours had been cut entirely. These extra hours were offered as benefits for guests staying at certain Walt Disney World hotels on the property during the months of September and October. As stated , the first day of extended evening hours for the Magic Kingdom is on September 6, and then September 13. The final day for extended evening hours is September 20, with no further dates given.
Now, more days have been updated at Walt Disney World Resort through the month of October, which you can see here, but another Disney park has cut their offering.
On October 16th, Disneyland Paris cut their Extra Magic Hours.
As Disneyland Paris advertises, “Check in to a Disney Hotel and enjoy extra magic each day of your stay! Gain exclusive access to parts of the Disney Parks long before anyone else and meet up with Mickey, Minnie and friends. Cuddle up and strike a pose in a range of distinctive settings for snapshots to cherish forever. Have your autograph book ready, as they love making friends from all over the world. You can even enjoy attractions before the official opening times of Disneyland Park. The key to unlocking all these magical experiences is simply to stay in a Disney Hotel!”
That being said, on October 16th, Disneyland Paris is celebrating Disney 100 and has removed their Extra Magic Hours, meaning all guests must enter at the same time, even if they paid extra for their hotel in order to take advantage of the added time in the theme parks.
One guest took to Reddit to share their grief with this as they were not made aware during the booking process.
The said, “Im a bit annoyed as I just found out there won’t be magic hours on the 16th of October. We booked a trip months ago, and it was way more expensive than normal but we went through with it to stay in property because of magic hours. Now we just found out that this is going to be the D100 celebrations day (which was also not clear when we booked) and everyone will be able to enter the park at the same time. Im slightly worried that it will be too crowded and not worthy… does anyone know if there is something we can do?”
Many replies noted the same thing, “As frustrating as it is, there is likely not much you can do, but take some solace in the fact that you’re there for D100. Those types of opportunities don’t come around very often.” It seems that the majority of people are suggesting to find the best in the situation unless they are looking to cancel their vacation.
The celebrations note, “To mark the 100-year anniversary on 16 October 2023, guests will be treated to a one-of-a-kind entertainment programme, character performances and exclusive Disney activities throughout the day. After 16 October, additional, never-seen-before exclusive activities will also take place at Disneyland Paris as part of the Disney100 celebrations.
Some warned that if crowds are an issue, visiting Disneyland Paris as a whole may be a problem. This has proven to be a major issue throughout the summer, as signage has even been erected warning guests to stay away from the theme parks from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. if they don’t want to deal with mega crowds. One guest added, “Nearly every day at Disney is full capacity”.
Luckily, this will only be a temporary issue for guests, and Extra Magic Hours will return.
At Disneyland Paris, the 30th anniversary came to an end just two days ago.
The park that started as Euro Disney and then transformed into Disneyland Paris with Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studio Park has grown so much over the past 30 years, and now as the park continues to expand, we were finally able to kick off the amazing celebrations of the 30th anniversary over the past year, which came to an end on September 30.
Sleeping Beauty Castle was lit with LED lighting, the decor is in place, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and the rest of the gang had their outfits ready, Illuminations returned, and there was an all-new song for the celebration that sent a party down Main Street, U.S.A.! And that was just the tip of the iceberg; we haven’t even discussed how the new drone technology that lit up the night sky.
There was new packaging on everything, from water bottles to sandwich boxes, Minnie Mouse looked chic as ever in her new pantsuit, the After Glow show illuminated Sleeping Beauty Castle with an amazing drone experience, The all-new Dream… and Shine Brighter also debuted, and so much more.
“The “Disney Jr. Dream Factory” will be closing its doors’ temporality from September 25 to October 20, 2023 included.
Related: Thousands Mourn Disney Attraction, Immediately Removed Forever Following Explosion
This will not be the only show to experience downtime, as “TOGETHER: a Pixar Musical Adventure” will not be performed from Nov 6 to Dec 15, 2023. On top of this, there will be several hotel pool closures:
– Disney Sequoia Lodge: Nov 6-17, 2023
– Davy Crockett Ranch: Nov 20-Dec 1, 2023
– Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel: Dec 4-8, 2023
– Disney Newport Bay Club: Dec 11-15, 2023
On top of that, Disneyland Paris is being hit with allegations from guests that speak of mold being found in rooms, as well as rooms being found excessively dirty.
Would you have an issue if Extra Magic Hours were removed from your Disney vacation?