Credit: Paul Hudson, FlickrIf you are planning on visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom this evening, be aware that both parks will be shutting down early for two very different reasons.
At Disney, there are typically terms that guests use when they visit the theme parks, and those are rope drop to park close. If you are visiting Magic Kingdom, per se, you may want to arrive at rope drop (park open) to get an empty(ish) picture on Main Street, U.S.A., with Cinderella Castle in the background. These early mornings also can give guests a massive advantage when it comes to wait times.
Attractions like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and more can climb to waits that are between one and two hours or more. By going to a park at rope drop, you are able to hop in line at a much shorter wait, which gives guests a chance to knock out a few big attractions before the theme park floods with thousands and thousands of guests.
The other terminology that we listed was park close, which is exactly what it sounds like. Much like rope drop, staying until the end of the night can also be a massive advantage as it allows guests to hop in lines that are far shorter than they were during the day. Most people typically would leave Magic Kingdom after Happily Ever After plays, although the park is still open for hours past that time. Having your day shortened at at Walt Disney World Resort theme park leaves guests at a disadvantage, which is what is happening today.
As we shared, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom are closing early today. One of these closures was more widely known, while the other has not been talked about, meaning that there may be some disappointed guests.
Magic Kingdom Closure
First, we will discuss Magic Kingdom’s early closure. During the holiday season, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party happens on select nights at Magic Kingdom. Much like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, the Christmas party closes down the park to daytime ticketed guests at 6:00 p.m. as opposed to the current 11:00 p.m. schedule that we have seen on the My Disney Experience app.
Magic Kingdom would have opened at 8:00 a.m. this morning; however, this closure will cut off guests from enjoying the theme park. Due to this, Happily Ever has been canceled, as noted on the My Disney Experience app.
The event presents exclusive live entertainment, featuring stage shows, character meet-and-greets with rare characters dressed in holiday attire (which is a major plus for anyone who loves to see Mickey in his holiday garb), and the magical Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration stage show at Cinderella Castle.
Guests can indulge in complimentary holiday treats, such as cookies and hot cocoa, throughout the park. These delightful treats are distributed at designated locations, enhancing the festive ambiance, while faux snow, known as “snoap”, falls from the sky. To add to the enchantment, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show lights up the night sky for guests to savor.
Meeting Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas is an added attraction, and thanks to limited crowds, accessing attractions with shorter wait times becomes much more convenient. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a highly sought-after seasonal event, lasting only a few hours, with tickets originally priced at $200 per person. However, it’s worth noting that the event is currently sold out.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Early Shut Down
While Magic Kingdom has its own holiday event, so does Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Disney’s Jollywood Nights is the new event at Hollywood Studios, which allows guests to enter the glitz and the glam of the park, with a Nightmare Before Christmas stage show, as well as a masup show lead by The Muppets, Kermit and Miss Piggy, featuring Belle from Beauty and the Beast’s Enchanted Christmas, Princess Tiana from Princess and the Frog, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and so much more!
Tonight, however, is not a Jollywood Nights event (that event typically shuts down the park at 8:00 p.m.), and according to the Walt Disney World Resort park schedule, Hollywood Studios is set to close down at 7:00 p.m.
While this closure is not as much of a loss as Magic Kingdom’s, only shutting down two hours before the typical closure time. Fantasmic! will still be airing this evening, and that will take place at 7:30 p.m., so guests can finish riding Slinky Dog Dash, Rise of the Resistance, or Tower of Terror, and hop on over to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater to join Mickey Mouse in his dreams (and nightmares).
It has not been stated why the park is shutting down early today, and because it is not due to an after hours event, guests may not realize that they are entering the park for a shortened theme park experience than they may have anticipated.
Would you be upset if you purchased a Disney parks ticket at full price, only to find out the park was closing early?