notfrostyjosh
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 5, 2006
- Messages
- 659
This post is borrowed from http://www.easywdw.com/worth-2/are-disney-world-extra-magic-hours-worth-it-a-strategic-guide/
It seems like there are a lot of questions about Extra Magic Hours and why the general advice is to avoid them. While I can't speak for anyone else, this is why you might hear people telling you that avoiding Extra Magic Hours is a successful plan. You can find success if you use Extra Magic Hours wisely and I've tried to outline when Extra Magic Hours make sense.
Enjoy and if you have anything to add/subtract feel free to comment and I will make changes as necessary. I'm sure there are at least three mistakes.
What Are Extra Magic Hours?
Extra Magic Hours are a perk that guests staying at select resorts on Disney property receive. Everyone staying at a Disney owned resort in the Value, Moderate, Deluxe, Deluxe Villa, and Disney Vacation Club levels receive access to Extra Magic Hours and all guests staying at the Swan, Dolphin, Shades of Green, and Hilton at Downtown Disney also have the option of attending Extra Magic Hours. There is no additional charge for Extra Magic Hours it is included in the cost of the resort room. Extra Magic Hours are scheduled at one, two, or three theme parks each day. Other than the summer months (June, July August) and Holidays, Extra Magic Hours are generally scheduled at just one Park each day, other than one day each week when they are scheduled at one Park in the morning and a different Park in the evening. The schedule is included in my Disney World Crowd Calendars with Best Parks to Visit Analysis for each month.
There are two types of Extra Magic Hours morning Extra Magic Hour and evening Extra Magic Hours. Morning Extra Magic Hour is one hour long and occurs before the Park opens to the general public. In almost all cases, morning Extra Magic Hour is from 8:00am to 9:00am. Evening Extra Magic Hours are three hours long and start after the Park closes to the general public. For example, Epcot usually closes at 9:00pm. When it has evening Extra Magic Hours, it will be open from 9:00pm to 12:00am.
In order to gain admittance to the Park during morning Extra Magic Hour, each person will need to show their resort identification card, also known as the Key to the World, along with a valid theme park ticket (whether it be an Annual Pass, Magic Your Way Base Ticket, or Give a Day Get a Day Ticket). Extra Magic Hours do not take the place of a Park Hopper ticket. If you do not have an Annual Pass or the Park Hopper upgrade, you will only be allowed to enter one Park each day. More information about this is available in my, Is the Park Hopper Upgrade Worth It? article. In order to stay in the Park once evening Extra Magic Hours start, you will need to present your Key to the World resort identification card throughout the evening. An attendant will be at the entrance to most attractions and will ask you to show your Key to the World card before you can get in the queue. You may also be asked to present it when making a purchase at a shop or counter service, but that is less common. Its rare that Disney will refuse to take your money and its fairly unlikely you will be denied your Winnie the Pooh toy during Extra Magic Hours because you arent staying on property.
Disney does not close the Park prior to the start of evening Extra Magic Hours. Since Disney has done away with the bracelet system, it is impossible to identify people who are not Disney resort guests unless they try to enter an attraction or make a purchase. Theoretically, you could stay for evening Extra Magic Hours even if you arent a Disney resort guest; its just unlikely youll be able to ride any of the rides or participate in any of the activities. For morning Extra Magic Hour, you will not be admitted into the Park if you do not have valid resort identification.
Extra Magic Hours at the Water Parks
During the months of July and August, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon have Extra Magic Hours on select days. This past year, they only had morning Extra Magic Hour from 8am-9am. All slides and attractions are operational during Extra Magic Hours.
FASTPASS Availability During Extra Magic Hours
FASTPASSes should be available during morning Extra Magic Hour and they usually have a return time after the Park opens to the general public at 9am. For example, the very first FASTPASS for Toy Story Mania will give a return time shortly after 9:00am, not a time between 8:00am and 9:00am. The FASTPASS system may or may not be available during evening Extra Magic Hours. Availability depends on the crowd level and wait time at each ride. FASTPASSes are more likely to be available in the first hour of evening Extra Magic Hours at the most popular rides. If FASTPASSes have sold out during the day, like they almost always do at Toy Story Mania, the FASTPASS system will become operational again when Extra Magic Hours start and will give a return time after 9pm. Disney does not give FASTPASSes during regular hours that will be good for Extra Magic Hours. A FASTPASS picked up during regular hours will always have a return time during regular hours.
For evening Extra Magic Hours, my recommendation would be to head to your favorite ride that has FASTPASS during regular hours immediately after Extra Magic Hours start and see if they are available. If they arent, ask the nearest ride operator if they will be available at some point. Chances are the ride will still have a relatively long line at the beginning of Extra Magic Hours because people who get in line prior to the close of the Park will be allowed to ride, regardless of what time it is and whether or not they have Extra Magic Hours privileges. The same is true on nights without Extra Magic Hours. If Hollywood Studios is closing at 7pm and they allow you into the line for Toy Story Mania at 6:58pm, you will be allowed to ride even though you wont get off the ride until after the Studios officially closes. Barring technical difficulties, Disney will not ask you to leave a ride queue you have been allowed to enter.
What Effect Does Extra Magic Hours Have on the Parks?
A lot of people go to Disney World with very little knowledge about how to tour efficiently or what to expect from the various attractions, rides, restaurants, and such. However, one thing just about every person staying on Disney property knows about is Extra Magic Hours. Its one of the biggest selling points of staying on Disney property and just about every travel agent uses Extra Magic Hours to convince people that a Disney vacation package is right for them. On the surface it makes a lot of sense. Youll hear promises of zero waits, private access and exclusive time in the Parks. The truth of the matter is that there are about 25,000 rooms on Disney property under the ownership of the Walt Disney Company, plus the Swan, Dolphin, and Hilton hotels, which add another 3,000 rooms or so. In total, about 28,000 rooms have access to Extra Magic Hours on any given day. If we assume theres an average of three people per room, thats at least 85,000 people with the same private access to the Parks. While not every Disney resort guest goes to the Park with Extra Magic Hours each day, a lot of them do. The additional crowds lengthen the wait times at the rides and attractions throughout the day and actually make the Park with Extra Magic Hours more crowded than it would be on a day without Extra Magic Hours.
Disney is very good about keeping the occupancy rate at its resorts high. If occupancy is down, Disney offers discounts to fill the rooms. In other words, when the crowd calendar lists a 7 or higher as the overall crowd level, the crowds are coming from outside of Disney World. Since only people staying at Disney-owned resorts, Swan, Dolphin, Shades of Green, and the Downtown Disney Hilton can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours, there are always about 85,000 people that can take take advantage of them, even if the overall crowd level is rated at just a two or three. The fact that the Disney resort crowd level is similar throughout the year causes Extra Magic Hours crowds to be substantial during the entire year. Because the Park hours are usually shorter during slower times of the year, Extra Magic Hours remain popular because Disney resort guests will feel like going to the Park with the longest hours is the best bang for their buck. It seems like going to the Animal Kingdom when its open from 9am to 8pm makes a lot more sense than going to the Animal Kingdom on a day when its open from 9am to 5pm, for example. However, as I will explain below, the additional crowds often lead to longer lines and a less ideal touring experience.
The Park Hopper Effect and the Late Arriver and Early Leaver Phenomenon
There are two major reasons why the Park with Extra Magic Hours is more crowded during the entire day than it would be on a day without Extra Magic Hours. First, many people either dont purchase the Park Hopper upgrade or dont use it once theyve purchased it. At more than $50 per ticket, Park Hopping is expensive. Park Hopping can also be time consuming and a hassle that people dont want to deal with. Most Disney visitors prefer to visit just one Park each day and stay there until theyre ready to head back to their resort. For that reason, many people who want to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours have to visit the Park with Extra Magic Hours for the entire day. For example, if the Magic Kingdom has evening Extra Magic Hours from 10pm to 1am, Disney resort guests without Park Hopper would have to spend their day at the Magic Kingdom in order to also be there for Extra Magic Hours.
Many Disney resort guests also look at Extra Magic Hours like its Disney telling them where to go. They feel like they belong where Extra Magic Hours are scheduled because theyre staying on Disney resort property and Disney resort guests are supposed to go where theyre scheduled each day. Many of the Disney resort guests who think like this have no intention of actually arriving in time to take advantage of morning Extra Magic Hour or staying in the evening for an extended period of time. This leads to Disney resort guests trickling in to the Park with morning Extra Magic throughout the morning and afternoon, long after morning Extra Magic Hour has ended. Many people also get tired and leave the Park with evening Extra Magic Hours long before the end of the night because they werent prepared for the amount of effort it would take to tour the Park or were planning to leave early because their kids need to be in bed by a certain time. Nonetheless, all of these people who are not actually taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours were in the Park for most the day, clogging up the Park and increasing wait times at the attractions. These phenomenon cause Parks with Extra Magic Hours to be busier than they would be on a day without Extra Magic Hours scheduled in almost all cases. Below, I explain when Extra Magic Hours make sense at the four major theme parks.
Extra Magic Hours for Those Not Eligible for Extra Magic Hours
If you are staying off-property or at a resort that makes you ineligible for Extra Magic Hours, you want to avoid the Park with Extra Magic Hours in almost all instances. The crowds will be larger than on a day without Extra Magic Hours due to the 85,000 or so Disney resort guests who will be strongly considering going where theyre scheduled. On days with a morning Extra Magic Hour, there will already be people inside the Park before youre even allowed to enter. On days with evening Extra Magic Hours, many Disney resort guests will stay in the Park for the entire day and even more will begin arriving around dinner time. Unless you cant avoid it, there is simply no benefit to going where Extra Magic Hours are scheduled if you cant attend them.
There are really only two exceptions to this rule. The first would be if you cant get to a Park on another day with rare evening entertainment scheduled and Extra Magic Hours happen to also be scheduled. For example, if youre staying four nights and the only opportunity to see Fantasmic is also a day with Extra Magic Hours at the Hollywood Studios, youll have to decide if visiting the Studios on its busiest day of the week is worth it. You also have more options with the Park Hopper upgrade. Disney resort guests tend to sleep in and head out around lunch time on days with evening Extra Magic Hours. This makes the morning of a day with evening Extra Magic Hours an excellent time to tour, but only if youre able and willing to Park Hop elsewhere around 1pm if the crowds begin to increase substantially. Otherwise, youll be caught in larger than necessary crowds for the rest of the day.
How to Make Morning Extra Magic Hour Work For You
First of all, morning Extra Magic Hour is hands down the best single hour to visit any Disney theme park. Crowds will be the lowest of the day and youll likely be able to accomplish more between 8am and 9am than you would in three or more hours in the afternoon or evening because of longer wait times and heavier crowds after 1pm. Unfortunately, there are two major problems with morning Extra Magic Hour. The first, and most obvious, is that its extremely difficult to make it to the Parks by 8am which is why so few people are there in the first place. People generally overestimate their ability to get ready in the morning, especially while on vacation with only one shower, one or two sinks, one toilet, etc. Second, if youre relying on Disney transportation, youll need to allot up to 30 minutes for the bus to pick you up and additional time for pickups at other bus stops or resorts (depending on your resort). If driving, youll need to account for time to park and walk to the entrance. Disney Parks are generally farther away than many people realize. The Animal Kingdom is about 20 minutes away from the Magic Kingdom area resorts by car or bus. Realistically, your group will probably need to be awake by 6am and out the door by 7am in order to make it to the Park by 7:45am. The exception would be if youre near one of the Parks and transit times will be shorter. For example, if youre staying at the Contemporary, youre within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom and wouldnt need to leave until around 7:30am because its only a ten minute walk to the Park.
Another potential problem youll run into is that if you arrive exactly at 8am, youll find that a lot of people will already be in front of you. Generally, after rope drop at 8am, Disney employees will briskly walk visitors to one or two of the most popular attractions. At Hollywood Studios, just about everyone in line at 8am will be heading to Toy Story Mania to ride or get a FASTPASS. If you arent at the front of this mob of people, you may find a 20 minute or more wait by the time you get to the ride. Because of that, youll need to arrive at the Park by 7:30am if you really want to take full advantage of the Extra Magic Hour and be at the very front of the line. This can also lead to a stressful situation when people arrive after you and try to push ahead of your group.
Second, as weve learned from the later arriver phenomenon section, many Disney resort guests head to the Park with morning Extra Magic Hour sometime later in the morning because they think thats where theyre supposed to go. This lengthens wait times considerably beginning around 11am and continuing throughout the day. If the Park also has rare evening entertainment scheduled (like Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios or the evening parade at Magic Kingdom), additional Park Hoppers will be arriving in the early evening which will make lines even longer. In many cases, youll either need to Park Hop away from the Park with morning Extra Magic Hour around lunch time or be stuck in longer-than-usual lines throughout the day in order to take advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hour.
Other than the Magic Kingdom, there are also only a handful of rides open during morning Extra Magic Hour. At Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, you will have your choice of five or six rides. The good news is that they are generally some of the most popular rides, some of which will have lines of 60 or more minutes in the afternoon. The bad news is that there are only a few queues for everyone who shows up for morning Extra Magic Hour to get into. While you will usually be able to ride the majority of the open rides in the extra hour, you wont have a wide variety of options to choose from and its likely some of your favorite rides wont be available.
These are the primary reasons why easyWDW.com recommends avoiding morning Extra Magic Hour. In order for you to come out on top, youll need to arrive at the Park by 7:30am and be prepared to leave around lunch time if the Park becomes noticeably busier. When the overall crowd level on the Crowd Calendars is a 4 or below, you may not need to Park Hop elsewhere because the crowd level is low enough that even relatively heavy crowds wont cause lines to increase that much. For example, on a trip from January 25th through February 2nd, the crowds at none of the Parks will ever be anywhere close to what they are during Peak or Holiday Seasons. At the same time, you will likely be better off sleeping in an hour and going to a Park without morning Extra Magic Hour because those 85,000 Disney resort guests are unlikely to visit a park without Extra Magic Hours unless it has a special event or rare evening entertainment scheduled.
On the other hand, during very busy times like over Independence Day Weekend or Christmas Week, morning Extra Magic Hour may be a lifesaver. There are usually Extra Magic Hours scheduled at two or three Parks during the Holidays which disperses Disney resort guests among various theme parks, rather than most of them going to one Park with Extra Magic Hours in off-peak seasons. If youre running into heavy crowds during the day, youll want to consider going to morning Extra Magic Hour because it will be your best opportunity to ride the headlining rides. Again, that is only valid advice if youre prepared to arrive at least 30 minutes before morning Extra Magic Hour starts. If you arrive after morning Extra Magic Hour starts, you wont find much benefit.
How to Make Evening Extra Magic Hours Work For You
Evening Extra Magic Hours are much more popular than morning Extra Magic Hour, at least during the first 60 to 120 minutes (and possibly the full 180 minutes). Unlike morning Extra Magic Hour, which is only an hour long, evening Extra Magic Hours are three hours long. This causes many people to think that it will be a better opportunity to see more attractions than morning Extra Magic Hour. This isnt usually the case because so many more people will be in the Park during evening Extra Magic Hours and lines will be longer throughout the evening. Evening Extra Magic Hours are also more popular because they are much easier to attend. Few people can get themselves out of bed at 6am on vacation, but most people have no trouble staying up for at least part of evening Extra Magic Hours. On an hour for hour basis, you will be able to get much more done during morning Extra Magic Hour from 8am-9am than you would during any hour of evening Extra Magic Hours. If you stay for the full three hours of evening Extra Magic Hours and head to the headlining rides last, it is possible you will be able to accomplish more during evening Extra magic hours.
Generally speaking, the later Extra Magic Hours end, the less attended they will be. For example, Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom are usually from 5pm to 8pm and occasionally from 7pm to 10pm during the busiest days of the year. Hollywood Studios evening Extra Magic Hours are usually from 7pm to 10pm as well. Most people can stay up until 10pm, even with young children. Epcots evening Extra Magic Hours run from 9pm to 12am or 9:30pm to 12:30am. Families with young kids are less likely to be able to stay up until the 12:30am close, which will make the Park much less busy in the final 60 to 90 minutes. People get tired and leave, especially if theyve been in the Park for the entire day. This also holds true for the Magic Kingdom. During off-peak seasons, its not uncommon for evening Extra Magic Hours to start at 8pm and end at 11pm. Most families can stay up until 9pm or 10pm, even with young children in tow. During the summer months and Peak and Holiday seasons, Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom might not start until 11pm or 12am and end as late as 2am or 3am. Its unlikely youll see many young kids in the Parks this late at night. However, especially in the summer, evening Extra Magic Hours are popular with adults and teenagers because the heat in Orlando makes touring very difficult in the afternoon. People tend to tour in the morning, take an afternoon break, and return to the Park with evening Extra Magic Hours around dinner time. Even then, the last hour of Extra Magic Hours will be much less busy than the first two.
Evening Extra Magic Hours are the most beneficial when they start after the other Parks have closed and you Park Hop over to the Park with Extra Magic Hours after spending the majority of your day at a recommended Park without Extra Magic Hours, special events, or rare evening entertainment. This way, most of your day is spent in low crowds and short lines and you can still take advantage of your resort perk. You also wont be missing out on another Park with low crowds because the other Parks have already closed. This is common at Epcot and the Magic Kingdom in particular. Its rare that the Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios will be open after the other Parks close, which is partially why I rarely recommend visiting either during evening Extra Magic Hours.
Without Park Hopper, your best chance to take advantage of evening Extra Magic Hours is by arriving at the Park before it opens in the morning, touring until around lunch time, taking an afternoon break, and returning to the Park at night to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. The majority of Disney resort guests sleep in and arrive around lunch time in anticipation of staying put for the rest of the day. This frees up the Park in the morning for relatively easy touring. You may be able to get away with not taking a break if the weather isnt hot and you dont have young children, but it will make it more difficult to tour efficiently at the very end of evening Extra Magic Hours, which is always your best opportunity to visit the headlining rides with the shortest possible wait. In the ride reviews category to your right, I outline which attractions are best to see in the afternoon or whenever you need a break from walking. If you arent taking a break, consider stringing together several of the more relaxing shows and rides along with a relaxing table service lunch.
Which Parks Make Sense for Evening Extra Magic Hours
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom
Week after week, year after year, the Animal Kingdom is at its busiest on days with evening Extra Magic Hours. The 9am-5pm hours during most of the year seem short and people generally think that they wont be able to do everything in one day during normal hours. The extra three hours in the evening are extremely attractive to just about every Disney resort guest and most of them will be heading to the Animal Kingdom on evening Extra Magic Hours day. Because the hours are short to begin with, people usually show up earlier than they would at Epcot or Magic Kingdom, which both have longer hours. This causes the lines to just about every attraction to be longer throughout the entire day. Even with the additional three hours, its likely that you will be able to see more attractions on a day without Extra Magic Hours because of the lower crowd level and fewer people in line ahead of you. With lower crowds and shorter lines, its not uncommon for efficient planners to finish their Animal Kingdom itinerary by 2pm or 3pm in the afternoon on a day without Extra Magic Hours, including riding Kilimanjaro Safari and Expedition Everest two or more times. This makes evening Extra Magic Hours unnecessary, especially considering how busy it will be on Extra Magic Hours day.
In addition, the Animal Kingdom is a good distance away from almost every resort; the exception being the Animal Kingdom Lodge and All-Star Value resorts. If you want to Park Hop from Epcot, Magic Kingdom, or Hollywood Studios, its going to take you at least 20 minutes, not including the time it takes for you to get to the exit of your original Park and wait for the bus to arrive. Since the Animal Kingdoms Extra Magic Hours are almost always during a time when other Parks are open, youre wasting precious time making a Park Hop that usually wont benefit you as much as staying in the Park youre originally at.
Finally, few rides are open during evening Extra Magic Hours at the Animal Kingdom. Kilimanjaro Safari, the Animal Kingdoms most popular ride, is almost never open. That leaves us with just Dinosaur and Expedition Everest as headliners. Both will be very popular during the first two hours. Festival of the Lion King, the most popular show, usually has just one show scheduled near the beginning of Extra Magic Hours. Many of the people in the Park will be headed to that show, which almost always make it more crowded than the first show on a day when Extra Magic Hours arent scheduled.
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot
Epcots evening Extra Magic Hours are from 9pm to 12am during most of the year and 9:30pm to 12:30am during Holidays Around the World in November and December. Historically, the lines to Epcots attractions are the longest on days with evening Extra Magic Hours scheduled for the reasons outlined above. While you wont be wasting Park time visiting Epcot at night if no other Parks are open, the morning after evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot is almost always a better time to tour than evening Extra Magic Hours the night before. The exception is if the next day is Saturday or Sunday during the International Food and Wine Festival (when local Floridians clog the Park) in October and November. Nonetheless, Epcot is fun to tour in the dark and if you know you wont be able to make it to the Park by 9am anyway, evening Extra Magic Hours are a viable alternative. I would still only recommend it if you can Park Hop over in the evening or if you can stay until the very end of the night. Otherwise, its likely that you will find lines just as long, if not longer, during evening Extra Magic Hours.
The other problem youll run into during Extra Magic Hours is that lines at the most popular attractions will likely be long because there are only two or three headlining rides at Epcot. Soarin, Test Track, and Mission Space will be busy throughout most of the night, even with low to moderate crowds. Chances are good youll be able to walk on The American Adventure, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, Captain EO, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, Maelstrom, the Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Spaceship Earth for most of the night. Living with the Land may have a moderate line in the first 120 minutes because of its proximity to Soarin. People routinely see the 60 or more minute wait at Soarin, get in line for Living with the Land, and exit only to find Soarin with a 75 minute wait. Just about everyone is going to want to ride Soarin and Test Track during Extra Magic Hours and both will likely have lines just as long as during regular hours until the last 30 to 60 minutes of the night.
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios is very similar to what youll find at Animal Kingdom. There are really only three headlining rides at Hollywood Studios Toy Story Mania, Rock N Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror. Star Tours closes in the second week of September 2010, leaving just five or six total rides open and one or two shows. With so few attractions available, the lines at the headliners will likely be as long, if not longer, than during the day and usually longer than on a day without evening Extra Magic Hours scheduled.
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios are usually from 7pm to 10pm, which means at least Epcot will also be open and usually the Magic Kingdom is open as well. In most cases, Epcot is the better Park to visit because it wont be as attractive to Disney resort guests and crowds will be smaller. One thing you do have working in your favor is the fact that Hollywood Studios is actually busier on days when Fantasmic is scheduled. Fantasmic is a wildly popular show and Disney has only been showing it on two or three nights each week in order to cut down on costs (other than Christmas Week when it is shown most nights). If you arent interested in seeing Fantasmic and can only visit the Studios on a night with Extra Magic Hours or Fantasmic, youre usually better off visiting on the day with evening Extra Magic Hours. Still, its always better to visit the Studios when it has neither a Fantasmic nor Extra Magic Hours. These days will be less crowded with shorter lines. I would only advise visiting Hollywood Studios on a day with evening Extra Magic Hours if you absolutely cant visit any other day or if you want to re-ride some of the rides and can stay the whole three hours. It usually doesnt make much sense to Park Hop to Hollywood Studios for evening Extra Magic Hours either, considering it will be busier than at least one of the other Parks. Still, if youre intent on going to the Studios on Extra Magic Hours night, your best choice is always to spend the day at a recommended Park and Park Hop over in the evening.
Rarely, Hollywood Studios will have both a Fantasmic and evening Extra Magic Hours scheduled on the same night. These days are extremely busy and should be avoided if your intention is to see the headlining attractions with the shortest wait possible.
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdoms evening Extra Magic Hours usually occur after the other Parks are closed, at least for the majority of the time. Occasionally the Magic Kingdom will have Extra Magic Hours from 8pm to 11pm and Epcot will be open until 9pm. This makes the Magic Kingdoms Extra Magic Hours an ideal opportunity to Park Hop over in the evening after spending the day at a Park with lower crowds because you arent missing out on a potentially less crowded Park. Without Park Hopper, you could spend the morning in the Magic Kingdom from 9am-1pm riding the headlining rides, take a break until dinner, and return for Extra Magic Hours. Most Disney resort guests will sleep in and arrive in the late morning, freeing the Park up for those who arrive first thing in the morning. The period from 1pm to 6pm is always the most crowded part of the day because you still have most of the morning crowd in the Park and the late arrivers are in full force as well. Like the other Parks, your best opportunity to ride the headlining and Fantasyland rides is in the final hour, especially when Extra Magic Hours end at 1am or later. Most families with kids will be long gone by that time and many of the rides designed with young kids in mind will be mostly deserted.
Similar to Hollywood Studios, the Magic Kingdom has special evening entertainment on select nights. In this case, its the Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes Fireworks Show. Depending on the time of year, nights with the Electrical Parade and Wishes scheduled can be even more crowded than nights with evening Extra Magic Hours. Its rare that evening Extra Magic Hours and the Parade are scheduled on the same night. If they are, the Magic Kingdom will be much more crowded than usual and should be avoided unless you wont have a better opportunity to see the parade and fireworks.
If you can stay for the entirety of Extra Magic Hours and you have no plans to arrive at the Park prior to 9am, evening Extra Magic Hours can be an excellent time to tour the Magic Kingdom, especially considering youre not usually missing out on lower crowds at another Park. Generally speaking, youre better off arriving prior to 9am on a day without Extra Magic Hours or the Electrical Parade scheduled, but not everyone is able to get to the Park by 8:30am.
Conclusion
Extra Magic Hours can be worthwhile if you take full advantage of them, but many people actually end up spending more time in line and getting less done than they would if they avoided Extra Magic Hours altogether. Because Extra Magic Hours seem like such a good idea in theory, most Disney resort guests go wherever Extra Magic Hours are scheduled for the entire day. The additional crowds increase wait times at the attractions, make it more difficult to find a table at the counter and table service restaurants, and make the overall touring experience less pleasant. If you take into consideration the preceding advice, you may be able to take advantage of your extra time at certain Parks. Even so, be aware that in almost all cases the Parks are less busy when they dont have Extra Magic Hours or special entertainment scheduled.
You will get the most out of Extra Magic Hours if you spend the majority of your day at a Park without special evening entertainment or Extra Magic Hours and Park Hop over to the Park with evening Extra Magic Hours in the late afternoon or early evening. This way, you spend the majority of your time in a Park with short lines and relatively low crowds and you can still take advantage of staying on Disney property. Without Park Hopper, you can find success at Epcot and Magic Kingdom by spending the morning in the Park, taking a long break, and returning in the evening. Always stay until the end of the night if possible, because the final hour is always the least crowded and your best chance to ride the headlining rides. For morning Extra Magic Hour, it is imperative that you arrive at the gate by 7:45am. If you dont, youll find yourself in larger than usual crowds for the rest of the day. You may also want to Park Hop to a recommended Park in the afternoon because of all the Disney resort guests who will trickle in throughout the morning.
It is sometimes difficult to convince people that Extra Magic Hours are not generally in their best interest. You may have read through all of this and still not be convinced. Thats okay. If youve used Extra Magic Hours in the past and have been completely happy with the results, feel free to do what works best for you. On the other hand, if youve run into large crowds and long lines chasing Extra Magic Hours, this approach will work better.
It seems like there are a lot of questions about Extra Magic Hours and why the general advice is to avoid them. While I can't speak for anyone else, this is why you might hear people telling you that avoiding Extra Magic Hours is a successful plan. You can find success if you use Extra Magic Hours wisely and I've tried to outline when Extra Magic Hours make sense.
Enjoy and if you have anything to add/subtract feel free to comment and I will make changes as necessary. I'm sure there are at least three mistakes.
What Are Extra Magic Hours?
Extra Magic Hours are a perk that guests staying at select resorts on Disney property receive. Everyone staying at a Disney owned resort in the Value, Moderate, Deluxe, Deluxe Villa, and Disney Vacation Club levels receive access to Extra Magic Hours and all guests staying at the Swan, Dolphin, Shades of Green, and Hilton at Downtown Disney also have the option of attending Extra Magic Hours. There is no additional charge for Extra Magic Hours it is included in the cost of the resort room. Extra Magic Hours are scheduled at one, two, or three theme parks each day. Other than the summer months (June, July August) and Holidays, Extra Magic Hours are generally scheduled at just one Park each day, other than one day each week when they are scheduled at one Park in the morning and a different Park in the evening. The schedule is included in my Disney World Crowd Calendars with Best Parks to Visit Analysis for each month.
There are two types of Extra Magic Hours morning Extra Magic Hour and evening Extra Magic Hours. Morning Extra Magic Hour is one hour long and occurs before the Park opens to the general public. In almost all cases, morning Extra Magic Hour is from 8:00am to 9:00am. Evening Extra Magic Hours are three hours long and start after the Park closes to the general public. For example, Epcot usually closes at 9:00pm. When it has evening Extra Magic Hours, it will be open from 9:00pm to 12:00am.
In order to gain admittance to the Park during morning Extra Magic Hour, each person will need to show their resort identification card, also known as the Key to the World, along with a valid theme park ticket (whether it be an Annual Pass, Magic Your Way Base Ticket, or Give a Day Get a Day Ticket). Extra Magic Hours do not take the place of a Park Hopper ticket. If you do not have an Annual Pass or the Park Hopper upgrade, you will only be allowed to enter one Park each day. More information about this is available in my, Is the Park Hopper Upgrade Worth It? article. In order to stay in the Park once evening Extra Magic Hours start, you will need to present your Key to the World resort identification card throughout the evening. An attendant will be at the entrance to most attractions and will ask you to show your Key to the World card before you can get in the queue. You may also be asked to present it when making a purchase at a shop or counter service, but that is less common. Its rare that Disney will refuse to take your money and its fairly unlikely you will be denied your Winnie the Pooh toy during Extra Magic Hours because you arent staying on property.
Disney does not close the Park prior to the start of evening Extra Magic Hours. Since Disney has done away with the bracelet system, it is impossible to identify people who are not Disney resort guests unless they try to enter an attraction or make a purchase. Theoretically, you could stay for evening Extra Magic Hours even if you arent a Disney resort guest; its just unlikely youll be able to ride any of the rides or participate in any of the activities. For morning Extra Magic Hour, you will not be admitted into the Park if you do not have valid resort identification.
Extra Magic Hours at the Water Parks
During the months of July and August, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon have Extra Magic Hours on select days. This past year, they only had morning Extra Magic Hour from 8am-9am. All slides and attractions are operational during Extra Magic Hours.
FASTPASS Availability During Extra Magic Hours
FASTPASSes should be available during morning Extra Magic Hour and they usually have a return time after the Park opens to the general public at 9am. For example, the very first FASTPASS for Toy Story Mania will give a return time shortly after 9:00am, not a time between 8:00am and 9:00am. The FASTPASS system may or may not be available during evening Extra Magic Hours. Availability depends on the crowd level and wait time at each ride. FASTPASSes are more likely to be available in the first hour of evening Extra Magic Hours at the most popular rides. If FASTPASSes have sold out during the day, like they almost always do at Toy Story Mania, the FASTPASS system will become operational again when Extra Magic Hours start and will give a return time after 9pm. Disney does not give FASTPASSes during regular hours that will be good for Extra Magic Hours. A FASTPASS picked up during regular hours will always have a return time during regular hours.
For evening Extra Magic Hours, my recommendation would be to head to your favorite ride that has FASTPASS during regular hours immediately after Extra Magic Hours start and see if they are available. If they arent, ask the nearest ride operator if they will be available at some point. Chances are the ride will still have a relatively long line at the beginning of Extra Magic Hours because people who get in line prior to the close of the Park will be allowed to ride, regardless of what time it is and whether or not they have Extra Magic Hours privileges. The same is true on nights without Extra Magic Hours. If Hollywood Studios is closing at 7pm and they allow you into the line for Toy Story Mania at 6:58pm, you will be allowed to ride even though you wont get off the ride until after the Studios officially closes. Barring technical difficulties, Disney will not ask you to leave a ride queue you have been allowed to enter.
What Effect Does Extra Magic Hours Have on the Parks?
A lot of people go to Disney World with very little knowledge about how to tour efficiently or what to expect from the various attractions, rides, restaurants, and such. However, one thing just about every person staying on Disney property knows about is Extra Magic Hours. Its one of the biggest selling points of staying on Disney property and just about every travel agent uses Extra Magic Hours to convince people that a Disney vacation package is right for them. On the surface it makes a lot of sense. Youll hear promises of zero waits, private access and exclusive time in the Parks. The truth of the matter is that there are about 25,000 rooms on Disney property under the ownership of the Walt Disney Company, plus the Swan, Dolphin, and Hilton hotels, which add another 3,000 rooms or so. In total, about 28,000 rooms have access to Extra Magic Hours on any given day. If we assume theres an average of three people per room, thats at least 85,000 people with the same private access to the Parks. While not every Disney resort guest goes to the Park with Extra Magic Hours each day, a lot of them do. The additional crowds lengthen the wait times at the rides and attractions throughout the day and actually make the Park with Extra Magic Hours more crowded than it would be on a day without Extra Magic Hours.
Disney is very good about keeping the occupancy rate at its resorts high. If occupancy is down, Disney offers discounts to fill the rooms. In other words, when the crowd calendar lists a 7 or higher as the overall crowd level, the crowds are coming from outside of Disney World. Since only people staying at Disney-owned resorts, Swan, Dolphin, Shades of Green, and the Downtown Disney Hilton can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours, there are always about 85,000 people that can take take advantage of them, even if the overall crowd level is rated at just a two or three. The fact that the Disney resort crowd level is similar throughout the year causes Extra Magic Hours crowds to be substantial during the entire year. Because the Park hours are usually shorter during slower times of the year, Extra Magic Hours remain popular because Disney resort guests will feel like going to the Park with the longest hours is the best bang for their buck. It seems like going to the Animal Kingdom when its open from 9am to 8pm makes a lot more sense than going to the Animal Kingdom on a day when its open from 9am to 5pm, for example. However, as I will explain below, the additional crowds often lead to longer lines and a less ideal touring experience.
The Park Hopper Effect and the Late Arriver and Early Leaver Phenomenon
There are two major reasons why the Park with Extra Magic Hours is more crowded during the entire day than it would be on a day without Extra Magic Hours. First, many people either dont purchase the Park Hopper upgrade or dont use it once theyve purchased it. At more than $50 per ticket, Park Hopping is expensive. Park Hopping can also be time consuming and a hassle that people dont want to deal with. Most Disney visitors prefer to visit just one Park each day and stay there until theyre ready to head back to their resort. For that reason, many people who want to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours have to visit the Park with Extra Magic Hours for the entire day. For example, if the Magic Kingdom has evening Extra Magic Hours from 10pm to 1am, Disney resort guests without Park Hopper would have to spend their day at the Magic Kingdom in order to also be there for Extra Magic Hours.
Many Disney resort guests also look at Extra Magic Hours like its Disney telling them where to go. They feel like they belong where Extra Magic Hours are scheduled because theyre staying on Disney resort property and Disney resort guests are supposed to go where theyre scheduled each day. Many of the Disney resort guests who think like this have no intention of actually arriving in time to take advantage of morning Extra Magic Hour or staying in the evening for an extended period of time. This leads to Disney resort guests trickling in to the Park with morning Extra Magic throughout the morning and afternoon, long after morning Extra Magic Hour has ended. Many people also get tired and leave the Park with evening Extra Magic Hours long before the end of the night because they werent prepared for the amount of effort it would take to tour the Park or were planning to leave early because their kids need to be in bed by a certain time. Nonetheless, all of these people who are not actually taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours were in the Park for most the day, clogging up the Park and increasing wait times at the attractions. These phenomenon cause Parks with Extra Magic Hours to be busier than they would be on a day without Extra Magic Hours scheduled in almost all cases. Below, I explain when Extra Magic Hours make sense at the four major theme parks.
Extra Magic Hours for Those Not Eligible for Extra Magic Hours
If you are staying off-property or at a resort that makes you ineligible for Extra Magic Hours, you want to avoid the Park with Extra Magic Hours in almost all instances. The crowds will be larger than on a day without Extra Magic Hours due to the 85,000 or so Disney resort guests who will be strongly considering going where theyre scheduled. On days with a morning Extra Magic Hour, there will already be people inside the Park before youre even allowed to enter. On days with evening Extra Magic Hours, many Disney resort guests will stay in the Park for the entire day and even more will begin arriving around dinner time. Unless you cant avoid it, there is simply no benefit to going where Extra Magic Hours are scheduled if you cant attend them.
There are really only two exceptions to this rule. The first would be if you cant get to a Park on another day with rare evening entertainment scheduled and Extra Magic Hours happen to also be scheduled. For example, if youre staying four nights and the only opportunity to see Fantasmic is also a day with Extra Magic Hours at the Hollywood Studios, youll have to decide if visiting the Studios on its busiest day of the week is worth it. You also have more options with the Park Hopper upgrade. Disney resort guests tend to sleep in and head out around lunch time on days with evening Extra Magic Hours. This makes the morning of a day with evening Extra Magic Hours an excellent time to tour, but only if youre able and willing to Park Hop elsewhere around 1pm if the crowds begin to increase substantially. Otherwise, youll be caught in larger than necessary crowds for the rest of the day.
How to Make Morning Extra Magic Hour Work For You
First of all, morning Extra Magic Hour is hands down the best single hour to visit any Disney theme park. Crowds will be the lowest of the day and youll likely be able to accomplish more between 8am and 9am than you would in three or more hours in the afternoon or evening because of longer wait times and heavier crowds after 1pm. Unfortunately, there are two major problems with morning Extra Magic Hour. The first, and most obvious, is that its extremely difficult to make it to the Parks by 8am which is why so few people are there in the first place. People generally overestimate their ability to get ready in the morning, especially while on vacation with only one shower, one or two sinks, one toilet, etc. Second, if youre relying on Disney transportation, youll need to allot up to 30 minutes for the bus to pick you up and additional time for pickups at other bus stops or resorts (depending on your resort). If driving, youll need to account for time to park and walk to the entrance. Disney Parks are generally farther away than many people realize. The Animal Kingdom is about 20 minutes away from the Magic Kingdom area resorts by car or bus. Realistically, your group will probably need to be awake by 6am and out the door by 7am in order to make it to the Park by 7:45am. The exception would be if youre near one of the Parks and transit times will be shorter. For example, if youre staying at the Contemporary, youre within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom and wouldnt need to leave until around 7:30am because its only a ten minute walk to the Park.
Another potential problem youll run into is that if you arrive exactly at 8am, youll find that a lot of people will already be in front of you. Generally, after rope drop at 8am, Disney employees will briskly walk visitors to one or two of the most popular attractions. At Hollywood Studios, just about everyone in line at 8am will be heading to Toy Story Mania to ride or get a FASTPASS. If you arent at the front of this mob of people, you may find a 20 minute or more wait by the time you get to the ride. Because of that, youll need to arrive at the Park by 7:30am if you really want to take full advantage of the Extra Magic Hour and be at the very front of the line. This can also lead to a stressful situation when people arrive after you and try to push ahead of your group.
Second, as weve learned from the later arriver phenomenon section, many Disney resort guests head to the Park with morning Extra Magic Hour sometime later in the morning because they think thats where theyre supposed to go. This lengthens wait times considerably beginning around 11am and continuing throughout the day. If the Park also has rare evening entertainment scheduled (like Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios or the evening parade at Magic Kingdom), additional Park Hoppers will be arriving in the early evening which will make lines even longer. In many cases, youll either need to Park Hop away from the Park with morning Extra Magic Hour around lunch time or be stuck in longer-than-usual lines throughout the day in order to take advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hour.
Other than the Magic Kingdom, there are also only a handful of rides open during morning Extra Magic Hour. At Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, you will have your choice of five or six rides. The good news is that they are generally some of the most popular rides, some of which will have lines of 60 or more minutes in the afternoon. The bad news is that there are only a few queues for everyone who shows up for morning Extra Magic Hour to get into. While you will usually be able to ride the majority of the open rides in the extra hour, you wont have a wide variety of options to choose from and its likely some of your favorite rides wont be available.
These are the primary reasons why easyWDW.com recommends avoiding morning Extra Magic Hour. In order for you to come out on top, youll need to arrive at the Park by 7:30am and be prepared to leave around lunch time if the Park becomes noticeably busier. When the overall crowd level on the Crowd Calendars is a 4 or below, you may not need to Park Hop elsewhere because the crowd level is low enough that even relatively heavy crowds wont cause lines to increase that much. For example, on a trip from January 25th through February 2nd, the crowds at none of the Parks will ever be anywhere close to what they are during Peak or Holiday Seasons. At the same time, you will likely be better off sleeping in an hour and going to a Park without morning Extra Magic Hour because those 85,000 Disney resort guests are unlikely to visit a park without Extra Magic Hours unless it has a special event or rare evening entertainment scheduled.
On the other hand, during very busy times like over Independence Day Weekend or Christmas Week, morning Extra Magic Hour may be a lifesaver. There are usually Extra Magic Hours scheduled at two or three Parks during the Holidays which disperses Disney resort guests among various theme parks, rather than most of them going to one Park with Extra Magic Hours in off-peak seasons. If youre running into heavy crowds during the day, youll want to consider going to morning Extra Magic Hour because it will be your best opportunity to ride the headlining rides. Again, that is only valid advice if youre prepared to arrive at least 30 minutes before morning Extra Magic Hour starts. If you arrive after morning Extra Magic Hour starts, you wont find much benefit.
How to Make Evening Extra Magic Hours Work For You
Evening Extra Magic Hours are much more popular than morning Extra Magic Hour, at least during the first 60 to 120 minutes (and possibly the full 180 minutes). Unlike morning Extra Magic Hour, which is only an hour long, evening Extra Magic Hours are three hours long. This causes many people to think that it will be a better opportunity to see more attractions than morning Extra Magic Hour. This isnt usually the case because so many more people will be in the Park during evening Extra Magic Hours and lines will be longer throughout the evening. Evening Extra Magic Hours are also more popular because they are much easier to attend. Few people can get themselves out of bed at 6am on vacation, but most people have no trouble staying up for at least part of evening Extra Magic Hours. On an hour for hour basis, you will be able to get much more done during morning Extra Magic Hour from 8am-9am than you would during any hour of evening Extra Magic Hours. If you stay for the full three hours of evening Extra Magic Hours and head to the headlining rides last, it is possible you will be able to accomplish more during evening Extra magic hours.
Generally speaking, the later Extra Magic Hours end, the less attended they will be. For example, Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom are usually from 5pm to 8pm and occasionally from 7pm to 10pm during the busiest days of the year. Hollywood Studios evening Extra Magic Hours are usually from 7pm to 10pm as well. Most people can stay up until 10pm, even with young children. Epcots evening Extra Magic Hours run from 9pm to 12am or 9:30pm to 12:30am. Families with young kids are less likely to be able to stay up until the 12:30am close, which will make the Park much less busy in the final 60 to 90 minutes. People get tired and leave, especially if theyve been in the Park for the entire day. This also holds true for the Magic Kingdom. During off-peak seasons, its not uncommon for evening Extra Magic Hours to start at 8pm and end at 11pm. Most families can stay up until 9pm or 10pm, even with young children in tow. During the summer months and Peak and Holiday seasons, Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom might not start until 11pm or 12am and end as late as 2am or 3am. Its unlikely youll see many young kids in the Parks this late at night. However, especially in the summer, evening Extra Magic Hours are popular with adults and teenagers because the heat in Orlando makes touring very difficult in the afternoon. People tend to tour in the morning, take an afternoon break, and return to the Park with evening Extra Magic Hours around dinner time. Even then, the last hour of Extra Magic Hours will be much less busy than the first two.
Evening Extra Magic Hours are the most beneficial when they start after the other Parks have closed and you Park Hop over to the Park with Extra Magic Hours after spending the majority of your day at a recommended Park without Extra Magic Hours, special events, or rare evening entertainment. This way, most of your day is spent in low crowds and short lines and you can still take advantage of your resort perk. You also wont be missing out on another Park with low crowds because the other Parks have already closed. This is common at Epcot and the Magic Kingdom in particular. Its rare that the Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios will be open after the other Parks close, which is partially why I rarely recommend visiting either during evening Extra Magic Hours.
Without Park Hopper, your best chance to take advantage of evening Extra Magic Hours is by arriving at the Park before it opens in the morning, touring until around lunch time, taking an afternoon break, and returning to the Park at night to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. The majority of Disney resort guests sleep in and arrive around lunch time in anticipation of staying put for the rest of the day. This frees up the Park in the morning for relatively easy touring. You may be able to get away with not taking a break if the weather isnt hot and you dont have young children, but it will make it more difficult to tour efficiently at the very end of evening Extra Magic Hours, which is always your best opportunity to visit the headlining rides with the shortest possible wait. In the ride reviews category to your right, I outline which attractions are best to see in the afternoon or whenever you need a break from walking. If you arent taking a break, consider stringing together several of the more relaxing shows and rides along with a relaxing table service lunch.
Which Parks Make Sense for Evening Extra Magic Hours
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom
Week after week, year after year, the Animal Kingdom is at its busiest on days with evening Extra Magic Hours. The 9am-5pm hours during most of the year seem short and people generally think that they wont be able to do everything in one day during normal hours. The extra three hours in the evening are extremely attractive to just about every Disney resort guest and most of them will be heading to the Animal Kingdom on evening Extra Magic Hours day. Because the hours are short to begin with, people usually show up earlier than they would at Epcot or Magic Kingdom, which both have longer hours. This causes the lines to just about every attraction to be longer throughout the entire day. Even with the additional three hours, its likely that you will be able to see more attractions on a day without Extra Magic Hours because of the lower crowd level and fewer people in line ahead of you. With lower crowds and shorter lines, its not uncommon for efficient planners to finish their Animal Kingdom itinerary by 2pm or 3pm in the afternoon on a day without Extra Magic Hours, including riding Kilimanjaro Safari and Expedition Everest two or more times. This makes evening Extra Magic Hours unnecessary, especially considering how busy it will be on Extra Magic Hours day.
In addition, the Animal Kingdom is a good distance away from almost every resort; the exception being the Animal Kingdom Lodge and All-Star Value resorts. If you want to Park Hop from Epcot, Magic Kingdom, or Hollywood Studios, its going to take you at least 20 minutes, not including the time it takes for you to get to the exit of your original Park and wait for the bus to arrive. Since the Animal Kingdoms Extra Magic Hours are almost always during a time when other Parks are open, youre wasting precious time making a Park Hop that usually wont benefit you as much as staying in the Park youre originally at.
Finally, few rides are open during evening Extra Magic Hours at the Animal Kingdom. Kilimanjaro Safari, the Animal Kingdoms most popular ride, is almost never open. That leaves us with just Dinosaur and Expedition Everest as headliners. Both will be very popular during the first two hours. Festival of the Lion King, the most popular show, usually has just one show scheduled near the beginning of Extra Magic Hours. Many of the people in the Park will be headed to that show, which almost always make it more crowded than the first show on a day when Extra Magic Hours arent scheduled.
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot
Epcots evening Extra Magic Hours are from 9pm to 12am during most of the year and 9:30pm to 12:30am during Holidays Around the World in November and December. Historically, the lines to Epcots attractions are the longest on days with evening Extra Magic Hours scheduled for the reasons outlined above. While you wont be wasting Park time visiting Epcot at night if no other Parks are open, the morning after evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot is almost always a better time to tour than evening Extra Magic Hours the night before. The exception is if the next day is Saturday or Sunday during the International Food and Wine Festival (when local Floridians clog the Park) in October and November. Nonetheless, Epcot is fun to tour in the dark and if you know you wont be able to make it to the Park by 9am anyway, evening Extra Magic Hours are a viable alternative. I would still only recommend it if you can Park Hop over in the evening or if you can stay until the very end of the night. Otherwise, its likely that you will find lines just as long, if not longer, during evening Extra Magic Hours.
The other problem youll run into during Extra Magic Hours is that lines at the most popular attractions will likely be long because there are only two or three headlining rides at Epcot. Soarin, Test Track, and Mission Space will be busy throughout most of the night, even with low to moderate crowds. Chances are good youll be able to walk on The American Adventure, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, Captain EO, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, Maelstrom, the Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Spaceship Earth for most of the night. Living with the Land may have a moderate line in the first 120 minutes because of its proximity to Soarin. People routinely see the 60 or more minute wait at Soarin, get in line for Living with the Land, and exit only to find Soarin with a 75 minute wait. Just about everyone is going to want to ride Soarin and Test Track during Extra Magic Hours and both will likely have lines just as long as during regular hours until the last 30 to 60 minutes of the night.
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios is very similar to what youll find at Animal Kingdom. There are really only three headlining rides at Hollywood Studios Toy Story Mania, Rock N Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror. Star Tours closes in the second week of September 2010, leaving just five or six total rides open and one or two shows. With so few attractions available, the lines at the headliners will likely be as long, if not longer, than during the day and usually longer than on a day without evening Extra Magic Hours scheduled.
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios are usually from 7pm to 10pm, which means at least Epcot will also be open and usually the Magic Kingdom is open as well. In most cases, Epcot is the better Park to visit because it wont be as attractive to Disney resort guests and crowds will be smaller. One thing you do have working in your favor is the fact that Hollywood Studios is actually busier on days when Fantasmic is scheduled. Fantasmic is a wildly popular show and Disney has only been showing it on two or three nights each week in order to cut down on costs (other than Christmas Week when it is shown most nights). If you arent interested in seeing Fantasmic and can only visit the Studios on a night with Extra Magic Hours or Fantasmic, youre usually better off visiting on the day with evening Extra Magic Hours. Still, its always better to visit the Studios when it has neither a Fantasmic nor Extra Magic Hours. These days will be less crowded with shorter lines. I would only advise visiting Hollywood Studios on a day with evening Extra Magic Hours if you absolutely cant visit any other day or if you want to re-ride some of the rides and can stay the whole three hours. It usually doesnt make much sense to Park Hop to Hollywood Studios for evening Extra Magic Hours either, considering it will be busier than at least one of the other Parks. Still, if youre intent on going to the Studios on Extra Magic Hours night, your best choice is always to spend the day at a recommended Park and Park Hop over in the evening.
Rarely, Hollywood Studios will have both a Fantasmic and evening Extra Magic Hours scheduled on the same night. These days are extremely busy and should be avoided if your intention is to see the headlining attractions with the shortest wait possible.
Evening Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdoms evening Extra Magic Hours usually occur after the other Parks are closed, at least for the majority of the time. Occasionally the Magic Kingdom will have Extra Magic Hours from 8pm to 11pm and Epcot will be open until 9pm. This makes the Magic Kingdoms Extra Magic Hours an ideal opportunity to Park Hop over in the evening after spending the day at a Park with lower crowds because you arent missing out on a potentially less crowded Park. Without Park Hopper, you could spend the morning in the Magic Kingdom from 9am-1pm riding the headlining rides, take a break until dinner, and return for Extra Magic Hours. Most Disney resort guests will sleep in and arrive in the late morning, freeing the Park up for those who arrive first thing in the morning. The period from 1pm to 6pm is always the most crowded part of the day because you still have most of the morning crowd in the Park and the late arrivers are in full force as well. Like the other Parks, your best opportunity to ride the headlining and Fantasyland rides is in the final hour, especially when Extra Magic Hours end at 1am or later. Most families with kids will be long gone by that time and many of the rides designed with young kids in mind will be mostly deserted.
Similar to Hollywood Studios, the Magic Kingdom has special evening entertainment on select nights. In this case, its the Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes Fireworks Show. Depending on the time of year, nights with the Electrical Parade and Wishes scheduled can be even more crowded than nights with evening Extra Magic Hours. Its rare that evening Extra Magic Hours and the Parade are scheduled on the same night. If they are, the Magic Kingdom will be much more crowded than usual and should be avoided unless you wont have a better opportunity to see the parade and fireworks.
If you can stay for the entirety of Extra Magic Hours and you have no plans to arrive at the Park prior to 9am, evening Extra Magic Hours can be an excellent time to tour the Magic Kingdom, especially considering youre not usually missing out on lower crowds at another Park. Generally speaking, youre better off arriving prior to 9am on a day without Extra Magic Hours or the Electrical Parade scheduled, but not everyone is able to get to the Park by 8:30am.
Conclusion
Extra Magic Hours can be worthwhile if you take full advantage of them, but many people actually end up spending more time in line and getting less done than they would if they avoided Extra Magic Hours altogether. Because Extra Magic Hours seem like such a good idea in theory, most Disney resort guests go wherever Extra Magic Hours are scheduled for the entire day. The additional crowds increase wait times at the attractions, make it more difficult to find a table at the counter and table service restaurants, and make the overall touring experience less pleasant. If you take into consideration the preceding advice, you may be able to take advantage of your extra time at certain Parks. Even so, be aware that in almost all cases the Parks are less busy when they dont have Extra Magic Hours or special entertainment scheduled.
You will get the most out of Extra Magic Hours if you spend the majority of your day at a Park without special evening entertainment or Extra Magic Hours and Park Hop over to the Park with evening Extra Magic Hours in the late afternoon or early evening. This way, you spend the majority of your time in a Park with short lines and relatively low crowds and you can still take advantage of staying on Disney property. Without Park Hopper, you can find success at Epcot and Magic Kingdom by spending the morning in the Park, taking a long break, and returning in the evening. Always stay until the end of the night if possible, because the final hour is always the least crowded and your best chance to ride the headlining rides. For morning Extra Magic Hour, it is imperative that you arrive at the gate by 7:45am. If you dont, youll find yourself in larger than usual crowds for the rest of the day. You may also want to Park Hop to a recommended Park in the afternoon because of all the Disney resort guests who will trickle in throughout the morning.
It is sometimes difficult to convince people that Extra Magic Hours are not generally in their best interest. You may have read through all of this and still not be convinced. Thats okay. If youve used Extra Magic Hours in the past and have been completely happy with the results, feel free to do what works best for you. On the other hand, if youve run into large crowds and long lines chasing Extra Magic Hours, this approach will work better.
In the first few trips lunch was back at the resorts since many of the RD were at 0700 and the kids were worn out by noon.
next to the thread title?? Seems like good info.
then hop away around noon
we don't go unless the EMH extends past midnight then the crowds thin out (and this only really applies at MK, the other parks rarely go that late). 
