Delay in updating park hours

[brockash]

I'm going in the middle of June and there's no way the hours are correct. Magic Kingdom closing at 9 pm every night?

Why does Disney do this? Its 4/11. I should have a pretty good idea about park hours in June by now.

It really is a shame.

Def. don't have any advice, just share in your frustration. It should NOT be this hard for them to get things figured out and set in stone...especially when they expect their guests to 180 days in advance and even their ride time 60 days in advance.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

Considering they updated April just 10 or so days before the 1st I think you've got a wait for May or June.

As for why, no one knows. Not sure complaining would do any good. Would you complain to any other business that they don't provide you their operating hours?
I mean, they know what they are doing. They know people make plans but really, the segment that are uber planners, like those here at Dis, are small (VERY SMALL) segment of park guests. So it's impacting very few, as far as they are concerned. And those uber planners are going to adjust and go anyway. The rest of the guests aren't going to complain because Disney gives them more hours in the park

True a lot here are "uber" planners, but IMO we are that way because that is how Disney has conditioned us with their idea of 180 day ADRs and 60 day FPs. Somebody is taking all of the BOG ADRs at 180 days and FEA FPs as soon as they can get them, I'm guessing they aren't all Diser's.

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that they have an accurate park schedule at 60 days out if that is when they are going to open FPs. I don't see it as complaining, I see it as asking them to get their act together for the people who are paying them high dollars to come there.

I'm also going to Universal in May and the pressure to plan is just not there because Universal has not made it necessary. I don't even think you can make dining reservations more than 30 days out because I was just able to get my dates to come up this past weekend. It is way more relaxed, so much so that I almost feel like I'm forgetting to do something.

 

[Catvondita]

True a lot here are "uber" planners, but IMO we are that way because that is how Disney has conditioned us with their idea of 180 day ADRs and 60 day FPs. Somebody is taking all of the BOG ADRs at 180 days and FEA FPs as soon as they can get them, I'm guessing they aren't all Diser's.

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that they have an accurate park schedule at 60 days out if that is when they are going to open FPs. I don't see it as complaining, I see it as asking them to get their act together for the people who are paying them high dollars to come there.

I'm also going to Universal in May and the pressure to plan is just not there because Universal has not made it necessary. I don't even think you can make dining reservations more than 30 days out because I was just able to get my dates to come up this past weekend. It is so much more relaxed, so much so that I almost feel like I'm forgetting to do something.

Completely agree. If we have to make FPs at 60 days in advance the park hours should be set. Some people rely on the park hours to figure out their plans.

 

[Robo]

Completely agree. If we have to make FPs at 60 days in advance the park hours should be set. Some people rely on the park hours to figure out their plans.

I sympathize with this, but I have been able to make my plans for many based on "worst case" hours.

I figured for last January (2017) that:
MK would close at 8PM.
Epcot would close at 9PM.
DHS would close at 8PM.
DAK would close at 5PM.

Anything hours-wise that would be added later (sometimes that did happen) I considered to be "bonus time" in the park(s.)

So, I booked my ADR meals based on the above list of hours.
And, when advance planning FP+ times, I pre-listed the FPs i wanted to be ahead of those times.

I've been lucky in the EMH dates not changing from those first posted over 6-months in advance by Disney.
(EMH days, once listed, are generally [not always] "set.")

 

[AngiTN]

True a lot here are "uber" planners, but IMO we are that way because that is how Disney has conditioned us with their idea of 180 day ADRs and 60 day FPs. Somebody is taking all of the BOG ADRs at 180 days and FEA FPs as soon as they can get them, I'm guessing they aren't all Diser's.

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that they have an accurate park schedule at 60 days out if that is when they are going to open FPs. I don't see it as complaining, I see it as asking them to get their act together for the people who are paying them high dollars to come there.

I'm also going to Universal in May and the pressure to plan is just not there because Universal has not made it necessary. I don't even think you can make dining reservations more than 30 days out because I was just able to get my dates to come up this past weekend. It is way more relaxed, so much so that I almost feel like I'm forgetting to do something.

Didn't mean you shouldn't complain just don't think they care about those complaints. Because I think they know it can alter plans but figure those who are happy with extra hours well outweigh those who are annoyed their plans change.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

I agree that complaining will do no good, especially on a message board. I will be very glad if they add hours, especially to keep MK open longer while I"m there, so I completely see what you are saying.

 

[Dakota731]

How do you make ADRs and fast passes then at 180 days? Park hours and EMH determine which park I'll be at each day so that's crazy

 

[JohnneeO]

Well, as AngiTN pointed out earlier, whenever Park Hours are extended, additional FP+ capacity is added to the system. So this could be a deliberate attempt by WDW to manage FP+'s, and make them available for those who book them late, or are still looking for the hard-to-get ones.

 

[unrequited23]

We are going May 6-14 and I'm in the obsessively checking park hours, FP & ADR time camp. It never occurred to me that if hours were extended the FP capacity would increase too. Thank you all for bringing that tidbit on information to my attention...now I'm off to angst over my PPO BOG ADR

 

[TheHamm]

I found out the hard way last month that they adjust park hours more last minute than I expected. I had booked FP at the 60 day mark, tweeked them two weeks out after checking park hours, and was shocked to turn on the hotel tv while putting ponytails in my kids hair to find out the park was already open as they bumped park open to 8am and EMH to 7AM! Does anyone know how close to the date they stop adjusting the hours?

 

[AngiTN]

I found out the hard way last month that they adjust park hours more last minute than I expected. I had booked FP at the 60 day mark, tweeked them two weeks out after checking park hours, and was shocked to turn on the hotel tv while putting ponytails in my kids hair to find out the park was already open as they bumped park open to 8am and EMH to 7AM! Does anyone know how close to the date they stop adjusting the hours?

They write hours in pencil.
They are known to change closing times that day. And opening times the day before.

 

[ArielSRL]

We are also arriving in the middle of June. The 13th to be exact. What are the chances of the parks, specifically MK, opening earlier than the currently listed 9am?

I looked back at this a few days ago. Last year, they added 8am openings for June...on June 2nd. So, for us, arriving June 4th, it was very last minute.

 

[ArielSRL]

I could be wrong, but it looks like those are just the originally scheduled hours(article is dated Dec 2015).

Does anybody know of a site that has any historical data in regards to what actual park hours have been in the past?

https://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours/june16.cfm

 

[ArielSRL]

Im sure this has been asked before but why are they doing this?

Also, have people been trying to complain to WDW?

I complained last year and got an extra anytime FP for every day of our trip.

 

[ArielSRL]

I am in the waiting for may hours camp as well. Going May 6-13 and I check every day. I am hoping for late hours to increase but I think the trend is early hours more than late ones to be added.

I'd look for them to extend May in a few days...around April 15th. That has been the trend for awhile.

 

[ArielSRL]

I agree, it is very annoying!! We are going June 3-9 and I always like to plan for morning EMH for Magic Kingdom. Right now there isn't any for my stay ( morning that is). So, fp were booked for a day at Magic Kingdom and if they put in a morning EMH and it's not my day with fp I'm out of luck!

Morning EMH for MK is on Fridays. However, they may add an hour to the general public opening...which is what they did for 3-4 days during our trip last year (June 4-11).

 

[mshanson3121]

Did you complain during your trip or before?

I complained last year and got an extra anytime FP for every day of our trip.

 

[ArielSRL]

Did you complain during your trip or before?

It was beforehand but I didn't just complain about hours. I complained about the whole ROL debacle and the lack of Star Wars fireworks on the schedule, along with the hours not being correct. It was a planning nightmare...worse than this year. The Cm I spoke with was sympathetic but had no answers, so he gave me the extra fastpasses. Also, I did not send my email to guest services, I sent it to the WDW president.

 

[mshanson3121]

It was beforehand but I didn't just complain about hours. I complained about the whole ROL debacle and the lack of Star Wars fireworks on the schedule, along with the hours not being correct. It was a planning nightmare...worse than this year. The Cm I spoke with was sympathetic but had no answers, so he gave me the extra fastpasses. Also, I did not send my email to guest services, I sent it to the WDW president.

Oh wow! You went straight to the top. Good for you. Where on earth did you get the email?!

 

[ArielSRL]

Oh wow! You went straight to the top. Good for you. Where on earth did you get the email?!

I got it on the DIS but it can be googled.