Increased hours does that translate increase crowds

[Nana2Callie]

Just noticed that the hours are extended for my upcoming week and curious (not complaining) why.

 

[OKW Lover]

They are spreading out the crowds by keeping the park open longer.

 

[tentaguasu]

Almost certainly, but not unexpectedly. The hours they put in are almost always a template, and then they adjust them up as needed. I've been semi-watching it for months, and I think they increase them almost constantly.

But there's a flip side to that "higher crowds" point. First, more hours means more time you can dedicate to the parks. But more importantly, you can leverage the time to your advantage. If Animal Kingdom opens at, say 7:30, do you really feel like getting up that early? Probably not. But neither does anyone else. So if you are willing to go early or stay late, you can use those extra hours to your advantage. If the hours are 9:00 - 6:00, then you don't get as many "off peak" hours to work with.

 

[DisneyFive]

Disney regularly extends hours especially as dates get closer. I'll take all the hours I can get, especially when they are later in the evening/night. Last summer for example, just about when crowds were dwindling at HS and wait times were getting reasonable, the park was closing (8pm). Same for other parks. Little kiddos just can't stay up that late and many families retreat to their resorts. Our kids are now 14, 18, 20 yrs old so we'll go as late as they let us.

Dan