Where are the updated December Hours?!

[kaymil]

I'm going crazy waiting to finalize our plans for December 18-21st. Does anyone remember when last year the park hours were updated? I still have a breakfast reservation for 7:15 am for Crystal Palace with park hours still reporting a 9 am opening at MK. I'm not buying it.

 

[AngiTN]

I did look this up a few weeks ago.
Josh at EasyWDW posted additional December park hours on 11/17 (fixed my typo!) last year

 

[wareagle57]

I did look this up a few weeks ago.
Josh at EasyWDW posted additional December park hours on 12/17 last year

I looked it up also and he posted updated hours long before that. They updated the hours more than once. They moved all of December MK hours to an 8 AM opening on November 18th last year. There were several other hours changed around the 16th-19th, so it's possible we will see some this week.

 

[AngiTN]

I looked it up also and he posted updated hours long before that. They updated the hours more than once. They moved all of December MK hours to an 8 AM opening on November 18th last year. There were several other hours changed around the 16th-19th, so it's possible we will see some this week.

Sorry, I mean the updated hours for the last 2 weeks. They did update other parts of the month before that, and they have already done them this year.

This is the update I was referring to, done on 11/17
http://www.easywdw.com/news/december-2014-disney-world-operating-schedule-updates/

 

[wareagle57]

*edit* nevermind

 

[kaymil]

I did look this up a few weeks ago.
Josh at EasyWDW posted additional December park hours on 12/17 last year

Sorry, I mean the updated hours for the last 2 weeks. They did update other parts of the month before that, and they have already done them this year.

This is the update I was referring to, done on 11/17
http://www.easywdw.com/news/december-2014-disney-world-operating-schedule-updates/

I'm sorry, I would check myself but I'm not able to open easywdw at work because our network blocks it (maybe they've caught on to me making Disney plans during my planning periods...). Were the additional hours posted on December 17th or November 17th?

 

[Raenstoirm]

The travel agents don't have an updated schedule yet. The last one was published a month ago. I expect a new one any day.

 

[AngiTN]

I'm sorry, I would check myself but I'm not able to open easywdw at work because the network blocks it (maybe they've caught on to me making Disney plans during my planning periods...). Were the additional hours posted on December 17th or November 17th?

Sorry, I didn't even realize the first post was a typo. I did mean last year on 11/17, so hopefully they'll issue an update any day now

 

[epcotty]

Does everyone think that HS will still close at 8pm throughout all later December as it is listed now? That seems really early to me for the season

 

[AngiTN]

Does everyone think that HS will still close at 8pm throughout all later December as it is listed now? That seems really early to me for the season

This is my first time to go so late to December.
Looking back at the 2014 changes and they did move HS close from 8:00 to 9:00, and later to 10:00 after Christmas, before New Years

 

[*MomTo2Princesses*]

When the park opens earlier, are earlier ADRs released? We have an 8:05 CP. Same thing happened to us last year but we kept it because my kids love CP. Sure would love to keep it before park opens though!

 

[kaymil]

When the park opens earlier, are earlier ADRs released? We have an 8:05 CP. Same thing happened to us last year but we kept it because my kids love CP. Sure would love to keep it before park opens though!

Last year the hours were adjusted for MK from 9 am to 8 am with 7 am EMH. I have a 7:15 am reservation already for CP, but I don't plan on using it because our game plan is based solely on rope drop, and if the hours are adjusted in the same manner this year, we'll be riding rides at 7 am instead of eating at CP.

So, yes, there are earlier reservations than 8 am, but they are (weirdly) already released.

 

[*MomTo2Princesses*]

Aww man! No idea they were already released. So I guess if they have been released, we should go ahead and plan on earlier hours?

 

[*MomTo2Princesses*]

We are there early December. Nov 28- Dec 6 if that helps.

 

[epcotty]

This is my first time to go so late to December.
Looking back at the 2014 changes and they did move HS close from 8:00 to 9:00, and later to 10:00 after Christmas, before New Years

Thanks. Hopefully they'll do that this year too

 

[kaymil]

We are there early December. Nov 28- Dec 6 if that helps.

According to last year's December calendar, MK opened at 8 am on your dates with a few 7 am EMH. I checked the WDW website for Crystal Palace, and it's showing 8 am openings on your dates as well (I have a 7:15 reservation on December 20th, and it's showing a 7 am opening on the Crystal Palace operating hours that day now, so that seems to be accurate and not just a glitch like I thought it might be when I first found the reservation). So sadly, yes, it looks like there will be no empty park entry for your dates

 

[*MomTo2Princesses*]

According to last year's December calendar, MK opened at 8 am on your dates with a few 7 am EMH. I checked the WDW website for Crystal Palace, and it's showing 8 am openings on your dates as well (I have a 7:15 reservation on December 20th, and it's showing a 7 am opening on the Crystal Palace operating hours that day now, so that seems to be accurate and not just a glitch like I thought it might be when I first found the reservation). So sadly, yes, it looks like there will be no empty park entry for your dates

Oh shoot! There are none for our MK date. I sure appreciate the heads up.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

I got a few emails regarding this. When I released the ebook last year, the hours were still at 9am rope drop. That was around the end of October.

The biggest word of advice that I can give people regarding their plans is that Disney won't subtract any hours. You know Magic Kingdom will be open from at least 9am-12am. They're not gonna decrease hours and make it 9am to 11pm or something like that.

Expect MK to open at 8am (as PP have mentioned) with a few dates at 7am EMH.
MK usually has late-night EMH the Friday after Christmas. This year, Christmas is on a Friday. I THINK the first year we went to Disney for Christmas, it fell on a Friday (2009) as well. I think the late-night EMH (1am-3am) fell on a Sunday that year, so that'd be my guess.

Anyway - as far as Dec. 18-21 goes, I think the parks will see an increase in crowds due to a combination of the free dining, the Osborne Lights closing and being the week before xmas. Disney can and will add hours up to the day of. I remember checking in and the CM telling my family that EPCOT added morning EMH. I know it stinks - especially if you're trying to add RD ADRs, but the last two weeks of December are so unpredictable.

 

[*MomTo2Princesses*]

According to last year's December calendar, MK opened at 8 am on your dates with a few 7 am EMH. I checked the WDW website for Crystal Palace, and it's showing 8 am openings on your dates as well (I have a 7:15 reservation on December 20th, and it's showing a 7 am opening on the Crystal Palace operating hours that day now, so that seems to be accurate and not just a glitch like I thought it might be when I first found the reservation). So sadly, yes, it looks like there will be no empty park entry for your dates

I couldn't find any during our week. Did you say you saw some times available?

 

[AngiTN]

I just wish they would go on and make the change already! I'm not after any ADR but I would love to move a FP to earlier and to do that I'm going to need to do it as soon as they change. I do know early is not a good time to use a FP but it's just the 1 and it will help out the rest of the day if I can get it moved.