Why? Mk open untill midnight on 4/18

[mmuskie]

Is there something special going on that MK would be open until midnight on 4/18?

 

[marriedmarylander]

Spring Break for some people? Grad night?

 

[Jamesbyr]

This actually came up earlier today. Patriot's Day in Massachussets. MAJOR school vacation week somewhere in the NorthEast. Probably a HUGE convention of cobblers and elves, and you know how they love the MK.

Seriously, if WDW schedules it, there is SOMETHING going on.

 

[megatann]

They will be celebrating my birthday without me! Wish I could be there.

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Spring Break for some people? Grad night?

Grad Nite would not be shown as Magic Kingdom Hours. It is a private event so the schedule would show the Magic Kingdom closing at around 7pm. And it's usually in early May.

 

[AshClan]

It is a three day weekend for many in MA, and school vacation week. I'm thinking they probably anticipate big crowds that week (Ugh! Not good for me!), and maybe anticipating beginning of the week will be a big MK day for people? All I know is, we're at MGM that day, so hope all the crowds are gone by Thursday (our MK day!)!!!!

Another indication that WDW is expecting a busy week: They recently changed the April calendar to add Spectro Tues, Weds. and Thurs. It was originally not going to be done at all that week after Mon. Grad nights are Fri and Sat of that week (the 22nd and 23rd), so MK is closing at 7.

Haven't visited in a crowded time for years....Hope my touring plans work!! (Or my husband may stop bragging about my expertise!)

 

[lentesta]

I'm guessing it's to compensate for the early closings later that week, on Thursday and Friday. Are those grad nights?

I don't think the MA school system schedule is coming into play. The NYC public school system is the nation's largest, they're on break the week of April 25, and the hours are similar for both weeks. No MA school system appears in the top 50 in terms of enrollment, so I'm not sure what kind of impact they'd have, especially given the distance from WDW. Just a hunch.

Len

 

[Disney Fool]

It's not just Massachusetts. NH schools are out beginning April 26th. Patriot's Day is April 18th AND marks the beginning of school break, so parents get a three day weekend, plus the kids are out of school. An ideal time to visit the mouse. I'm almost positive Vermont, Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island are involved also. This April vacation traditionally would have been their Easter vacation break, but Easter came early this year.

 

[mittelst]

Some areas of western NY also have a standard Spring Break the 3rd week in April - and Rochester is one of them (see countdown below)! The MK closing had been 10pm on 4/18, and 9pm on 4/19, 4/20, and 4/21. They extended them and added Spectro just last week. I hear that Disney adjusts operating hours when they examine their hotel occupancy.

We're going to MGM on Monday, and MK on Wed. We're going to do what we can at MK until about 1pm, then head back to OKW. With the evening EMH, we'll attempt to go back after dinner and how it is. Hopefully my 8yo daughter and I can catch a nap in the afternoon, and be able to stay up past 9pm!

 

[ninaeve]

Another indication that WDW is expecting a busy week: They recently changed the April calendar to add Spectro Tues, Weds. and Thurs. It was originally not going to be done at all that week after Mon. Grad nights are Fri and Sat of that week (the 22nd and 23rd), so MK is closing at 7.

Okay, this is the 3rd time I have seen someone say that the Spectro. parade is being done on those extra nights. Where are you seeing this? I have looked at all the calendars I can find including the DIS calendars & the official Disney site. I see the midnight closing update, but no parade change.

My dd really wants to see the parade so we may have to go on Monday, the 18th, the crowded day, if it is the only night having the parade.

 

[princess lovers mom]

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wd...ex?date=04/18/2005&id=MKCalendarDailyViewPage

look here for the added hours/parades...don't know why they haven't been updated on dis yet

 

[ninaeve]

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wd...ex?date=04/18/2005&id=MKCalendarDailyViewPage

look here for the added hours/parades...don't know why they haven't been updated on dis yet

Thank you! I just looked at the Disney calendar the first time I saw this mentioned, but I was looking at a monthly calendar(that was not updated), not a night by night one. Guess I did not dig enough on the website.
Now I might have to rearrange our week.

April 17-24 POR

 

[athenna]

Thank you so much posting this. I am arriving 4/17 and now am going to change things around a little bit.

 

[lentesta]

I'm almost positive Vermont, Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island are involved also.

By George, you may be on to something!

I checked the school calendars for Boston, Springfield, Lowell, Worcester, Cambridge, Bridgeport and New Haven CT, and they're all off the week of the 18th. I think it's a little odd that a large chunk of an entire region's public school system is off this late in April, but it is what it is. And the combined population of those states is just under 9.9 million, with NYC's population around 8.1 million. Barring any other explanation (like grad night), I'd go with Disney Fool's explanation, as it also explains the park hours for the next week, and I'm all for unified theories ;-). Disney Fool, send me your address and I'll send you an '05 Unofficial Guide. Bravo.

I've not checked out the public school calendars for the largest systems in ME and NH. (VT's entire population is around 600,000, and I think more people than that are lost in the subways and taxis of NYC.) If someone would like to provide the spring break schedules for those, I'd greatly appreciate it.

I think this is an interesting example of many small schools exerting influence by coordinating their schedules - I haven't seen the same coordination in any other state east of the Mississippi, for example. I mean, none of those school systems is in the top 100 in the US, but collectively they wield influence.

Len

 

[Sammy]

.......I've not checked out the public school calendars for the largest systems in ME and NH. (VT's entire population is around 600,000, and I think more people than that are lost in the subways and taxis of NYC.) If someone would like to provide the spring break schedules for those, I'd greatly appreciate it........

Len

Nashua, Manchester, Portsmouth, and Concord NH school districts are all on vacation the week of April 25th....not sure about the smaller ones. We won't be there this vacation week, but hope to make a trip for Thxgiving this year!

 

[cheerdancer11]

NOOO!!! I though we'd miss all the spring break crowds not going easter week It will be fun staying at MK that late though!

 

[leebee]

Maine is out of school that week also. I was thinking about a quick sprint down to raise our spirits, but there are NO flights available on SWA out of Manchester on Sat, Sun, Mon(16th-18th) and no return flights on Fri, Sat, Sun (22nd-24th). Song and JetBlue out of Boston are also sold out, as is Independence out of Portland (mostly). Didn't check Burlington or Providence (too far to drive), but I'm sure it's more of the same. Monday is Patriot's Day, and the whole week is spring break for ME, VT, MA, RI, CT, and parts of upstate NY. NH school break is the following week. So, no WDW for us...I could go down on Tuesday and home on Thursday...NO WAY!!

 

[iwish81792]

Up here in Albany, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeveryone is out in the surrounding area. We always have this week off, and many people I know are going down to see the Mouse himself. I send them envy waves.....Wish I could go!

 

[Bichon Barb]

Syracuse area is on break too. Most of the Northeast has a winter break in February and a spring break in mid to late April.

As far as I know, most of the south has just one break usually around Easter.

 

[csmommy]

Practically everyone in my town that has elementary aged children is going to Florida that week!