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Do Disney parks let you in early?

What Is Early Entry at Disney World? Early Theme Park Entry is a perk of staying at a Disney hotel or select other hotel that allows these guests access to every park, every day, for 30 minutes before the park opens.



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Early Theme Park Entry allows Disney Resort Guests (as well as guests from other select hotels) the opportunity to enter any of the 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios) 30 minutes before non-Disney Resort guests.

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Unlike the old Extra Magic Hours perk (which was only at 1-2 parks per day), Early Entry happens every day, at every park, including at Magic Kingdom. Because of the sheer number of extremely popular attractions, we highly recommend you plan to use Early Entry at Magic Kingdom if you are eligible.

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Early Entry at Magic Kingdom is a good way for on-site guests of Walt Disney World hotels to get a head-start, accomplishing a few attractions with low waits.

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Arrive Early For The New Extra Magic Half Hour One of the easiest ways to make sure you get the most out of your day no matter which Disney park you plan to visit is to arrive early and stay late when possible! This will also allow you to take an afternoon break at your hotel if need be.

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All guests are allowed to tap into the Magic Kingdom when it opens. Guests planning to rope drop Early Entry will want to hustle down the right side of Main Street to be closer to EE tap in. Tap in begins 45 minutes before EE on 8:30am days and 30 before EE on 7:30am days. Main Street is open to all guests who enter.

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If you drive, the Magic Kingdom Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) parking lot opens about 2 hours before the park's official opening. After paying a fee, you're directed to a parking space, then transported by tram to the TTC, where you catch either a monorail or a ferry to the park's entrance.

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Genie Plus is definitely worth it for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and if you don't like early starts, you might consider it for Epcot and Animal Kingdom. If you are park hopping, Genie+ is even better value as it maximises the number of rides you have access to.

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More than 52 million guests visit each year; there is no “dead” time at Disney. However, there are still times of the year that are better than others as far as crowd size. We tend to find that the slowest times at Disney World are in the early fall, like September and the late winter, like February.

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Disney World's Extended Evening Hours are available for those staying at Disney World Deluxe Resorts, Deluxe Villa Resorts, as well as the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, Walt Disney World Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green.

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Theme Park Hours Magic Kingdom: 9:00am to 9:00pm or 10:00pm. EPCOT: 9:00am to 9:00pm. Disney's Hollywood Studios: 9:00am to 9:00pm. Disney's Animal Kingdom: 8:00am or 9:00am to 7:00pm.

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Guests who are checked in and staying at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels can enter Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park 30 minutes before regular park opening to enjoy select attractions, dining and shopping locations.

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Disney After Hours is a specially ticketed event (meaning it's a ticket that is purchased separate from regular park tickets) that allows people to enter Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom at 7 p.m. and stay until midnight or 1 a.m. (ending time varies by date).

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However, most people can also go and take a nap and then come back and enjoy the extra magic hours at night. So you're more likely to have more people during the nighttime extended hours than daytime. However, it is still less crowded at night, and the weather is better once the sun goes down.

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The first two to three hours of every day are the time of the lowest crowds of the day. It's almost Magical. The wait time for Space Mountain at 10:00 am is usually around 20-30 minutes. At noon, it's 60-90 minutes.

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Yes, regardless on where you are staying, you can start making Disney Genie+ attraction reservations at 7 am. It does not matter if you can't check in until 4 pm, or when you get your room, everyone can start booking in the morning.

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You can make your first Genie+ Lightning Lane booking for the day at 7AM. It doesn't matter if you're a guest of a Disney hotel or not, all guests can make their first booking at 7AM. You can make Genie+ Lightning Lane bookings through the Genie Tip Board in the Disney World app.

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Typically Disneyland Genie Plus does not sell out at the theme parks but on rare days when the attendance mix at the theme parks leans heavily towards vacationing guests the service may sell out.

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What is the least busy time of year at Walt Disney World?”
  • The middle of January to the middle of February.
  • The last few days in February and the first week of March.
  • The last week of April.
  • Weekdays in the first half of May.
  • The second half of August.
  • September is pretty great to visit (except avoid Labor Day).


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Off-peak times fall around January, February, September, and early November. Discounts on vacation packages booked directly through Disney (which combine park tickets and hotel stays) can be found year-round, though they're most common at these less-crowded times.

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