Does Disney open gates early?

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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Overview of Early Entry at Disneyland. Every day, both theme parks open 30 minutes before the official park opening for on-site hotel guests through 2023. Other guests can also enter the parks 30 minutes early, but they have to stop at ropes before entering any lands or accessing rides until the park officially opens.

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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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With every park participating in Early Theme Park Entry, expect the first bus of the day to arrive to your resort between 45 minutes to 1 hour before Early Theme Park Entry starts.

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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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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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You won't need a Disney Park Pass theme park reservation or a regular theme park ticket to get in as long as you enter the park no earlier than 7:00 PM. If you want to drop in earlier, you'll need a standard theme park ticket — and a park reservation (if your ticket type requires one).

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Guests are allowed to bring outside food and nonalcoholic beverage items into the park for self-consumption, provided they are not in glass containers and do not require heating, reheating, processing, refrigeration or temperature control and do not have pungent odors.

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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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A: Guests are allowed to bring outside food and nonalcoholic beverages into the parks for self-consumption, provided they are not in glass containers, do not require heating, reheating, processing or refrigeration and do not have pungent odors. Inform a Security Cast Member of any food items when you enter the park.

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Fireworks at Disneyland usually begin at 9:00 pm or 9:30 pm but are subject to change and most shows typically run approximately 16 minutes long. Disneyland typically shares the fireworks schedule about 6 weeks out.

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All guests, regardless of where they stay, are limited to a maximum of two pay-per-ride attractions per day and can only book a particular ride once per day. What about Annual Passholders? Annual Passholders will need to purchase Genie+ on the day(s) of their visit.

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So how many Disney guests actually use the service? In the Quarter 3 Earnings Call, Bob Chapek said that close to 50% of park guests purchase Genie+. “Even our Genie product, which we released short of a year ago, now about 50% of the people who come through the gate, buy up to that Genie product,” Chapek said.

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Can Genie+ sell out? Yes. It can. Although it isn't common, we've seen it happen a few times during busier times of the year (like over the holidays and Spring Break).

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Rope drop is Disney terminology for the time when a theme park, or part of a theme park, opens for the day. Historically, when a Walt Disney World theme park is closed, Disney often used ropes stretched across the entrance to prevent guests from coming in; thus, when the park is opened the rope is dropped.

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However, there are three keys to avoiding long lines that do not involve spending extra money:
  1. Learn about and use Disney's Genie app – it's free.
  2. Get to the parks well before they open.
  3. Stay in the park as late as possible.
  4. Bonus tip – plan your meals ahead using Disney's mobile ordering.


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2. Once at the attraction, approach the greeting Cast Member with your entire party. At least one adult member of your party and the Guests who are not riding will be issued a Ride Switch entitlement by the Cast Member and asked to wait in a designated area (usually outside of the attraction). This group is “Party 2.”

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