Does Magic Kingdom ever open early?

Even outside of Party Season, Magic Kingdom opens at 8 am on certain dates. Most frequently, this occurs during the peak season or on days of Magic Kingdom After Hours. As we'll discuss, there is a huge difference between Early Entry on 8 am v. 9 am opening days at Magic Kingdom.



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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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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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The following tips will help you make the most of Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom. Arriving at the Magic Kingdom 30–60 minutes before official opening ensures the shortest possible waits for rides.

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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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The Early Morning Magic event in Fantasyland was offered in 2019 and 2020 prior to the parks shutting down. It has not been brought back at this point and we do not expect it to make a return.

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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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As you can guess if Monday is the busiest, Tuesday tends to be the best day of the week to go to Magic Kingdom. We also find Thursday to be one of the least busy days of the week at Magic Kingdom, with Sunday being a great weekend option.

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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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There's too much in the park to easily do in a single day. It's probably more of a one-and-a-half or two-day park. That said, this is a one day itinerary post, and there are a few approaches you can take to have one very good nearly perfect day at Magic Kingdom.

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When is the show? Magic Kingdom Fireworks are at 9pm on most nights.

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Between the rides, stage shows and other entertainment, there is a ton to see and do at Magic Kingdom and the pressure to experience everything can be anxiety-inducing, to say the least. Admittedly, to truly see and do it all at Magic Kingdom, you do need to spend at least two days.

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If you have Early Entry, you'll probably want to start with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight, or Space Mountain. We discuss the details of these rope drops in more detail in our dedicated Magic Kingdom Early Entry and Rope Drop post.

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You need valid park admission to enter a theme park, even during Extra Magic Hours. This means that if you visited a different park earlier in the day, your ticket must have the Park Hopper option to enter a park during Extra Magic Hours.

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Magic Kingdom has fireworks every night of the year. Most of the time they are free with your park admission. However, there are a few nights in the fall and winter where you'll need a special ticket.

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Sit towards the back of the theatre for a quieter experience. Don't want to watch the show? You can still relax and enjoy the air-conditioned lobby area full of benches! There's also a set of rocking chairs right outside The Hall of Presidents that is a great spot for a little one to nap if you find it empty!

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Magic Kingdom. At Magic Kingdom, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train unsurprisingly led the list with an average wait of 67 minutes.

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Go Early If you want to avoid long lines there's no simpler way than to wake up early and get to the park before it opens. Whether you have access to early entry or not, being at the park entrance before it opens will save you lots of time. Usually, you can get in 2-3 rides during the first hour of park operation.

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During the afternoon peak hours, you can get more done at other theme parks and spend less time in a queue, plus Magic Kingdom is spectacular at night! Think glowing lights, even spookier rides and shorter lines. Here are 5 reasons to visit Magic Kingdom at night: 1.

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Parents often wonder if their kids are too young (or too old) to go to Disney World. The best age for Disney World is between 3 and 12 years old, but people of all ages will enjoy the park.

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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 After Hours tickets are around the same price as regular, full-day theme park tickets. Expensive: Since the event is typically 3 hours long, then the cost per hour is much high compared to normal tickets. Disney After Hours is only available on select dates (see below) Not all rides are open.

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