Is it better to go to Disney early or late?

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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I think we get more out of being there at night. In the morning, everyone is scrambling to get on rides, and lines tend to get long quickly. At night, everyone is tired of waiting in lines all day, so they're filtering out of the park, and lines can be a lot shorter (often much shorter than posted times).

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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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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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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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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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Is Genie+ available during Early Theme Park Entry, Extended Evening Hours or After Hours events? No, Genie+ and the individual Lightning Lane selections are only available during normal park hours.

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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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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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For those staying at an official Disney World Hotel, 45 minutes to an hour should be plenty of time. As an example, if the park opens at 8:00 in the morning, you'd want to leave the hotel no later than 7:00 or 7:15 in the morning to give yourself plenty of time for early arrival.

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When is Disney World the MOST crowded?
  • Easter (both the week before and the week after typically have increased crowds)
  • Independence Day (July 4)
  • Indigenous Peoples' Day (2nd Monday in October)
  • Veterans' Day (November 11)
  • Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November)
  • Christmas week through January 1.


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Believe it or not, as night falls at Magic Kingdom, the crowds start to dwindle. That's because families with young children take the opportunity to head home for bedtime and you're left with a surprisingly less crowded park. (You ever wonder where all the thousands of strollers go at night?)

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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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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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Let me describe the difference between Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes. Disney Genie+ is a magical upgrade to your ticket that allows you to select Lightning Lane entrances at over 40 attractions throughout the theme parks. These Lightning Lane entrances allow you to skip the regular standby line.

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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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On most days, you can expect Magic Kingdom to officially open up between 8 and 9 am. On the busiest days of the year (like over the holidays) that opening may even be pushed to 7 am. Early Theme Park Entry for onsite guests typically will begin 30 minutes before the official park opening time. What is this?

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We've found it to be a far more pleasant transportation experience than leaving an hour or two later. Our normal recommendation is to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of Early Theme Park Entry. That remains the case with Epcot, without regard for which ride you want to do first.

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A Magic Kingdom itinerary is simply a must if your family only has one day at Disney World. The main reason being the Magic Kingdom Park is by far the most-visited theme park in the world.

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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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As happens every year around this time, crowds are starting to fall before Fall 2023 at Walt Disney World. This wait times report covers data for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.

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