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What Are Extra Magic Hours at Walt Disney World?

Updated on June 7, 2013

Extra Magic Hours give you a great way to beat the crowds at all four Disney parks. | Source

Extra Magic Hours are just one of the many perks when staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel.

Only guests that are staying on property may utilize the Extra Magic Hours from the day they check in through the day they check out.

Extra Magic Hours are reminiscent of the old Disney E-Ticket nights and offer low to no crowds for non-stop fun on the rides and attractions.

Extra Magic Hours are only available for guests who are staying at:

All Levels of Disney Resorts
The Walt Disney World Swan
The Walt Disney World Dolphin
Shades of Green
Downtown Disney Hilton Resort.

Each park has either a morning or evening EMH and rotate on a regular schedule.

All you need to utilize EMH are your hotel card and your energy.

All adults in the party will need to show their room key/hotel card at the entrance to each ride.

Cast members will check the dates and information to verify that you are a current, hotel guest.

Typical Extra Magic Hours Days

Park	Mornings	Evenings
Magic Kingdom	Thursdays	Sundays
EPCOT	Tuesdays	Fridays
Hollywood Studios	Saturdays	Mondays
Animal Kingdom	Mondays and Wednesdays
Typhoon Lagoon	Thursdays
Blizzard Beach	Wednesdays

Note: During Non-Peak seasons, there may be more EMH added. Ask for the information when you check into your hotel to see if there are additional days for you to take advantage of.
Mornings are an hour before published opening time and evenings

Transportation and Tickets

Buses will typically run and hour to thirty minutes before EMH park openings. The hotel concierge or front desk cast member can verify bus schedules

Buses will also run for an hour after the evening EMH hours.

Your park ticket or pass will get you into the park during EMH. However, remember that if you have a park ticket that does not have a park hopper option, you may not be able to get into the park without using an extra full day.

If you plan to use EMH, you will want to choose that park to go to during the day as well.

Morning Attractions at Each Park

(click column header to sort results)

Magic Kingdom	EPCOT	Hollywood Studios	Animal Kingdom
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin	Living with the Land	Muppet Vision 3-D	DINOSAUR
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel	Mission: SPACE	Rock 'n' Roller Coaster	Expedition Everest
Dumbo the Flying Elephant	Soarin'	Star Tours	It's Tough to be a Bug!
It's a Small World	Spaceship Earth	Toy Story Midway Mania!	Kilimanjaro Safaris
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh	Test Track	The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror	Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Peter Pan's Flight
Space Mountain
Stitch's Great Escape!
Tomorrowland Speedway

These attractions are typically open during morning EMH

Evening Attractions at Each Park

(click column header to sort results)

Magic Kingdom	EPCOT	Hollywood Studios	Animal Kingdom
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad	The American Adventure	The Great Movie Ride	No Evening EMH
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin	Gran Fiesta Tour	Muppet Vision 3-D
Country Bear Jambore	Captain EO	Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel	Journey Into Imagination	Star Tours
Dumbo the Flying Elephant	Living with the Land	Toy Story Midway Mania!
Enchanted Tiki Room	Maelstrom	The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Haunted Mansion	Mission: SPACE	Voyage of The Little Mermaid
It's a Small World	Soarin'
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin	Spaceship Earth
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh	Test Track
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Peter Pan's Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Stitch's Great Escape!
Tomorrowland Speedway

These attractions are typically open during evening EMH.

Stay At One of the Disney Resorts in Order To Use Extra Magic Hours

Are Extra Magic Hours Worth It?

Many guests wonder if it is worth it to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours.

The answer is a resounding YES!

The parks are frequently less crowded than even the ticketed special events such as Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

If the park is open extra late or extra early, you can expect very little crowd.

My family has found that the evening hours give you the most time and options. One memorable evening we were the only ones on Pirates of the Caribbean at close to 3 in the morning. It was an eerie and super fun memory for us.

The extra magic hours really makes staying at the already fun resorts even more rewarding.

Which Park Should I Go To?

That all depends on what you are looking to do.

As you can see from the chart, Magic Kingdom offers the most options for both mornings and evenings.

If you are going for the EMH Morning hours, however, you will not likely have time to complete all the options listed any way.

For the evening hours, the other parks tend to run out of rides and attractions if you are planning on staying the whole time.

Can I Get Something To Eat?

Rest assured that Walt Disney World won't let their guest go hungry.

There are typically many restaurant options open during the EMH evening hours but you will often need reservations for breakfast places. It is suggested that you eat breakfast before going to the park.

Magic Kingdom

Casey's Corner
Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
Pecos Bill Cafe

Extra Magic Hours evening typically have dining options. | Source

EPCOT

Bistro de Paris
Boulangerie Patisserie
Cantina de San Angel
Chefs de France
Electric Umbrella
Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
Lotus Blossom Cafe
Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room
San Angel Inn
Sommerfest
Sunshine Seasons
Tangierine Cafe
Yakitori House

**Note that many EPCOT restaurants may need reservations.

Hollywood Studios

Catalina Eddie's
50's Prime Time Cafe
Sci-Fi Dine In Theater
Rosie's All-American Cafe

**Sci-Fi and Prime Time need reservations.

One option is to make reservations for a table service restaurant close to the park closing time. You can finish up dinner and then enjoy EMH after the other guests have cleared out of the park.

How Can I Find Out For Sure When Extra Magic Hours Will Be?

Disney sets the EMH months in advance. To make the most of your trip, you can double check the EMH on their official park calendar.

You can verify exact times for EMH and make your dining and ride plans.

Final Thoughts on Extra Magic Hours

Extra Magic Hours are a great way to get a bit of extra fun out of your Walt Disney World trip. Extra Magic Hours are typically set months in advance so that you can plan your itinerary and know where to spend your time.

With a small amount of planning, any Walt Disney World Resort hotel guest can enjoy the extra magic.