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We have been happy to share that Walt Disney World has continued to extend Park hours all the way through December. Find out the new extended hours for Columbus Day weekend, and how this may be a positive for your future trips to Walt Disney World.
Phased Reopening Hours
As Walt Disney World welcomed Guests with a phased reopening back in July, many things were different then in previous visits to the Disney Parks. Guests were welcomed back, but found the loss of fireworks, parades, character meet and greets, and even more in time in the Disney Parks to be a bit of a shock.
Although many things were missing from the Disney experience, the Disney Parks were still very magical. Guests felt that the trade off for what was missing was justified with lower wait times, and lower Park capacity.
After the initial phased reopening in July, Guests were surprised that in August Park hours would be shortened more rather than being extended.
Park Hours were limited during the phased reopening in July.
Increased Guest Capacity
We have continued to share extended Park hours including Park hours all the way through the week of Christmas. As more Guests plan trips to Walt Disney World, additional hours are being added to allow for more time in the Parks.
In September, we shared that Governor DeSantis, of Florida, issued an Executive Order that Florida has now entered “Phase 3” effective immediately. This new Executive Order removed final state-level restrictions. At that time, DeSantis encouraged Walt Disney World to reopen at an “even greater capacity.”
In September Governor DeSantis encouraged Walt Disney World to reopen at an “even greater capacity.”
Walt Disney World has not shared at what percentage they are currently welcoming Guests. It does appear that more Guests are entering the “Most Magical Place on Earth” on a daily basis due to longer wait times in the Parks.
Extended Hours
Previously we shared that Guests visiting the Walt Disney World Parks for Columbus Day weekend would enjoy more time in the Parks. Initially the Park hours for this weekend were as follows:
October 9-12 (Columbus Day weekend)
- Magic Kingdom: 9:00am until 8:00pm
- EPCOT 11:00am until 9:00pm
- Disney’s Hollywodood Studios: 10:00am until 7:00pm
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 8:00am until 6:00pm
This alone was GREAT news. Now comes even better news…those hours were just extended yesterday. I remember the joy of planning a Walt Disney World trip, and discovering a few weeks before our trip that Park hours had been extended.
Guests now visiting Walt Disney World today and tomorrow will be able to soak up the magic a bit longer. The new hours are:
New Columbus Day Weekend Hours:
- Magic Kingdom: 8:00am until 8:00pm (opening 1 hour earlier)
- EPCOT: 11:00am until 9:00pm (Park hours remained the same)
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 10:00am until 7:00pm (Park hours remains the same)
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 7:00am until 6:00pm (opening 1 hour earlier)
for columbus day weekend, Magic Kingdom and Disney’s animal kingdom will open 1 hour earlier than expected.
How will this affect future trips?
As Walt Disney World continues to welcome more Guests, we will continue to see additional hours added. Added Guests have also allowed the Disney Parks to reopen dining locations both quick service and sit-down. We have also seen added entertainment options and additional characters to greet Guests.
as more guests are welcomed into the disney parks we will continue to see extended hours.
We look forward to sharing even more extended Park hours with you, and we hope that additional hours may continue to be added such as with the Columbus Day weekend calendar.
What do you think about these extended hours? Does this encourage you to book a Disney vacation sooner than expected? Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook Page.
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