Walt Disney World has prolonged hours at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom for the second half of Spring Break season in April 2024. This covers the additions plus zig after they zag technique for the parks and every part else you must know.
We’ll begin with the most recent launch of latest working schedules. All 4 theme parks have had hours added to DisneyWorld.com’s park hours, and the present calendar now runs by June 2, 2024. Listed here are the hours for many of the newly-added dates:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 10 pm
- EPCOT: 9 am to 9 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 9 am to 9 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 9 am to six pm
As a reminder, Walt Disney World’s regular apply is to launch boilerplate or placeholder hours earlier than extending these primarily based on attendance and lodge occupancy projections. This has been frequent apply for years, and can nearly proceed all through 2024. The one new wrinkle with the latest additions is that Magic Kingdom shifts to 10 pm closing occasions in mid-Might 2024. Given the low to reasonable crowd ranges anticipated throughout shoulder season, there’s really an opportunity these Might 2024 hours will probably be fairly near the ultimate schedule.
Between that and Spring Break 2024 winding down in mid-April, there’s an honest probability that is the final materials spherical of park hours extensions till the summer season vacationer season kicks into excessive gear. To that time, Walt Disney World has additionally prolonged park hours all through the primary half April 2024. Let’s dig into what’s been prolonged…
Magic Kingdom
- April 1-6, 2024: 8am to 11pm (beforehand 9am to 9pm)
- April 7, 2024: 9am to 11pm (beforehand 9am to 9pm)
- April 8, 2024: 8am to 10pm (beforehand 9am to 9pm)
- April 9-12, 2024: 9am to 11pm (beforehand 9am to 9pm)
- April 13, 2024: 8am to 11pm (beforehand 9am to 9pm)
For probably the most half, we like what we see right here. Magic Kingdom is opening at 8am and shutting at 11pm each single day throughout the first week of April. That is sensible, as Spring Break will probably be busy and that is the week instantly after Easter.
Whereas it’s normally the case that the week main as much as Easter is when extra faculties have off (and that’s in all probability additionally true this yr), the vacation is happening early. Many faculty districts within the Midwest and Northeast aren’t out for his or her recesses till the week after Easter this yr.
Following that, the extensions should not as aggressive within the following week. This additionally is sensible to us, as fewer main districts may have breaks that following week. In fact, there’s all the time the chance that (latest) historical past will repeat itself and the final week of Spring Break will probably be surprisingly busy and the week earlier than that will probably be quiet, however we wouldn’t rely on that.
On the contrary, these park hours extensions, that are primarily based on Disney’s inside attendance forecasts (…which aren’t all the time correct), are nearly precisely what we count on. Should you’re visiting after April 13, don’t be shocked to see far fewer extensions. Though there’ll nonetheless be just a few stragglers, that subsequent week needs to be the unofficial finish of Spring Break season.
Whereas we’d’ve beloved to see a midnight closing or two, the excellent news for anybody visiting Walt Disney World within the first half of April 2024 is that there are alternatives every week for 8am park opening days.
As a reminder, we extremely suggest doing Magic Kingdom on an 8am opening day in case your journey straddles each 8am and 9am opening days. Between the additional hour within the morning and one other 2 at night time, technique turns into a lot simpler–and that’ll be doubly true if crowds are “solely” 7/10 or beneath.
I do know we repeat this advert nauseum, however the strategic significance of Magic Kingdom opening at 8am as an alternative of 9am can’t be overstated. Early Entry beginning an hour later is nearly ineffective, whereas it’s unbelievable at 7:30am. One hour makes a world of distinction. See our 7:30 am Early Entry at Magic Kingdom ‘Get together Season’ Technique. (Spring Break will not be ‘Get together Season’, however the very same concept applies on these days!)
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- April 1-2, 2024: 8:30am to 9:30pm (beforehand 9am to 9pm)
- April 3, 2024: 8:30am to 9pm (beforehand 9am to 9pm)
- April 4-5, 2024: 8:30am to 9:30pm (beforehand 9am to 9pm)
- April 6-7, 2024: 9am to 9:30pm (beforehand 9am to 9pm)
- April 8-11, 2024: No extension
- April 12-13, 2024: 9am to 9:30pm (beforehand 9am to 9pm)
Early Entry will as soon as once more formally begin at 8am on the above dates that Disney’s Hollywood Studios opens at 8:30am. Unofficially, Early Entry ought to start even earlier. This can be a actually large deal. As we’ve talked about numerous occasions, the sooner that Early Entry begins, the higher. There’s much less “competitors” and you may get far more performed.
In truth, that’s how I Did Each Trip at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Earlier than 11am Through Standby Strains. Don’t rely on replicating these outcomes, however the technique is sound. We’d thus extremely suggest doing DHS on one in all these dates if in any respect doable.
Then there are the 9:30pm closing days, that are likewise a extremely large deal. The upside right here is 2 showings of Fantasmic. Double-bonus: the second showtime is half-hour after park closing, that means that it’s at 10pm on these April 2024 dates.
We extremely suggest seeing the second displaying. It’ll successfully prolong your day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios by half-hour to an hour, which is greater than you’ll get by leaping in line for a journey on the finish of the night time.
Equally as essential, we’ve managed to see the second displaying of Fantasmic from spectacular seats with out arriving greater than 5 minutes prematurely of showtime. This has been the case even on evenings when the primary efficiency was fairly busy and seats crammed up half-hour earlier than showtime.
On those self same busier days, the late performances of Fantasmic had a number of complete sections that went unfilled. I used to be capable of snag the third row of an incredible part at (actually) 2 minutes earlier than showtime, and that was on a busy day. That adopted doing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance shortly earlier than park closing with an precise wait of beneath 20 minutes.
We adopted that technique repeatedly final yr, together with throughout the peak of Spring Break. (With that stated, I haven’t tried it since final November and would by no means suggest anybody else for whom Fantasmic is a must-see minimize it so shut.)
Animal Kingdom
- April 1-5, 2024: 8am to 8pm (beforehand 9am to 6pm)
- April 6-13, 2024: 8am to 7pm (beforehand 9am to 6pm)
The 8am opening time is clutch at Animal Kingdom. This implies Early Entry at 7:30am, which is fairly sparsely attended. See Animal Kingdom Park Opening & Early Entry Trip Technique (or, “How I Did Each Trip at DAK Earlier than 10:30am.”)
Even when these find yourself being 10/10 crowd stage days in Animal Kingdom, you’ll be able to just about run the desk on rides by benefiting from Early Entry and being aggressive with rope drop and the primary few hours of the day. The overwhelming majority of friends can not/won’t rise up that early. (Simply look what number of complaints there are about digital queue begin occasions being at 7am!)
On the reverse finish of the day, Animal Kingdom continues to formally shut after dusk for many of as of late! It’s attending to the purpose the place there isn’t a lot time after darkish on a few of these nights, however we nonetheless extremely suggest staying for evenings in DAK to benefit from the Tree of Life Awakenings (as relevant), plus Pandora and the remainder of the park after darkish.
Our Animal Kingdom Afternoon Arrival Technique is as soon as once more the best strategy for this park. Genie+ is a greater possibility throughout Spring Break than throughout the slowest stretches of the yr, however these 8pm closings nonetheless ought to permit so that you can accomplish rather a lot within the ultimate few hours of the day.
However, in case your plan is to reach late and go away early, Genie+ is usually a good possibility. After experiencing 8/10 and above crowds there (and seeing the Lightning Lane really be priceless for stage exhibits!), we aren’t fairly so assertive about Genie+ being categorically “unhealthy” at DAK. It actually relies upon.
As all the time, the sooner opening occasions at Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom make it simpler to beat crowds at these parks. There’s an enormous benefit to early risers, and savvy technique or data of the best way to leverage Genie+ and Lightning Lanes is usually a gamechanger.
We’re big followers of leveraging Park Hopping and splitting most days into two half days. If your loved ones is stuffed with early risers and staying on-site, I’d be benefiting from these 7:30am Early Entry occasions (and that features DHS, unofficially). I wouldn’t be doing any mornings at EPCOT, and would as an alternative begin the day doing Early Entry on the park that opens earliest and bounce round to leverage park hours and crowd dynamics.
To that finish, take a look at our Genie+ v. Savvy Technique at Walt Disney World, which is the results of intensive ‘testing’ to find out one of the best and worst methods to beat the crowds. You may also do fairly effectively within the evenings at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios–and that’s someway nonetheless true even now that Fantasmic is again. EPCOT is extra of a wildcard–the mud nonetheless hasn’t settled on Luminous or the opposite new stuff there.
Finally, a number of superb park hours extensions for April 2024, which was at the least partially to be anticipated provided that it’s nonetheless the second half of Spring Break season. However you by no means know, particularly since loads of dates in March didn’t obtain the identical therapy. (With the good thing about hindsight, we now know that was for good motive–the parks had been useless and you’ll’ve been higher off with the shorter hours and decrease crowds!)
Nonetheless, these hours ought to put any fears you may need to relaxation, as there’s sufficient right here to leverage to beat even unhealthy crowds. Properly, until you prefer to sleep in…however even then, they’re nonetheless not unhealthy. Should you’re an early chook, although, a number of alternatives to get that worm (the worm being quick standby traces). The extensions at Animal Kingdom are actually good–and even that 30 additional minutes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is nice.
About the one disappointment is the shortage of extensions at EPCOT; despite the fact that that’s par for the course, it looks as if they’re leaving meals & beverage cash on the desk. In fact, it’s additionally unhealthy from a visitor perspective since EPCOT has been busier with the debut of Luminous and completion of the World Celebration Gardens. Maybe with the opening of CommuniCore Corridor this summer season, EPCOT may have later closings or earlier openings. Right here’s hoping!
Magic Kingdom opening at 8am on many mornings throughout Spring Break season is a superb growth, and a development that we actually hope turns into each day throughout the summer season vacationer season. Between the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Journey and better warmth and humidity, having extra time in Magic Kingdom earlier than it will get scorching and crowded is an efficient factor. (Alternatively, I’m greater than prepared to journey Tiana’s Bayou Journey after dusk if Disney needs to do midnight summer season closings!)
Trying ahead, it’ll be fascinating to see the diploma to which park hours are prolonged within the second half of the month and in Might 2024. We’re not holding our breath for main extensions throughout this month and a half to 2 month stretch, which is usually shoulder season. Who is aware of, although. Perhaps Walt Disney World’s upcoming ticket offers that begin on April 2 will spike crowds forward of the summer season season. Stranger issues have occurred! We’ll preserve you posted.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Walt Disney World’s working hours for the house stretch of Spring Break season? Happy with the sooner openings or later closings for the primary half of April 2024? Is that this schedule is cheap, or are extra extensions wanted to assist soak up crowds? Confused concerning the lack of extensions for EPCOT? What has been your expertise with crowds and wait occasions? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
