Walt Disney World has made two main adjustments to Prolonged Night Hours at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, each of which might or will trigger ripple results for crowds and different company. This submit particulars the adjustments together with our commentary about their significance.
The primary is that Prolonged Night Hours will return to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in September 2024. The perk will doubtless shift from Magic Kingdom to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Wednesdays, beginning with Wednesday, September 25, 2024. The transfer has not but been formally introduced by Walt Disney World, however you may see the change through the My Disney Expertise app. (It’s not but mirrored on the web-based calendar, which doesn’t go as far out for some cause.)
This isn’t even remotely shocking. Solely a few days in the past, we up to date our our Technique Information Information for Prolonged Night Hours at Walt Disney World with the “warning” that you may solely count on Prolonged Night Hours at Magic Kingdom to run by means of late September 2024, earlier than they change over to different parks till 2025.
This was to be anticipated due to Social gathering Season, which begins in early August however doesn’t actually kick into excessive gear with a full schedule till late September. Final 12 months, the very same factor occurred–Disney’s Hollywood Studios started internet hosting ExEH in late September. Then Animal Kingdom hosted ExEH all through the Christmas season as the choice as a result of each Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios had vacation events.
Whereas just one date is official for 2024, our expectation is that the very same factor will happen this 12 months. Walt Disney World has introduced that the Jollywood Nights Christmas Social gathering is returning to Hollywood Studios in November and December, that means that it’s doubtless DHS will host ExEH from late September by means of October (and possibly a little bit of early November), and Animal Kingdom will supply it from November by means of December 2024.
There’ll undoubtedly be Deluxe Resort company who grouse about this, however on stability, that is excellent news for many company. We did Prolonged Night Hours at Magic Kingdom a few instances at the beginning of Social gathering Season final 12 months, and it was bonkers busy. Understandably so, as there are fewer nights to expertise Magic Kingdom at evening with out paying additional.
Shifting it over to Hollywood Studios and/or Animal Kingdom throughout these busy stretches is the fitting transfer from crowds perspective. (Additionally, each of these are underrated parks at evening.) It offers common company extra alternatives to get pleasure from Magic Kingdom with out working round a particular occasion, and offers ExEH company an precise alternative to expertise decrease crowd ranges.
Most significantly, this additionally ought to open the door for extra later park closings at Magic Kingdom from late September by means of December. For my part, Magic Kingdom ought to by no means have an everyday closing time earlier than 11 pm as soon as late September rolls round and needs to be open till midnight on most nights between October and late December. The sooner closings brought on by Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Social gathering and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering push most individuals to these occasion off-nights, thereby necessitating longer common hours to assist higher take in crowds.
The opposite main change is that Walt Disney World has lastly added Tiana’s Bayou Journey to the Prolonged Night Hours trip roster at Magic Kingdom. This comes almost 3 weeks after the attraction opened.
Previous to this, there had been radio silence from Disney about TBA throughout ExEH, which was odd provided that Splash Mountain was open in the course of the perk and all different new/reimagined points of interest have instantly joined the lineup, even ones utilizing digital queues.
Right here’s the replace from DisneyWorld.com’s Prolonged Night Hours web page:
An Further Alternative to Be a part of the Digital Queue
Friends staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort, Disney Deluxe Villa Resort or different choose resorts could have extra alternatives to affix digital queues.
At 6:00 PM on nights with prolonged night theme park hours at EPCOT, these Friends can request to affix the digital queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
At 6:00 PM on nights with prolonged night theme park hours at Magic Kingdom park, these Friends can request to affix the digital queue for:
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
Friends don’t should be in EPCOT or Magic Kingdom park after they request to affix the digital queue.
Turning to commentary, there are some things value discussing. The primary is that the official Walt Disney World web page for Prolonged Night Hours has been up to date with this info, and in two spots. This is available in the identical week as Nation Bear Musical Jamboree was added, at which period Tiana’s Bayou Journey was not. This strongly suggests, to me, that the addition of Tiana’s Bayou Journey at the moment was purposeful and never made by mistake. (It does occur.)
That is the primary level as a result of Tiana’s Bayou Journey becoming a member of the Prolonged Night Hours lineup has not been added to the web page describing how digital queues work. Extra importantly, at present is Wednesday (July 17, 2024) that means that Magic Kingdom is internet hosting Prolonged Night Hours. Regardless of that, and the truth that the digital queue entry time is approaching in half-hour on the time of press, there’s no possibility to affix for Tiana’s Bayou Journey–solely TRON Lightcycle Run.
That means that both Tiana’s Bayou Journey was purposefully added to the official Prolonged Night Hours web page in two separate spots accidentally, or the change wasn’t supposed to roll out till tomorrow and take impact subsequent Wednesday. Simply primarily based on stealth updates we’ve seen made earlier than official bulletins within the final couple of weeks (Jungle Cruise refurbishment being a chief instance), my cash is on the latter clarification.
Previous to this, we had been working underneath the idea that Walt Disney World was ready till Tiana’s Bayou Journey dropped the digital queue earlier than including it to the Prolonged Night Hours lineup. For those who recall, Tiana’s Bayou Journey would solely be utilizing a digital queue for its preliminary opening interval–Walt Disney World indicated {that a} standby queue wouldn’t be accessible in the course of the “attraction’s preliminary opening days,” however that they anticipated to drop the digital queue quickly after the attraction’s opening.
On condition that, our take was that Disney didn’t wish to trouble with two digital queues throughout Prolonged Night Hours, and would wait a pair weeks for Tiana’s Bayou Journey to have a standby line to keep away from confusion and complaints or no matter. That it might solely be 1-2 ExEHs, so no large deal. I preserve that this angle was/might be right.
That’s, till it wasn’t. For that to have been right earlier than, it means one thing needed to have modified. My guess is that it’s the standing of the digital queue for Tiana’s Bayou Journey that has modified. Frankly, I feel that is in all probability a given. It’s three weeks later and there aren’t any indicators of the digital queue going away anytime quickly–on the contrary, this would appear to cement that it’ll be round for at the least one other couple of weeks. At this level, I might argue that we’re already already outdoors of the “preliminary opening days” of Tiana’s Bayou Journey. So how lengthy the digital queue is meant for use could be “what modified.”
Fortunately for Walt Disney World, the attraction’s “preliminary opening days” is obscure and open to interpretation. Whereas I could contend that window has already handed, they might however argue that they all the time meant the digital queue would final till September or, I dunno, mid-January 2025. That this was the plan all alongside! I wouldn’t purchase that, nevertheless it’s definitely an argument they might make. There are many uncritical followers who would consider it.
My view is that the “preliminary opening days” assertion was made on the premise of anticipated demand reasonably than downtime. That means that Disney figured opening weekend could be very busy they usually didn’t need an amazing line clogging up Frontierland or getting in the best way of the parade route. In any case, this was earlier than previews or anything began, so Disney was in all probability working underneath the idea that Tiana’s Bayou Journey could be at the least as dependable as Splash Mountain.
Clearly, it’s not. Whereas the downtime scenario had seemingly been bettering over the course of the final week, simply yesterday, Tiana’s Bayou Journey didn’t open for the day till after 1 pm. So one thing continues to be very fallacious. It may be a two steps ahead, one backwards sort of deal–however regardless, the trip just isn’t constantly dependable.
At this level, the secure prediction is that Tiana’s Bayou Journey will use a digital queue for as lengthy at it’s tormented by downtime woes. Digital queues supply a method of pulsing demand and are the imperfect answer to operational woes. That’s exactly why Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance debuted the trip VQ again in 2019.
It’s doubtless additionally the case that Walt Disney World including Tiana’s Bayou Journey to the Prolonged Night Hours trip roster with a digital queue is a tacit acknowledgment that the (daytime) digital queue isn’t going away anytime quickly. In any case, if it nonetheless had been getting standby quickly–why not simply maintain off including it to the lineup for one more couple of weeks? Particularly after simply including Nation Bear Musical Jamboree!
In the end, I nonetheless haven’t any clue how lengthy the digital queue will final for Tiana’s Bayou Journey. What I can say is that, up till yesterday, I used to be beginning to lean in direction of “any day now” attributable to an bettering uptime streak of a few week. Between the downtime yesterday and this growth, I’m extra inclined to say “hopefully by the late August or September low season.”
Even that, although, is contingent upon the present issues plaguing the attraction being fastened. That would take days, weeks, or months. Walt Disney World’s delayed choice so as to add Tiana’s Bayou Journey to the Prolonged Night Hours lineup with a digital queue says to me we will in all probability cross off “days” from that listing.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your plan of assault for minimizing issues with Tiana’s Bayou Journey–will you purchase attempting for the digital queue, shopping for Lightning Lane entry, or each? Are you excited for the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Journey or anxious in regards to the every day downtime and different points? Glad that it’ll have a restricted time digital queue for the preliminary opening interval, or would you favor a standby line? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
