Walt Disney World has added more hours to the calendar through mid-January 2025 at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom, and extended hours for the holiday season through Thanksgiving week. This covers the changes plus zig when they zag strategy for Magic Kingdom and whether to trust conventional wisdom at DHS during these dates.
We’ll start with the latest release of new operating schedules. All four theme parks have had hours for another week added to DisneyWorld.com’s park hours, and the current calendar now runs through January 17, 2025. Here are the hours for most newly-added dates during the holiday season:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 9 pm
- EPCOT: 9 am to 9:30 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 9 am to 9 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 8 am to 6 pm
- Blizzard Beach: 10 am to 5 pm
- Disney Springs: 10 am to 11 pm (11:30 pm on Fridays & Saturdays)
As a reminder, Walt Disney World’s normal practice is to release boilerplate or placeholder hours before extending those based on attendance and hotel occupancy projections. This has been common practice for years, and will continue for the remainder of this year and probably in 2025, 2026, etc–until the rise of the machines.
One exception to the park hours above is that Magic Kingdom closes on several nights per week at 6 pm to day guests for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party over the course of the next couple months. This separately-ticketed event begins at 7 pm and runs until midnight, and occurs multiple nights per week.
Similar to Magic Kingdom on MVMCP nights, Hollywood Studios closes at 7 pm on evenings when the Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas Party is held. That hard ticket event occurs with far less frequency than Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
In addition to these newly added hours, Walt Disney World has also extended park hours through the end of November 2024.
This was to be expected, as we’re entering the home stretch of the year when crowds can spike due to long weekends, school breaks, holidays and other special events. As a result, you can expect a lot more extensions–on a weekly basis–from Walt Disney World going forward for December through New Year’s Eve and beyond.
Anyway, on with the extensions for November 2024…
Magic Kingdom
- November 8, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 9, 2024: 9 am to 12 am (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
- November 10, 2024: 9 am to 11 pm (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
- November 11, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 12, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 13, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
- November 14, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 15, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 16, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
- November 17, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 18, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
- November 20, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
- November 22, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 23, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
- November 24, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 25, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
- November 26, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 27, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 28, 2024: 8 am to 11 pm (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
- November 29, 2024: 8 am to 6 pm (previously 9 am to 6 pm)
- November 30, 2024: 9 am to 10 pm (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
Walt Disney World has only updated hours through November 30, 2024. Any dates beyond that show boilerplate hours. There will be extensions for most dates in December 2024 beyond that in future updates.
The first thing to which I want to call your attention to is November 23, 25, and 28.
All of these are ‘red flag’ dates to avoid. This is because each of these are the only day in 4-day stretches when Magic Kingdom does not close early for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. (See Best & Worst Days to Do Magic Kingdom in 2024 for a rundown of when crowds will be especially good or bad, including a handful of such ‘red flag’ dates to avoid at all costs this month through December.)
As we’ve seen play out countless times in the past, these days are especially busy. November 25, in particular, will likely be ridiculous because it’s the busiest day of the week for Magic Kingdom and because Monday and Tuesday are typically when Thanksgiving week crowds peak. There’s no excuse for all three of these dates–but especially November 25–not having a midnight closure.
It’s also notable that November 28 is the first date that sees peak prices for Lightning Lane Premier Pass. While we don’t expect 11/28 to be as busy as 11/25, Disney (probably?) didn’t set the price higher for no reason. It’s just a bit frustrating to have the company signal to guests that attendance forecasts are at their highest via pricing…but not have park hours follow suit. Plan accordingly: arrive early, take a midday break, leave late, embrace savvy strategy, etc.
We want to reiterate once again that midnight closures should be standard operating procedure for Magic Kingdom during Party Season on dates when the park isn’t closing early. Disneyland closes at midnight almost every day this holiday season, and Magic Kingdom should match. The crowds on non-party dates throughout November and December are more than sufficient to justify 8 am to 12 am hours every single day. Not doing so is a mix of cheapness on Walt Disney World’s part, mixed with wanting to push people towards Lightning Lanes.
On a positive note, there are the extensions on days of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, with Magic Kingdom now opening at 8 am on many dates. This is how it should be during Party Season (and, in my opinion, most days).
As we’ve discussed countless times, Party Season operating hours cause chaos with crowds, pushing attendance much higher on the dates it’s not occurring and lower on the dates it is occurring. On event nights, Magic Kingdom closes to day guests at 6 pm. It is also increasingly opening at 8 am. Because of this, Early Entry starts at 7:30 am, which makes this on-site perk much more highly recommended.
Throughout November and December, expect party-shortened days at Magic Kingdom have crowd levels of 2/10 to 4/10 instead of 1/10. This will happen because crowd levels as a whole are increasing–they’ll be higher across the board, on both party and non-party days. Second, party dates are becoming more frequent, making them more difficult to avoid. That means more guests will have no choice but to do Magic Kingdom on party days.
Ideally, you’ll have Park Hopper tickets and will be able to bounce to another park at around 4 pm. Animal Kingdom will always be your best option for lower-crowd evenings during the holiday season.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- November 8, 2024: 8:30 am to 9 pm (previously 9 am to 9 pm)
- November 9, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (previously 9 am to 7 pm)
- November 16, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (previously 9 am to 7 pm)
- November 18, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (previously 9 am to 7 pm)
- November 23, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (previously 9 am to 7 pm)
- November 25, 2024: 8:30 am to 7 pm (previously 9 am to 7 pm)
Only a few dates adding hours for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and it’s “only” 30 minutes. This is a bigger deal than it might seem because Early Entry will once again officially start at 8 am on these dates. As we’ve mentioned countless times, the earlier that Early Entry starts, the better. There’s less “competition” and you can get way more done.
It also helps that most of these extensions are Jollywood Nights dates. We’ve had a lot of reader questions about whether it’s savvy strategy to replicate the zig when they zag approach to Magic Kingdom during Party Season. Our answer, as discussed at length in Best & Worst 2024 Crowd Days at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is probably not.
Admittedly, the earlier opening time does cast this into doubt a bit for on-site guests. It probably depends upon whether you’re an early bird or night owl. We’ll report back soon as to whether on-the-ground reality comports with our expectations, but for now, don’t overthink it–most guests should take the longer hours and later closing. Of course, strategic Park Hopping is always going to be the most advantageous approach, if you’re able to do that.
Animal Kingdom
- November 8, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
- November 9, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
- November 10, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
- November 11, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
- November 15, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
- November 16, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
- November 17, 2024: 9 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
- November 23, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
- November 24, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
- November 25, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
- November 26, 2024: 8 am to 7 pm (previously 8 am to 6 pm)
As with Magic Kingdom, the 8 am opening time is clutch at Animal Kingdom, and that’s the ‘new normal’ going forward through December 2024. That’s really good news even a baseline perspective, as it means extensions will be closing at 7 pm or 8 pm–which also means nighttime at DAK during the holiday season!
Critically, the new baseline 8 am opening also means Early Entry at 7:30am, which is pretty sparsely attended. See Animal Kingdom Park Opening & Early Entry Ride Strategy (or, “How I Did Every Ride at DAK Before 10:30am.”)
At the opposite end of the day, Animal Kingdom officially closes after sunset for all of these days! Between the later closing and Daylight Saving Time, you can get a couple hours in DAK after dark for the first time in a while!
Tree of Life Winter Awakenings is also back on the schedule starting Veterans Day weekend (see our Guide to Christmas at Animal Kingdom for full details). We highly recommend staying for evenings in DAK to enjoy the Tree of Life Awakenings, plus Pandora and the rest of the park after dark.
Our Animal Kingdom Afternoon Arrival Strategy is once again the ideal approach for this park. Even on busier dates, Lightning Lane Multi Pass is unnecessary with even a modicum of strategizing. Please don’t be fooled by the “bargain” pricing on LLMP at Animal Kingdom. Remember, something is only a deal if you actually need it–otherwise, you’re just a hoarder. (Well, you can’t really hoard Lightning Lanes in the same sense…but you get the idea!)
Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see how bad crowds end up being over the Veterans Day holiday weekend and week of Thanksgiving, and what happens with hours once December extensions roll around. Honestly, we aren’t expecting much for the first half of December–so don’t be alarmed if/when the boilerplate hours become the final ones, or Magic Kingdom only gets a scattering of 10 pm and 11 pm closings. There’s a reason for that, and for that being Our Favorite Week of the Entire Year at Walt Disney World!
As for the current wave of November extensions, the park opening times are fantastic. Early birds will most definitely be getting the worm at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The problem is the closing times at Magic Kingdom, especially during busy weeks when Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is held a majority of days each week. On the few non-shortened days, those 10 pm or 11 pm closings just don’t cut it. Magic Kingdom should be open until midnight–possibly even 1 am on some of those nights!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of Walt Disney World’s operating hours extensions for November 2024? Think this schedule is reasonable? Do you think Magic Kingdom should be open later? What has been your experience with crowds and wait times? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!