By Walt Disney World theme parks open and close, just like virtually all other businesses. As a famous example, 7-Eleven named its entire company after its operating hours.
You may have never thought about it, but the convenience store changed its hours in 1946. As a way to let customers know when they could shop at 7-Eleven, the company switched its entire brand from Tote’m to the new name. In the process, shoppers knew that the store opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 11 p.m.
Alas, Disney World isn’t quite so straightforward, as its theme park hours fluctuate throughout the year. The parks tend to stay open longer during the summer months and close earlier during the off-season.
Well, Disney doesn’t really have an off-season per se, but the parks will often (but not always) operate for fewer hours during slow months such as September.
We’ll mention park hours at times throughout this guide, and we stress this point. Before you leave for your Disney visit, you should check the operating hours at each theme park!
The My Disney Experience app displays this information. Similarly, Disney World’s official website hosts a static page for the theme park calendar.
You can view this calendar with a single-day or a five-day view. We recommend the five-day calendar since you can evaluate most of your vacation days in one fell swoop.
On the calendar, Disney lists the exact times for Early Theme Park Entry at each park, as well as events, parades, and nighttime entertainment.
The website also links to a list of scheduled refurbishments. You should glance at this information for each park as well.
Disney parks usually schedule their attraction refurbishments well ahead of time. So, you can plan ahead and know which attractions won’t be open during your visit.
Generally speaking, here are the standard park hours at Walt Disney World:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom – 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios – 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- EPCOT – 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Magic Kingdom – 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Just from looking at this information, you can draw a few conclusions. Animal Kingdom typically opens earlier than the other parks, while Magic Kingdom closes later.
Also, Animal Kingdom stays open for less time than the other Disney theme parks, while Magic Kingdom understandably operates for longer.
Again, these are general guidelines, though. Disney World’s park hours change, and we want you to know exactly how to plan your days during your trip.
Finally, the calendar lists the times for Early Theme Park Entry as well. However, that’s easy to calculate anyway. Simply look at the park hours and then subtract 30 minutes.
Just to be clear, here are the standard times for Early Theme Park Entry at Disney World:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom – 7:30 a.m.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios – 8:30 a.m
- EPCOT – 8:30 a.m.
- Magic Kingdom – 8:30 a.m.
The site similarly lists the dates and times for Extended Evening Hours as well. Currently, Disney World offers this amenity two times a week, usually on Mondays and Wednesdays.