Hey Howdy Hey Rebecca and welcome to planDisney!
One of the biggest benefits of staying onsite is taking advantage of those extra Magic hours. You have the
Early Theme Park Entry, which gets you into the parks 30 minutes before the parks open, and the
Extended Evening Hours for 2 hours in the park after the parks officially close. Make sure to check the
Park Hours for the days you will be there as the Extended Evening Hours are on specific nights and parks. These options give you some extended time in the parks to get your "must-do" list taken care of with lower wait times and easier access. Thank you so much for your question about what you need to validate your access. Let's get to it!
With both of these options, Cast Members will be scanning MagicBand+,
MagicMobile Passes or general ticket cards to ensure Guests are staying at qualifying resorts. As long as your reservation is linked to your method of entry, you are all set! For Early Theme Park Entry, you will have a special line to get into the parks where Cast Members will scan your pass. For the Extended Evening Hours, Cast Members will be scanning your method of entry before each attraction you want to experience. So easy and so convenient to do!
Considering you will be in the parks in the early morning and later at night, make sure you have your cameras ready for some spectacular shots! Being in the parks with reduced crowds will allow plenty of time to experience attractions you might have difficulty with during regular park hours as well as pictures of icons and other locations with few people in the pictures. Both Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom and Space Ship Earth at night are spectacular photo opportunities you won't want to miss!
Best of luck as you continue to plan for your upcoming trip. If you have any further questions please feel free to reach out and let us know, we would be happy to help!
Have a Magical Day,
Nick