Hey Howdy Hey Emily and welcome to planDisney!
Staying onsite at a Disney Resorts Collection hotel is an amazing experience. Not only will you not have to leave the Disney bubble, but you will also have access to special amenities during your stay such as
Extended Evening Theme Park Hours for Guest staying at a
Disney Deluxe Resort,
Disney Deluxe Villa Resort or other qualifying hotels. Thank you for stopping by with your question on the specifics of this experience. I will be happy to give you a little more information.
It sounds like you have your information right so far Emily. Even on the day you check out of a resort, you have privileges at the resort and in the park for the full day, usually until midnight. You should also have access to the Extended Evening Hours on that particular day as well even if it extends past midnight on the day you are visiting the parks. Typically a Cast Member will be stationed outside of each attraction during these times to scan your MagicBand, MagicBand+ or
MagicMobile pass to verify your resort before letting you experience the attractions. As long as a Cast Member can see you were staying at a qualifying resort during the start of the hours, you should be set.
Extended Evening Hours in the parks are an amazing way to experience the parks at night with a significantly reduced crowd level. I hope you will be able to enjoy this experience as it is truly Magical in how much you can experience. The lower crowd levels also make for some great and unique picture experiences!
Have a Magical day,
Nick