Hi Mackanzi!
Welcome to planDisney! There are so many great
special events at Walt Disney World Resort this summer that I can understand why it might be a bit confusing to figure out exactly what the park hours are and what you have access to with your ticket. Hakuna Matata - it means no worries! Let's take a look at what you need to know to plan your park visits!
Mackanzi, a great place to start is the
theme park hours calendar on the Walt Disney World Resort website. At the top of this calendar, you can pick the date and select which park or parks you want to view operating hours for and they'll magically appear for you. The posted hours are typically available 60 days in advance, so you're not quite ready to view hours for your visit, but looking at the calendar may help you make sense of some of the different options that will be available. The hours listed under "Park Hours" are the standard operating times for that day.
On most days and for most parks, you'll also see "
Early Entry" listed. This is just
one of the many benefits for guests staying in the
Disney Resorts Collection - an extra thirty minutes of early access before the day officially starts! For some parks, you may notice "
Extended Evening Hours" posted as well. These extended hours are reserved for guests staying in
Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resorts in the Disney Resorts Collection. You do not need to purchase additional tickets to access Early Entry or Extended Evening Hours - you just have to stay at a qualifying resort hotel.
When you see "Special Ticketed Event" listed on the operating hours calendar, that's a good indication that you'll need to purchase an additional admission ticket to enter the park during that time. During the summer months, these will typically include
Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom Park, Disney's Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, or Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. Occasionally, you may see this noted for private events too.
Mackanzi, I hope this helps you plan for a wonderful visit to Walt Disney World Resort this summer! As you continue planning, I recommend using the
My Disney Experience Mobile App to manage all of your park tickets, reservations, and other plans. If you have any other vacation planning questions, please feel free to stop by and see us again here at planDisney!
See ya real soon,
Kristi