Hello Angela,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! You are correct that as a guest of a
Walt Disney World Resort Hotel you are eligible to participate in
Extra Magic Hours at the parks. Extra Magic Hours allow you either early entry or late stays at the theme parks. There is no additional charge for Extra Magic Hours. Even on vacation, our children were early risers so we loved taking advantage of morning Extra Magic Hours. Now that our kids are young adults, we all appreciate being able to stay later at the parks.
Walt Disney World Resort also provides
special events like Disney After Hours, Villains After Hours, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. These special events are a separate charge. I have to say that I highly recommend any of the
Disney After Hours events. My family and I have been able to attend a few of them and we loved being able to experience the parks with lower crowds. We were able to visit so many attractions and enjoyed our share of Mickey Bars! I have several friends who have planned a rest/resort-focused day followed by an evening at Disney After Hours.
When you look at the
Park Hours for Walt Disney World Resort, they do try to keep the times for the Extra Magic Hours benefit separate from any ticketed events. Online you will see times for Extra Magic Hours and times for Special Events. On the My Disney Experience app, you will see times for Extra Magic Hours and times for Special Ticketed Events. I hope this will help you as you plan.
Angela, thank you for visiting us again! I hope you'll let us know if we can help you with any other planning questions.
Wishing you a magical vacation,
Amy H.