Extra Magic Hours

One of the biggest questions when visiting the Walt Disney World theme parks is: to stay or not to stay at Disney resorts? While it might be cheaper to stay off property, I personally believe the pro of Extra Magic Hours (EMH) outweighs all of the cons associated with staying on property. If you aren’t familiar with EMH, they’re extended park hours open to all guests staying at Disney Resorts. EMH will be available either 1 hour prior to regular park opening or 2 hours after regular park closing. Normally only one park will offer EMH per day with the hours being either in the morning or evening, but never both. Sometimes when Magic Kingdom is scheduled for morning EMH, either EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios will have evening EMH. Since guests who are not staying at WDW Resorts will still be in the park, guests wishing to participate in EMH will have to show either their magic band or Key To The World card prior to entering the line for every ride.

Now you might be like, I could have just read that from the Disney website, why am I talking about it on here? Well, I’m here to tell you just how much you can ride in that extra hour or two. These experiences are based on my two most recent trips to the Walt Disney World Resort.

Hollywood Studios Morning EMH
-Rockin Roller Coaster 2x
-Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 3x

Animal Kingdom Morning EMH
-Expedition Everest 2x
-Dinosaur 1x
-Primeval Whirl 1x

Magic Kingdom Evening EMH
-Haunted Mansion 1x
-Big Thunder Mountain 4x
-Space Mountain 6x

Magic Kingdom Evening EMH
-Big Thunder Mountain 2x
-Splash Mountain 1x
-Haunted Mansion 1x
-Space Mountain 1x
-Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (a lot, like 8+)

Now you might be like, hey how did you go through Space Mountain 6 times in a row. Well, that would be in like the final 30 minutes of EMH when you can literally continuously ride the ride as fast as you can run through the line.

EMH Tips and Tricks
– Try to focus on one small area of the park, you don’t want to waste your extra time walking everywhere.
– Rides with FastPasses are still more popular during EMH. Consider riding some non FastPass rides for more frequent riding.
– Best EMH Session (in my opinon): Magic Kingdom MORNING
– Worst EMH Session (in my opinion): Animal Kingdom MORNING

EMH Notes
-There are no FastPasses during EMH
-Not all rides are operating during EMH (different rides for morning and night as well)
-EMH are subject to change as well as operating rides