News Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours coming for resort guests

[Tuvalu]

I am not sure if it is still the case, but for awhile the Monday Individual Lightning lanes for Cosmic Rewind went significantly faster on Mondays. This was the main reason we avoided Mondays at EPCOT. I know it is not as bad as it used to be, but last I had looked you could still see a noticeable difference in how fast the Cosmic Rewing LLs went away.

The reason Monday Boarding Groups go more quickly is that there are fewer BGs available, due to the 6 pm drop for deluxe resort guests (evening hours perk.)

It doesn't mean the crowds are heavier on Mondays; it can be just the opposite. The evening hours guests usually don't begin arriving until 8 pm.

 

[JohnD]

I am not sure if it is still the case, but for awhile the Monday Individual Lightning lanes for Cosmic Rewind went significantly faster on Mondays. This was the main reason we avoided Mondays at EPCOT. I know it is not as bad as it used to be, but last I had looked you could still see a noticeable difference in how fast the Cosmic Rewing LLs went away.

The reason I'm looking at switching Epcot with MK is that I have an early morning Kona Cafe breakfast ADR on a Tuesday which I don't want to give up. I'll probably just keep the reservations as they are and, after breakfast, either walk to the TTC or ride the monorail all the way around to the TTC and monorail to Epcot. Leave car in TTC lot.

 

[dovetail65]

I am not sure if it is still the case, but for awhile the Monday Individual Lightning lanes for Cosmic Rewind went significantly faster on Mondays. This was the main reason we avoided Mondays at EPCOT. I know it is not as bad as it used to be, but last I had looked you could still see a noticeable difference in how fast the Cosmic Rewing LLs went away.

Wait a second what do you mean by individual lighting lanes? Do you mean the virtual lanes? The actual lighting lane(LL) at at Cosmic is never very long, even at Christmas the LL(paid) at Cosmic was hardly 25 minutes for us.

Now the virtual standby lanes and I think that is what you are talking about(the Non paid line at Cosmic) is another story. In my experience time of day matters for Cosmic more than anything else, so far for us peronally even more than time of year or day of week.

For example we were at EPCOT last week and the virtual lane at Cosmic went out of the que all the way to the restaurant. I asked the CM time line on the virtual standby and he said, "so sorry the virtual que is a minimum 90 minutes, maybe more". To me that was fairly rare. For us the virtual standby is normally never more than an hour, but I don't stand in a one hour line either.

Anyhow, even though our virtual Cosmic boarding passes were expired already by 2 hours we waited another couple hours hours and went back later and we Walked on with zero minutes to the first preview. It as nothing more than the walk through the line lane.

I found this to be common. I have gone on Cosmic now more times than I can count at this point and if that line is long we just go back later in the day. They never told me once, "sorry you can not go on it is expired". We routinely wait until the virtual standby line at Cosmic is shorter. If the line is out the door at Cosmic we turn around and do other things. If you can not see the line coming out the door than you are golden to just go on in. We have gone to the virtual line as long as 10 hours after expiration and the CM's waive us in. Just screen shot the Virtual for Cosmic with the boarding number if you do this. I never needed to pull that out yet, but better not be sorry.

 

[nickys]

Wait a second what do you mean by individual lighting lanes? Do you mean the virtual lanes? The actual lighting lane(LL) at at Cosmic is never very long, even at Christmas the LL(paid) at Cosmic was hardly 25 minutes for us.

Now the virtual standby lanes and I think that is what you are talking about(the Non paid line at Cosmic) is another story. In my experience time of day matters for Cosmic more than anything else, so far for us peronally even more than time of year or day of week.

For example we were at EPCOT last week and the virtual lane at Cosmic went out of the que all the way to the restaurant. I asked the CM time line on the virtual standby and he said, "so sorry the virtual que is a minimum 90 minutes, maybe more". To me that was fairly rare. For us the virtual standby is normally never more than an hour, but I don't stand in a one hour line either.

Anyhow, even though our virtual Cosmic boarding passes were expired already by 2 hours we waited another couple hours hours and went back later and we Walked on with zero minutes to the first preview. It as nothing more than the walk through the line lane.

I found this to be common. I have gone on Cosmic now more times than I can count at this point and if that line is long we just go back later in the day. They never told me once, "sorry you can not go on it is expired". We routinely wait until the virtual standby line at Cosmic is shorter. If the line is out the door at Cosmic we turn around and do other things. If you can not see the line coming out the door than you are golden to just go on in. We have gone to the virtual line as long as 10 hours after expiration and the CM's waive us in. Just screen shot the Virtual for Cosmic with the boarding number if you do this. I never needed to pull that out yet, but better not be sorry.

Pretty sure they meant in terms of how quickly they “sell out”. Not how quickly you move through them.

 

[Tuvalu]

This ^^^^^

 

[DCBaker]

Disney has announced Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours for Disney Resort Guests will continue through 2024.

"For those planning to stay at a Disney Resort hotel, we will continue to offer the popular early theme park entry for visits through 2024 – every day, across all four theme parks. This great benefit gives you a jump start on your day. For those staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas, we’ll also be continuing to offer extended evening hours on select dates at select parks through 2024. Early theme park entry and extended evening hours require valid theme park admission and a Resort ID."

Disney Dining Plans Returning to Walt Disney World

We’re excited to announce the return of Disney dining plans, updates to theme park reservation requirements and more coming to Walt Disney World in 2024 to make planning your visits easier!

disneyparks.disney.go.com

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Whoop, big win in my book. I know not everyone is a fan, but we love the 30-minute early entry. It's much simpler to plan.

 

[doctornick]

If they can just extent the evening ones to all of MK, Epcot and DHS each one day a week.

 

[MagicWDI]

I was hoping they would start going back to the resort benefits they had pre-covid, even if it would take a few years to do so. But instead they announce they are just "continuing" the current offering as if it was temporary special gift? I try to be an optimist but it's getting tough with WDW these days, and now feels like being a realist is the equivalent of being a pessimist.

I have a trip planned this Sept and I'm still bummed the Magical Express was discontinued. But I guess these special offerings will go into the world of Yesterland and in discussions of, "Remember when we used to be able to do this?" It was one thing to get the same as before but a bit more expensive, but it's another to pay more but now get less than before.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Whoop, big win in my book. I know not everyone is a fan, but we love the 30-minute early entry. It's much simpler to plan.

Yeah I always preferred that 1hr morning EMH over the 2 and 3 hour evening EMH.
It's too bad its only 30 minutes there days BUT I like that is every park every day. Makes them all fair game vs trying to coordinate.
I'll be utilizing the extended evening ones on my August.

 

[GhostHost1000]

Whoop, big win in my book. I know not everyone is a fan, but we love the 30-minute early entry. It's much simpler to plan.

i agree... except I'm not a fan of those 7:30am AK openings

 

[m steve]

We had grown accustomed, over the years, to one hour EMH. Thirty minutes is simply not long enough.

 

[dreday3]

I hope AK and DHS can join in on the extra deluxe hrs.

At least AK

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

It’s also kind of lame how they don’t fully commit to what days the EEH are going to be. Yes, 93% of the time it’s Epcot Monday, MK Wednesday, but when you have people planning months (or a year) out and making park reservations it would be helpful to have some definitive idea of what days those fall on.

 

[StarshipDisney]

We had grown accustomed, over the years, to one hour EMH. Thirty minutes is simply not long enough.

Concur. They continue the diminished 30-minute early entry when they diluted it from an hour to begin with. I leave Disney to those who will now learn and live to expect so little. My how Disney has fallen!

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

Not having to make Genie+ reservations same day is good news as well. I wonder what their plan is? Would be nice if they could somehow come up with a system where you could book say 3 attractions about 90 days out. Don't know how all of that would work but it's a nice thought.

 

[drizgirl]

Not having to make Genie+ reservations same day is good news as well. I wonder what their plan is? Would be nice if they could somehow come up with a system where you could book say 3 attractions about 90 days out. Don't know how all of that would work but it's a nice thought.

That's really a matter of personal preference. I'd prefer they go the other direction and allow maximum flexibility by not making reservations until you scan in for the day.

 

[StarshipDisney]

Not having to make Genie+ reservations same day is good news as well. I wonder what their plan is? Would be nice if they could somehow come up with a system where you could book say 3 attractions about 90 days out. Don't know how all of that would work but it's a nice thought.

Concur. Right now, you can no longer plan a trip to Disney. You just go and experience the everyday proverbial cluster---- that Disney has become. That was very much our experience last December.

 

[Jrb1979]

Not having to make Genie+ reservations same day is good news as well. I wonder what their plan is? Would be nice if they could somehow come up with a system where you could book say 3 attractions about 90 days out. Don't know how all of that would work but it's a nice thought.

I think you still have to book same day. My guess is you will get 1 LL that you can book ahead of time each day.

 

[doctornick]

Concur. They continue the diminished 30-minute early entry when they diluted it from an hour to begin with. I leave Disney to those who will now learn and live to expect so little. My how Disney has fallen!

Well they reduced the time to 30 minutes but increased it to every park every day. Not only does that increase flexibility but it also spreads out the resort Early Entry crowds to different parks so no one gets specifically busy.

Point being, whether it is “diminished” is in the eye of the beholder. It’s more different than worse.