WDW Park Hours ... A Historical Perspective

[BradleyJay]

That would be my assertion and I stand by it ... at least in general.

Clearly in 1989 it was not performed daily and I am not sure exactly why.
But I know it was many other years because ... well, I lived it.

And I also lived it the other way as well. Going multiple times years through 70 's in Mid December and the MK closing daily at 6pm with no Christmas parade.

 

[EpcotServo]

I am going to assume the smiley means you are joking!

9 to 9. Yeah, it used to have like three hours extra from time to time, but come on. EPCOT hours (Aside from the FW/WS split hours) has always been mostly a 9 to 9 average.

You know I keep dangling the EMH card, but why haven't you taken the bait? I mean, the hours are still there...just given off to the higher bidders now.
:lol: :brick:

 

[WDW1974]

And I also lived it the other way as well. Going multiple times years through 70 's in Mid December and the MK closing daily at 6pm with no Christmas parade.

There certainly were those days, yes.

WDW actually had off-seasons back then ... and since they didn't have 30,000 rooms and timeshares to fill nightly they didn't have to make radical cuts when they couldn't fill them.

Different world. Different World.

 

[WDW1974]

9 to 9. Yeah, it used to have like three hours extra from time to time, but come on. EPCOT hours (Aside from the FW/WS split hours) has always been mostly a 9 to 9 average.

You know I keep dangling the EMH card, but why haven't you taken the bait? I mean, the hours are still there...just given off to the higher bidders now.
:lol: :brick:

Actually I would't say 9-9 average over the first 15 years at all. And even when it was 9-9 ,... again the ENTIRE PARK was open. Even when they had regular 8 closings, you could argue you were getting more value because the whole park was open the whole time.

As to EMH, I'm not a fan at all ... I thought I made that point clear before.
I'm not against the concept, per se ... but the execution and using it as a replacement for longer hours for ALL is not a good thing!

Of course, EMH is still better than E-Ticket nights and MVMCP!

 

[BradleyJay]

There certainly were those days, yes.

WDW actually had off-seasons back then ... and since they didn't have 30,000 rooms and timeshares to fill nightly they didn't have to make radical cuts when they couldn't fill them.

Different world. Different World.

Wait which one is it?
Radical Cuts in parks or the same traditionally short hours the park has had for years this time of year.

Which one is it?
Radical Cut or The Christmas Parade Only being peformed the daily the week of the Holiday.


You are talking out of both sides of your mouth!

 

[jrh1985]

I looked up the summer 2002 hours on another site with a Historical Hours Archive (www.intercot.com), and this is what was listed:

June:
MK- 9am-9 or 10pm all month long. Spectro ran, on avg, 3 times/week, only once per night.

EP- 10am-9pm (FW 10am-7pm, WS 11am-9pm) all month

MGM- 9am-9pm all month

AK- 9am-6pm all month

July:
MK- 9am-9 or 10pm all month EXCEPT 7/4 which was 9am-midnight. Spectro same as June.

EP- 9am-9pm all month EXCEPT 7/4 which was 9am-10pm. FW- 9am-7pm, WS- 11am-9pm.

MGM- July 1-6, 9am-10pm. Rest of July- 9am-9pm.

AK- 9am-6pm all month

I went to the World in June 2002. I still have the Times and Information guide. (I'm looking at it right now.)
The hours were not bad Spectro was every night at 9 after June 7th, with one 9 & 11 night a week. Fantasy In The Sky was every night in june

Fantasmic was Twice a night after June 15th.

 

[jrh1985]

OK ... let's get in the holiday spirit by seeing what WDW's first Christmas as a three-park resort looked like ... here's December 1989 hours (bTW, it was a very cold Chritsmas with a freeze and power outages across the state!)

MK

12/1-12/15 (9-7);
12/16-12/17 (9-10);
12/18-12/22 (9-8);
12/23 (9-10);
12/24 (9-6);
12/25-12/30 (8-midnight);
12/31 (8-2 a.m.);

MVMCP (yeah, it was around)
12/8 and 12/9 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.;

Candlelight Processional (yeah, it was at the MK and there were no dining packages)
12/16 and 12/17 at 7 p.m.;

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade

Dec. 8 and 9 at 11 p.m.;
Dec. 16, 17, and 23 at 2 and 9 p.m.;
Dec. 24 at 2 p.m.;
Dec. 25-30 at 2 and 9 p.m.;
Dec. 31 at 2 p.m.;

Fireworks

Dec. 8-9 at 10 p.m.;
Dec. 16-17, 23 at 10 p.m.;
Dec. 25-30 at 10 p.m.;
Dec. 31 at 12 midnight;

EPCOT Center

12/1-12/23 (9-9);
12/24 (9-6);
12/25-12-30 (8-11);
12/31 (8-2 a.m.)

Illuminations
Dec. 1-23 at 9 p.m.;
Dec. 24 no show;
Dec. 25-30 at 10 p.m.;
Dec. 31 at 11:45 p.m.;

Disney-MGM Studios

12/1-12/23 (9-7);
12/24 (9-6);
12/25-12/31 (8-10);

Fireworks

Dec. 25-31 at 9:45 p.m.;

Not to look like I don't believe you but are you sure Those hours for MK are right?

Since when did MK show MVMCParade at night for DAY guests???? Didn't MSEP rule the night? Did MSEP show at all in DEC?

 

[WDW1974]

Wait which one is it?
Radical Cuts in parks or the same traditionally short hours the park has had for years this time of year.

Which one is it?
Radical Cut or The Christmas Parade Only being peformed the daily the week of the Holiday.


You are talking out of both sides of your mouth!

No ... you're just choosing to be combative, which is fine because I enjoy it.

But to answer your questions ... it can be both.

In some cases, the hours have been cut 'radically' to use your words. For instance, going from having EC open 8-11 every day during the summer to 9-9 (with half 9-7, other 11-9) would be considered radical by any stretch. But if you are going to say talk about MK December hours in 1989 vs today there is no doubt there are more hours now because of all the 9-7 closes back then.

But, hey, at least this thread goes on! :xmas:

 

[jrh1985]

This is a nice look on the Hours of the past! However, WDW's hours of today have evloved in some good ways. Back in 89, 90, and all those other years in WDW's first 25 years, there was little chance to see MSEP/SpetroMagic/Fantasy/SITS without big crowds. Now MK has an awsome Fireworks show just about everynight of the week and Spectro at least once a week.

Before Easter 2004, I never thought I'd see MK have SADCT twice a day, Spectro twice a night, Wishes once a night, and CSC filling in the gaps during Holiday periods. (Like DL used to do all the time) I don't know if that fateful SADCT day in Feburary 2004 had anything to do with it. Also in the last few years, MGM/DHS has had Fantasmic 3 Times a night in Late dec.

I'm saying all this because I'm a huge fan of WDW Entertainment. However, there are a few things I would like to see:


MK's Day Parade go twice a day all summer like DL had.

More Focus on and ads for Specto. It was a big thing back in the 90's and After 100 Years in 2002 and Wishes went up in Oct 2003, Spectro wasn't mention any more in the guides.

 

[WDW1974]

I went to the World in June 2002. I still have the Times and Information guide. (I'm looking at it right now.)
The hours were not bad Spectro was every night at 9 after June 7th, with one 9 & 11 night a week. Fantasy In The Sky was every night in june

Fantasmic was Twice a night after June 15th.

Well, either your info or the other poster's is off.

Since you say you're reading it from the actual document, I'll go with your info until I can pull up my own docs.

But some things don't jibe ... clearly MK had to have a few nights after 10 closings or they couldn't have an 11 parade.

And there's no way in June you could have two showings of Fantasmic while closing at 9 ... it's barely dark at 9!

 

[WDW1974]

Not to look like I don't believe you but are you sure Those hours for MK are right?

Since when did MK show MVMCParade at night for DAY guests???? Didn't MSEP rule the night? Did MSEP show at all in DEC?

Yeah, I'm sure.

These are from official operating schedules.

And back in those days they often ran Christmas parade at night and no, MSEP wasn't a holiday staple.

 

[yankspy]

If you aren't trying to show me up then you're one of the few here.

Thanks for the restraint!:ROFLOL:

But I am (or was as I'm not sure there's enough people reading to make this work worthwhile) showing a cross section of hours.

Your comparison is simply one month in 1989 to the same month this year. I don't think that any conclusions about long term trends can be found from a one month deal.

And while I am not surprised that MK and Studios have more hours in 2008 (the first two weeks of December were dead back in the 70s and 80s and I was at WDW around that period in '89 and recall the same).

But you are way off on EPCOT's comparison because they didn't do the split (9-7, 11-9) deal back then. So just on the 9-9 days you got half the park for two hours more ... and there are no 8-11 days this month at all ... and they even cut an hour off NYE as well.

Again, it's very hard to do a numbers comparison based on the way EPCOT is now run (a much less guest friendly way IMHO) where parts close at different hours and even then it isn't clear (keeping the thrill rides in FW open til 9 for instance) ... so again, I don't know how you'd do a fair comparison ... but I do know guests are getting less at the park.

And if you used one of my first months (say June 1990) to compare you'd see just how much less people get now.

Of course, I could pull schedules from the late 80s where say MK was 9-6 or 9-7 every day in October and EC was 9-8 or 9-9 at the same time ...

It isn't easy to draw conclusions except in the biggest picture way.

But thanks for reading!

I already stated that Epcot's hours were not a fair comparison. I also said that it does not necessarily prove anything either. I pulled December because it is the only one that WDW's site has up for now. When June 09 is available I will do another one. As for restraint, I wish you nor anyone any ill will.

Oh! quick question. Why is it that Epcot's hours are so consistent? The other parks have later closings so what is so special about Epcot? It has always bothered me that I can no longer hang out later at Epcot unless it is an EMH night. Aside from MK, it has such a great atmosphere at night.

 

[sillyspook13]

And there's no way in June you could have two showings of Fantasmic while closing at 9 ... it's barely dark at 9!

I'm going to take a wild guess that those show times were 8:00 and 9:30.

 

[sillyspook13]

Oh, and just to point to today ... Disney announced they'd start showing the parade and Holiday Wishes on Dec. 20th instead of the 22nd or 23rd as scheduled.

According to the times guide that came out on Sunday they were already scheduled to start on the 20th.:shrug:

Maybe this year I'll get to see the Christmas parade for the first time in 15 years and Holiday Wishes for the first time ever...:lookaroun

 

[WDW1974]

I already stated that Epcot's hours were not a fair comparison. I also said that it does not necessarily prove anything either. I pulled December because it is the only one that WDW's site has up for now. When June 09 is available I will do another one. As for restraint, I wish you nor anyone any ill will.

I believe you. Please don't go defending yourself.

Oh! quick question. Why is it that Epcot's hours are so consistent? The other parks have later closings so what is so special about Epcot? It has always bothered me that I can no longer hang out later at Epcot unless it is an EMH night. Aside from MK, it has such a great atmosphere at night.

Well, I agree and I am extremely bothered by EPCOT's short hours as it is my favorite park.

I don't really have an answer for you. Obviously, labor costs have to play a big role. Since the park is so huge it takes a whole lot more bodies to staff it. So if any park is going to save by trimming a few hours off the operating day, it's going to be EPCOT.

For a park that has food, alcohol and merchandise (live entertainment to a lesser extent as well) as a major component, you would think Disney is leaving a lot of $$$ on the table by closing at 9 or 9:30 year-round.

My take, and I have some knowledge that this is true, is that consultants were able to show projections that Disney wouldn't make as much on Food and Bev and merchandise to make a large enough profit to cover labor (and likely electricity as well).

Again, when you're projecting what people 'may' do, it's very hard to ever be wrong.

 

[WDW1974]

I'm going to take a wild guess that those show times were 8:00 and 9:30.

Can't be.

It's still daylight at 8 p.m. in June.

 

[WDW1974]

According to the times guide that came out on Sunday they were already scheduled to start on the 20th.:shrug:

Yeah. But this was changed recently (obviously, before they went to print with those).

Maybe this year I'll get to see the Christmas parade for the first time in 15 years and Holiday Wishes for the first time ever...:lookaroun

The parade has new music and a new name, but it's pretty much the same parade. Still worlds better than the snowglobe parade currently running sans snowglobes.

And Holiday Wishes really is a great show. Very well done. I think I still like the old Holiday Illuminations better, though!

enjoy!:xmas:

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Found a April 1999 Times Guide.

If WDW74 does not mind...

Magic Kingdom

APRIL 1-8.....9AM-12MID
APRIL 9-10....9AM-10PM
APRIL 11-16....9AM-9PM
APRIL 17........9AM-10PM
APRIL 18-22.....9 AM-9PM
APRIL 23.....9AM-8PM
APRIL 24.....9AM-8:30PM
APRIL 25-29...9AM-9PM
APRIL 30....9AM-8PM

EASTER PARADE-

APRIL 1-4....3PM

MAGICAL MOMENTS PARADE

APRIL 5-30....3PM


FANTASY IN THE SKY
APRIL 1-8.....10PM
APRIL 9-10,17....9:30PM
APRIL 11-16,18,22,24-29.....8:30PM

SPECTRO

APRIL 1-8....9/11 PM
APRIL 9/10/17....8:30


EPCOT

FW....9-9

WS....11-9

ILLUMINATIONS-9PM


MGM

APRIL 10....9-10
APRIL 11-30....9-8:30

MULAN PARADE
APRIL 1-10....4:30
APRIL 11-30....3

FANTASMIC!(NEW!)

APRIL 1-3.....8/10
APRIL 4-10...... 8:30/10:30
APRIL 11-30.....8:30

ANIMAL KINGDOM

APRIL 1-10....7-8
APRIL 11-30.....8-7

ENJOY!:wave:

 

[WDW1974]

Thanks for those '99 hours!

I haven't had a chance to update/add any here since I am usually arguing with people who think WDW is perfect. I likely won't add any more until 2009!

BTW, 99 was probably one of the years I spent my most time at WDW ... many long visits. Can't recall if I was there in April or not. I think I was there in May and a June/July trip too.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Thanks for those '99 hours!

I haven't had a chance to update/add any here since I am usually arguing with people who think WDW is perfect. I likely won't add any more until 2009!

BTW, 99 was probably one of the years I spent my most time at WDW ... many long visits. Can't recall if I was there in April or not. I think I was there in May and a June/July trip too.

99 was the year of my two day EPCOT Trip. (only time I've done that)...That was another trip that DEFINITELY made me into a EPCOT fan. Being 9 years old, I was a tad disapointed that we were not in MK but I think by the time we hit SSE for the 3rd time I was over it.:lol: I think EPCOT was the premier park for me after that-Being able to explore WS has a very profound effect on me.


I'm sure my parents did that on purpose.:lol: