If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you were staying out past curfew to ride all of the fun rides you couldn’t get to during the day (including the major headliners), read on.
Extended Evening Hours are a perk for guests staying at Deluxe-tier or eligible resorts at Walt Disney World (not to be confused with After Hours, a hard-ticket event anyone can purchase on select nights at select parks).
In a nutshell, Deluxe resort guests get extra park time at certain parks on certain nights after the park officially closes to other guests.
And it’s wonderful.
Note: We would not spend the hundreds to thousands of dollars extra to book a Deluxe resort just to attend Extended Evening Hours, but it’s a nice perk if you were already planning on going Deluxe.
While staying for EEH doesn’t require the same level of strategy as daytime hours, fitting in all the attractions you want to visit in two hours still takes some strategy.
Let’s dive into it so you can make the most of your Extended Evening Hours at EPCOT!
Is it worth it?
Definitely.
Extended Evening Hours usually have a fraction of the people attending than the usual daytime crowd levels.
Fewer people translates to shorter waits, so you can get a pretty solid number of attractions done in the two hours you’re given.
EPCOT can be trickier, though, because there are just a few major rides here that everyone focuses on, so lines can still be “long” (20-30 minutes plus, which is a lot in our world!). This is because, unlike at Magic Kingdom, where 10+ great attractions spread out the crowd, most people are focused on just 3-4 attractions at EPCOT.
These are:
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Test Track
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Frozen Ever After
You will see longer lines for most of these during the first hour of EEH, but it’s still better than daytime crowd levels.
And honestly, being one of the few people in EPCOT at night is pretty magical. We’ve actually attended EEH at EPCOT by hanging out after hours at the Rose & Crown pub, and then just doing Soarin’ and Mission Space (both walk-ons).
Obviously, you may want to hit some of the headliners, and that’s great! Just don’t expect the four rides above to be walk-ons or to have a 5-minute wait.
Important Note: Don’t forget! There are no Lightning Lanes available during extended hours, just standby queues (but you won’t need ‘em anyway).
General Strategy
Navigating the parks and fitting in all the attractions you want to ride in two hours still takes a little strategy.
We’ll dive into strategies for each park to help you make the most of your Extended Evening Hours, but here are two key points to remember:
- The later into the event, the shorter the lines will get (typically). Make sure to save any high-demand attractions until then.
- Pace yourself. A full day at a Disney park is no joke, especially if you plan to hang around after hours.
Trust us, Disney is much more fun when everyone in your party is well-rested! Dedicate your morning to a full sit-down breakfast (our vote: Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge!) and save the parks for the late afternoon.
OR:
If you feel Rope Drop FOMO and still want to hit the park in the morning, plan to take a big midday pool break and return to the parks after ~5 pm to close it out.
Extended Evening Hours tend to follow the pattern of mostly EPCOT on Mondays and Magic Kingdom on Wednesdays—but this does change seasonally.
Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios do get thrown into the mix, and MK and EPCOT will get thrown out depending on what else is going on. You’ll absolutely want to check the official Disney calendar for your visit, k?
A Note on Split Stays: If you plan a split stay (which means spending part of your Disney trip at a Deluxe resort, usually a strategy to save money), be sure to check the park hours calendar and see if you can plan to attend Extended Evening Hours on nights you’re staying at the Deluxe.
Extended Evening Hours Strategy: EPCOT
The most significant factor to consider in your EPCOT nighttime strategy is whether or not you plan to partake in the nighttime entertainment.
This will help you pick where to start your night to avoid excessive walking and/or doubling back (it’s a very spread-out park, so you’ll want to save your steps!).
- Do you plan to watch the nighttime show? If so, we recommend watching the show closer to the France Pavilion (we like Canada for easier last-minute viewing).
Head over to Remy’s in France, then hit Frozen Ever After in Norway.
Now you can head to the front of the park and knock out those attractions. - If you are NOT watching the nighttime show, stay in the front half of the park. Even in the last hour of regular park operation, most of these rides will have shorter waits since most people like to end their night in the World Showcase.
Start with Soarin’ and visit Figment, Nemo, and Spaceship Earth if you’d like (these will all likely have no wait, unless it’s a super busy time of year).
Cross over to hit Test Track, then head to the World Showcase to ride Remy’s and/or Frozen Ever After if time allows.
Or, hit Mission Space and/or Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of the night.
There are a LOT of different combos for EPCOT, so pick your own adventure! Just know you won’t be able to do all of these (trust us, we’ve tried).
Pick your priorities, and try to save the big wigs – Guardians and Test Track – for the last hour of the night.
Final Thoughts on EEH at EPCOT
Extended Evening Hours is a perk that flies largely under the radar but can completely change how you end your day at the parks. Since nighttime is one of our favorite ways to experience the parks (lighter crowds, cooler temps, shorter waits – what’s not to love?), we’re big fans of EEH in general.
Just remember that a little strategy goes a long way, so all that’s left is to ride your favorite rides and soak up that Disney magic – after dark!
Want more insight into your day at EPCOT? We have itineraries for every size and guides on everything from the best snacks to top attractions!