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 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 to go Deluxe.
While staying for EEH doesn’t require the same level of strategy as during the daytime, 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 Hollywood Studios!
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.
We also just loooove this park after dark. We’ve been petitioning for years now to keep HS open until at least 10 pm each night. Sigh.
Hollywood Studios can still see some long lines for the super popular rides (like Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog Dash) during EEH, but most other attractions and the general vibe are easy and casual!
Knowing you will likely see some wait for the headliners during the first hour of EEH helps, and it’s still better than battling daytime crowds. Plus, being one of the last few people in Galaxy’s Edge or Toy Story Land later at night is a pretty cool feeling in itself.
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
Extended Evening Hours are not a consistent offering at Hollywood Studios and typically occur only on a few select evenings per year. Hopefully, you’re visiting this post because you know that it’s being offered during your vacation. Otherwise, don’t assume, and be sure to check the calendar!
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.
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: Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios is jam-packed with high-priority headliners, so Extended Evening Hours here are a great way to accomplish many (if not all of them) with minimal waits.
The key point is that the longest waits are often at Slinky Dog Dash at the start of the event, but they’re still manageable. The wait time for Slinky will also continue to fall (usually landing under 20 minutes) after the first hour, and sometimes even sooner.
Our suggested itinerary?
- Start your night at the front of the park and hit both Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster first. The pure adrenaline will keep you going for the rest of the event.
- Ride Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (usually not a long wait, although the attraction itself can take up some time—skip it if you have other priorities).
- Head to Toy Story Land and hit Toy Story Mania first. Finish with a dash on Slinky Dog if the wait is manageable or you don’t care to go to Galaxy’s Edge.
- Head to Galaxy’s Edge and ride Smuggler’s Run, or skip and…
- Finish with Rise of the Resistance. Just know it’s a long ride (factoring in the preshows), so it takes up a lot of time. We usually save it for last, since you can get in line up until the last minute of EEH.
Caveat: Watch your timing here. Depending on the time of year and crowd levels, you should be able to accomplish many – but not always all – of these headliners within the two allotted hours.
With any luck, you can now end your night the best way: walking out of a nearly empty Galaxy’s Edge and taking (Han) solo pictures with the Millennium Falcon. Perfect opportunity to light up that lightsaber!
And if you don’t have access to Extended Evening Hours? Our post about Rise of the Resistance shares some solid how-to-ride strategies that can be applied to most high-demand attractions around the Disney parks!
Ending Your Day the Right Way at Hollywood Studios
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 Hollywood Studios? We have itineraries for every size and guides on everything from the best snacks to top attractions!