Travel Tips Tuesday - Extra Magic Hours!

One of the perks of staying on property, if you so choose, is taking advantage of the Extra Magic Hours.  Available only to resort guests, the parks open up early and remain open later, on a rotating schedule, allowing smaller crowds for short periods of times.  

Going with a small child, you're more likely to take advantage of the morning EMH (8 am) instead of the evening ones, unless you're thinking of Animal Kingdoms, whose "late" hours are often 5pm - 8pm.  Due to the nature of the animals and trying not to disturb their natural environment, AK regularly closes for the evening at 5pm.  Unless you have extreme night owls, you'll most likely not take advantage of Magic Kingdom staying open until 12-1 am, depending on the time of year of you visit.  


If you decide to take advantage of the morning EMH, make sure to arrive at least 15-20 minutes early to watch the Rope Drop, the morning ceremony that each park performs daily.  Our day at the MK, we arrived by 7:30, found a great waiting area, enjoyed the show, then booked it towards Fantasyland, where we managed to ride almost every ride in under an hour.  Peter Pan (my favorite), Small World, Peter Pan, and Snow White, all before the park opened to the masses.  Read more about our rope drop experience at the Magic Kingdom.  


Even if you're not staying at a WDW resort, you can take advantage of the EMH.  Sounds crazy, right?  Nope.  You just have to think strategically.  For starters, if a park has evening EMH, the odds are against that park being over crowded the next morning.  So, if there is a Friday night EMH at the MK, that would be a great place to start your Saturday morning!  Another hint - instead of heading to the park that has the morning EMH, choose a different park.  The crowds usually build as the day goes, so arrive 15-20 minutes earlier than opening to watch the Rope Drop, then make your way to the E-ticket (most popular) rides - the ones that usually have the longest waits.  Or in our case, Peter Pan.  


Planning your trip?  Here's the schedule when we'll be at WDW - you can change the dates and see what the EMH will be for your trip!


Do you have any strategic plans we're missing?  Leave your comments on here or over on our facebook page!