Would YOU Pay More For a Disney World Hotel For THIS Perk?!
Extra Magic Hours haven’t been available at Disney World since the reopening last July. Disney recently announced new perks for hotel guests that aren’t quite the same as Extra Magic Hours but do allow guests more time in the parks.
Happily Ever After in Magic Kingdom
Hotel guests on Disney property are able to get Early Theme Park Entry to all 4 parks starting on October 1st. This includes guests at every Disney-owned hotel on property as well as Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels, Disney World’s on-property military hotel, and other local hotels. We have a full list of all the hotels eligible for Early Theme Park Entry here.
However, ONLY guests at Deluxe and Deluxe Villa resorts will have access to Extended Evening Hours. But the big question: would YOU be willing to shell out Deluxe resort prices for this perk? Here’s what our readers said!
The official language from Disney about the Extended Evening Hours is that “guests staying at one of our Disney Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort hotels will also be able to enjoy extended evening hours on select nights in select theme parks.”
Disney’s Riviera Resort
We do not know what all the Extended Evening Hours include, like if all rides and restaurants will be open, but the language seems to indicate that the extended hours will be in different parks on different nights. This reminds us of how Extra Magic Hours used to work. (You know — that “free” perk that was available to all Disney World resort guests previously!)
Pandora – The World of Avatar at night
And for those of you holding your breath in anticipation, you can take a deep breath and exhale — the list of eligible resorts DOES include Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin hotels (and the upcoming Swan Reserve, which is opening soon)!
Swan and Dolphin Resort
Here’s a refresher on which resorts will have access to the Extended Evening Hours:
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- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas & Cabins Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn & Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Walt Disney World Swan Resort
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve Hotel (opening this summer)
As you can see, there are a lot of options! Keep in mind that these are the highest-priced hotels on Disney property.
Yacht Club
Most of these hotels are NOT cheap. Many guests haven’t stayed at Deluxe resorts due to the extravagant price tags. We were VERY curious though if the option for slightly longer in the parks would sway our readers to book a stay at a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa hotel over the moderate and value resorts. Here’s what they said:
Pretty close!
47% of our readers said “yes,” while 53% said “no,” so it looks like feelings are mixed! However, more people said “no” than “yes,” and we also asked them to explain their reasoning. As you might’ve guessed, the main reason people said “no,” they wouldn’t book at a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa for the Extended Evening Hours, is because of cost.
Aloha, Polynesian Village Resort!
One reader said, “They’re too expensive for just a place to sleep.” On that same note, another reader said, “Doesn’t make sense to me that I would need to pay more for a nicer hotel to spend less time at.” Others wrote that the perk was not worth the cost of staying at a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa resort. One reader said, “The cost of staying at a deluxe resort is far too high just to have access to evening hours…”
Old Key West Resort
Other people reasoned that they don’t need the extra time in the parks at night. One reader said “You can get so much more done during the hours after rope drop. Priceless.” Another agreed with both the cost factor and the no need for extra evening time, saying, “Out of my price range. Rather book a value resort & rope drop with the extra morning time.”
Art of Animation is a Value Resort
A point made by many readers was that they could use the money to be at Disney longer. A reader said, “For not much more, or even less, we could stay more days and have many more hours to enjoy.” A different reader shared the same sentiment, writing, “Nope. I’ll book the cheaper hotel, and buy the extra park tickets.”
Disney’s Caribbean Beach is a Moderate Resort
Parents with young kids also said the Extended Evening Hours just don’t make sense for them. One reader said “Because going with a toddler I wouldn’t use the extra hours. We need our sanity more!” and another said, “Little kids — we do better with the early hours.” We feel that, parents!
Rope drop in EPCOT
And some adults said they don’t wanna stay out late either, one responding, “I go to bed early,” and another saying, “We don’t tend to use extra evening hours anyways. We prefer early mornings in the parks.”
Good morning, everyone!
Some also expressed concern about what will be available during these extended hours, one reader writing, “Food/drink doesn’t usually stay open later.” Right now, we do not know what all will be open or available during the extended evening hours.
Slinky Dog Dash
And finally, a few readers said they wouldn’t book a stay at a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa resort on principle. One person wrote, “It should be a perk for ALL Disney resorts” in regard to the extended evening hours.
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
As for people who said they ARE more likely to book at a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa resort, many said that the perk is worth the price! One of our readers said, “I’ve learned that paying for the convenience/experience is always worth it for us!” Another agreed, saying “It would be the extra perk that makes deluxe worth the splurge.”
Grand Floridian
More readers went on to say things like, “Spending the extra money gives you extra perks, so seems like a better value now” and another said they’ve been, “wanting to try a deluxe out and this will push us to actually do it.”
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Others expressed their love for being in Disney at night! A reader responded, “I’m a night owl and would rather stay out late than wake up early” and another said, “Late night Disney is the best.” A different reader also said, “I have older kids so extended hours at night work best for our family.”
The Lobby of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort
Many said they were interested because of the potential for fewer people in the parks. One reader said, “It’s worth the extra money to be in Disney with less crowds” and another said, “If there aren’t fast passes this may be the best way to ride rides.” (A reminder that there are NOT FastPasses in Disney World right now!)
Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom
And there were a ton of readers who responded saying they already stay at these resorts so continuing to book Deluxe level resorts is an easy decision. Like one reader said, “We usually stay at a deluxe hotel anyway so now just an added bonus!”
Bora Bora Bungalow at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Finally, our favorite response was from a reader who simply wrote, “Ratatouille.” What does it mean? Are they possibly thinking about using the extended evening hours to ride the new Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure that opens on October 1st? Or do they simply just love Pixar’s Ratatouille so much that they needed to express it to us? Maybe they thought we asked what they were making for dinner? 
We shall never know!
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is opening soon!
Overall, the general consensus from people who responded “no” was due to the cost, while the people who said “yes” either said the perk was worth the cost or they already only stay at Deluxe and Deluxe Villa resorts. It’s hard to know if paying a higher price for your hotel is worth the access to extra evening hours since little is known what all the perk includes right now. Could this be a permanent replacement for Extra Magic Hours? That’s definitely a possibility! But, if we’ve learned anything from the past several months, it’s that Disney is not afraid to make changes. As always, stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news and updates!
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What do YOU think about this new perk? Let us know in the comments!
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