One Way Walt Disney World Is Trying To Help With Crowd Control (Outside Of Raising Ticket Prices)

Walt Disney World is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world, and so rare is the day that the parks don’t feel crowded. But Disney knows that the more guests are able to do in the parks, the happier they will be, and the more money they will spend, so managing those crowds as much as possible has always been important. In the past, we’ve seen regular ticket price increases as well as the much-maligned Park Pass reservation system, which is used to manage crowds. And now the resort is trying something else to help with crowds: extending hours.

As we begin to shift into the spring break period, which is always popular for Disney Parks, three of the four Disney World parks have extended their previously posted hours throughout April. April 2-29 Magic Kingdom will be open an hour later than previously posted, closing at 11 pm. Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 30 minutes later than had been previously announced, closing at 9:30 pm. Finally, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be opening an hour earlier during that entire period, opening at 8 am, and will also be staying open an hour later most of those nights, closing at 8 pm. Epcot will be open from 9 am to 9 pm all month and those hours are unchanged.

The extended hours are a very good sign for a lot of reasons. First, it simply means that guests will have more time to do everything they want. That extra hour could mean the difference between getting in line for that last ride or not and could mean a lot for those guests who are on that once-in-a-lifetime vacation and want to do it all.