Walt Disney World announces hotel guest early admission, updated operating hours

Disney’s Magical Express will not be offered starting January 2022

Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park on Jan. 9, 2021. (Copyright 2020 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

ORLANDO, Fla – Walt Disney World has released its calendar of operating hours for its theme parks through the month of March.

Looking over the operating hours listed on the website, the resort is reducing its hours of operation at most of the parks by at least an hour. Walt Disney World is also releasing its hours of operation for the reopening of Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park, which is scheduled for March 7.

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For most of this month, hours of operation do not change until Jan. 31.

During the months of February and March, Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; EPCOT: 11 a.m. to 7p.m.; Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

EPCOT is currently offering its Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, which runs hand-in-hand with park hours.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park, which has been closed since the coronavirus pandemic forced Disney to close its parks last year, will reopen to guests in March and will operate from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Disney Springs is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with hours extending until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Disney recently brought back its park hopper option, which allows guests who purchased a ticket or annual pass with park hopper benefits to visit more than one theme park after 2 p.m. A separate reservation is not required to visit, but is subject to capacity limits.

Also announced on Monday, Disney plans to end its Magical Express transportation service.

Disney said when resort hotel bookings open for stays in 2022, Disney will no longer offer Disney’s Magical Express service for airport transportation, starting with arrivals Jan. 1, 2022. Officials said the resort will continue to operate the service for new and existing reservations made at Disney Resort hotels for arrivals throughout this year.

Officials also said Monday that as part of the 50th anniversary celebration, Disney Resort hotel guests and guests of other select hotels will soon be able to enjoy 30-minute early entry to any theme park, every day. The Extra Magic Hours benefit, which was suspended when Walt Disney World Resort reopened last summer, will not return.

*The operating hours listed above are the most current hours posted as of Jan. 11 and are subject to change.

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