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.
The extended hours should also spread guests out more throughout the resort as a whole. The longer the parks are open, the less likely it is that people will be there from rope drop to close. Longer hours mean there’s more value in park hopping, so guests that are “done” in one park can go elsewhere.
While attempting to control crowds by raising prices usually means the guests spend more money, being open longer means Disney World is spending more money (by paying Cast Members to work) to try and improve the guest experience. This will certainly be welcome.
Following a massive price increase in the parks last October, We’ve actually seen the parks roll back some of those increases, and add value to the guest experience in other ways since Bob Iger returned as CEO.
Even Iger has stated that recent price increases in Disney Parks were "too aggressive." This appears to be yet another way that Disney is trying to improve the guest experience in the parks without simply making it more expensive.
