Walt Disney World truly is the Most Magical Place on Earth. And what could be make your stay even MORE magical than staying in the Disney bubble your whole vacation? When you stay on-site or at select off-site locations, you can enjoy the benefit of Extra Magic Hours at all four Disney theme parks!
With Extra Magic Hours, you get extra time at the parks, typically either an hour prior to park opening or an hour past park closing. Since only on-site and certain off-site guests (like those staying at the Disney Springs Area Resorts) have access to Extra Magic Hours, the crowd levels are typically significantly lower, making it the prime time to check out popular rides you might not get the chance to ride during regular park hours!
If you’re visiting a park in Disney World during Extra Magic Hours, these are the popular rides you’re gonna want to seek out!
Hollywood Studios
When you get to Hollywood Studios for Extra Magic Hours, you’re gonna want to make a (walking only!) dash directly to Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land. During regular park hours on a typical day, this attraction can easily see 90+ minute wait times, so it’s a great one to check out during the lower crowd levels you’ll experience during Extra Magic Hours.
We know what you’re asking here — why not choose the newest ride at the park, Rise of the Resistance? While Rise of the Resistance is far and away the most popular ride in Hollywood Studios at the moment, there’s one simple reason it’s not our top pick: it’s not open during Extra Magic Hours! Currently, Rise is implementing a Virtual Queue system, so likely won’t be available during Extra Magic Hours for the foreseeable future.
Slinky Dog Dash
But note: if you’re scanned into the park for Extra Magic Hours, you can try to get a boarding pass via My Disney Experience as soon as the park opens for regular hours — so be sure to watch the clock and start the virtual queue process even a few minutes before to be sure you’re ready!
Animal Kingdom
You likely know our pick here! The most popular ride in Animal Kingdom (as well as one of the most popular rides in all of Disney World) is Flight of Passage in Pandora.
The ride allows you to fly on the back of a Banshee (you can feel it breathing!) and explore the beautiful world of Pandora. It’s truly a unique, exhilarating experience that has made this one of the most popular rides in all of Disney World. For that reason, you’ll want to make sure you get to the park right at opening, and beeline it to Flight of Passage. While you will likely still experience some wait time, chances are it will be a lot lower than the typical 120 to 180 minute wait this ride can get during a normal day!
Avatar Flight of Passage
Click here to review all the ins and outs of Extra Magic Hours!
Magic Kingdom
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train may be several years old at this point, but it’s still one of the most popular attractions in Magic Kingdom — and for good reason! The ride is perfect for the whole family, from kiddos to adults.
While we fully recommending checking out this ride for both morning and nighttime Extra Magic Hours, we will say that this is a seriously fun coaster to ride in the dark!
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Epcot
Another newish ride (seeing a pattern here) is our pick over at Epcot! Frozen Ever After is located in the Norway Pavilion, taking over the space that once housed the iconic Maelstrom ride. With lovable songs and really awesome animatronics, Frozen Ever After has quickly become a must-ride for both kids and adults alike when visiting Epcot.
One important note here is that, while a lot of the World Showcase is not open during morning Extra Magic Hours, Frozen Ever After is open during that time, so don’t be deterred from checking it out then! (And then stroll over to Les Halles for a pastry because they open early in the France pavilion!)
Frozen Ever After
Which attraction is your MUST do during Extra Magic Hours? Let us know your top pick in the comments below!
You should just use your Fast Passes for these rides. You can try to ride them more than once during Extra Magic Hours. You can also try riding the mine train later at night at the Magic Kingdom during the fireworks. The wait time should be less than an hour and the line is fun for little kids to wait in.