Are Early Closure Days the Best Days To Visit Magic Kingdom?

During the fall and winter months, Magic Kingdom closes at 6 p.m. on several evenings for special ticketed events. This means guests pay full price for park tickets, but their visit is shorter than on typical days, which leaves many questioning, are early closure days the best days to visit Magic Kingdom?

August through October the park hosts Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party followed by Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party November and December. The parties offer holiday ride overlays, character meet and greets, parades, fireworks, treats and lower crowds. While the official start time of the party is 7 p.m., eager ticketed guests can arrive as early as 4 p.m.

Attending the Disney holiday parties has become a tradition for my family over the past few years. We love the parties for the holiday fun and low crowds, but the 4 p.m to 6 p.m. time frame when there's the overlap of day guests and party guests hasn't been my favorite. Around 6 p.m when the day crowd leaves it's so much less crowded and that's when we can really kick back and enjoy. This has left me wondering, what it is like on the flip side? What do the morning guests experience before the party guests arrive?

This year I decided to find out for myself. I took my husband and two girls to Magic Kingdom during the day on opening night of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party to check this out.

So, here's a snapshot of what our day looked like. Magic Kingdom opened at 8 a.m. We arrived a little before 8 a.m, scanned our magic bands for early entrance (this is a perk available for resort guests) at about 7:55 and walked towards Space Mountain. We were able to walk right on Space Mountain with no wait at all. Afterwards, we filled up our popcorn bucket and got pixie dusted! The cast member told us we were his first customers of the day and said anything we wanted was on him. We thanked him, grabbed a few waters to go with the popcorn and headed to Tiana's Bayou which had a 10 minute wait. Next, we walked over to Haunted Mansion where the time posted was 13 minutes. Pirates of the Caribbean was our next stop. There was a very short wait there as well, about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was closed, so we missed out on that ride. Tron consistently had a 40 to 60 minute wait throughout the day, which isn't a horrible wait for Tron, but longer than we were willing to wait for Tron given it's not one of our favorite rides. We rode a few other rides we could walk on to with a little or no wait. We spent time shopping, and when we were hungry, we went to Tony's Town Square and got on the walk up list and they sat us right away. When checking the my Disney experience app, I did notice most restaurants did have availability so I was not worried about making reservations ahead of time for this visit.

Tony's Town Square

Overall, I noticed the crowd was visibly thinner than what I had experienced at the holiday parties I have previously attended, but the wait times were longer at times. I believe this is because there are fewer other things pulling guests away from attractions to create the shorter wait times. For example, at the parties you will also find dance parties, character meet and greets and complimentary snacks (candy for Halloween, and cookies for Christmas). We visited during mid August which typically has lower crowds, but this crowd was thinner than I had experienced during my park visits earlier that week.

Space Mountain

Here are my takeaways:

Pros of visiting Magic Kingdom on an early closure day:

• Thinner crowds

• Easier to get dining reservations

Cons of visiting Magic Kingdom on an early closure day:

• Less time at the park due to the earlier closure

• Must go early (expect a crowd to arrive at 4 p.m.)

• No fireworks

Here are a few tips to make the most of your early closure Magic Kingdom day:

1. Arrive Early

Get to the park when it opens. If you are a resort guest, take advantage of early entry hours and enjoy an extra 30 minutes.

2. Take Advantage of Lower Crowds

Utilize the early hours when crowds are lighter. Focus on high-demand attractions first, then enjoy less popular rides as the day progresses.

3. Enjoy Holiday Decorations, Merchandise and Treats

Take time to appreciate the festive decorations throughout the park. Stroll through the shops. Check for specialty seasonal treats that may be available. You can plan ahead by checking menus. I also often post updates on Instagram and Facebook so be sure to follow me!

4. Consider a 4 p.m. Dining Reservation.

At 4 p.m. the park will become much more crowded as party guests arrive. This is a great time to get out of the crowd and sit down for a meal before you leave the park.

5. Park Hop

If you have a park hopper ticket, Magic Kingdom on a party day is a great first stop!

Ready to start planning your next Disney adventure? I'm Irene, a travel agent with Mouseketrips, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and I would love to help you plan a vacation that meets your needs and budget! My planning services are free and I price monitor saving you time and money! Request a no obligation quote here.