Disney updated the October 2012 operating schedule here. Click refresh on your browser if the date in the lower left hand corner isn’t 9/14/2012 or sooner. As usual, these updates are “official,” but likely won’t go live on DisneyWorld.com until closer to the end of the month. October is probably the most common month for people to say, “The crowd calendars were wrong” because their October trip “seemed busier” than years past. I’m not disagreeing with you as October, along with the beginning of December, are times when crowds are only getting heavier compared to past years. The two major reasons for that are the overhyped Food and Wine Festival and Fall Breaks in parts of the south. However, crowds are far lower than the summer or other “actually busier” times, which is why you see the 4′s and 5′s throughout the month, indicating average overall crowds compared to other days this year. It’s more than manageable, but we’re not talking September crowd levels here, particularly at Epcot and Magic Kingdom on Saturdays.
Monday October 1:
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 9pm. Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Tuesday October 2:
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 9pm.
Wednesday October 3:
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 9pm. Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Thursday October 4:
- No changes.
Friday October 5:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 6pm.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 7pm from 9am – 7pm.
Saturday October 6:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 6pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9:30pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9:30pm, in addition to 8pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 12am from 9am – 10pm. Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Sunday October 7:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 6pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9:30pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9:30pm, in addition to 8pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 12am from 9am – 10pm. Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Monday October 8:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 6pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9:30pm, in addition to 8pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 7pm from 9am – 7pm.
Tuesday October 9:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 9pm. Main Street Electrical Parade added at 8pm and 10pm. No Parades previously scheduled.
Wednesday October 10:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 6pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade at Magic Kingdom.
Thursday October 11:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 6pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 7pm from 9am – 7pm.
Friday October 12:
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 7pm from 9am – 7pm.
Saturday October 13:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 6pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 12am from 9am – 10pm. Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Sunday October 14:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 7pm from 9am – 7pm.
Monday October 15:
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 9pm Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Tuesday October 16:
- No changes.
Wednesday October 17:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 6pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 9pm Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Thursday October 18:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
Friday October 19:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 6pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 11pm from 9am – 10pm. Main Street Electrical Parade added at 8pm and 10pm. No Parades previously scheduled.
Saturday October 20:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 6pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 11pm from 9am – 10pm Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Sunday October 21:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 6pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
Monday October 22:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 6pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade at Magic Kingdom. Evening Extra Magic Hours re-added.
Tuesday October 23:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 5pm.
Wednesday October 24:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 6pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 9pm Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Thursday October 25:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 6pm from 9am – 5pm.
Friday October 26:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 6pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 7pm from 9am – 7pm.
Saturday October 27:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 12am from 9am – 10pm Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Sunday October 28:
- No current changes. Expected changes:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 7pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 7pm from 9am – 7pm.
Monday October 29:
- No current changes. Expected changes:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 6pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
- Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 9pm Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade.
Tuesday October 30:
- No current changes. Expected changes:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 6pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
Wednesday October 31:
- No current changes. Expected changes:
- Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 6pm from 9am – 5pm.
- Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm. Second Fantasmic added at 9pm, in addition to 7:30pm show.
FAQ:
Is this real? It doesn’t match DisneyWorld.com!
Yes and it will. Disney updates the PDF files at their media.disneywebcontent.com web address before the same update goes live at DisneyWorld.com. It is much easier to update a text file than it is to program the update into DisneyWorld.com. The changes will hit DisneyWorld.com at some point in the next two weeks, but you can rest assured they are just as “official.”
What does this do to the Extra Magic Hours schedule?
If the close is pushed back, Extra Magic Hours will also be pushed back. For example, if Hollywood Studios was previously closing at 8pm with Extra Magic Hours from 8pm to 11pm and now closes at 9pm, Extra Magic Hours would run from 9pm to 12am. Same with morning Extra Magic Hour. If the open is 8am instead of 9am, the morning Extra Magic Hour would instead run from 7am – 8am.
What about these 9:30pm Fantasmic shows that are scheduled after Hollywood Studios officially closes?
Anyone is welcome to stay for the 9:30pm Fantasmic. While the Studios “closes” at 9pm, operating attractions will allow guests to enter the queue right up until 9pm regardless of wait time and when they’ll disembark. That means you could get in line for Toy Story Mania at 8:59pm, even if the wait is 30 minutes. Disney will often post longer-than-actual wait times at the end of the night to dissuade guests from entering the queue. Waits are often shorter than posted and the time immediately before official close is the second best time to ride the major attractions with minimal waits (immediately after Park open being the best). Stores along Hollywood Boulevard also remain open until at least 9:30pm and most likely 10pm in the case of Mickey’s of Hollywood. Disney will have plenty of buses to transport any guests remaining at the Studios. In the case of a Fantasmic scheduled during evening Extra Magic Hours, anyone is also welcome to see that show. Disney won’t be checking for resort IDs at Fantasmic. A show during evening Extra Magic Hours is actually one of the least crowded shows to see because so many non-resort guests assume they aren’t eligible. Here is an example of what crowds can look like.
Will this affect the recommendations?
Several of these changes are more substantial than usual, but most recommendations should not be affected. Disney generally extends hours and adds additional evening entertainment on days that are already expected to be busier and these changes are built in to the recommendations. The 8am openings at Magic Kingdom are more of a blessing than a curse, assuming you can arrive by 7:30am to take advantage of them. 8am – 10am will be extremely low on crowds. The 8am opens aren’t necessarily indicative of heavier crowds, but Disney can’t extend the close on Party nights past 7pm, so adding an extra hour in the morning is their only option. For those eligible for morning Extra Magic Hour, you’ll basically have free reign over the Park from 7am – 10am. It’s glorious. However, it does require getting up earlier and can make those 8am Crystal Palace breakfast recommendations less palpable because you’ll be “wasting” time eating breakfast during the best hour to tour and won’t get the pictures on Main Street before the Park opens to the general public.
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
OMG, I am so excited I get to go to AK and stay till 8pm! After Dark…yay!! yes. I am a geek.
I too am excited about the longer AK hours! My friend and I were sad when they were only open until 6! Thanks for the updates! 32 days!!!!
Hi there Josh. I wanted to ask you if the extended hours means that Disney is expecting more people to show up for those days or if its something that Disney routinely does?
Also, did the recommended days change?
When do you think we’ll find out about the expected changes at the end if the month?
Oops, just read the FAQs and it answered my questions. You sir think of everything. I on the other hand, need to read everything first.
Josh, on Sunday October 28 you wrote that Hollywood Studios closes at 9pm instead of 8pm but on the calendar it still says 8pm.
I didn’t check the other dates, but this one caught my attention since I was planning to do the EMH and I thought it was too good to be true that it would then close at 12am.
Hey, Josh, I know it’s none of my business, but have you ever considered writing an actual book? It could be like your website (duh), but more focused on your naughty wit and general impressions of the parks and resorts. A collection of essays or something like a magazine editorial? You could start your career as a writer, not just a blogger.
See? Fancy. Duff will be pleased.
Duffy. D’oh.
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll be cancelling my Crystal Palace 8:05 am ADR for a day that MK now opens at 8:00 am.
Heisenberg – There are a variety of reasons why Disney changes the operating schedule, but they do this sort of thing every month, every year regardless of crowd level. Here’s October of 2011 for comparison: http://www.easywdw.com/news/october-2011-disney-world-operating-schedule-updates-with-longer-hours-more-evening-entertainment-etc/
It’s rare that the Parks are going to be busier than first anticipated. The notion that Disney extends the operating schedule because “crowds are higher than expected” is largely a myth. Disney is conservative with their initial release and then amend it as necessary about two weeks before the start of the month.
supercalifragilistic – Sorry if it wasn’t clearer. Above each date from the 28th – 31st is:
“No current changes. Expected changes:” So I’ve listed what I’m expecting Disney to do. Unfortunately, that week likely won’t be updated until the end of this month or the next time they update the schedules, which should be October 15th or 19th.
Josh – Oh, now I feel stupid! I didn’t realize you were listing the expected changes, I thought you were listing the new times and also saying there could be more changes to those dates.
Thank you for explaining! I hope your predictions come true, that would be really nice
“The two major reasons for that are the overhyped Food and Wine Festival and Fall Breaks in parts of the south.”
And in Minnesota…and Wisconsin…and Utah…and Indiana…etc….
Thanks for taking the time to respond to your readers. Much appreciated, for realz.
Spelled the name wrong but now it’s right.
Are you making any changes to your recommendations? I’m particularly wondering about AK on the 20th, now that it’s open until 8; will MK on the 26th stay most highly rated now that it opens at 8?; and HS on the 27th – now that MK is open even longer, will you rate HS higher? I’m planning to go for EMH – through lunch.
Thanks, Josh.
Thank you Josh for the update! It’s so helpful to just look at your day-by-day list of changes instead of looking through the updated WDW calendar and comparing it to my current version park by park. Your summaries are immensely helpful. Love your information and love the blog! Keep it up!! (BTW, if you’re at any more MNSSHPs will you be in the same sly costume? Will I be able to stalk you?!)
WIll be any changes to Oct 2 thru 9 recommendations?
So if regular park hours are 8am (not EMH hours), do Merida and Tink still start at 9:15? Or do they open at 8:15?
Sweet! I got my one and only night of MK EMH back on the 22nd.
Thanks, Josh! You are a hero of WDW, and I hereby award you 50 internet credits.
Wait! I just got it. So on the 11th (maybe others, I didn’t crosscheck them all), MK actually *opens* at 0700. So you could be lining up at 0630 and riding Splash Mountain at 0705? THAT IS AWESOME.
That is so worth it to fly out there and stay in a WDW property. I would literally pay the money to wake my kids up at 0530 and yell at them to get ready for freaking Disney World!
Thanks for the updates. We are not going to be there until the end of Novemeber but I will watch for time changes here!
I was also a little confused with the “No current changes. Expected changes:” because it is in a bullet same as the items below it, maybe if it didn’t have the bullet? Just a suggestion, please don’t ban me!
Seriously though, thanks so much for keeping this website updated. From a newbie’s perspective, Disney is quite overwhelming. But your site and information go a long way to helping me wade through it all. Thanks!!
Do you think there will be updates to hours in November too?
Josh,
Thanks for the update and for your Website.
I was surprised that they didn’t add a Fantasmic on Tuesday, October 23.
John
When will changes be posted for the first few days of November to round out the week of Oct 28-Nov. 3? I don’t foresee any changes in our plans but it’s hard to tell without those Nov. hours. Do you expect any changes for Nov. 1, 2, and 3?
On Wednesday 10/10 there was a 2nd parade added at 10pm in MK and the park closes at 10 – correct?
We are going to Disney December 9-14, do you think they will change the times for the parks at that time also?
Well, I was hoping to dodge the 8am MK openings the last week of October, but it looks like that won’t be an option. Oh well, it’s not like crowds are going to be going bananas then anyway.
Tricia – No, I don’t have recommendation changes on those dates.
Mini-Me – I think the only change on those dates is Magic Kingdom is no longer recommended on Tuesday the 9th. You could still certainly make it work, but it’s going to be busier with the Monday Party and the fact that the Electrical Parade is scheduled twice now.
Ferg – Historically, the 8am open has not changed characters that don’t begin appearing until 9:15am, so Merida and Tinker Bell would still come out at 9:15am. The nice thing about it is you’ll potentially have time to do a few attractions before getting in line closer to 9am.
mlm – I wouldn’t expect Splash to open until 8am, it doesn’t usually operate during Extra Magic Hours, particularly when they start at 7am. But 8:05am should be doable.
Chris – Yes, an update to November’s schedule should come on October 15th or 19th.
John – The 6pm closure is for a private event of some variety, so the Park closes at 6pm to accommodate that.
VP – Yes, the changes to those dates should come on October 15th or 19th. It’s possible Disney will update the last few days in October closer to the end of September.
Ryan B – Yes, that should be correct.
Susie – Yes, look for the update around November 16th or 19th.
Thank you so much for this information. When do you think that Disney will change their website? While checking my own dates and comparing them with the Disney website, I notied that AK was supposed to close at 6pm not 5pm on 27th as you mentioned above…..just thought that you may want to know.
Awesome. Thanks, Josh.
Thanks, Josh!
Even if it’s not Splash Mountain at 0705, to be riding *something* at WDW 20 minutes before sunrise is pretty dang awesome.
See you there!
What does the (3) mean after Magic Kingdom PM (3) (on Oct 17) and other dates that week. Does this mean 3 PM magic hours after park closing!!??!! Yea if so!
Yes, three hours. Beginning in 2013, it’s cut down to two hours.
Great topic! Congratulations Josh =)
Btw, any news on those Oct 28-30 days? That’s the days I have in Disney. So far I have planned this way:
Sun Oct 28 – AK (rope drop). Stay till 1 PM. Epcot (arrive ~2:00 PM) afternoon/night until illuminations.
Mon Oct 29 – MK (all day). I know this day will be busy, but that’s the only day I have within my schedule where it will have MSEP and Wishes. So I will be there this day.
Tue Oct 30 – DHS. (all day). Fantasmic at 7:30 PM.
It’s hard to create an schedule for all the 4 parks within those 3 days (Oct 28, 29, 30). Hope I will make it with the one above.
Anyone is welcome to weigh in =))))