We’ve finally arrived to the final week of 2020 (HALLELUJAH, am I right?). If you’re heading to Disney World to ring in 2021, there are some important updates you’ll need to know about!
Whether it’s New Year’s Eve park hours or what the new Park Hopping system will look like when January 1st rolls around, here’s some of the key planning details you’ll need so you can tackle Disney World next week like a pro!
Disney World Park Hours the Week of December 29th
Starting at Magic Kingdom, the park will be open from 8AM-10PM on December 28th through December 30th. On New Year’s Eve, Magic Kingdom will be open from 8AM-11PM.
To kick off 2021, Magic Kingdom will be open from 8AM-9PM on January 1st and 2nd. January 1st is the first day that Park Hopping will return, with limited hours. Guests who wish to Park Hop must wait until 2PM to do so. In this instance, Magic Kingdom’s Park Hopper Hours will be from 2PM-9PM.
Over at EPCOT, the park will be open from 10AM-9PM from December 28th through December 30th. The park’s New Year’s Eve Hours are 10AM-10PM. Remember that December 31st is the last day to experience the 2020 Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays!
On January 1st and 2nd, EPCOT will be open from 11AM-8PM, with Park Hopper Hours running from 2PM-8PM.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9AM-8PM on December 28th through December 30th. The park’s New Year’s Eve hours are 9AM-9PM.
On January 1st and January 2nd, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9AM-7PM. Park Hopper Hours at Hollywood Studios will be from 2PM-7PM.
Finally, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 7AM-7PM on December 28th through December 30th. Like the other three parks, Animal Kingdom will be open one hour later on New Year’s Eve, from 7AM-8PM.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open on January 1st and 2nd from 8AM-6PM. Park Hopper Hours at Animal Kingdom will be from 2PM-6PM.
Each of the four theme parks will be open for one additional hour on New Year’s Eve. Keep in mind, however, that all four parks will be closed before midnight that evening. If you wish to visit Disney Springs on New Year’s Eve, the shopping and dining district will close at 11PM, also before midnight. Disney will be offering New Year’s Eve offerings at select resorts.
Remember also that while Park Hopping is returning on January 1st, it will look a little different than what we’re used to seeing. You must visit the first park (which you must have a Park Pass Reservation for) before you can begin to Park Hop at 2PM.
Click here to learn more about the modified return of Park Hopping!
Current Disney Park Pass Reservation Availability the Week of December 28th
If you have yet to acquire all of your Park Pass Reservations for the week of December 28th, here’s a snapshot of what is available as of this writing. It’s much more nuanced with more varying day-to-day availability than we’ve reported in the past, so grab a pen and paper and buckle in!
Disney Resort Guests
Here is the current Park Pass Reservation availability for Disney Resort Guests as of this writing:
- Monday, December 28th, Tuesday, December 29th, and Wednesday, December 30th: Park Pass Reservations are AVAILABLE at EPCOT.
- Thursday, December 31st: Park Pass Reservations are AVAILABLE at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.
- Finally, both January 1st and January 2nd have Park Pass Reservation availability at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and EPCOT.
Theme Park Ticket Guests
- Monday, December 28th, Tuesday, December 29th, and Wednesday, December 30th: Park Pass Reservations are AVAILABLE at EPCOT.
- Thursday, December 31st: There is NO Disney Park Pass availability in any of the four parks.
- Like Disney Resort Guests, both Friday, January 1st and Saturday, January 2nd currently have Park Pass Reservation availability at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and EPCOT.
Annual Passholders
- Monday, December 28th, Tuesday, December 29th, and Wednesday, December 30th: Park Pass Reservations are AVAILABLE at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.
- Thursday, December 31st: Park Pass Reservations are AVAILABLE at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
- Friday, January 1st: Park Pass Reservations are AVAILABLE at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
- Saturday, January 2nd currently has full Park Pass Reservation availability at all four theme parks.
As we have seen in recent weeks, Park Pass Reservation availability can fluctuate greatly day-to-day, so be sure to triple check Disney’s availability calendar for the most up-to-date information.
Spending New Year’s Eve in Disney World? Click here to learn more about how you can ring in 2021!