2020 has continued to bring a host of changes for Florida’s Disney World ever since it’s July 11th reopening. Now fall brings another big set of news that will impact your vacation. Beginning September 8th, park hours will be drastically reduced for all Walt Disney World parks. 

Late yesterday evening the following push notification was sent out via the Disney World official app notifying guests of the change:

The new schedule

• Magic Kingdom: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Previously 9:00 am to 7:00 pm)

• EPCOT: 11:00 am to 7:00 pm (Previously 11:00 am to 9:00 pm)

• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 10:00 am to 7:00 pm (Previously 10:00 am to 8:00 pm)

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Previously 8:00 am to 6:00 pm)

EPCOT and Animal Kingdom saw the most significant schedule chops, losing two hours of park time per day. These changes are likely to impact your dining and evening experience plans. It’s worth noting that parades and evening fireworks still remain absent from the calendar.   

We can only speculate on the rationale for these changes. The most likely culprit is low crowd attendance in the past month. Judging by the reservation system, demand has been significantly lower for EPCOT as many key experiences in the park remain closed. Fewer public hours also means more dedicated time for cleaning and resetting protocols before the following day.

Hardest hit by this change are Disney Cast Members many of which remain furloughed.

We’re really hoping these new shortened hours are only temporary for September and October. Do the updated park hours impact your visit? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.