There have been a LOT of changes since Walt Disney World’s four theme parks reopened last month.
EPCOT
Crowd levels have changed, menus have changed, what restaurants are open has changed, and last week, Disney announced that the theme park hours would be reduced starting September 8th.
But that left us with one HUGE question: How would the new theme park hours affect dining reservations?
Le Cellier in Walt Disney World’s EPCOT
In case you missed it, Disney announced that it would have shortened theme park hours beginning September 8th. Magic Kingdom will be open from 9AM to 6PM; EPCOT will be open from 11AM to 7PM; Hollywood Studios will be open from 10AM to 7PM; and Animal Kingdom will be open from 9AM to 5PM.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
As it turns out, though, some restaurants around Disney World will STAY OPEN past park closing time, despite the shortened park hours. So if you have a Be Our Guest dinner at 6:30 this fall, you may be in luck!
Beast in Be Our Guest
We chatted with a cast member on the Disney World website who said that Tiffins at Animal Kingdom and Le Cellier at EPCOT will have adjusted park hours, while 50’s Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios and Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom will not. However, the language is a little confusing here. In short, it means that Be Our Guest Restaurant and 50’s Prime Time will stay open past the set hours.
Disney reservations
As you can see, we ARE seeing open reservations at Magic Kingdom in September for after 6PM, like this one for 6:45PM at Be Our Guest!
©Disney
At this time, the restaurants that will be open after the adjusted park closures will include:
Magic Kingdom
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater
It’s important to keep checking the My Disney Experience app for adjusted park hours and any changes that may occur to your dining reservations. And restaurant hours and park hours can always change with little notice, so it’s doubly important to pay attention!
If you have questions about whether your dining reservation is affected, be sure to contact Disney for confirmation.
And as things keep changing at Disney World, you know we’ll keep you filled in, so stay tuned to DFB as well!
Have a dining reservation that’s affected by the new hours? You NEED to read this!
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Do you have a dining reservation outside of park hours in September? Let us know your experience in the comments.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
Will you have to leave the park and come back for the dining reservation, or will they let you just stay in the park?
When dinning after hours or in another resort will transportation be running back to the resorts even though the parks are closed ?
I’m happy to hear that some restaurants will be open later, but what about transportation? I am staying on property but not with a car. Thanks in advance ?
Jennifer, Disney typically runs buses for an hour after Park closing, so you should be fine. I would think with restaurants open late, they’ll be prepared for that.
Andrea, we would expect so, yes.
Angela, you’ll likely be able to stay. If we find out, we will report!
Prior to Covid, as long as they knew guests were still in the park they’d keep a CM at the resort buses. I love getting the last reservation of the night. I’ve even had reservations at Sci-Fi Dine-In that were after park closing time before. There is nothing cooler than getting to walk through a completely empty park at night. Especially Hollywood Studios with all the neon. We’d get out to the buses & they’d ask which resort we were staying at & we’d get our own bus “home.”