Disneyland Paris offers a perk called Extra Magic Time to guests of Disney hotels and some Annual Pass holders. This allows you to enter the parks an hour before the regular opening time. During Extra Magic Time, you can enjoy some attractions with shorter wait times or take advantage of the lower crowds to take some pictures. It’s also a great opportunity to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse!
How does Extra Magic Time work?
Extra Magic Time is offered daily at both Disneyland Paris parks. To take advantage of this perk, you must show your room key or Annual Pass at the entrance gate. Make sure to follow the sign “Disney Hotel guests” otherwise, you will get stuck behind regular day guests.
Near the gates, cast members will check your Magic Pass—which shows that you are a Disney Hotel guest—or your Annual Pass. If you have an Annual Pass, don’t forget to show your reservation for that day, which is necessary to get access to the parks, even when you have a valid Annual Pass. When you stay in a Disney Hotel, you don’t need to make a reservation, that has been done for you.
Once you’re inside the park, you’ll be able to enjoy almost all attractions with a lower wait. Extra Magic Time usually lasts for one hour, and is offered at both Disney Parks, but it can vary depending on the season. Make sure to check the Disneyland Paris app for the current times and offerings.
What are the benefits of Extra Magic Time?
The main benefit of Extra Magic Time is that you can enjoy the parks with shorter wait times for attractions. This means you can get on more rides in a shorter time. Most people will go to the more popular attractions like Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, Crush’s Coaster, and Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure. Often, these queues will get pretty long quickly, and you can only do one or two attractions during Extra Magic Time.
Our strategy is to go to the less popular attractions with 5-minute waits. That way, we can experience 3 to 5 attractions during that hour, leaving us some time later in the day to go to the pool or have a nice sit-down lunch.
Should you use Extra Magic Time?
Going to Extra Magic Time is a great option if you are a morning person and want to save some time later in the day. We would also recommend Extra Magic Time if you have just one day in Disneyland Paris and want to make the most of it.
However, it is not for everyone. If you’re not a morning person and would rather enjoy a lie-in, Extra Magic Time may not be for you. It can also be quite crowded, especially during peak season, giving you less of a benefit. During that time, it’s usually not worth it waking up early. For example, when writing this article, the wait time for Crush’s Coaster is 90 minutes during Extra Magic Time on a Sunday during a public holiday.
Would you like to benefit from short queues? Then Disney Premier Access might be a good alternative to Extra Magic Time. This paid-for service allows you to book a time slot for popular attractions. That way, your wait will be reduced to 15 minutes at the most, but it will come at a price.
