Extending UO Park Hours

[Kevin38]

They should do 24 hours of Harry Potter (stole from 24 hours @ Disney)
Have both parks open for 24 hours

That would be an opening day (Diagon) to remember.

 

[mahnamahna]

All I know is that the parks will all be open till 10 by 2020

 

[IzzyB]

The way I see it is like this, the only park people consider to be a full day park at WDW is TMK and both UO parks have the same hours as the other three WDW parks.

This is so not true. Epcot never closes before 9 PM unless they have a special event going on. And there are many times that Uni closes before AK or Hollywood Studios. I would say 6 PM is average for AK because of most things closing when sunset occurs, but DHS average would be more around 8 PM. I went to the middle of Oct (dead season) and they were still closing at 7:30 PM. In Oct Uni is normally closing at 5 or 6 PM every night. So only one park would be closing at the same time or before them and that is AK.

 

[Nick]

DAK has been open until 8 more often than not lately and there's hardly anything there compared to USF. There's no reason they shouldn't consistently be open much later than they currently are.

 

[Brian G.]

DAK has been open until 8 more often than not lately and there's hardly anything there compared to USF. There's no reason they shouldn't consistently be open much later than they currently are.

Nothing related to the discussion, but I love when they have AK open late. The park is beautiful at night.

 

[GAcoaster]

They must feel that it's a long enough day for most guests to do most things, and when you close earlier, it drives the guests into Citywalk where the restaurants and clubs are to make more money. In addition, when they close it is more or less a soft close unless there is an event. If they close the lines off at the closing time, guests may still be in line for the most popular attractions for quite a while. And the shops stay open until the last guest leaves (just like at the Disney and SeaWorld parks). I'm sure if attendance keeps increasing and the demand is there the hours will increase as well.

I just have to imagine that getting the park cleared for HHN will be a cluster f--- this year if there are 2-3 hour lines for Potter attractions. They'll have to cut the lines in the middle of the afternoon in order to clear the park for the opening of HHN.

 

[Kevin38]

They must feel that it's a long enough day for most guests to do most things, and when you close earlier, it drives the guests into Citywalk where the restaurants and clubs are to make more money. In addition, when they close it is more or less a soft close unless there is an event. If they close the lines off at the closing time, guests may still be in line for the most popular attractions for quite a while. And the shops stay open until the last guest leaves (just like at the Disney and SeaWorld parks). I'm sure if attendance keeps increasing and the demand is there the hours will increase as well.

I just have to imagine that getting the park cleared for HHN will be a cluster f--- this year if there are 2-3 hour lines for Potter attractions. They'll have to cut the lines in the middle of the afternoon in order to clear the park for the opening of HHN.

Since they probably can't theme Diagon for HHN they may just close it off from rest of studio's and make everyone in there leave by Hogwarts Express and not open Diagon for HHN guests till an hour (or so) after HHN start time.

 

[mahnamahna]

I would assume that Diagon Alley will cause both parks to be open till 8 during the off-season. Once Kong and the KidZone revamp are both open, the time for summer could change to 11pm. After the remaining expansions are open by 2020, they might keep them open until midnight during summer.

 

[Frank Drackman]

Since they probably can't theme Diagon for HHN they may just close it off from rest of studio's and make everyone in there leave by Hogwarts Express and not open Diagon for HHN guests till an hour (or so) after HHN start time.

This is what I was thinking as well, but also I wonder if Diagon would even be open for HHN. I have no idea how their contract works, but I am pretty sure I have heard that JK gets a piece of the gate...my thinking is MAYBE since Diagon seems set up so that it can be isolated from the rest of the studios that it could be closed so that HHN gate isn't shared.

I would love longer hours (during the off season) as I love parks at night and never seem to see UOR often at night (save for HHN, the Mardi Gras Parade...stuff like that).

But it also seems the early closings make it easier for them to rent the parks out in the evenings for corporate events and such.

 

[Thatguyoverwhere]

I feel like 6:00 is too early for any park to close. 7:00 should be the very earliest, with 8:00 being optimal (for off season); for the summer as well as Spring and Winter breaks, and all the other popular points in the year, I don't think they should close any earlier than 9 (which for the most part they don't), and on the peak days they should really be open until 10 or 11. But I'm also a person who often opts not to buy express passes, and always stays until the park closes, trying to squeeze as many rides and shows in as possible.