Want to know the best strategy for Early Magic Hour at Disneyland Paris? Also known as Disneyland Paris Extra Magic Hour (EMH), this is a special offer for guests staying at on-site hotels and certain annual pass holders. This time of day is known for lower crowds, so it's a great way to check many of the rides off your Disneyland Paris bucket list and ride rides that typically have longer lines.
In this guide you will learn:
- The Best Strategies for Taking Advantage of Disneyland Park's Early Magic Hour
- EMH use options at Walt Disney Studios Park and
- How to use Early Magic Hours to meet specific characters.
What is Early Magic Hour?
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Early Magic Hour, also called Extra Magic Hour or abbreviated as EMH, is a perk for guests staying on-site or holding Magic Plus and Infinity level annual passes.
This perk is available regardless of whether you stay at the most expensive hotel, the Disneyland Hotel, or historically the cheapest hotel, the Santa Fe Hotel. But check out this post for more information on how to choose the best Disneyland Paris hotel.
During these times, the park opens one hour earlier for outside visitors. Some rides are open.
memo: Early Magic Hour is a privilege provided to customers who book hotel and ticket packages through Disneyland Paris. Click here to check hotel and ticket package prices through Disneyland Paris. Available only to Magic Plus and Infinity Level Annual Pass holders.
best tips: If you book a hotel and ticket package through Disney, you have park tickets that are valid on your arrival and departure dates, so you can enjoy early Magic Hour on those days as well.
For example, if you booked only 1 night at a Disney hotel, you would receive 2 park tickets, and if you booked a 3-night stay, you would receive 4-day tickets.
Every time we go to Disneyland, we like to book a cheap off-site hotel the night before and then wake up early to drop off our bags at the site and enjoy Early Magic Hour. Then, on your departure day, always make sure you don't have to leave the area until after 11am on the earliest possible day to see if you can use Early Magic on the final day.
What rides are open during EMH?
Now generally the rides are pretty consistent for EMH, but there are always a few exceptions and they may be closed for renovations. Therefore, it is always a good idea to check the Disneyland Paris app for up-to-date information on your travel dates. If boarding is marked as starting at 8:30 a.m. or the start of Magic Hour, that gate will be open.
However, at the main Disneyland park, you can generally expect the following to be open:
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasyland,
- Dumbo's Flying Elephant, Fantasyland,
- It's a small world, fantasy land,
- Lancelot's Carousel, Fantasy Land,
- Pinocchio's Travels, Fantasy Land,
- Mad Hatter's Teacup, Fantasyland
- Peter Pan's Flight, Fantasyland,
- Big Thunder Mountain, Adventureland,
- Pirates of the Caribbean, Adventureland,
- Buzz Lightyear's Laser Blast, Discovery Land,
- Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, Discoveryland
While in the studio, you can generally expect the following attractions to be revealed:
- Avengers Assemble: Flight Force Ratatouille: The Adventure,
- 4-wheel rally car,
- crush coaster,
- Flying Carpet – Flying Carpet over Agrabah,
- slinky dog zig zag spin,
- spiderman WEB Adventure,
- RC Racer,
- tower of Terror,
- toy soldier parachute drop
Are there character meet and greets during Extra Magic Hour?
The answer to character meet and greets during Early Magic Hours is yes and no. It depends a lot on when you visit and what characters you want to meet.
Whenever you arrive at Disneyland Paris during Early Magic, you'll see Mickey and Minnie waving as you enter the train station platform. So be sure to wave and take a picture.
However, most meet and greets typically don't begin until after magic hour. But we met Winnie the Pooh and Pluto during this time.
But if there's one of the big characters you'd like to meet, like Mickey Mouse, the Princesses of the Princess Pavilion, or Stitch, you might want to use Magic Hour to get in line for them. Some of these queues can take up to two hours, so it can save you time to start queuing for these experiences during magic hours.
How can I make the most of Early Magic Hour?
So what is the best way to use EMH? Well, this obviously depends on whether you're traveling with toddlers or adults, whether you prioritize family-friendly rides or thrill rides, or whether you want to meet the characters. So, I'll give you strategies for each of these, park by park.
How to use Early Magic Hour with your toddler?
If you're traveling to Disneyland Paris with a toddler, you'll want to prioritize height, with little to no height restrictions. So if you're in the main Disneyland park, it's best to head straight to Fantasyland.
We try to get right on to Peter Pan's Flight, which typically has one of the longest lines in the park. Once we've ridden this, we'll generally try to ride as many Fantasyland rides as possible in the next order.
- dumbo flying elephant,
- Lancelot's Carousel,
- Mad Hatter's Teacup,
- After Pinocchio
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Then I'll head to Discoveryland and jump into Buzz Lightyear's Laser Blast, or join the queue for Mickey or Princesses if that's a priority.
While at Walt Disney Studios Park, I will head to the Ratatouille ride before heading to the Toy Story area ride.
How to use EMH for a thrilling ride?
If you want to prioritize a thrill ride during your EMH, choose one of the following:
And depending on your needs, I will head elsewhere during the EMH or visit other lands in the area.
While at Studios Park I'll be heading to:
- Crush's Coaster – the ride with the longest line in the park;
- web slinger
- Tower of Terror or
- Avengers Flight Force.
How do I meet characters using Early Magic Hour?
Now I generally don't prioritize meet and greets during EMH, but I recommend joining the queue for the next one.
Is there anything else I can do during Early Magic Hour?
Another thing we like to do during Early Magic Hour is take the perfect family photo. The castle is very crowded so it may be difficult to get great photos during regular operating hours. That's why we love heading to the castle to get those perfect Instagram Disney vacation snaps.
Disneyland Paris Early Magic Hour (EMH) FAQs
Is the extra magic time worth it? Disneyland Paris?
Yes, Disneyland Paris is 100% worth the extra magic time. Rides like Crush's Coaster, Ratatouille, and Peter Pan's Flight often have wait times of 90 minutes or more. During EMH we either walked here or rode in line for about 30 minutes. Therefore, it is a good idea to get up and take advantage of this extra time when the park is empty.
Does Disneyland Paris have a rope drop?
Rope drop is an American term and occurs in California parks and Disney World. The park traditionally allows guests to enter the park but not the roped-off grounds. When the park opens, a rope is dropped to allow people to enter.
This doesn't happen at Disneyland Paris, but EMH is basically the same, so you may want to consider the tips on rope drop strategies in this guide.
Is food available during EMH?
EMH Park has limited food and beverage options. Cookie Kitchen and Cable Car Bakery on Main Street are usually open, and Plaza Gardens offers character breakfasts for those who book in advance.
However, it is better to eat a very early breakfast or pack some snacks and breakfast to eat on the go before you take a break after magic hour opens.
Can I use Early Magic Hours if I'm staying off-site?
Unfortunately, you won't be able to take advantage of early magic hour if you're staying outside.