Is A Deluxe Resort Worth It For UK Visitors To Get Extended Evening Hours?
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Extended Evening Hours are a Deluxe Resort only Hotel Guest Perk, giving you a couple of extra hours in a Disney Park on select evenings. But this on-site perk a reason to spend thousands of pounds more on a holiday from the UK? No, for most UK visitors this is a nice perk but it’s not worth it on its own to splurge and stay in Deluxe Resort.
What makes sense for a US family on a 4-day weekend doesn't always make sense for a UK family on a 14-night holiday. So if you’re looking at Extended Evening Hours and wondering how much value they’ll add to your holiday and whether it’s worth upgrading your hotel just to get them, this guide’s here to help. We’re not covering Extended Evening Hours dates or how to use it here, if you’re looing for that read Disney Extended Evening Hours UK Guide And Calendar.
Who Gets Extended Evening Hours At Disney World?
Extended Evening Hours are an exclusive 2 hour evening exclusive park entry perk for guests staying in a Deluxe Hotel that night. You must be staying in the Deluxe hotel on the night if Extended Evening hours to qualify and get into the parks; if you check out the day of Extended Evening Hours, you don’t get them. When the park closes, and regular guests leave, Deluxe Guests are left to enjoy a selection of rides that remain open.
This perk is not like Early Entry, which happens for 30 minutes before park opening every morning, it happens on select nights, usually Monday in EPCOT, and Wednesday in Magic Kingdom, with Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios offered on occasional dates.
Exclusive to all Deluxe Disney Hotel Resorts and guests, Moderate and Value guests don’t get it. This is why some UK trip planners ask if this perk is worth upgrading your hotel to enjoy the benefits an extra 2 hours in the park a week offers.
What’s It Cost To Upgrade To A Deluxe Resort For 14-Nights?
Upgrading to a Deluxe Disney Resort, on a 14 night holiday in May 2027 costs:
- £2,684 to upgrade from the cheapest Moderate option to the cheapest Deluxe Resort
- £4,083 to upgrade from the cheapest Value Resort to the cheapest Deluxe Resort
*Prices correct from the Walt Disney World company, found 23rd June 2026 for a 14-night holiday in 15th - 29th May 2027, for 2 adults and 2 children, with current free drinks and dining 2027 offer running
Deluxe Resorts are a premium option, and offer more benefits than just the Extended Evening Hours, including a better package of free drinks and dining during the 2027 offer, which may give you another reason to upgrade your Disney hotel beyond the Extended Evening Hours benefit.
As cost is often the biggest deciding factor here are the cheapest hotel options in each Disney tier for the May 2027 dates for a UK family of 4:
14-night cots for hotel stay:
Resort Level | Hotel | Total 14-Night Cost |
|---|---|---|
Value | £2,467.00 | |
Moderate | £3,866.00 | |
Deluxe | £6,550.00 |
(Prices found on 23rd June 2026, with current free drinks and dining 2027 offer running).
To stay in a Deluxe Resort rather than a Moderate or Value resort a UK family of 4 spends an extra:
- £291.64 more a night in comparison to a Value hotel
- £191.71 more a night in comparison to a Moderate Resort
This price difference is substantial. And if you are considering the upgrade just for the exclusive benefit of having Extended Evening Hours, you need to put the cost into perspective.
Is Paying £2,684 Extra On A 2 Week Holiday For 8 Extra Hours In A Disney Park Worth It?
Over 2 weeks staying in a Deluxe Resort there are usually 4 nights of Extended Evening Hours, giving a total of 8 extra hours in the parks. When weighing up upgrading to a Deluxe Resorts purely for this benefit, you attribute a value of:
It is worth noting that Deluxe Resorts add far more value to a holiday beyond this benefit. When attributing the price difference to this benefit it is skewing value of the other benefits, but as we are asking if it is worth it just for Extended Evening Hours, this is how it is being worked out.
Using Extended Evening Hours to enjoy a quieter park experience is what this perk is all about but it can also be used strategically to skip the need to buy Lightning Lanes. Realistically however, most guests will only get access to two, maybe three Disney Parks for Extended Evening Hours over a two week period.
Using Extended Evening Hours To Skip The Cost Of Lightning Lanes
Extended Evening Hours only reduce potential Lightning Lane costs in 2 - 3 parks, but as Extended Evening Hours are usually in Magic Kingdom and EPCOT the saving is on the most expensive Lightning Lane options.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass probably won’t be needed by UK visitors staying 14 nights, as you have time to experience the rides in each park once. With Extended Evening Hours as well, this is a cost you can definitely skip if you want, when using this pay to skip the queue line option to get everything done.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass are both really unnecessary too for anyone using 3-4 nights of Extended Evening Hours in participating parks. For a UK family of 4 the most expensive park to buy Lightning Lanes is in Magic Kingdom.
In Magic Kingdom in May 2026, the cost of Lightning Lanes for a family of 4 would have cost between:
- £86.99 ($116.00) - £134.98 ($180.00) for 2 Lightning Lane Single Passes each to ride TRON and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- £86.99 ($116.00) - £116.98 ($156.00) for Lightning Lane Multi Pass for 4 people to use throughout the day
- TOTAL LIGHTNING LANE MULTI PASS AND SINGLE PASS COST: £173.97 ($232.00) - £251.96 ($336.00)
On paper, the value isn’t there.
However, the real value in Extended Evening Hours lies in spending less time on your phone both on holiday and before, and enjoying the quieter park experience and cooler temperatures.
Why it’s Not Worth £2,684 Just For Extended Evening Hours?
When you are only considering whether it is worth the cost upgrading to Deluxe Hotels to get Extended Evening Hours, it’s not worth it because:
- You’re planning without a schedule. As many UK visitors book with a 12-18 month wait before their trip, you have no idea what parks will be included in Extended Evening Hours or the nights it will be on until around 3 months before your trip.
- Using a combination of Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass is a cheaper combination for UK visitors, so you’re paying for an expensive perk
What Else Could You Spend £2,684 On?
Rather than spending money to upgrade your Disney resort just to get Extended Evening Hours you could:
- Use After Hours to get a better experience, (in my opinion), than Extended Evening Hours
- Pay for a couple of days of Lightning Lane Premier Pass and ride everything in the park at your own pace from rope drop to end of day
- Another 14-night hotel stay in a Value Resort!
- UK Magic Tickets for a family of 4 for the whole trip
Knowing what you want form your trip, and what you are comfortable spending is key.
Buy After Hours Tickets Instead For Extra Exclusive Night-time Park Hours
Disney offer an event called After Hours that runs on select nights in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios that runs between January and September, it finishes a little earlier in Magic Kingdom. This event costs less than £200 a person, with prices varying depending on date. Not only do you get an hour longer in the park than you do with Extended Evening Hours, you also get free snacks.
For any UK visitors considering upgrading to a Deluxe Resort purely to experience Extended Evening Hours, buying tickets for After Hours can save you money and offer a better experience in the parks, with free snacks.
Why Deluxe Resorts Are So Much More Than Just Extended Evening Hours
Deluxe Resorts offer a very different experience to Value and Moderate Resorts, and you’ll find:
- bigger rooms, some with more amenities
- better pools with design areas
- table service dining options on-site
- different theming and a more immersive resort experience
Extended Evening Hours is another extra for this level of accommodation, rather than the reason to be thinking about an upgrade.
Split Stay Strategy: Best Option For Most UK Visitors Wanting Extended Evening Hours
For UK visitors considering Extended Evening Hours and who want the experience of a Deluxe Resort, a split stay is often the best option. Whether you:
- stay in a Disney Value Resort for 10 nights, and then a Deluxe Resort for 4, or
- in an off-site option and spend a few nights in a Deluxe hotel.
A split stay offers UK visitors the chance to enjoy all of the Deluxe Resort benefits and luxuries without spending £1000’s. Making sure your stay falls on a Monday or Wednesday night if booking in advance, or waiting until 60 days before travel to book guarantees Extended Evening Hours are on the nights you stay. Just remember to book to stay the night of Extended Evening Hours to get the benefit.
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Are Deluxe Resorts worth it for Extended Evening Hours?
No, not for Extended Evening Hours only, but Deluxe Resorts are worth it if you want a touch of luxury during your Disney World holiday.
Can you get Extended Evening Hours in Value and Moderate Resorts?
No, you need to be staying in Deluxe hotels to get access to free Extended Evening Hours,
How much extra is it to upgrade from a Moderate Resort to a Deluxe Resort?
The cost to upgrade is around £3,000 for a family of 4 depending on what dates you are travelling.
