Forgetting to do this 1 thing could ruin your Disney trip

For an admitted Type A vacation planner like me, I enjoy the ins and outs of planning a Disney World vacation. When my alarm goes off 60 days before my vacation, signaling it's time to begin booking my Disney dining reservations, I pop out of bed full of excitement. I also get a little thrill when I snag the Disney Genie+ or virtual queue times I was hoping for.

Related: 'Be our guest' at these 5 best character dining meals at Walt Disney World

Whether you enjoy the process or not, there are many boxes to tick when planning a Disney trip, and it can be easy to let one or two important details slip through the cracks. Specifically, there is one often overlooked detail that can have a major impact on your visit, especially if you have your heart set on a twilight ride on Tron Lightcycle / Run or seeing one of Disney's fireworks spectaculars light up the night sky.

The one important thing you need to do while planning your trip to ensure your Disney vacation feels like a fairy tale from start to finish? Check the park hours.

Why you need to check Disney's park hours

On most days of the year, you can expect Disney's four theme parks to open around 8 or 9 a.m. and close between 9 and 11 p.m. The exception is Disney's Animal Kingdom, which tends to wind down earlier in the evening in accordance with the sleep schedules of its animal residents.

This fairly predictable schedule gets turned on its Mickey-shaped head when Disney hosts special after-hours events throughout the year. This is most evident in the fall and winter months when events like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party occur three or four nights each week.

Related: These are the best times to visit Disney World

On special-event nights, the park where the event is being held (most often the Magic Kingdom) closes as early as 6 p.m. to guests with regular daytime tickets. If you are planning to visit the Magic Kingdom as a regular guest on a day when a Halloween or Christmas party is scheduled, you'll be politely ushered out at that time. You'll miss out on nighttime rides, fireworks and a few extra hours inside the park.

Related: Tips for visiting Disney World at Christmas: Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and beyond

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After the park closes to daytime guests, after-hours party guests enjoy parades, fireworks, special entertainment and more, but you can only get in on the fun if you have a ticket.

If you check Disney's theme park hours for the date(s) of your visit beforehand, you'll know well in advance if you plan to visit on a day when one of the parks closes early and plan accordingly. For frequent Disney visitors, this may seem like common knowledge. But those who don't visit often or are planning their first trip sometimes show up unaware of this detail and leave feeling disappointed that their day was cut short.

How to check park hours at Disney World

It's easy to check the operating hours for Disney's theme parks on the Walt Disney World website. From Disney's homepage, hover over "Parks & Tickets" and click on "More Hours" in the right-hand column under today's park hours.

This will take you to a page where you can choose which dates and parks you want to view hours for. This will show you not only the operating hours but also the times for any parades and fireworks, early entry hours, park-hopping hours and whether there are any special events that will cause the park to close early.

You should check the hours for each park you plan to visit during your trip so you have an accurate picture of what your trip will look like. If you want nighttime hours in the Magic Kingdom during the run of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, for example, you'll want to visit on a nonparty day.

Park operating hours are also available in the My Disney Experience app. If you scroll down a bit after opening the app, you can see today's hours for each park. Or, you can click on "All hours" to choose another date.

When Disney releases park hours

Disney releases operating hours for each of its four theme parks about 60 to 75 days in advance, according to the official planDisney website. A good rule of thumb is to check the park hours around the time your dining reservation window opens. This gives you time to make changes to your itinerary before any reservations are set in stone.

Why you might want to visit when a park closes early

A park closing early isn't necessarily a bad thing. It all depends on your goals for the day. When the Magic Kingdom closes early on party nights, you may miss out on fireworks, but the crowds at that park will likely be lower than on a regular day. That's because many guests without party tickets will flock to one of Disney's other three parks that aren't closing early.

If you are willing to swap evening hours for lower wait times during the day, a party day could be a good day to visit. This holds true if you have a Park Hopper ticket, as well. You can start your day at a less-crowded Magic Kingdom and move to another park at 2 p.m. when park-hopping becomes available.

Bottom line

Planning your Disney vacation is like putting together a puzzle. You need to have all the pieces — or information — to complete the puzzle and have the best day ever. Knowing each park's operating hours during your visit is just one of many important pieces to that puzzle.