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We have seen a massive increase in crowd levels at Walt Disney World’s theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom — over these last few months due to spring break. Now, those crowds are continuing as this weekend is Easter weekend.
Related: Crowds Pack Into EPCOT Despite Disney Not Operating at Full Capacity
Many families visited EPCOT yesterday, Friday, April 16, resulting in long lines for rides and packed in crowds. For example, Spaceship Earth’s line wrapped outside of the designated queue area as the posted wait time was 60 minutes!
TikTok user rhihanna0327 shared a video to the social media platform showing the Spaceship Earth line extending outside of the designated queue, writing:
I miss the days where spaceship earth was only 10 mins
You can see the full video below.
@rhianna0327 I miss the days where spaceship earth was only 10 mins #disney #disneyland #waltdisneyworld #PassTheBIC #ComeDanceWithMe #ScreamItOut #disneyworld #magickingdom #disneyadult #epcot #genieplus #disneyhaul #fyp #disneyplus
Related: Disney Ride Lines Take Over Magic Kingdom Due to Spring Break Crowds
Although the crowds look as though they are at pre-pandemic levels, we have recently confirmed Disney is still not operating at full capacity — and may never do so again.
During the Morgan Stanley’s 2022 Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, Disney CFO Christine McCarthy stated that Park’s capacity would never return to normal as they are “managing things differently now”. She went on to explain that they do “not want to have the Parks bursting at the seams”, and by keeping a reduced capacity in place, Guests can have a more enjoyable time.
Although McCarthy stated they do “not want to have the Parks bursting at the seams”, the amount of Guests attempting to leave EPCOT seems like the complete opposite.
Related: Guest Says They Will Not Return Until Disney Gets Crowds “Under Control”
Once Walt Disney World and Disneyland reopened to Guests after temporarily closing due to the ongoing pandemic, the theme parks implemented a new reservation system to help monitor Park capacity called the Park Pass system. Now, in order to enter a theme park — including Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom — at Walt Disney World or Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure at Disneyland, Guests must not only have valid Park admission, but a valid Park Pass reservation.
As we continue to fight the ongoing pandemic, more families are eager to get out and travel again, meaning that Park Passes are continuing to book up quickly, leaving Guests disappointed because they either can not visit select theme parks on select days, or they are inside the theme park with thousands of other Guests.
In 2020, Chairman of Parks, Experiences and Products Josh D’Amaro indicated that the newly implemented Park Pass system is a “new normal” that isn’t going away anytime soon, if ever, so Guests should get accustomed to utilizing the Disney Park Pass system if they are planning a trip to Walt Disney World.
If you are planning on visiting Walt Disney World, make sure you plan ahead and secure your Park Pass reservation.
Have you visited Walt Disney World recently or are you planning to? Let us know in the comments below.
If you want to visit Walt Disney World on your next vacation, let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation. You won’t want to miss everything the Parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district has to offer!