Guests Forced to Stand In Extended Queue as Pirates Line Takes Over

Due to spring break, we have continuously 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.

This past weekend, we also saw an increase in crowd levels over at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure due to Easter weekend. In fact, because of the holiday crowds, the line for Pirates of the Caribbean extend outside the regular queue and into the land it resonates in.

pirates of the caribbean disneyland paris — Credit: Disney

Related: INSANE Space Mountain Line Completely Takes Over Tomorrowland

This past weekend, many families visited Disneyland as it was a holiday weekend. Due to the number of Guests inside the theme parks, the wait times for many attractions were longer than some may have been expecting.

For example, the line for Pirates of the Caribbean had to be extended outside the regular queue area as it took over New Orleans Square. The posted wait time was 55 minutes, but by the looks of the line, many estimated they would wait much longer.

One Guest posted a video of the line to TikTik, which you can see below.

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.

Pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean attraction — Credit: Disney

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.

pirates of the caribbean — Credit: Disney

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 or Disneyland.

If you are planning on visiting Disneyland, make sure you plan ahead and secure your Park Pass reservation.

Have you visited Disneyland recently or are you planning to? Let us know in the comments below.

If you want to visit Disneyland 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 — Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure — and the Downtown Disney shopping and dining district has to offer!