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Credit: Inside the MagicFourth of July weekend is officially underway and it is clear many Guests are spending the holiday at the Most Magical Place on Earth — Walt Disney World.
Inside the Magic was visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom yesterday, July 2, and the crowd levels were certainly higher than normal.
Related: Guests Forced to Stand In Long Line Due to Intense Crowd Levels at Magic Kingdom
Over in Africa, near Dawa Bar and where the Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe perform, Guests were seeing packed into the walkways. Some were headed towards Kilimanjar Safaris while others were walking towards the of the Lion King.
As we approached Festival of the Lion King, we found more crowds. Many Guests were heading towards the theater to try and catch the first showing of Festival of the Lion King, causing a backup in the walkways.
The line for Festival of the Lion King stretched from the theater all the way to the bridge which leads into Pandora — World of Avatar.
We expect these crowd levels to keep up this weekend as the holiday continues, so be prepared and expect longer than average wait times for popular attractions.
Keep in mind, if you plan on visiting Walt Disney World, you will need a valid Park ticket as well as a Park Pass reservation. The new Disney Park Pass reservation system was introduced when the theme parks reopened after temporarily closing due to the ongoing pandemic. The reasoning behind this new system is to help Disney monitor and control the crowd levels and capacity on any given day.
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.
As we approach the remainder of summer, we expect to see the Park Pass availability continue to sell out so if you are planning on visiting Walt Disney World and its four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom — be sure to secure your Park Passes as soon as possible.
Additionally, we do want to note that recently, Disney CFO Christine McCarthy stated that Park’s capacity would never return to normal as they are “managing things differently now”. This sparked quite the conversation amongst Disney fans as many can’t imagine what “full capacity” would look like considering how packed the Parks are now.
Are you visiting Disney World this holiday weekend? Have you experienced the high crowd levels? Let us know in the comments below.