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Credit: DisneyIf you’ve been keeping up with the newsfeeds, you’ll know that Walt Disney World is still locked in a continuous battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The Republican leader continues to lay siege on the Magic Kingdom despite urgings from his voters, constituents, and members of his own party. However, recent reports might have just dealt a blow to Disney.
Some fans say Florida has become a hostile and decidedly unsafe environment, namely towards the LGBTQ+ due to local legislature. Consequentially, it’s starting to have an effect on the population density of the Disney theme parks. While DeSantis might have some ludicrous opinions and plans in his vendetta against Disney, it’s starting to hit them where it hurts.
Busy Season Takes a Dive at Disney World
Seasoned Disney Park Guests know that two of the busiest times to visit Walt Disney World are during the summer and winter holidays. With Memorial Day being the unofficial start of vacations across the nation, it’s expectedly one of the most crowded times to brave the Magic Kingdom. However, this year took an unexpected turn.
The weekends are the busiest days for the Disney Parks in general, but a three-day weekend at the launch of summer vacation with a federal holiday is the recipe for an insanely crowded day at Disney World. However, Memorial Day Weekend of 2023 saw a surprisingly different result.
2022’s Memorial Day weekend came with an absolute swamp of people, as covered by Inside the Magic last year. However, as evidenced by the video above, this season saw a noticeable dip in crowd density. The crowd was so light, in fact, that the average wait time for most attractions and rides was under half an hour for Memorial Day alone (according to Thrill Data).
The unexpected decrease in crowd activity can understandably be linked back to the war between Disney and DeSantis, given the reports coming out of Florida. While we can’t say it’s the deciding factor, it does play a role. This could still be a coincidence, but it’s definitely a sign of the side-effects.
Do you think this is a blow against the Disney Parks? Tell Inside the Magic in the comments below!