Credit: DisneyDisney World saw a crowd-level dip throughout its summer season, which is still in motion. But with a special ticketed event starting yesterday on select nights, it would appear the large crowds have officially returned to the Parks.
Related: Disney Acknowledges Park Reservation System Failure, Announces New Guidelines for 2024
Disney World – A Summer of Heat Waves and Low Crowd Levels?
News outlets have reported all summer that the crowds at Disney World have disappeared from the Parks within the Resort. An anomaly during the Fourth of July weekend set off a firecracker that has not stopped as media outlets like CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, and more have jumped on the bandwagon of reporting the “empty” crowds within WDW. But the event has been called an anomaly as Disney Guests visiting the Parks throughout the entire summer thus far have reported lengthy wait times, significant crowd levels, and special ticketed events selling out. At the start of the summer, several heat waves struck the area, and another massive and record-breaking heat wave hit Central Florida this week. The heat led to all ride wait times soaring to new heights, along with many Disney fans canceling their summer trips to stay away from the dangerous heat index, which saw temperatures rise as high as 101 in some areas, including Walt Disney World Resort.
Related: Disney Admits’ Star Wars’ Resort Was Destined to Fail, Will Lose Quarter of a Billion Dollars
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Off to a Booming Start as Crowds Storm Magic Kingdom
The wildly popular and highly demanded Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party has officially returned to Walt Disney World, and the grand opening date has been sold out for quite some time. Tickets went on sale on May 2, over 100 days ago. As the crowds flocked to Magic Kingdom, Guests began to post to social media to showcase just how popular this event truly is:
I would love to see data on how many guests now forgo buying single-day or multi day tickets, and instead just buy tix to after hours events. Lower crowds during the day, but the parties “selling-out” may be a matter of people choosing a shorter trip with just doing these events https://t.co/KzMa4w23Zk
— Chris Wakefield (@wakefieldreport) August 11, 2023
91 degrees with a real feel of 107.
Absolutely. Not. https://t.co/fRxtEuM4tZ
— Don’t Do Disney…Without Daniel & Zach 🌈 (@wdwaristocrafts) August 11, 2023
The heat wave is still throughout the area, which temperatures reaching as high as 91 degrees in Orlando. Guests were quick to point out just how insane and massive these crowd levels are compared to previous years and previous days, but again, this is primarily due to the event kicking off yesterday and being so popular. But the price tag has nearly tripled in less than a decade, turning away Guests who’d rather spend that month elsewhere instead of one time at WDW.
Related: Disney Immediately Ceases ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Marvel’ Content Moving Forward
Large crowds mean high wait times for major attractions. Attractions like Tron Lightcycle / Run have an indoor queue that requires Guests to book a time slot to get on the interest. But the queue line for this new and popular ride filled up and closed seconds after opening, leading to many angry Guests. The event was listed as “limited,” meaning anyone who did not buy a ticket could not enter. But the crowds shown above seem to say otherwise. With summer coming to a close and the return of Mickey’s Halloween Party, the supposed “empty Park” claims are gone for good despite most schools starting up again across the country. If you want to purchase a Mickey’s Halloween Party ticket, hurry. The entire month of August is sold out, along with several days in September already. Any chances of heading to the Magic Kingdom for this event on Halloween are also out of the question, as it’s also sold out for that day.