1Dwindling Walt Disney World crowds took the media by storm this summer. It started when attendance plummeted on July 4, typically one of the busiest weekends for Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney Springs.
Guests reported empty Walt Disney World Resort hotels throughout the hotter months. Nearly every Walt Disney World crowd calendar anticipated a busy Labor Day Weekend, but like Independence Day, the Disney Parks were practically empty.
Some blame low Walt Disney World attendance on political conflict. They say people are protesting Florida Governor Ron DeSantis or boycotting The Walt Disney Company for turning against the Republican leader. Others blame the end of COVID-19 revenge travel and skyrocketing inflation.
Regardless of the reason, Walt Disney World Resort seemed to anticipate a slower summer. The Central Florida Disney Park announced unprecedented Disney Park ticket and Resort hotel discounts in late spring. Months later, they discounted VIP Tours – a service rarely sold for less than full price.
On Reddit this week, recent Walt Disney World Resort visitors reflected on crowd levels during their trips. While most noticed a decline in wait times and crowding, many argued that it wasn’t as empty as some reports made it seem.
“I was there last week and it was by no means dead,” u/Bigswole92 said. “Many of the more popular rides still had 60+ minute wait times. Maybe ‘less crowded’ than usual by Disney standards but still pretty d*mn crowded.”
“‘Lower than expected’ doesn’t mean ‘objectively low,’” u/AfterTheNightIWakeUp agreed. “It’s still plenty crowded.”
“I think that it has been relatively low in comparison to the past few years, which were abnormally packed, but I think it has settled back to ‘normal,’” u/PrincessofWales wrote.
“Just got back from [a long] weekend with my wife,” u/ihatethisplace12321 said. “Friday evening at HS wasn’t bad. Rode everything we wanted in 4 hrs. Sat at EPCOT was busy but not awful. Sunday at MK was dead. Monday EPCOT was dead too. Always big waits on A type attractions but no more than 20 on everything else.”
When asked what the next year would look like for Walt Disney World crowds, most guests anticipated that not much would change.
“The demand for the parks is dropping, for a variety of reasons,” u/cmfolsom theorized. “(No major new attractions, economic factors, etc.) What this means is that the incentives for visiting are going to change. We are already seeing the holiday offer for $1000 gift cards, the return of the Dining Plan, and Disney will likely continue to use these things through next year and into 2025.”
“Whether the incentives that Disney has at its fingertips are compelling to potential guests is going to be the main factor about how busy it will be in the next 2-3 years,” they continued. “They might not be enough, or the company might not be willing to overextend themselves relative to the theme park revenue they will get with lower crowds anyway.”
Have you noticed decreasing Walt Disney World crowd levels? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on personal Disney Parks Guest experiences. No two Guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.