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Credit: Forsaken Fotos, FlickrGuests visiting the Walt Disney World Resort yesterday may have had to wait longer than they expected for several rides.
Despite Presidents’ Day being on Monday, it seems as though the holiday weekend crowds continued on to Tuesday as guests complained of high wait times and large crowds throughout the parks. @LeetMor shared a few screenshots to X/Twitter, saying, “some of the most absurd wait times today. if you are at home already STAY HOME!”
some of the most absurd wait times today. if you are at home already STAY HOME! pic.twitter.com/1oWFF2fw1R
— meet n’ leet (@LeetMor) February 20, 2024
The photos show screenshots of several attractions across the Disney World parks, including Mission: SPACE at EPCOT with a 75-minute wait, Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom with a 150-minute wait, Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios at 180 minutes, and even the Walt Disney World Railroad hit 60 minutes at one point.
It’s certainly odd, considering it was a Tuesday following a holiday weekend although it may have been the stragglers on a long weekend. The high wait times and large amount of guests come after a busy Christmas season at Disney which saw several of the parks reach capacity and the controversial Genie+ reach sell out several days in a row. The resort is currently in its typically slower season, although complaints have discussed the eventual disappearance of any sort of slower time at the Disney parks.
@crazyparkguy shared his opinion on the concept of Disney’s slow season, saying, “Just toss out the idea of an ‘off season’ because it no longer exists,” he replied. “And probably wont for a few years. A LOT of guests are now rebooking their postponed 2020 trips. 2021-2023 we saw ‘revenge travel’ trends. Now we’re starting to see people recouping financially and replanning.”
@wakefiledreport chimed in with their own opinion, stating, “Reminder: The parks aren’t seeing record-breaking crowds. There’s just fewer things to do in the parks. Year after year, more entertainment gets cut, more rides are breaking down due to lack of maintenance. And relief (new rides) isn’t in sight for AT LEAST 5-6 more years.” He continued by adding, “Yes, I know it’s a holiday break. That doesn’t excuse Disney chronically understaffing their parks, letting maintenance standards slip, and refusing to build new shows/attractions to increase capacity so when a family visits on a holiday weekend, they have a decent experience.”
Unfortunately, it seems as though Disney is actively working to prevent a slow or “off” season within the parks through the potential use of some of these speculated decisions. At the very least, despite reports of the parks being empty, they’re clearly not, even in the middle of February. If you have a Walt Disney World vacation coming up, be sure to entertain the possibility of higher-than-expected wait times and large crowds.
Do you think Disney is actively trying to diminish its off-season? Or was it just a busy holiday weekend? Let us know what you think in the comments below!