Crowds and Closures Kill Disney's Best Season

It’s officially summer, and families are heading all across the country to enjoy their vacations. The Walt Disney World Resort is one of the hottest tourist destinations in existence. Unfortunately, that might not necessarily be a good thing.

Entrance sign of Walt Disney World, featuring large bold letters and images of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, under a sunny sky with fluffy clouds, viewed from a road lined with palm trees near Typhoon — Credit: Jeremy Y., Flickr

Disney World undoubtedly lives up to the old adage of “the place where memories are made.” However, this summer is shaping up to be a bit of a hassle for the next wave of guests.

The parks and resorts still have all the magic one can expect from Disney, but reports of increasing temperatures, dangerous weather, and exorbitant wait times are quickly sucking away the charm. It might be better to wait until fall before buying your tickets.

Rethinking the Disney World Vacation

A young girl in a pink dress and tiara hugs snow white, who wears her signature blue, red, and yellow costume, inside a warmly lit room with decorative walls. — Credit: Disney

Reports out of Disney this summer haven’t been very encouraging. Although guests are getting two new attractions (Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and the Country Bear Musical Jamboree), certain closures and cancellations (namely Test Track and the Fourth of July Fireworks), the conditions at the Parks might not be worth the hassle.

In this writer’s opinion, there’s not enough Mickey Mouse merch in the world to warrant a trip to the parks in the dead of summer. That said, it might be the only time some families can make the trip.

If that is true, some severe re-planning is definitely in order as Disney’s 2024 tourist season is in for more than a few curveballs. Here’s what visitors can expect and reasons they might want to wait for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party before their next trip.

Openings and Closings

Disneyland Attraction closed now; Space Mountain — Credit: Inside the Magic

It’s always exciting whenever a Disney park gets a new ride, but even those events can lead to uncomfortable situations. The most recent examples concern Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and EPCOT’s Test Track, and both might be responsible for different types of drama.

Inside the Magic has gone into great detail on how Tiana’s reception will be anything but overwhelming, but that doesn’t mean guests will avoid it. Paired with the Florida heat, many guests will likely go the extra mile just so they can get splashed, regardless of the weird animatronic frogs.

Country Bear Jamboree at Magic Kingdom — Credit: Disney

The same thought process could also be applied to the upcoming Country Bear Musical Jamboree (opening July 17, 2024), as dozens of sweltering guests will undoubtedly clamber into the air-conditioned theatre to catch the new show. Of course, openings aren’t the only issue.

Since Test Track closed for its reimagining, EPCOT has been facing an overwhelming amount of guest traffic. While the work being done appears to be cosmetic, its absence has led to bloated wait times, which has also led to hundreds of dissatisfied guests.

Waiting and Wishing

Mickey Mouse with his hands on his head in disbelief with a large crowd at Disney World. — Credit: Inside The Magic

That brings us to another factor that will likely dissuade guests from visiting this summer. Because rides and attractions are changing, a large wave of guests is seizing the parks, and it’s peak tourist season when so many flock to Florida, wait times will be astronomical.

Any Disney fan worth their salt knows that waiting in queues is part of the package deal, but summer is notorious for being absolutely swamped. It’s awful hard to be magical when you have to spend most of your vacation standing and waiting.

You can do Genie+, Lightning Lanes, rope-drop, and all manner of strategies for taking on the parks, but waiting will still happen. The sooner guests accept that, the better.

Florida Sunshine or a Disney World Deluge

A dramatic image of Cinderella's castle at Disney World with dark, stormy skies and multiple lightning strikes illuminating the background. — Image Credit: Inside the Magic

If there’s one thing only slightly less unpredictable than the guests themselves, it’s the weather. Not only can the temperatures climb into the triple digits, particularly in July, but summer also kicks off the start of hurricane season.

Although Disney has more than a few ways to combat rainy weather, tropical storms and their more violent cousins can put more than a damper on things. Panchos, water bottles, and pocket fans are all wonderful, but they can still take up bag space and be a hassle to put back.

Additionally, Florida is set to get not one but two tropical storms this year. One only has to look back to last year’s EPCOT flooding to realize how much damage they can do and how many hundreds of guests they can push out of the parks.

Walt Disney World Railroad at the Magic Kingdom entrance — Credit: Brett Kiger via Flickr

This might sound more than pessimistic, but so many guests only get to the Disney parks once. It makes much more sense to plan ahead for a time when the ebb and flow of things is much more manageable.

That said, no trip is 100% perfect. However, making the most of any Disney vacation should be everyone’s top priority. To truly do that, it might be best to wait until the peak tourist season subsides.

Are you going to Disney World this summer? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!