Credit: Jess Colopy, Inside the MagicCrowds fled two Walt Disney World Resort theme parks this weekend as the Central Florida vacation destination experienced two massive events simultaneously.
January 12 marked two finales for the Disney parks: the end of the runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and the closure of most of DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Thousands of athletes flocked to all four theme parks to celebrate their accomplishments as nostalgic Disney Parks fans headed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for one last visit to the prehistoric era.
Walt Disney World Resort typically sees high crowd levels during runDisney weekends. Many Disney Parks fans expected the experience would be worse when coupled with the closure of most of DinoLand U.S.A. on Sunday. Although crowds swarmed Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park until it closed, much of Walt Disney World Resort saw a decline in visitors that evening.
Redditor u/alysamh_ shared these screenshots from the My Disney Experience app showing low wait times across Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Wait times were less than an hour across the board, even for the most popular attractions like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Slinky Dog Dash.
Why are the wait times so low tonight?
Why are the wait times so low tonight?
byu/alysamh_ inDisneyWorld
Disney Parks fans were surprised to see such low wait times during a typically busy weekend, but many had theories for the low theme park attendance. Many locals, for example, exclusively visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park on Sunday to say goodbye to DinoLand U.S.A.
“Everyone was over at DAK saying goodbye to Dinoland U.S.A.?” u/askewedview wrote.
“There was a good crowd there,” u/clownbaby456 replied. “30+ minute wait for triceratops spinners.”
Other Disney Parks fans pointed out that while exhausted marathoners might’ve visited the Disney parks earlier in the day, most likely retired for the evening after a race that takes such a toll on the body.
“Runners and family have called it a day after getting up early,” said u/accurate_advice1506.
But most Central Florida locals said the cold weather kept families away from Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and Disney Springs. This weekend, the area near Walt Disney World Resort saw lows in the 40s.
“It isn’t a super busy time, the marathon was this morning and it’s freaking cold out for those of us who live locally,” u/sparty219 wrote.
“Not everyone comes from a place where mid 50s in January is considered nice,” u/Logical-Wasabi7402 agreed.
Did you visit Walt Disney World Resort during the recent runDisney marathon weekend? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.