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Credit: vmpyr_david, FlickrDisney World is practically giving away tickets this summer; well, not quite. Disney World has offered discounted room rates, dining packages, and special ticket prices for adults and children.
This can be seen as a counter to the opening of Epic Universe on May 22, but Disney fans don’t care. If they can get into the parks for less money, what does it matter what Disney’s motivation is?
But that begs the question: With Disney World offering so many discounts, what does that do to the park crowd levels this summer? Let’s take a closer look at some of the possibilities.
Crowd Calendars
The online crowd calendars are split on the summer at the Walt Disney World Resort. Some predict huge crowds for June and July, with some smaller crowds in August when Florida schools are back in session, while others are showing another slow summer for Disney.
Last year saw some of the lowest July crowds in over a decade. For most of the month, Disney World was virtually empty despite steep summer discounts.
Disney World experts generally feel that the remainder of 2025 will be slow at the Walt Disney World Resort. The main reason is construction.
Large portions of Animal Kingdom will be closed for the foreseeable future. At Magic Kingdom, Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will close in 2026, so guests looking for a final ride will have to wait until next year.
At Hollywood Studios, Muppet Vision 3D closes on June 8, but that will only drive guests for a couple of days. EPCOT has the only revamped experience opening with a new version of Test Track coming this summer, but will that drive crowds?
With very little buzz, there’s good reason to skip Disney World trips in 2025, but there are two wild cards to consider.
The Wild Cards
With Epic Universe’s pending opening, there remains a great unknown for Disney World crowds this summer: will guests heading to Universal for Epic’s opening split their vacation and head to Disney World?
Epic Universe is going to draw large crowds, at least for the opening month, but will some of those crowds head to Disney World too? Disney executives seem to think so, but no one knows for sure.
The second wild card is the economy. Americans feel shaky about the economy, making them less likely to spend on vacations.
With these two unknowns, knowing how crowded Disney World will be this summer is more complex than ever, but all signs point to another slow summer.
Do you think Disney World will be harder this summer?