Credit: Jess Colopy, Inside the MagicIt’s the most wonderful, most crowded, and most chaotic time of the year at the Walt Disney World Resort. With Christmas falling on a Thursday, most families took advantage of the two-week break and headed to Central Florida early this year to ring in the holidays and the New Year at Disney World.
Disney understands that with peak crowds, guests may not get to experience everything they want this year, so Disney offers guests a few little extras to make the season bright. There are, of course, the decorations and the national holiday traditions at EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays. However, one of the best free perks that Disney offers its guests is a nighttime fireworks show, which is usually reserved exclusively for guests with after-hours tickets.
Beginning on December 22, Disney removed Happily Ever After from its usual timeslot at Magic Kingdom and replaced it with Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. Minnie’s fireworks are usually only available to guests with tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but from December 22 to 29, all Magic Kingdom guests get to view the fireworks for free.
So, with last night being the first night of Minneis’ Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, thousands of guests flocked to Magic Kingdom to behold the sight. However, when the fireworks were over, and they tried to leave the park, they were caught up in an unusual event at Magic Kingdom.
A few minutes after the fireworks show ended, thousands of guests rushed to the Magic Kingdom exits, only to find that there was a 90+ minute wait just to get onto the monorail or boat to return to the Transportation and Ticket Center. Once the gusts got back to the Transportation and Ticket Center, they were once again forced to wait in long lines for trams back to their cars.
In a video posted on social media, guests can be seen forming long lines that fill the entire entrance area in front of the ticketing stands. Many of the commenters said that lines this long to leave the park are almost unheard of, except after the fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
These lines started forming after the fireworks at 8:50, but the park did not close until 11 p.m. If you happen to get stuck in those lines, simply go back inside the park and enjoy yourself rather than waiting in line. However, after a long day at the park, when you just want to go home, waiting 90 minutes to get back to your car can ruin an otherwise perfect day at Magic Kingdom.
What’s the longest you’ve ever waited for anything at Disney World? Let us know in the comments.