It’s summertime in Disney World, and you know what that means!
Magic Kingdom
It’s HOT. And humid. And also, probably crowded! The parks are filled with guests taking their vacations in between school years, so you’ll need a special set of skills to navigate the theme parks during this time of year. And if you’re traveling soon, we want to help set your expectations properly, so we’re sharing a full crowd update on what Disney World looks like right now!
Magic Kingdom
Starting out at Magic Kingdom, we first noticed the crowds when we arrived at the Transportation & Ticket Center this morning. There, the line for the monorail was pretty backed up — a sight we haven’t seen in a while!
You might have to wait for the monorail.
When we got to the park, we found the rest of the people waiting to get inside. Here, the park entrance lines were pretty long, and it felt very full in the plaza in front of the tapstiles. If you’re planning on rope dropping the park sometime soon, make sure to have your MagicBand, MagicMobile, or ticket card ready to go when you get up to the entrance — it makes the process go much more smoothly.
It was VERY crowded at the entrance.
On Main Street, U.S.A., the crowds weren’t quite as dense, but they were still heavy. Closer to the castle, they started to disperse as guests headed out for the different lands of the park.
Still pretty bad out here!
But, throughout the morning, we noticed some pretty long lines for rides. Make sure to download the My Disney Experience app before your trip so that you can watch those wait times!
Lots of long lines!
Handling crowds in Magic Kingdom can be a challenge, so we highly recommend arriving well before the park opens (that way you can be first in line for rides) and staying until park close, if possible, to make the most of your time.
EPCOT
Moving over to EPCOT, we encountered a pretty busy park here as well! It was very busy inside The Land Pavilion this morning, with the queue for Living with the Land getting backed up into the walkway.
The Land Pavilion was PACKED.
The same was true over in World Showcase, where the line to meet Minnie Mouse in her gazebo was much longer than we typically would expect. It was wrapped around the area and into the main walkway.
Lots of guests waiting to meet her!
Frozen Ever After was popular as always! If you’re hoping to do this ride on your upcoming trip, keep in mind that much of the wait (if it’s crowded) will be outdoors in the direct sun. Be prepared with sunscreen, cooling towels, handheld fans, or whatever other gadgets you need to survive that Florida heat.
Look at that line!
We’ll make sure to keep you updated on crowd levels in Disney World throughout the summer, so stay tuned! There are quite a few big things happening in Disney World in the next few months, from reopenings to big events.
Lots of guests are being drawn to the parks right now during vacation season, especially because of things like the 50th Anniversary celebration, the opening of new rides (like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind), or because they’re finally taking those vacations that they canceled in 2020 and 2021. It looks like we can expect a busy summer!
Want to learn HOW to beat the crowds in Disney World? Start here:
- Over 15 Secret Walkways to Beat the Crowds in Disney World
- Is Genie+ NECESSARY Now in Disney World? We Spill the Tea.
- The Disney World Rides You Should Visit FIRST
- When to AVOID Planning a Trip to Disney World in 2023
- The LEAST Crowded Times to Visit Walt Disney World
- Genie+ Tips for the Most Crowded Days in Disney World and Disneyland
Why You’re Planning Your 2022 Disney World Vacation Wrong — Click Here!
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H2oplus.com is having a 40% off everything sale right now. You can buy the Disney stuff there however they no longer sell the sea salt body wash you get at the hotels in the large size. You have to go to Shop Disney for that. That change is recent.
And yet Disney parks management state that they are not at 100% crowd capacity. So why do they still have reservations if crowds are like this? Reservations don’t seem to be controlling the crowd levels, it seems to be making things worse. Also, with large crowds like this, why do they do they still need restrict the park hopping times? It seems keeping people trapped in one park until 2:00 pm makes the parks crowded for longer periods of the day. In my opinion they need to get rid of reservations and bring back all day/any time park hopping. Even it does not affect crowd control, it will make guest a whole lot happier and satisfied.
Isn’t the purpose of park reservations to manage the crowds in the parks so everyone can have a Magical time? I don’t understand why it’s so crazy.
I thought park reservations was initiated to stop over crowding?
It’s been like this since February 9th. I went in early and still stood in line for 80 minutes on mine train. Plus all the mountains were down.