food IS a theme park
It’s the end of the year, which means it’s time to look back on 2022.
©Amazon
In 2022 we laughed, we cried, … and we shopped. A LOT.
Disney has a HUGE hit film on its hands with Avatar: The Way of Water.
©Disney
The film returns us to the world of Pandora (the planet, not the land in Animal Kingdom BASED on the planet) for an all-new story about the Na’vi. In celebration of the movie, we’ve had new foods in Disney World, as well as a fun Snapchat filter that turns you INTO a Na’vi. In the end, the film has been such a success that it could the biggest movie in the world this year!
Let’s just say — 2022 was not an easy year for The Walt Disney Company.
Magic Kingdom
Although the parks were back open post-pandemic and plenty of new content was released in theaters and on Disney+, the company was suffering financially. It all came to a head when CEO Bob Chapek left the company after just two years and was replaced by his predecessor Bob Iger. The financial issues were reflected in the stock market…and the final results aren’t pretty.
Southwest Airlines has been in the news a lot recently.
Southwest Plane
This week we saw staggering numbers of Southwest flight cancellations, and the airlines canceled upwards of 60-70% of their flights. The CEO has shared a statement regarding these cancellations.
UPDATE: Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure has reopened. The ride was down for about an hour due to technical difficulties, according to a Cast Member.
Disney World is BUSY right now, but that’s to be expected. It’s still the holiday season, after all!
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
There’s also something weird going on at Disney World today, too — while Magic Kingdom had some surprisingly low wait times this morning, EPCOT had some shockingly HIGH wait times. Those wait times might just get a little longer, too, because one popular ride there is currently closed.
If you’re headed to Disney World soon, you probably know that it can get super crowded some days.
New Years Eve Crowds in 2021!
Disney World requires Park Pass Reservations to try to manage the crowds, and that’s why we tell you to make your reservations as soon as you can — they do sell out!
So it’s probably no secret that the holiday season brings serious crowds to Disney World. That also means some seriously high wait times.
Cinderella Castle with holiday crowds
Granted, we haven’t seen as many crowds as we expected recently, but we have seen high wait times. And today, the EPCOT crowds are HEFTY!! On the flip side of that, things are a little…different in Magic Kingdom. The park that generally has the HIGHEST wait times has some relatively low wait times today!
If you’ve got a little one sitting next to you, cover their eyes…because we’re about to show something SCARY.
*screams*
Did anyone else scream?! Yep, those are the crowds in Disney World today, specifically EPCOT. The parks typically get pretty busy in the week between Christmas and New Year, but what we’re seeing today is unlike any other crowds we’ve seen this year. Don’t believe us? Keep scrolling to see the proof.
Who doesn’t want to spend some extra hours in a nearly empty Magic Kingdom?
Magic Kingdom Fireworks Crowds
Disney after-hours events allow you to do just that. Dates are already selling out for the 2023 after-hours events, and we’ve put together a list of everything the Hollywood Studios after-hours events offer, so we knew we needed to put together a Magic Kingdom event offering guide too!
Ahh January, it’s an interesting time to visit Disney World!
Disney’s Riviera Resort
The holiday season is over, and the crowds start to dwindle a bit after the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is finished. The weather is chilly, the Festival of the Arts kicks off…oh, and there are LOTS of refurbishments! Typically this winter season is a good time for Disney to temporarily close and update attractions, but this January, they’re adding a transportation option to that list.
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