It’s New Year’s Eve week!

We’ve already taken a look at what New Year’s Eve itself will look like in Disney World and what kind of fireworks and other festivities you can expect. But one thing you might be wondering about are the CROWDS. We’ve seen some pretty large crowds in the parks ahead of Christmas. So what do the New Year’s Eve week crowds look like? Here’s what we’re seeing.

Monday, December 27th

Hollywood Studios

On Monday, December 27th, we made our way around several of the parks and got a feel for the crowds. Let’s start in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. At Hollywood Studios, the crowds were there in full force.

Right at the entrance to the park, things were already looking crowded.

As we got just past the entrance, the crowds continued.

Here’s to the last Monday of 2021 🎉 pic.twitter.com/xtvmZ4MpfK

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 27, 2021

 

 

 

 

There were quite a few guests near the Disney Junior Dance Party area…

…near Star Tours…

…and in other parts of the park, though there were some gaps in the crowds as well.

While things were looking busy near Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance…

…they actually hadn’t really expanded the line into the extended queue area just yet.

In Toy Story Land, there were some substantial crowds as well…

…though there was more space over by Alien Swirling Saucers.

As is typically the case with crowds in Disney World, it all depends on timing and where you are.

But, generally, you can expect to see some longer lines at various spots, including snack kiosks, particularly during peak meal times.

Just keep in mind that crowd levels can shift and change in a single area and throughout different areas of the parks as the day goes on.

EPCOT

Over at EPCOT, things were looking VERY busy at the entrance as well.

Unsurprisingly, this is a popular week to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Disney Springs

In Disney Springs, crowd levels actually weren’t too bad, though we were there pretty early in the morning.

At the time we visited, Gideon’s Bakehouse didn’t even have a virtual queue in place, and the wait to get in was about 35 minutes.

Near Ever After Jewelry Co. & Accessories, there was a pretty substantial line of guests waiting to get the latest Dooney & Bourke 50th Anniversary release.

But overall, things at Disney Springs weren’t too bad. Later in the afternoon when we returned we saw some larger crowds here.

Tuesday, December 28th

Magic Kingdom

On the 28th, we made our way to a few parks to see what things were looking like. We’ll start in Magic Kingdom where the crowds were…intense.

Especially in that narrow area of Fantasyland, things were packed.

Yeah, that’s a lot of people.

As is to be expected, some rides had longer waits. The Barnstormer was up to a 40 minute wait.

And other rides had long lines that snaked past their entrances.

Be sure to look for those “end of line” signs to know where to enter.

In front of the castle, there were a LOT of people around.

But once you made your way down Main Street, U.S.A., and further into Town Square things were a bit better.

There were some spots with a bit of elbow room, but overall things were pretty busy in Magic Kingdom today (not a big surprise!).

Hollywood Studios

At Hollywood Studios, some areas were unsurprisingly busy.

Toy Story Land tends to be a popular spot for guests, and that was the case today.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was busy in some spots…

…but other places had some more room.

And we saw that the extended line for Rise of the Resistance had not been utilized.

Some merchandise locations were busier…

…but The Trolley Car Cafe wasn’t looking bad in terms of its line!

Again, it’s one of those things where the crowd levels can change throughout the day and depending on where you are in the park.

Disney Springs and Other Spots

At Disney Springs, we saw some big crowds over by the DisneyStyle store.

But over at Fort Wilderness, things were very quiet!! Sometimes taking time to rest at your hotel or stopping by another hotel for lunch and some shopping can be a good way to escape the park crowds.

Wednesday, December 29th

Magic Kingdom

This Wednesday was pretty busy at Disney World! Over at Magic Kingdom, we saw a lot of congestion over in Fantasyland.

This was a few hours after the park opened, and things were definitely very crowded.

Tomorrowland was also pretty packed. Here’s what the line for Space Mountain looked like.

Space had a pretty long line, but what was even more congested was the area by Tomorrowland Speedway, which is normally more relaxed.

Magic Kingdom was pretty packed today, but let’s keep looking at the other parks!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom was also pretty crowded today.

Some of the paths at DAK can already feel a little small, and this amount of people did not help that!

EPCOT

We didn’t get to EPCOT until the early afternoon, and when we did, the entrance was pretty clear.

Today would be a great day to snap a picture in front of Spaceship Earth, because it was basically empty when we got there.

However, once we moved into the World Showcase, we found where all of the people were hiding!

There was still room to breathe in other parts of EPCOT, but the World Showcase stayed pretty consistently busy throughout the day!

There were a lot of people at EPCOT today, but there was still enough space to catch a breather from the crowds!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios did not have a great day today. With several popular attractions seeing closures today, including Slinky Dog Dash, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and Rise of the Resistance. Hollywood Boulevard was packed when we were trying to enter the park.

Things certainly did not clear up when we went down Sunset Boulevard.

However, because of the closure, today was the perfect day to snap a picture of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster!

Those are the crowds we saw on Wednesday, December 29th!

Thursday, December 30th

Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios still saw some pretty sizable crowds today! Notably, the line for Starbucks was super backed up!

Joffrey’s also had quite the line. If you were trying to get a caffeine boost at Studios today, be prepared to wait!

Popular areas like Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge were pretty crowded! Here’s what Galaxy’s Edge was looking like this afternoon!

And here’s what things looked like in front of Slinky Dog Dash!

Slinky still had a pretty long queue, which is not out of the ordinary at all. Those were the crowds we found at Hollywood Studios today!

EPCOT

EPCOT saw a lot of people today, mainly in the World Showcase.

Things have definitely been worse in this area, but it was still pretty congested today!

Overall, EPCOT was people-y, but you could still get around! Th0se are the crowds we found at Disney World today!

We’ll continue to update this post with more crowd updates throughout the week. Check back for updates.

Thinking of visiting Disney World during a busy season? Check out our links below for tips and tricks to help you handle the crowds:

• How to avoid holiday crowd burnout in Disney World
• Genie+ tips for the most crowded days in Disney World and Disneyland
• Over 15 secret walkways to beat the crowds in Disney World

Here’s a quick checklist to help you manage those busy days in the parks:

• Have you made your Park Pass reservations yet?
• Do you have dining reservations for the days/places you want?
• Be sure to make that Mobile Order early in the day
• Have you checked the weather ahead of your trip?
• Have you made a list of the things that are a priority for you to accomplish?

Going through this checklist can help you be prepared to handle your day and whatever may get thrown at you.

We’ll keep an eye out for more crowd news and let you know what we find. Check back for all the latest updates!

Click here see how many flights were canceled on the 27th ahead of New Year’s Eve.

What crowd tips do you live by in Disney World? Tell us in the comments!