You know how it FEELS like the name Disney World is synonymous with the word “crowds,” right?
Magic Kingdom Crowds
There are so many factors as to why Disney World is more or less crowded at a given point — factors like the weather, time of the school year, ticket prices, new attractions, and more. All of that has us wondering, and we’re not alone in it, is Disney World going to be EMPTY this summer? You might be surprised by the answer, so let’s talk about it!
Now, when we say “empty,” you know we don’t mean literally empty. Disney World is never empty. But we’re used to expecting shoulder-to-shoulder crowds for much fo the summer, and that may not be the case this year. Let’s dive in and find out!
Wait Times
If we compare the trends when it comes to the wait times for the first full week of June for the past three years, we can start to see a trend. Let’s look at the data for Magic Kingdom first:
Magic Kingdom Average Wait Times in Minutes
Here’s the data for EPCOT:
EPCOT Average Wait Times in Minutes
Here’s the data for Animal Kingdom:
Animal Kingdom Average Wait Times in Minutes
Here’s the data for Hollywood Studios:
Hollywood Studios Average Wait Times in Minutes
As you can see, there seems to be a general trend of wait times decreasing over the past three years, which indicates that there were slightly fewer guests at the same time year after year. If you’re a fan of having fewer crowds, this data would seem to suggest that this summer would see even fewer guests and shorter overall wait times.
Everyone Is Buying These 7 Things From Amazon for Their Summer Trip to Disney World
Why It Could Be Empty
Of course, there could be any number of reasons as to why there’s been a slight decrease in attendance, but don’t just take it from me. Disney’s saying the same things.
©Disney
Okay, so Disney didn’t exactly say to prepare for a deserted summer at Disney World, but during their recent earnings call, CEO Bob Iger hinted at the “normalization” of park attendance compared to the post-COVID highs. What that means is that things might be a little less crowded this time around.
Bob Iger Says a Lot of Theme Park Projects Will “Start Opening” in 2025
The next reason why there might not be as many crowds this year is because there’s no Summer EPCOT Festival.
EPCOT
Historically, EPCOT has relied on festivals to bring in guests during “non-peak” times, but since Disney World re-opened after the pandemic-related closures, the Food and Wine Festival has run throughout the summer AND fall. This year, Disney has gone back to the pre-pandemic dates for Food and Wine, meaning it doesn’t start until late August. This might make some people hold off on summer trips and wait for the festival to return in the Fall.
The Cheapest Days to Go to The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival in 2024
A third reason there might be fewer crowds this year is because of Disney World’s neighbor Universal Orlando — and the new park they’re building, Epic Universe.
Epic Universe Model at Preview Center on Universal CityWalk
Epic Universe opens in 2025, and families might be postponing their Orlando trips to next year to experience it. Let’s face it, there’s only so much money to go around and it’s tough to do both Disney World and Universal Orlando in the same trip.
First Look! Check Out Universal Orlando’s NEW Epic Universe Preview Center
Why It Might Not Be Empty
Now, we’ve gone over a couple of reasons why Disney World might be empty or at least see fewer crowds this summer, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. There are still some MAJOR reasons why Disney World could still draw those summer crowds. First up, we’ve got to talk about Tiana’s new ride.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is opening on June 28th and we couldn’t be more excited (you are too, right?)! This new ride is sure to bring in tons of crowds.
WE FINALLY RODE TIANA’S BAYOU ADVENTURE And We Have SO MUCH TO TELL YOU!
Speaking of “new” things, we’ve also got the new show from the Country Bears to look forward to this summer!
A new show is coming!
The all-new Country Bears Musical Jamboree show is also set to debut on July 17th, which is yet another reason we’re going to see a lot of guests around Frontierland this summer.
Songs and Artists Revealed for NEW Country Bears Show!
Plan Ahead
Regardless of whether Disney World ends up being empty or not this summer, our number one tip to you is to make sure to plan ahead. Keep a close eye on the My Disney Experience app, snag those dining reservations early, and buy any Lightning Lanes to help make the most of your trip.
Magic Kingdom
Even though we can’t see the future, it feels pretty safe to say that summer 2024 in Disney World will be one for the books. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news and more!
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Will you be heading to Disney World this summer? Let us know all about it in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
The parks are “empty” because the prices are continuing to increase, tickets, hotels and food, and there is nothing really new and exciting happening at the parks. Tiana is not a “new” ride, just a rebranding of the most popular ride in the Magic Kingdom. No one is making a trip to WDW to see the new Country Bears show. Let’s face it, Disney has been slow to react to Universal. Yes, Remy, Rose of the Resistance, Pandora and Guardians are all great attractions, but when it now takes Disney YEARS to finish a Moana WALK THROUGH at Epcot, while Universal is building an ENTIRE NEW PARK in roughly double the time it’s easy to see how Disney is losing guests.
Disney has taken away more of the freebies that made your visit magical and now milks us for every last nickel. Universal is growing because while it may be pricey, it is STILL a lot less expensive than Disney.
I say this as we are going to Disney for a week in September, our 20th vacation in the last 24 years. It may very well be our last for a while. We have already booked next year at Universal, our first time going. It is about 35% less than Disney is this year. Disney is breaking everyone’s hearts by not being the leader of the pack. The Imagineers right now are anything but, and it pains me to say that. This is the company that took a blank paper and in 9 MONTHS imagined, created and BUILT Its a Small World for the 1964 Worlds Fair! This company could do no wrong! It turned swampland into the greatest place on Earth! Now, it takes years to build some fountains and shrubbery. We want our old Disney back!
I was there last week and it was anything but empty. Very crowded and very hot!
Carmen, you hit the nail on the head! You were very succinct in your assessment. All true! I was absolutely thrilled to become a DVC member in 2008 but since it has become more of a disappointment. We’re skipping this year in anticipation of Epic next. Already have our hotel reservations at Portofino!!
I have discovered that we can do some AMAZING vacations for less than we would spend at Disney for a week!! I, too, miss the old Disney, but know it is gone forever. I think it will just take people awhile to realize it is just a money grabbing amusement park now. We live within a half day’s drive to Dollywood. I think we will be spending some of our money there instead.
Sure as heck wasn’t empty the last 2 weeks. Even on days when it was pouring rain there were tons of folks. I have never seen It’s a Small World with a 45 minute wait before!
Could the stand by wait times be down because more people are using Genie+? Looking at the pictures crowds really don’t seem diminished. I really hope Disney is serious about adding more attractions to the parks because they really need more capacity. I hope they don’t consider building another park until the existing parks get the capacity they need.
I think you are interpreting the data incorrectly. If you remember Disney implemented a system in late 2022 to decrease wait times. And as a frequent visitor I have seen the difference.
I have not noticed a decrease in crowd size. In fact it feels most of the time it’s more crowded.
The reasons stated are secondary for the decrease in attendance. The two biggest reasons are high inflation resulting in less disposable income..and high prices at the parks and hotels making a Disney vacation less affordable. Period.
As a WDW lover – I don’t think anyone is going to go to WDW just to ride Tiana’s & see the new Country Bears. The only reason I’m planning on Tiana’s this summer is the people I’ll be with want to go on it. I’m not pumped to get wet on a ride that seems a little boring. I’ll probably never go back to Country Bears because I don’t care about country music – I only went for the jokes. I think Universal has positioned themselves to be a replacement for a WDW visit for many people. Next year they’ll have 3 parks & 3 more hotels. Disney won’t get those families for the whole week with just a couple of Universal days any longer – and I’m speaking as someone who has never stepped into a Universal park.
Disney used to be the place to be but now it’s just not as special. I hope that changes.
Carmen M., you are 1000% spot on!
What this woman Carmen said is so true. I totally agree with her comments. Disney is our favorite vacation spot but it’s getting out of reach for the working middle class.
In response to Carmen’s comments above. Exactly
I have to agree with Carmen about how long it took them to build the Moana area and the area in front of Space Ship Earth in Epcot. It did seem to take forever for not very much. I do think both areas look great, but I am not sure how many times we would want to go back to the Moana spot and I think the Fountain they used to have, set to music, was much better. Also, Ringo—it’s June…it’s supposed to be hot. Our winter average is 78:)