food IS a theme park
That’s it — we’ve survived the first week of January 2023! It sure has been a doozy — we got some new details on a new Disney dining promo, we FINALLY got the full menus for the EPCOT Festival of the Arts, and Disney World announced some NEW discounts for select guests.
Hollywood Studios
So what if you’re headed to Disney World next week? Well, let’s take a look at park hours and park pass availability to see what things are going to look like.Â
Believe it or not, the week after the holidays can sometimes be even MORE crowded in Disney World than the peak holiday season. A recent update proves that’s the case this year!
Fantasyland is one of the areas with bottlenecks
Although we saw some pretty big crowds at the parks for Christmas and New Year’s, we’re seeing even more people at Disney World today, January 2nd. And it looks like those crowds are going to get BIGGER soon. [Read more…]
It’s a NEW YEAR … a fresh time for setting goals and making plans for 2023. And if your plans include a trip to Disney World, we’re here to help.
New Year’s Eve at EPCOT
Disney World is our favorite place (obviously!), but it is unlike a lot of vacations, because many people would say it does take some planning and preparation in advance to have your best experience (and get the most bang for your buck).
Well, we’re ready to put the holiday season behind us, but boy, oh BOY, has it been fun!
The holiday season is coming to a close
We’ve enjoyed seeing all the beautiful holiday decorations, checking out the gingerbread displays, eating ALL the holiday treats, and eating even MORE holiday foods at the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. But now, we’re heading into the first week of 2023, so let’s see what Disney World’s park hours and park pass availability look like for January 1st-7th, 2023!
The holiday season brings some of the biggest crowds to Disneyland Resort.
It’s holiday season!
There’s so much going on, after all. There’s the Disney California Adventure Festival of Holidays. There are the holiday decorations. There are all the holiday snacks. Previously, when the parks got too full — which happened often this time of year — Disneyland would close the gates. Things now, though, are a lot different and those gates are expected to remain open every day.
Update: Park Pass availability continues to change. We’ve placed some updates in this post but continue to check for updates on Disney World’s Park Pass availability calendars.
If you’re hoping to go to Disney World in January of 2023, there’s one date that you’ll have to cross off from your plans.
EPCOT
All Disney World guests are still required to obtain a valid Park ticket and Park Pass for the park they wish to visit in order to enter. When all Park Passes for a particular day sell out, that’s IT — no more visiting Disney World on that day (unless availability changes). Well, if you’re heading to Disney World right now or really soon and you haven’t bought those tickets yet (or forgot to grab your Park Pass), there’s a big update you need to know about.
Ahh, Disney Adults, the controversial fans of the mouse and childhood nostalgia.
Crowds in Magic Kingdom
“Disney Adults” are the grown-ups known for visiting the Disney theme parks, packing the theaters when new Disney movies premiere, and buying up merchandise with their favorite characters like it’s their JOB. Whether you love them, hate them, or you are one, Disney Adults have a significant impact on the theme parks...and Disney might just regret having created such dedicated fans.
We talk a lot about how busy Disney World can get around the holidays for a reason!
The holidays in Disney World
We had seen park pass reservations for Christmas Day fill up and sell out, quickly followed by New Year’s Eve. But, if you had wanted to spend Christmas in Disney World and missed out on a park pass, you might be in luck — MORE park pass reservations have been made available for the week of Christmas!
You need to get your Park Pass Reservations ASAP because Disney World is starting to SELL OUT for New Year’s Day!
Crowds in Magic Kingdom
Disney World’s Park Pass Reservation system began in 2020 when the parks reopened after the COVID-19 closures. The new-ish system means you have to get reservations for each park you plan to visit in addition to the park tickets themselves. If you’ll be in Disney World on New Year’s Day, you need to get those passes NOW. [Read more…]
On the evening of November 20th, 2022, Bob Iger broke the internet. News of his return as Disney’s CEO inspired comments from celebrities, shareholders, and Disney fans alike, many of whom expected major changes to follow the transfer of leadership.
©Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
Whether Iger plans to bring back Magical Express or eliminate Genie+ (both of which have been suggested by Disney fans) has yet to be seen. For now, we’re looking at the cold, hard facts. Here are some of the BIG announcements and changes that have happened since Bob Iger returned as Disney’s CEO.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
