What’s Happening at Disney Parks This Summer?
Disney fans like us all share the same habit. When we’re not at the parks, we daydream about our next visit.
We plot our itineraries and try to unlock the best strategies for the perfect visit.
Photo: orlandoattractions.com
So, you need to know of trends unfolding at Disney right now. Here’s what’s happening at Disney theme parks this summer.
The Tomorrowland Crowds
Experienced Disney fans understand and learn to anticipate crowd behavior. Some of the knowledge isn’t exactly rocket science, either.
Where would you expect a guest would want to go the most at Walt Disney World right now?
Yes, the answer is obviously Tron Lightcycle / Run. And you can’t blame guests for feeling that way.
Disney has worked on the Tron roller coaster since before the pandemic began.
Imagineers broke ground on this project in 2018 (!), but Disney wouldn’t open the ride until April 4th, 2023.
What do you think has happened since then? Again, it’s not hard to guess.
Yes, Tomorrowland has experienced a crowd surge that has triggered a halo effect for other attractions in the area.
Space Mountain, Astro Orbiter, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin have collectively increased their wait times for several weeks this summer.
Even the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover has gained a modest traffic bump from 2022.
These statements may not sound remarkable until you remember that Florida tourism has generally declined year-over-year due to the end of revenge travel.
Photo: ResortsGal
Tomorrowland has counteracted that behavior due to the lofty demand for Tron. And that’s not even the whole story.
Please remember that Tron only offers a digital queue and Lightning Lane option at the moment.
This change has occurred without a standby queue for Tron. Once guests no longer need to jump through hoops to ride Tron, this behavior will increase.
In short, Tomorrowland crowds have increased noticeably during the first four months of Tron’s operation.
Photo: Disney
Also, the added crowds appear more likely to surge rather than decline anytime soon.
For the time being, you should always expect Tomorrowland to be one of the busiest places at Magic Kingdom.
The Hollywood Studios Lull
One hand often washes the other at Disney. I’m pairing these topics together for this reason.
From 2018-2020, Disney’s Hollywood Studios achieved the unimaginable.
The park overwrote its longstanding reputation as a half-day park (at best) thanks to the addition of several new amenities.
Specifically, Disney added Toy Story Land and its two new attractions in 2018.
The following year qualifies as arguably the most impactful one for Hollywood Studios since its opening.
In 2019, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened…to surprising behavior.
During the earliest days of the park, the crowds weren’t quite as large as many had expected, myself included.
Don’t get me wrong. The place wasn’t empty by any stretch, but everyone had braced for worse.
Later that year, we found out why. Many tourists wanted to avoid the crowds and waited a bit longer for the hype to die down. Ha!
That behavior never happened as lots of people overthought the situation.
Meanwhile, Disney, in its infinite wisdom, delayed the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance to create a second wave of demand at Galaxy’s Edge.
Look up to see Chuuby!
In March 2020, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway opened and instantly became the capper of three remarkable years of park enhancements.
A week later, a global pandemic shut down society, which positioned Disney in unfamiliar territory.
When the parks reopened, Disney employed social distancing tactics to keep the crowds in check.
Where did everyone want to go? Disney’s Hollywood Studios! It was the new hotness, and guests flocked there.
That behavior has remained until…pretty much now. Suddenly, Hollywood Studios lacks the same heat it’s had for the past five years.
That’s good news for you because the lines are getting shorter! FINALLY!
EPCOT Is Down This Year
Okay, here’s one I hadn’t expected when I compared year-over-year data.
Here are some July 2022 wait times at popular EPCOT attractions:
- Frozen Ever After – 80 minutes
- Test Track – 73 minutes
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – 71 minutes
- Soarin’ Around the World – 57 minutes
Photo: Disney
Here are the same attractions from last week:
- Test Track – 72 minutes
- Frozen Ever After – 67 minutes
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – 64 minutes
- Soarin’ Around the World – 37 minutes
Photo: DVC Shop
Test Track is within the margin of error here, but the other three attractions average a shorter wait of ten minutes.
At EPCOT, that is a LOT! By way of explanation, I presume it has something to do with more than just the end of revenge travel.
The demand for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has died down a bit now that the attraction is 15 months old.
Also, Disney still hasn’t added a standby line queue for Cosmic Rewind. That’s right, folks. It still works the same way as the much newer Tron ride.
Photo: Walt Disney Company
Still, you should consider the current trend to be the calm before the storm.
Later this year, EPCOT will function as home base for the Disney100 celebration, which begins in September.
Then, at some point, EPCOT will drop the virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy, which should create another mini rush at the park.
So, my current thought is that this is the best EPCOT is gonna get for a while.
EPCOT
Image Credit: Disney
A Lull at Animal Kingdom
Finally, I don’t think I’m saying anything shocking when I mention the lull at Animal Kingdom.
This park hasn’t added anything new since 2017, and the lack of updated amenities is starting to work against it.
Flight of Passage
Here are the July 2022 wait times for the park’s top four attractions:
- Avatar: Flight of Passage – 121 minutes
- Kali River Rapids – 67 minutes
- Na’vi River Journey – 66 minutes
- Kilimanjaro Safaris – 48 minutes
Here are last week’s wait times for the same rides:
- Avatar: Flight of Passage – 107 minutes
- Kali River Rapids – 50 minutes
- Na’vi River Journey – 81 minutes
- Kilimanjaro Safaris – 38 minutes
Photo: Disney
So, while Na’vi River Journey had a weird 15-minute increase, the other three attractions dropped by an average of 14 minutes.
Personally, I read this data as people knowing that Animal Kingdom is the hottest park and, thereby, the least ideal place to visit in July.
Yes, all Disney theme parks are magical, and Animal Kingdom embodies everything wonderful about multi-generational family vacations.
But hot is hot. In July, it’s been comically hot. I’m talking cartoonishly hot. It’s an old Futurama gag come to life:
Also, the lack of new attractions plays a significant role as well. Thankfully, I think Disney is about to do something about that.
Have you noticed anything else happening at the parks that upcoming guests should know? Drop us a note in the comments!
Photo: MickeyBlog
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Feature Photo: Disney
