Walt Disney World Wait Times for Early February 2024

We’ve entered February now. So, the “slow” season has technically ended at Walt Disney World.

While January crowds are larger today than they were five years ago, the reality remains the same.

January and September have proven to be the two least crowded months on the annual calendar.

Photo: Spectrum News 13

How did the change to February impact wait times? Theoretically, the start of this month should stay relatively slow.

We’ll find out as we look at Walt Disney World’s wait times for early February 2024.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Let’s discuss the basics before we get started. The start of February indicates winter weather around the country…still.

However, travel surges as we approach Valentine’s Day and President’s Day.

So, the baseline expectation calls for a slight uptick in wait times but not a dramatic one.

Flight of Passage

Is that what happened? Here are the average wait times at Animal Kingdom last week:

• Avatar Flight of Passage – 116 minutes, up 15
• Na’vi River Journey – 78 minutes, down 4
• Adventurers Outpost – 58 minutes, up 2
• Expedition Everest – 48 minutes, up 6
• Kilimanjaro Safaris – 46 minutes, down 9
• DINOSAUR – 36 minutes, down 2
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug! – 15 minutes, no change
• TriceraTop Spin – 13 minutes, up 1

Photo: Disney

Overall, guests waited for an average of 53 minutes per attraction, which is three minutes more than last time.

So, that’s right in line with expectations. As a reminder, Animal Kingdom is currently down an attraction, Kali River Rapids.

Photo: Disney

Disney is refurbishing the water ride for a few more weeks than usual this year.

Since Animal Kingdom is a bit short on attractions anyway, losing one makes a difference in average wait times.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Similarly, Hollywood Studios won’t have Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith until this summer, barring something unforeseen.

So, this park is operating at less than full strength as well.

On many dates, the roller coaster ride averages a wait of 60+ minutes, and those crowds have to go somewhere else.

Photo: TheCoasterKings.com

Did that behavior impact wait times at Hollywood Studios? Let’s check.

• Slinky Dog Dash – 108 minutes, down 6
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – 97 minutes, down 2
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway – 71 minutes, up 1
• Toy Story Mania! – 71 minutes, down 1
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – 70 minutes, down 3
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – 67 minutes, down 3
• Red Carpet Dreams – 47 minutes, no change
• Alien Swirling Saucers – 42 minutes, down 1
• Celebrity Spotlight – 25 minutes, down 2
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue! – 19 minutes, down 4
• Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy – 15 minutes, no change
• Muppet*Vision 3D – 10 minutes, no change

Overall, Hollywood Studios attractions averaged a wait of 48 minutes, which is two minutes less than last time.

So, we’ve got one park that’s up slightly, while the other has declined.

Partially, we’re witnessing how much more Animal Kingdom bears the brunt when a popular ride is offline.

Credit: Disney

Notably, there’s one other factor at play here. The NFL Pro Bowl was in town, and that increased Central Florida tourism a bit.

Yes, I realize that people dismiss the Pro Bowl as trivial, but some devout fans love the combination of seeing their favorite players while visiting Disney World.

EPCOT

EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival

Next, we have EPCOT, which has nearly completed its multi-year transformation.

Our park reporters noted last week that preparations are already underway for the 2024 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.

However, the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts remains in progress, delighting fans with DISNEY ON BROADWAY.

Disney on Broadway

How did that impact the crowds? Here are EPCOT’s wait times last week:

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – 93 minutes, up 4
• Frozen Ever After – 83 minutes, down 6
• Test Track – 71 minutes, up 2
• Soarin’ Around the World – 55 minutes, no change
• Royal Sommerhus – 45 minutes, down 1
• Spaceship Earth – 24 minutes, no change
• Mission: SPACE – 23 minutes, no change
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends – 20 minutes, up 1
• Turtle Talk with Crush – 19 minutes, no change
• Living with the Land – 18 minutes, up 3
• Journey into Imagination with Figment – 16 minutes, down 1
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros – 15 minutes, up 1

Photo: Disney

Overall, guests stood in line for an average of 39 minutes per attraction, which is a minute more than last time.

So, we’re three theme park evaluations into this, and it’s still undetermined whether crowds increased.

We’ll need Magic Kingdom to tell the story.

Magic Kingdom  

Image Credit: Disney

Here are the park’s wait times last week:

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – 89 minutes, down 6
• Peter Pan’s Flight – 70 minutes, down 3
• Space Mountain – 66 minutes, up 5
• Jungle Cruise – 63 minutes, down 3
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – 55 minutes, no change
• Haunted Mansion – 51 minutes, down 4
• Princess Fairytale Hall – 47 minutes, no change
• Town Square Theater – 47 minutes, up 1
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – 46 minutes, up 1
• Ariel’s Grotto – 44 minutes, down 2
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – 41 minutes, down 5
• Pete’s Silly Sideshow – 41 minutes, up 4
• Pirates of the Caribbean – 41 minutes, down 2
• Enchanted Tales with Belle – 37 minutes, down 1
• Astro Orbiter – 35 minutes, down 3
• The Barnstormer – 32 minutes, up 2
• It’s a Small World – 31 minutes, down 3
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid – 31 minutes, up 1
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant – 30 minutes, up 1
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin – 27 minutes, down 1
• Tomorrowland Speedway – 24 minutes, down 1
• Mad Tea Party – 20 minutes, up 1
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover – 19 minutes, down 2
• Walt Disney World Railroad – 19 minutes, up 3
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic – 18 minutes, no change
• Prince Charming Regal Carousel – 16 minutes, no change
• Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor – 14 minutes, no change
• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress – 5 minutes, no change

Final Thoughts

Photo: Disney

At Magic Kingdom, guests waited in line for an average of 33 minutes per attraction, which is two minutes less than last time.

Overall, two Walt Disney World parks increased their average waits while two dropped.

Photo: TripAdvisor

More remarkably, the overall change across the four parks is…zero. So, wait times were nearly identical.

You may safely expect them to tick upward slowly during the rest of February, though.

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Feature Photo: Disney