Disney theme parks experienced significantly reduced crowd levels and shorter wait times during the week of September 29 through October 5. Hollywood Studios maintained low crowd ratings throughout the week, while Magic Kingdom averaged level one on party days and level four on non-party days. EPCOT faced higher waits on Saturday following the expansion of its Food and Wine festival booths. Park-wide average posted wait times dropped below thirty minutes across all locations, representing a notable improvement from previous weeks. Actual wait times from guest submissions averaged only seventy-four percent of posted times, indicating Disney may be inflating wait estimates. The Seas with Nemo and Friends showed the most significant discrepancy, with actual waits less than a quarter of posted times. Test Track and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad experienced higher-than-average downtime, but overall operational issues remained relatively low compared to summer months. Halloween party seasons are approaching, with Magic Kingdom expected to see heavy crowds on October 6, 8, and 9. Fall break crowds will also impact the October 10 through 12 weekend, though weather forecasts predict rain on several of these days.
Key Points:
- Hollywood Studios never exceeded crowd level 2 all week
- Magic Kingdom averaged crowd level 1 on every party day and crowd level 4 on non-party days
- Parks had an average park-wide posted wait of under half an hour
- Actual wait times averaged 74% of posted wait times
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends had actual waits of only 23% of posted times
- Test Track was down for 17% of the past week
- EPCOT had the worst downtime with 5.3% of capacity lost
- Cosmic Rewind had an average posted wait of 74 minutes
- Magic Kingdom had the lowest average park-wide posted wait of 17.5 minutes
- Halloween parties are scheduled for October 6, 8, 9, and 13
- Fall break occurs October 10-12 with expected higher crowds