Celebration Season is now underway for 2024 at Walt Disney World, with Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Celebration now via the top of October and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration nearly instantly thereafter till December 20, 2024! This covers rising crowds throughout Magic Kingdom, why that is taking place (and can solely worsen), and the way to keep away from it.
Specifically, this covers my expertise with mix-in through the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween (MNSSHP). Clearly, because it’s nonetheless spook season and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration (MVMCP) doesn’t start till November. Regardless, the thought is precisely the identical. These crowds have been a rising downside for the final two years at each MNSSHP and MVMCP.
This doesn’t cowl the occasion in any respect. Simply the window of time earlier than it begins when friends can enter Magic Kingdom early for the pre-party. In the event you’re in search of step-by-step technique for the occasion, seek the advice of our Information to the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Celebration or our Information to the 2024 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration as a substitute.
For individuals who are unfamiliar with the Magic Kingdom mix-in, it’s the time between 4 pm and 6 pm when Magic Kingdom continues to be open to day friends however earlier than MNSSHP or MVMCP formally begins. Because of this, there are each common ticket holders and particular occasion exhausting ticket holders each within the park on the identical time. Therefore the title: Magic Kingdom mix-in.
There are a couple of causes for permitting particular occasion friends to enter Magic Kingdom previous to the official begin time, most of that are past the scope of this put up. We’ll deal with a reasonably simple logistical one, which is {that a} exhausting begin at 7 pm would end in a large crowd all attempting to enter Magic Kingdom without delay and turning into annoyed (delicate understatement) when it took an hour of helpful get together time to get contained in the park. The combo-in staggers entries to a better diploma, which is sweet for friends and park operations.
However, Magic Kingdom mix-in crowds have been rising over the previous few years, as talked about above. That is taking place no matter crowds through the day or through the occasion itself. On the contrary, what you encounter at mix-in is sort of totally divorced from daytime or get together attendance.
To that time, I’ve noticed this dynamic at Magic Kingdom a number of occasions already this yr past what’s documented right here. On each single a kind of days, wait occasions and ‘seems like’ crowds had been each absurdly low through the day. Our newest wait occasions report coated the Lowest Crowd Degree Month & Week at Walt Disney World Since 2021! Though it ought to be evident from the title alone, the parks are actually gradual proper now.
On get together days, Magic Kingdom is the slowest of the gradual. We’re speaking common wait occasions which might be 14-Quarter-hour and, at worst, 1/10 crowd ranges. Lots of nowadays don’t even register as 1/10 on thrill information’s scale, and are as a substitute 0/10. I’ve been in Magic Kingdom on a few of these days, they usually give me flashbacks to the post-reopening interval in 2020. Not fairly that useless, however nonetheless fairly gradual.
That is the low season and decrease crowds are to be anticipated to some extent. The present “diploma” is simply a lot much less busy than I anticipated, and I anticipated pretty low crowds. In any case, it’ll additionally get progressively worse over the course of Celebration Season. See Greatest & Worst 2024 Crowd Days at Magic Kingdom for a fool-proof checklist of the least and most crowded dates at Magic Kingdom between now and December 2024. This features a handful of pink flag dates to keep away from in any respect prices.
Regardless of absurdly low daytime attendance, the MNSSHP I attended was bought out…identical to each different get together thus far this season. And identical to each date might be by the point it’s over. There are solely a half-dozen events that also have tickets obtainable and, relaxation assured, these will all promote out very quickly. Ditto Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration. Just one date is bought out proper now, however November and December are additionally additional into the longer term than September and December. That’s the reason there, nothing extra.
On this explicit day, I returned to Magic Kingdom at round 3:15 pm. This was simply the worst crowd I’ve ever seen this early for mix-in at any exhausting ticket get together at Magic Kingdom. That’s an commentary I’ve had repeatedly over the previous few years. These Magic Kingdom mix-in crowds are solely getting worse–a development we anticipate to proceed.
It ought to be famous that this was nonetheless 45 minutes earlier than particular occasion friends can be allowed to enter Magic Kingdom. Furthermore, that this was on a extremely popular day (albeit not practically as unhealthy as final yr) with seems like temperatures flirting with triple digits.
Fortuitously, Walt Disney World has gotten higher about dealing with the ever-increasing mix-in crowds. This yr, there’s a brand new corral system and really clear signage indicating the place friends ought to go:
That is fairly properly organized–a large enchancment over final yr. It additionally might not appear like too unhealthy of a crowd…nevertheless it’s solely 3:15 pm.
Typical knowledge is to reach half-hour upfront of mix-in, and that’s for educated friends who plan forward. Many extra (maybe most) arrive proper at 4 pm, not realizing there might be friction to the method and it’ll take a little bit of time to really get into the park.
On the subject of Walt Disney World, one mantra to recollect is: “should you’re early, you’re on time…should you’re on time, you’re late.” (I by no means appreciated my dad’s army cliches as a child, however boy have they been helpful as an grownup doing the very critical work of visiting theme parks.)
As you’ll be able to in all probability collect, this crowd solely worsens between 3:15 pm and three:55 pm.
There are extra corrals that proceed to replenish, and it turns into extra chaotic exterior the park as there’s solely a lot house on the turnstiles themselves. Disney must hold pathways clear to permit visitor stream into and out of the park, in addition to routes to transportation open.
Moreover, Magic Kingdom continues to be open to day friends, so not all the turnstiles can be utilized for the events till 6 pm.
By way of sensible recommendation, we’ve got a couple of suggestions about the way to navigate this.
First, when you’ve got common admission to Magic Kingdom, don’t use the particular occasion turnstiles! This may appear apparent, however we’ve heard from so many individuals through the years who exit the park and re-enter (or from Annual Passholders who simply present up at 4 pm for no actual cause).
Anybody with common admission is significantly better served by using an in-park check-in station. Go to Fantasy Faire close to Mickey’s PhilharMagic in Fantasyland, Tortuga Tavern throughout from the Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland, or Sew’s Nice Escape throughout from Monsters Inc. Snicker Flooring in Tomorrowland. Tortuga Tavern is the least busy, Sew’s Nice Escape is busiest–nevertheless it’s additionally closest to the entrance of the park and infrequently opens sooner than the others. That is advantageous should you plan on queueing up for the Jack & Sally meet & greet in City Sq. earlier than the get together begins.
There’s actually no different cause to make use of the SGE check-in location. And actually, there’s actually no different cause to line up proper at or earlier than 4 pm. In our expertise, the candy spot is round 4:30 to five pm. The preliminary rush is over, however you’re beating everybody else who doesn’t suppose to do that till the get together begins.
In the event you don’t have common admission and also you’re attempting to get absolutely the most out of your get together time, we’d suggest arriving at round 3:15 pm. Possibly a tad earlier. This will likely look like unhealthy recommendation given the crowds you’ll be able to plainly see in these pictures, however any earlier and also you’ll see diminishing returns.
There might be crowds at 3 pm and even earlier than that. However it’s secure to imagine, I hope, that your whole time has worth and it’s not price arriving a full hour earlier to avoid wasting ~5 minutes coming into the park. Granted, time inside Magic Kingdom might be price greater than time exterior it, however how far more?
If that’s an additional hour of pool time or having fun with your resort (which additionally prices some huge cash and has a excessive worth!), it’s a good tradeoff. Spending much less time in these crowded corrals within the (probably) scorching solar is the way in which to go.
Which brings us to the third possibility: arriving between 4:30 pm and 5 pm.
That is the very same concept as going to the in-park wristband distribution a bit later, blended with the above notion that your whole time at Walt Disney World has worth. To every their very own, but when I’m on trip and staying at an on-site resort, that is what I’m doing. All waking trip time is effective, and one of many greatest mistake Walt Disney World planners make just isn’t recognizing this.
If spending extra time on the pool and even taking an extended nap will depart you extra rested, it’s going to extend the chance which you could keep till the bitter (or reasonably, glorious) finish of the night time versus leaving early. You can even do an early dinner exterior the park, having fun with meals that’s truly edible versus consuming in Magic Kingdom.
I don’t know your loved ones or your priorities and might’t give definitive recommendation–these are just some choices to contemplate.
As for why that is taking place, there has at all times been an preliminary rush of friends round 4 pm, however many individuals didn’t know they might enter Magic Kingdom early prior to now. That or they didn’t care as they had been already within the park. This has modified lately as Walt Disney World higher advertises the perk, presumably to assist justify the value will increase.
My robust suspicion is that an rising variety of friends are buying Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween as a substitute of normal day tickets, reasonably than along with common admission. This could possibly be enjoying out in a methods large and small, from vacationers shopping for shorter period tickets (3 days as a substitute of 4) to locals skipping out on Annual Passes and getting their “Disney repair” throughout Celebration Season.
This would possibly sound like far-fetched theories or greedy at straws to clarify this phenomenon, nevertheless it’s primarily based on a mixture of firsthand expertise and intensive suggestions from readers and journey brokers.
When Disneyland actually began rising costs on Annual Passes a number of years in the past and lowered choices for locals, many Californians began skipping APs and as a substitute doing Mickey’s Halloween Celebration (now Oogie Boogie Bash). This skipped the recognition of those events, which now promote out in a short time even on dates that aren’t notably busy.
Priced-out locals eager to get their Disney repair would additionally clarify why MNSSHP and MVMCP are promoting sooner than ever, regardless of pent-up demand in any other case slowing. It will additionally clarify how that is taking place within the face of falling crowds, that are the bottom they’ve been since 2021. Low common attendance and excessive demand for exhausting ticket occasions isn’t even contradictory–it makes good sense.
It additionally explains the bigger crowd previous to 4 pm. These are friends eager to get as a lot worth out of the get together ticket as doable as a result of they don’t have various admission. It is a distinction to vacationers with multi-day tickets that will embody a park day previous to the beginning of MNSSHP or MVMCP, who don’t have any incentive to reach proper at 4 pm.
Consequently, you’ll be able to anticipate each Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Celebration and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration to proceed promoting out even when daytime attendance drops. Priced out locals and even vacationers attempting to chop prices and squeeze essentially the most worth out of their tickets will maintain demand for these particular occasions.
You can even anticipate value will increase to proceed. As long as single-day tickets for Magic Kingdom aren’t considerably cheaper (they usually aren’t!) than the events, many friends will go for MNSSHP and MVMCP as a substitute. Once more, we’ve already seen all of these items occur at Disneyland Resort, so these are hardly daring predictions.
For exactly the identical cause, this mix-in crowd will even proceed to develop, as the next share of friends don’t have various admission on get together days. And as these higher-knowledge friends be taught from previous expertise, they’ll begin arriving even earlier in future years. What was as soon as a crowd at 3:45 pm has already develop into a crowd at 3:15 pm. It’ll be a crowd at 3:00 pm by 2025, at 2:30 pm by 2026, and so forth.
So how can Walt Disney World remedy this downside? (And it’s a downside to some extent as a result of Disney doesn’t like congestion like this exterior the gates, because it’s a security and safety difficulty.)
The very first thing that involves thoughts is letting Disney Trip Membership members enter at 2 pm. This isn’t even my vivid concept–it’s Disney’s! They used to do that pre-COVID. Again then, the perk was deemed essential to entice DVC members to buy tickets (MVMCP and MNSSHP didn’t promote out frequently). Now, it could be to unfold out that mix-in crowd only a bit.
Apart from that, Walt Disney World’s greatest choices are ticket offers. They have already got the the Florida Resident Uncover Disney Ticket and the 4-Park, 4-Day Walt Disney World Magic Ticket that run via the top of this month. Understandably, many locals–who’re acquainted with Florida climate this time of yr–would nonetheless choose an night particular occasion. I’d thus suggest bringing again the EPCOT After 4 Annual Move and likewise promoting ‘starlight’ tickets (discounted admission on common days after 4 pm–additionally not my concept, Tokyo Disney does this).
With that stated, these mix-in crowds are literally a good factor to some extent–so Walt Disney World shouldn’t go too far in attempting to scale back them. Having all kinds of visitor demographics means individuals can have totally different causes for being there–rides with decrease wait occasions, leisure, characters, and so on. Regardless of the bigger mix-in crowds, we’ve seen that persons are unfold out significantly better throughout MNSSHP or MVMCP. It’s a fragile stability, and it looks like Walt Disney World has achieved that within the final couple of years at these occasions.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? In the event you’re fascinated with studying extra about inns, our Walt Disney World Accommodations Critiques web page is an effective place to start out. For the place to eat, check out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques web page. If you wish to lower your expenses on tickets or decide which kind it is best to get, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular have a look at unconventional issues it is best to take in your journey. When you arrive on the parks, our Walt Disney World “Experience Guides” are nice for figuring out what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of those matters and a lot extra, the most effective place to start out is our complete Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information to benefit from your expertise!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever skilled these big Magic Kingdom mix-in crowds earlier than Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Celebration? Are you one of many friends who has chosen get together tickets over an Annual Move or longer period common tickets? Ideas on any of the recommendation or assessments right here? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
