Visiting Disneyworld Resort in Orlando, Florida is a magical family vacation for many. No doubt that while there are many things to plan for and options to consider, how busy the park is on any given day could be a big determining factor as to whether you enjoy your time at the Magic Kingdom. With a yearly attendance of well over 20 million, you can be assured that even on the ‘slower’ days that slower is a somewhat relative term. Disney does not publish official information regarding the daily attendance, but from the average perspective that puts the daily attendance around 55,000 people. There are definitely slower days, and there are also busier days such as holidays, weekends, and special event days.
So what are the typically slower times? Here are some of my favorite times to visit Magic Kingdom that are less busy than others:
- – The first or second week AFTER a holiday
- – Between the middle of January and the first of March
- – Between Halloween and the week before Thanksgiving
What can you expect during these ‘slower’ times?
The primary things that I personally notice (and enjoy) during slower times is the additional personal space in the park and shorter wait times for rides, shows and dining options. Each one of these items is unique, so I will tackle them individually.
Disney parks can be crowded places at times. Combine a crowded space with a noisy atmosphere, hot and humid weather, and long wait times for attractions and you have set the stage for even the bravest of people to wish that they had stayed in for the day. If you’ve ever been to Magic Kingdom on a busy day, there is a good chance that you understand the ‘standing room only’ space on Main Street which is crazy. On less busier days (IE – slower) you can have a less problematic experience with other people around you. Most of the time throughout the park you are not shoulder to shoulder with people in certain areas like more busy days. You might actually be able to sit on a bench or two completely by yourself without having to take the boat ride over to Tom Sawyer Island. As a result of there being less people in the park, there are also less strollers parks along the footpaths. More personal space and less strollers combine to give you a feeling that the park is much bigger than what it really is. When you do not feel so confined with people you will get to see, experience, and enjoy more of the park and what it has to offer. Magic Kingdom has many unique attractions to offer that many people miss. When the park is experiencing lower attendance, it makes it easier to find and experience these. I also find that while the Disney staff for the most part does their very best to keep everyone as happy as possible, they truly are in better moods when the park is not at capacity. This just gives a better overall experience in general. The staff has more time to answer your questions, solve your problems, or direct you to the nearest amenity. And just being brutally honest, this better overall experience also extends to things like park and bathroom cleanliness and other similar items. Its not that things are every truly in bad conditions, there are just times when there are better conditions than others.
Shorter wait times for rides is a big advantage when visiting Magic Kingdom on a slower day. On an average day, there are a few rides in Magic Kingdom that will almost always have long wait times. Most of those rides are what Disney considers ‘thrill’ rides such as Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Seven Dwarves Mine Train and Big Thunder Mountain. Other rides that typically have longer wait times are Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan’s Flight and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. These rides will have wait times anywhere from 20-45 minutes on the average day. On busier days, some of these rides may have wait times that are considerably longer. On slower days however, one can expect much shorter wait times. I have waited as few as 10 minutes on certain days for even the most popular rides such as Peter Pan’s Flight and even Splash Mountain. One surprising benefit from shorter wait times is more pleasant patrons and staff. When the park is crowded, people just are not as patient and pleasant as they could be. The staff themselves have the ability to spend more time with the patrons and do things like wish you a happy birthday or other additional things that make visiting a Disney park ‘magical’. The bottom line here is that you will get to ride more rides (or rides multiple times) during the slower days if you are into riding the rides at Magic Kingdom.
Seeing a show such as The Enchanted Tiki Room can be a lot more enjoyable without the room reaching seating capacity. One other hidden benefit is the wait times. The Enchanted Tiki Room (and other shows) run at specific times throughout the day. The seating for these shows are first come, first serve unless you have a FastPass (only on specific shows). The nice thing about slower days is that you do not have to arrive 30 minutes or more prior to the show starting just to get in line to make sure you get a seat at the time you want. Exiting the theaters are also a lot quicker if there are less people.
If you are a fan of the Disney parades, then you might also want to consider visiting the park on a slower day. The parades at Magic Kingdom draw a lot of people from the other attractions to the parade route. Many times vendors may even have to temporarily shut down until the parade has passed because the parade route is so packed. On busy days standing room only for the parades would be a dream. On slower days you will have a good chance of getting to see the parade up close along the route, potentially even finding a spot in the front row. If you or a child you are with wants to see a specific character during the parade, this is the best possible time. Disney parades are spectacular either way, but if you or your child wants that up-close and personal experience try to visit Magic Kingdom during a slower time. The parades also take up a lot of footpath areas, and the Disney staff members will tape off the parade routes and limit movement in areas of the parade route. When then crowds are smaller it takes less time to disband the crowd and to get back to the other attractions.
The obvious assumption here would be that on a slower day the dining options at the park would be greater, and that is definitely the case. As someone who has had the ability to visit Magic Kingdom numerous times and eaten at almost every restaurant and vendor stall, the ability to get reservations on the slower days is the biggest noticeable thing. Shorter wait times at vendor stalls for snacks, drinks and ice cream is also a big plus. One thing that people do not initially consider is the food quality. Let me emphasize here that I have never personally had a bad meal at any Disney restaurant. Apart from trying new items that I did not like, I have only had some meals that were better than others – even when eating at a restaurant for the second or third time. The only downside to eating at a Disney restaurant when the park is busy is just simply the food quality is not ‘the same’ as it is when the parks are slower. For example, I have eaten at The Liberty Tree Tavern three times. The first two times I ate there the food was fabulous. The last time I ate there the food was good, but not great. The service was good, but not great. The menu at this particular restaurant does not change often, and the only thing that I could think of that was preventing the experience from being great was the fact that the park was almost at capacity that last day I ate at The Liberty Tree Tavern. In no way would that influence me not to eat there again, but it is something to be considered when choosing dining reservations.
All things considered, Magic Kingdom can be a great place to visit regardless of how many people are in the park. I do recommend adjusting your itinerary based upon the time of year you are visiting the park. For example, if you are visiting in March or early April be prepared for a larger crowd than normal for Spring Break. Spring Break is more than likely not the time to decide to try to hit all the rides in one day. Also, for families having the ‘once in a lifetime family Disney trip’ I recommend planning two days for Magic Kingdom. Many times families will bring their children (often small like I was during my first time at Magic Kingdom), and it will be the classic summer vacation. This is one of my fondest memories of road trips when I was a kid. Unfortunately, everyone else has the same idea and the park is usually near capacity most days in the months of June and July. This is the reason why I suggest two days at Magic Kingdom for those special trips. Magic Kingdom is still my favorite Disney park of all, and it is the one park that I enjoy the most regardless of the weather, crowds, etc. It is also a place that I suggest anyone to visit at least once, and let yourself be a kid again for one day!
I will be writing future articles on how to plan a family trip to Disney and other Disney-related articles in the near future, including how to make your Disney trip more economical, etc.