If you have booked to be at Disney World during a busy time of year or you are concerned that Disney World might hit capacity whilst you are on your vacation, then don’t panic Disney has planned for such occasions. In this article we will go through what happens when Disney World is at Capacity, the closure phases that Disney Implement and how this might affect your Disney World vacation. The parks can hold a lot of people but at certain times of year or for special occasions the crowd levels can get close to capacity.
It has been reported in the past that each park can hold approximately the following number of guests (these are not official figures):
- Magic Kingdom: 100,000 guests
- Epcot: 95,000 guests
- Hollywood Studios: 75,000 guests
- Animal Kingdom: 60,000 guests
To manage days where crowd levels get close to or reach capacity Disney operate 4 phases of closure when a park is getting busy. There are 3 points that I would like to highlight to you if you are planning to attend at what may be a very busy time in the parks and that is that the system favors 3 types of guest which are:
- Guests staying at a Disney Resort
- Annual Passholders
- Guests with in-park reservations or appointments.
All three of these types of guest can enter a park at a Phase 1, 2 and 3 Closure. So, bear this in mind when planning your Disney World Vacation. We usually stay at a Disney Resort and this is one of the advantages of staying on site especially during busy times.
How Do Disney Close the Parks When it Hits Capacity?
As I mentioned above Disney operate a phased closure system that starts at Phase 1 and goes up to Phase 4. Below are the 4 phases of closures used at Disney World:
Phase 1 Closure
Casual visitors will be turned away when they get to the automobile toll plazas. People without tickets, those with one-day, single-park tickets, and those with cast member passes will not be allowed to park.
Other guests may enter such as:
- Guests with multi-day or multi-park tickets
- Guests staying at a Disney Resort
- Annual Passholders
- Guests re-entering the park that day.
- Guests “hopping” from another park.
- Guests with in-park reservations or appointments.
- Guests arriving via Disney transportation
From the past 10 years, this is when Walt Disney World parks have reached but have not gone past a Phase 1 capacity closure:
- Magic Kingdom: December 25, 26, and 29, 2014; December 31, 2015; December 31, 2017
Phase 2 Closure
The only guests allowed into the Disney World Parks and into the parking lots are:
- Guests staying at a Disney Resort
- Annual Passholders
- Guests re-entering the park that day.
- Guests “hopping” from another park.
- Guests with in-park reservations or appointments.
- Guests arriving via Disney transportation
From the past 10 years, this is when Walt Disney World parks have reached but have not gone past a Phase 2 capacity closure:
- Magic Kingdom: April 8 and 9, 2009; December 28 and 30, 2009; December 29, 2010; December 25 and 28, 2011; December 24, 25, and 30, 2012; December 25 and 30, 2013; July 4, 2014; December 31, 2014.
- Hollywood Studios: December 29, 2009 and December 28, 2011
- Animal Kingdom: December 28, 2009 and December 28, 2011
Phase 3 Closure
The only guests allowed into the Disney World Parks and into the parking lots are:
- Guests staying at a Disney Resort
- Annual Passholders
- Guests with in-park reservations or appointments.
From the past 10 years, this is when Walt Disney World parks have reached but have not gone past a Phase 3 capacity closure:
- Magic Kingdom: April 7, 2009; December 29 and 31, 2009; March 30, 2010; December 25 and 31, 2010; December 31, 2011; December 27, 28, and 31, 2012; January 2, 2013; March 25-28, 2013; July 4, 2013; December 31, 2013.
Phase 4 Closure
Things get really serious at phase 4 with the parks and parking lots being closed to all arriving guests. The only Phase 4 Closure in the past 10 years has been at Magic Kingdom and this was on April 7, 2009.
Busiest Times of Year at Disney World
There are certain times of year that will always be busy. Christmas Day and New Years Eve are always extremely busy as is 4th July. The same can be said for Thanksgiving and in general any other public holiday.
Likelihood of Park Closures
All four of the Disney World Parks have reached various levels of closure in the past. Magic Kingdom is always the most likeliest to reach some phase of closure as it is the most visited park and usually gets very busy (as do the other parks) at Christmas, New Year and 4th July.
Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios rarely close but it is quite possible this may change at Hollywood Studios with Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opening in August 2019. Hollywood Studios has a smaller capacity compared to Epcot and Magic Kingdom so it will be interesting to see what happens in the first few months of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opening.
It is of course possible for the Water Parks to close too. Both can reach capacity with Typhoon Lagoon having closed 7 times in the past 10 years, but it is more likely at Blizzard Beach which closed 8 times during 2010 alone. But do take note that over the past few years there have only been a couple of closures (one at each park).
Things to Think About
Here are some points worth thinking about when attending Disney World on a high crowd level day.
Get There Early
Common sense this one but get to a park early to make sure you do get in. You are also more likely to get on some attractions first thing in the morning before it starts getting really busy later on in the day.
Plan for One Park
It is worth considering staying in one park for the day rather than trying to find your way to another park when Disney World Transportation will be very busy, and you might run the risk of not getting into another park if it is getting extremely busy.
Parking Lots Usually Close First
The parking lots will usually close first during the phased closures. This is something to be aware of if you are travelling by car to one of the parks.
Consider Making a Dining Reservation
If you can it may benefit you to make a dining reservation somewhere in the park you are planning to visit especially if you are going to be arriving later in the day. This would benefit you if you are not staying at a Disney World Resort.
You can read more about the benefits of staying at a Disney World Resort here.
Make Some Lightning Lanes
Consider using Genie+ and have some Lightning Lanes booked so that you are guaranteed to enjoy some attractions during you visit.
You can read more about Fast Passes here.
You Will Have to Stand in Line (Probably Quite a Bit)
You will probably have to stand in line to get inside the park, to get a snack or meal and of course to ride an attraction. Busy days mean longer lines which results in you standing in line for longer.
If It Does Get Too Busy
If it does get too busy and especially if you are staying at a Disney Resort, then sometimes it can be best to just leave and head back to your resort and hit the pool. I’m saying this from experience and if it is just adults in your party you may very well be fine but with younger children, they can get cranky and sometimes it just not worth hanging around inside a busy park. If you have a multi-day park ticket, then you can always head back another day.
Personally, we have never planned our Disney World Vacations to fall at a time of the year when the Parks will be extremely busy. We would advise you do the same if possible but if you can’t hopefully this article has helped to explain what happens when the Disney World Parks get close to capacity.
The Best Times to go to Disney World
Thanks for reading this article on Disney World at Capacity you can find our full planning guide here.
Darren
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