Celebration Season is now underway for 2024 at Walt Disney International, with Mickey’s No longer So Horrifying Halloween Celebration now during the finish of October and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration nearly right away thereafter till December 20, 2024! This covers rising crowds all over Magic Kingdom, why this is going on (and can handiest worsen), and learn how to steer clear of it.
Particularly, this covers my enjoy with mix-in all over the 2024 Mickey’s No longer So Horrifying Halloween (MNSSHP). Clearly, because it’s nonetheless spook season and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration (MVMCP) doesn’t start till November. Regardless, the theory is strictly the similar. Those crowds were a rising drawback for the closing two years at each MNSSHP and MVMCP.
This doesn’t duvet the development in any respect. Simply the window of time sooner than it begins when visitors can input Magic Kingdom early for the pre-party. When you’re on the lookout for step by step technique for the development, seek the advice of our Information to the 2024 Mickey’s No longer So Horrifying Halloween Celebration or our Information to the 2024 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration as an alternative.
For individuals who are unfamiliar with the Magic Kingdom mix-in, it’s the time between 4 pm and six pm when Magic Kingdom remains to be open to day visitors however sooner than MNSSHP or MVMCP formally starts. Consequently, there are each common price ticket holders and particular tournament arduous price ticket holders each within the park on the similar time. Therefore the identify: Magic Kingdom mix-in.
There are a couple of causes for permitting particular tournament visitors to go into Magic Kingdom previous to the respectable get started time, maximum of that are past the scope of this publish. We’ll center of attention on a rather easy logistical one, which is {that a} arduous get started at 7 pm would lead to an enormous crowd all attempting to go into Magic Kingdom immediately and turning into annoyed (delicate understatement) when it took an hour of treasured get together time to get throughout the park. The combo-in staggers entries to a better level, which is just right for visitors and park operations.
However, Magic Kingdom mix-in crowds were rising over the previous couple of years, as discussed above. This is going on irrespective of crowds all over the day or all over the development itself. On the contrary, what you come across at mix-in is nearly totally divorced from daylight or get together attendance.
To that time, I’ve seen this dynamic at Magic Kingdom a number of occasions already this 12 months past what’s documented right here. On each unmarried a type of days, wait occasions and ‘looks like’ crowds have been each absurdly low all over the day. Our newest wait occasions document coated the Lowest Crowd Stage Month & Week at Walt Disney International Since 2021! Even if it will have to be obvious from the identify by myself, the parks are actually sluggish presently.
On get together days, Magic Kingdom is the slowest of the sluggish. We’re speaking reasonable wait occasions which can be 14-Quarter-hour and, at worst, 1/10 crowd ranges. A lot of nowadays don’t even sign up as 1/10 on thrill information’s scale, and are as an alternative 0/10. I’ve been in Magic Kingdom on a few of nowadays, they usually give me flashbacks to the post-reopening duration in 2020. No longer relatively that useless, however nonetheless relatively sluggish.
That is the low season and decrease crowds are to be anticipated to some extent. The present “level” is simply a lot much less busy than I expected, and I anticipated rather low crowds. After all, it’ll additionally get gradually worse over the process Celebration Season. See Perfect & Worst 2024 Crowd Days at Magic Kingdom for a fool-proof record of the least and maximum crowded dates at Magic Kingdom between now and December 2024. This features a handful of purple flag dates to steer clear of in any respect prices.
In spite of absurdly low daylight attendance, the MNSSHP I attended used to be bought out…identical to each different get together up to now this season. And identical to each date will probably be by the point it’s over. There are just a half-dozen events that also have tickets to be had and, leisure confident, the ones will all promote out very quickly. Ditto Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration. Just one date is bought out presently, however November and December also are additional into the long run than September and December. That’s the reason there, not anything extra.
In this specific day, I returned to Magic Kingdom at round 3:15 pm. This used to be simply the worst crowd I’ve ever observed this early for mix-in at any arduous price ticket get together at Magic Kingdom. That’s an remark I’ve had again and again over the previous couple of years. Those Magic Kingdom mix-in crowds are handiest getting worse–a development we predict to proceed.
It will have to be famous that this used to be nonetheless 45 mins sooner than particular tournament visitors can be allowed to go into Magic Kingdom. Additionally, that this used to be on a extremely popular day (albeit no longer just about as unhealthy as closing 12 months) with looks like temperatures flirting with triple digits.
Thankfully, Walt Disney International has gotten higher about dealing with the ever-increasing mix-in crowds. This 12 months, there’s a brand new corral machine and really transparent signage indicating the place visitors will have to cross:
That is beautiful smartly arranged–an enormous development over closing 12 months. It additionally would possibly not appear to be too unhealthy of a crowd…however it’s handiest 3:15 pm.
Standard knowledge is to reach half-hour upfront of mix-in, and that’s for experienced visitors who plan forward. Many extra (possibly maximum) arrive proper at 4 pm, no longer understanding there will probably be friction to the method and it’ll take slightly of time to in truth get into the park.
Relating to Walt Disney International, one mantra to bear in mind is: “when you’re early, you’re on time…when you’re on time, you’re overdue.” (I by no means favored my dad’s army cliches as a child, however boy have they been helpful as an grownup doing the very critical paintings of visiting theme parks.)
As you’ll be able to almost definitely collect, this crowd handiest worsens between 3:15 pm and three:55 pm.
There are extra corrals that proceed to refill, and it turns into extra chaotic out of doors the park as there’s handiest such a lot house on the turnstiles themselves. Disney must stay pathways transparent to permit visitor float into and out of the park, in addition to routes to transportation open.
Moreover, Magic Kingdom remains to be open to day visitors, so no longer all the turnstiles can be utilized for the events till 6 pm.
Relating to sensible recommendation, we’ve a couple of suggestions about learn how to navigate this.
First, if in case you have common admission to Magic Kingdom, don’t use the particular tournament turnstiles! This may appear obtrusive, however we’ve heard from such a lot of folks through the years who go out the park and re-enter (or from Annual Passholders who simply display up at 4 pm for no actual reason why).
Somebody with common admission is far better served through the use of an in-park check-in station. Move to Myth Faire close to Mickey’s PhilharMagic in Fantasyland, Tortuga Tavern throughout from the Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland, or Sew’s Nice Get away throughout from Monsters Inc. Giggle Ground in Tomorrowland. Tortuga Tavern is the least busy, Sew’s Nice Get away is busiest–however it’s additionally closest to the entrance of the park and continuously opens previous than the others. That is superb when you plan on queueing up for the Jack & Sally meet & greet in The town Sq. sooner than the get together begins.
There’s actually no different reason why to make use of the SGE check-in location. And truthfully, there’s actually no different reason why to line up proper at or sooner than 4 pm. In our enjoy, 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.
When you don’t have common admission and also you’re looking to get absolutely the maximum from your get together time, we’d counsel arriving at round 3:15 pm. Possibly a tad previous. This will appear to be unhealthy recommendation given the crowds you’ll be able to evidently see in those pictures, however any previous and also you’ll see diminishing returns.
There will probably be crowds at 3 pm or even sooner than that. However it’s secure to think, I’m hoping, that your entire time has worth and it’s no longer value arriving a complete hour previous to save lots of ~5 mins getting into the park. Granted, time within Magic Kingdom is almost definitely value greater than time out of doors it, however how a lot more?
If that’s an additional hour of pool time or playing your lodge (which additionally prices some huge cash and has a prime worth!), it’s an excellent tradeoff. Spending much less time in those crowded corrals within the (probably) sizzling solar is methods to cross.
Which brings us to the 3rd possibility: arriving between 4:30 pm and 5 pm.
That is the very same thought as going to the in-park wristband distribution slightly later, combined with the above perception that your entire time at Walt Disney International has worth. To every their very own, but when I’m on holiday and staying at an on-site lodge, that is what I’m doing. All waking holiday time is efficacious, and one of the most largest mistake Walt Disney International planners make isn’t spotting this.
If spending extra time on the pool and even taking an extended nap will go away you extra rested, it’s going to extend the possibility that you’ll be able to keep till the sour (or slightly, superb) finish of the night time versus leaving early. You’ll additionally do an early dinner out of doors the park, playing meals that’s in truth fit to be eaten versus consuming in Magic Kingdom.
I don’t know your circle of relatives or your priorities and will’t give definitive recommendation–those are only some choices to imagine.
As for why this is going on, there has at all times been an preliminary rush of visitors round 4 pm, however many of us didn’t know they may input Magic Kingdom early prior to now. That or they didn’t care as they have been already within the park. This has modified lately as Walt Disney International higher advertises the perk, possibly to assist justify the fee will increase.
My robust suspicion is that increasingly more visitors are buying Mickey’s No longer So Horrifying Halloween as an alternative of standard day tickets, slightly than along with common admission. This may well be enjoying out in some distance large and small, from vacationers purchasing shorter period tickets (3 days as an alternative of four) to locals skipping out on Annual Passes and getting their “Disney repair” all over Celebration Season.
This may sound like far-fetched theories or greedy at straws to give an explanation for this phenomenon, however it’s in keeping with a mix of firsthand enjoy and in depth comments from readers and shuttle 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 an alternative doing Mickey’s Halloween Celebration (now Oogie Boogie Bash). This skipped the recognition of those events, which now promote out in no time even on dates that aren’t in particular busy.
Priced-out locals short of to get their Disney repair would additionally give an explanation for why MNSSHP and MVMCP are promoting sooner than ever, regardless of pent-up call for differently slowing. It will additionally give an explanation for how this is going on within the face of falling crowds, that are the bottom they’ve been since 2021. Low common attendance and prime call for for arduous price ticket occasions isn’t even contradictory–it makes absolute best sense.
It additionally explains the bigger crowd previous to 4 pm. Those are visitors short of to get as a lot worth out of the get together price ticket as conceivable as a result of they don’t have choice admission. It is a distinction to vacationers with multi-day tickets that can come with a park day previous to the beginning of MNSSHP or MVMCP, who haven’t any incentive to reach proper at 4 pm.
In consequence, you’ll be able to be expecting each Mickey’s No longer So Horrifying Halloween Celebration and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration to proceed promoting out although daylight attendance drops. Priced out locals or even vacationers looking to lower prices and squeeze essentially the most worth out in their tickets will maintain call for for those particular occasions.
You’ll additionally be expecting value will increase to proceed. As long as single-day tickets for Magic Kingdom aren’t considerably less expensive (they usually aren’t!) than the events, many visitors will go for MNSSHP and MVMCP as an alternative. Once more, we’ve already observed all of this stuff occur at Disneyland Hotel, so those are infrequently daring predictions.
For exactly the similar reason why, this mix-in crowd may even keep growing, as a better share of visitors don’t have choice admission on get together days. And as those higher-knowledge visitors be told from previous enjoy, they’ll get started arriving even previous in years to come. What used to be 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 means of 2025, at 2:30 pm by means of 2026, and so on.
So how can Walt Disney International clear up this drawback? (And this is a drawback to some degree as a result of Disney doesn’t like congestion like this out of doors the gates, because it’s a security and safety factor.)
The very first thing that involves thoughts is letting Disney Holiday Membership contributors input at 2 pm. This isn’t even my brilliant thought–it’s Disney’s! They used to do that pre-COVID. Again then, the perk used to be deemed important to trap DVC contributors to buy tickets (MVMCP and MNSSHP didn’t promote out steadily). Now, it will be to unfold out that mix-in crowd just a little.
Rather than that, Walt Disney International’s highest choices are price ticket offers. They have already got the the Florida Resident Uncover Disney Price tag and the 4-Park, 4-Day Walt Disney International Magic Price tag that run during the finish of this month. Understandably, many locals–who’re accustomed to Florida climate this time of 12 months–would nonetheless favor an night time particular tournament. I’d thus suggest bringing again the EPCOT After 4 Annual Go and likewise promoting ‘starlight’ tickets (discounted admission on common days after 4 pm–additionally no longer my thought, Tokyo Disney does this).
With that mentioned, those mix-in crowds are in truth a just right factor to some extent–so Walt Disney International shouldn’t cross too a ways in looking to cut back them. Having all kinds of visitor demographics method folks may have other causes for being there–rides with decrease wait occasions, leisure, characters, and so on. In spite of the bigger mix-in crowds, we’ve spotted that persons are unfold out significantly better all over MNSSHP or MVMCP. It’s a mild steadiness, and it sort of feels like Walt Disney International has completed that within the closing couple of years at those occasions.
Making plans a Walt Disney International commute? When you’re eager about finding out extra about accommodations, our Walt Disney International Resorts Evaluations web page is a great position to begin. For the place to devour, check out our Walt Disney International Eating place Evaluations web page. If you wish to get monetary savings on tickets or decide which sort you will have to get, learn our Guidelines for Saving Cash on Walt Disney International Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a novel have a look at unconventional belongings you will have to take for your commute. While you arrive on the parks, our Walt Disney International “Experience Guides” are nice for figuring out what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of those subjects and so a lot more, the most productive position to begin is our complete Walt Disney International Travel Making plans Information to benefit from your enjoy!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever skilled those massive Magic Kingdom mix-in crowds sooner than Mickey’s No longer So Horrifying Halloween Celebration? Are you one of the most visitors who has selected get together tickets over an Annual Go or longer period common tickets? Ideas on any of the recommendation or checks right here? Any questions we will allow you to resolution? Listening to your comments–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas beneath within the feedback!
