1/24/12 Update: Magic Kingdom close extended to 11pm on Saturday the 26th.
1/17/12 Update: Hollywood Studios close extended to 8pm on January 28th with a second Fantasmic added at 8:30pm.
12/20/12 Update: Crowd Calendar image and daily analysis updated with the changes listed here.
11/5/12 Update: Animal Kingdom hours updated as listed here.
11/5/12 Update: Extra Magic Hours swapped on January 1st and 2nd. Crowd Calendar updated with slight recommendation modifications.
10/1/12 Update – Disney added Fantasmic on January 22nd, slightly altering the recommendations.
This is the Free January 2013 Disney World Crowd Calendar that shows the Recommended Parks to Visit, Overall Crowd Level Estimation, Cost, Historic High/Low Temperature, Historic Chance of Precipitation, Extra Magic Hours Schedule, Fantasmic Show Times, Holidays, and Special Events.
Make sure you first read my month-by-month overview of visiting Disney World, located here. The overview will give you an idea of what to expect in terms of cost, crowds, weather, and special events on a broader scale. Once you figure out when you would like to visit, you can move on to this more detailed look.
Here’s a quick explanation of how to read the calendar and what the numbers mean. It may seem like it’s a little long, but you’ll only need to read the explanation once.
- The first line in each box is the date.
- The second line shows the cost to book a room at a Disney-owned resort. $ = Value Season, $$ = Regular Season, $$$ = Summer Season, $$$$ = Peak Season, and $$$$$ = Holiday Season. Occasionally there will be a + or – after the $$$ to show that the cost is slightly higher or lower than usual, but not by enough to raise it another $ notch.
- The third line is the average high and low temperature and the chance of precipitation. All data is based on the last 15 years. I wouldn’t read too much into the precipitation percentages for each day because just one or two additional days of rain in the last 15 years can raise the percentage substantially. I included it so you can look at the precipitation trends throughout the month(s) and take it into consideration when deciding when to book your vacation. For a broader overview of the month, read the month-by-month overview I linked to above.
- The fourth line is an estimation of the overall crowd level. A “5″ refers to average crowds. Numbers above 5 refer to a larger than average overall crowd level and numbers below 5 refer to lower than average overall crowds. A day with an overall crowd level of “1″ means that the crowds are expected to be the absolute lowest of the year and a “10″ means crowds are expected to be at their largest of the year. In other words, the overall crowd level estimation will give you an idea of how many people are in the entire Disney World complex, including the four major theme parks, water parks, Downtown Disney, golf courses, resorts, etc. Individual theme parks can have smaller or larger crowds than the overall estimation, which is where the theme park recommendations come in.
- The fifth line shows the theme parks I recommend visiting in green and the theme parks I recommend avoiding in red. There is also a | sign that splits up the recommended and not recommended Parks for the color blind or those printing in black and white (the Parks to the left of the | sign are recommended). I use the usual abbreviations for the Parks; AK is the Animal Kingdom, EP is Epcot, HS is Hollywood Studios, and MK is the Magic Kingdom. In addition to the colors, the Park on the far left is the most recommended Park to visit that day. The Park second to the left is the second most recommended and so on. For example, if the line reads AK EP | HS MK then the Animal Kingdom is the most recommended and Epcot is the second most recommended. On the other side of the | sign, Hollywood Studios is not recommended and the Magic Kingdom is expressly not recommended even more. If possible, I would strongly recommend you visit the Park that is most recommended each day. Please read below the calendar for an overview of how I’ve selected the recommended Parks and also a day-by-day explanation.
- The sixth line lists which Parks have Extra Magic Hours and at what time they start. Morning Extra Magic Hour lasts one hour and usually starts at 8am. Evening Extra Magic Hours last three hours from the start time. For example, if you see AK:8am EP:9pm, that means the Animal Kingdom has a morning Extra Magic Hour from 8am-9am and Epcot has evening Extra Magic Hours from 9pm-12am.
- The seventh line lists the Fantasmic show times at the Hollywood Studios.
- The eighth line lists the start time of Main Street Electrical Parade (MSEP:) and Wishes Fireworks at Magic Kingdom(W:). For example, if you see, MSEP: 9pm & 11pm W: 10pm, it would mean that Main Street Electrical Parade begins at 9pm and 11pm and Wishes begins at 10pm.
The Calendar is also available in an easy to view and print PDF file, Here.
Click the image to enlarge it.
Tuesday January 1
New Year’s Day
Animal Kingdom: 8am – 8pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 7am – 8am
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 10pm (Not Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm and 10pm
Magic Kingdom: 8am – 1am (Most Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 8pm and 10pm, Wishes Fireworks: 9pm
We’re coming off an extremely busy day yesterday for New Year’s Eve. You can do very well in the morning at any of the Parks, but Epcot and Magic Kingdom are our best choices. You can have a ton of success at Animal Kingdom if you arrive in time to take advantage of the full Extra Magic Hour, but you can expect the afternoon and evening to be much more crowded than recommended days, particularly with those waking up late and looking to head out somewhere that they deem a “half day Park.”
Epcot is recommended now that the morning Extra Magic Hour has moved to Wednesday. With the high overall crowd level extended throughout the week, Soarin’ and Test Track are still going to be extremely popular attractions. You’re going to want to take care of them both immediately after Epcot opens or rely on FASTPASSes that are probably going to need to be collected before lunch. They simply don’t have the capacities to keep up with demand. The morning, from 9am – 11am, will be a great time to tour, but it’s more important than usual to be on your way up to World Showcase beginning as close to 11am as possible to stay ahead of the crowds into the afternoon. Epcot will be busy in the evening, but there isn’t a whole lot we can do about that on New Year’s Day.
Hollywood Studios is not expressly recommended. Although we have morning Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom to help attract Disney resort guests, there’s no special evening entertainment or evening Extra Magic Hours to draw the sizable off-site contingent. On top of that, Extra Magic Hours won’t be scheduled at the Studios until this weekend. While it’s true we had evening Extra Magic Hours last night, that won’t be a huge draw with the festivities at Epcot and popularity of Magic Kingdom’s nighttime celebration. I’m looking toward Friday as the best day this week to visit. However, with nothing specific drawing on-site or off-site visitors to the Studios, it won’t be far and away busier than other days this week. If you arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours, you’ll be in good shape for the rest of the day. At the very least, you’ll want to collect FASTPASSes for Toy Story Mania by 10:30am and even then, return times are often into the late afternoon due to its popularity and severely limited capacity. Other than these four headliners, it’s really just a matter of arriving in time to see the Studios’ shows that run on a set schedule and having enough time to see and ride the high capacity attractions like Great Movie Ride and Backlot Tour. You may also have popular characters to prioritize. For Fantasmic, I always recommend the Fantasmic Dining Package if you’re interested in the first show of the night. It makes the most sense on the Disney Dining Plan because it costs the same one table service credit at Mama Melrose or Hollywood & Vine and two table service credits at Hollywood Brown Derby that it would cost otherwise. Plus, you receive an appetizer, which you normally wouldn’t get on the Dining Plan. Even with the Package, you’ll want to arrive at least 30 minutes before the show begins or you run the risk of Disney opening the reserved section to the general public. Without the Package, try to stay up for the 8pm or 10pm shows. The 10pm show will be far less crowded and will only require an arrival 10 or 15 minutes before the start of the show to secure good seats. All in all, arriving prior to Park opening and taking care of the headliners is more important than picking the “right day.” Try to schedule the Studios when you know you’ll be up and ready to go early.
A ton of people are going to be out late at Magic Kingdom yesterday for New Year’s Eve. With the massive crowds, few are going to try to brave it again today, especially in the morning. Take advantage and head straight for Fantasyland (Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh) or the headlining Mountain rides (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain). You may also want to fit other time-sensitive attractions like Tomorrowland Indy Speedway or Astro Orbiter in there as well, along with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and other quick attractions that will have decent afternoon waits. Collect FASTPASSes throughout the morning and early afternoon and you’ll be in good shape when the crowds get heavier after 12pm. If you’ll be attending this evening’s nighttime spectaculars, you’ll most likely want to take a sizable break from 1pm to 6pm or so when crowds peak. Wait times will be long at most attractions during this time period and it’s a great opportunity to return to your resort to relax. Return in the evening for Wishes and the Main Street Electrical Parade. The 10pm Parade will be much less crowded than the 8pm Parade, so see that one if at all possible. Scope out a spot along the Parade route in Liberty Square or Frontierland because those areas offer just as good of a view as Main Street and require a much shorter wait. The late night hours are also a viable time to tour. If you can’t arrive early, try to stay through 1am, leaving Tomorrowland for after 11pm and Fantasyland for after 12am. Arriving early, touring efficiently, collecting FASTPASSes, and taking a sizable afternoon break is the key. Most families will leave soon after Wishes, freeing up the Park for those that can stay up through close.
Wednesday January 2
Animal Kingdom: 8am – 8pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 10pm (Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm and 10pm
Magic Kingdom: 8am – 1am (Most Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 8pm and 10pm, Wishes Fireworks: 9pm
Animal Kingdom is recommended with the morning Extra Magic Hour shifting to Monday, but it’s still going to be busy in the afternoon with the above average overall crowd level and limited number of attractions. With the 8am open, you can have tremendous success from 8am – 10am.. It’s imperative that you arrive prior to Park opening and take care of Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest first thing in the morning. After that, head to DinoLand USA to take care of Primeval Whirl and then DINOSAUR. It should then be about time to head over to a Finding Nemo or Lion King show. If you can’t arrive early, stay through close because wait times will only decrease from 6pm through close. Check your Times Guide to see when the last Safari leaves because it will be before the rest of the Park closes, due to darkness. Hit Everest and DinoLand in the last hour.
Epcot is not recommended, thanks to the addition of a morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract a lot of Disney resort guests. With most schools having this whole week off, you can expect Disney resorts to be near capacity, especially with lower pricing than typical holiday times. That means well over 100,000 people will have access to Extra Magic Hours and a lot of them believe the Extra Magic Hours schedule is Disney’s way of dictating where they belong each day. You can do well from 8am – 10am, but Future World is going to be swamped come 10:30am, especially at Soarin’ and Test Track. Expect solid 100+ minute waits after 10:30am. With yesterday and tomorrow recommended, most people will want to look to visit on an alternate date. If you do visit today, take advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hour by visiting Soarin’ and Test Track immediately after Epcot opens. By 11am, visit the Mexico and Norway Pavilions to ride the water rides there and then continue up through World Showcase to stay ahead of the crowds for as long as possible.
Hollywood Studios is recommended. We’re going to see a slightly different crowd pattern than later in the month due to resort pricing coming down so much tonight. That means we should see a sizable number of people arriving today for a vacation that will end on Saturday or Sunday. You can do very well at the Studios if you arrive by 8:20am and hit Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours first thing in the morning. Make Toy Story your top priority because afternoon waits may hit the triple digits with FASTPASS return times in the late afternoon and into the evening by 10:30am. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is easier to FASTPASS, but remains a priority. You can rely on FASTPASS at Tower of Terror and Star Tours in the afternoon because return times will only be 40 to 60 minutes out. This Friday is “more recommended,” but you can make today work fine if you arrive prior to Park opening and take care of your priorities right away. For the least amount of trouble seeing Fantasmic, see the 10pm show. You’ll only need to arrive 15 minutes early to secure good seats together. Otherwise, consider the Dining Package for the 6:30pm show or the 8pm show will also see leaner crowds. Still, plan to arrive 45 to 60 minutes early for the 8pm show with the high overall crowd level.
Magic Kingdom is highly recommended, though it may get more crowded in the evening as people arrive and head out to Magic Kingdom for the longer hours of operation and nighttime spectaculars. Luckily, tomorrow’s morning Extra Magic Hour will prove more popular with resort guests and anyone that arrived over the weekend will be looking to move on to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios after visiting Magic Kingdom on Monday and Epcot on Tuesday. Yesterday was better overall, but both today and Friday work too. As always, you’ll have the most success if you arrive prior to Park opening and take care of the top priorities first. If you’re headed to New Fantasyland, get in line for Enchanted Tales with Belle first thing. Then move on to Journey of the Little Mermaid and Ariel’s Grotto. If you’re interested in exploring more of the area, plan to return around 11am (or 10:15am to get in line for Be Our Guest lunch). You’ll want to move on to Peter Pan’s Flight and Winnie the Pooh as early as possible.
Thursday January 3
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Most Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Highly Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom: 8am – 1am (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 7am – 8am
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 8pm, and 10pm Wishes Fireworks: 9pm
Animal Kingdom and Epcot are our best choices. For those arriving yesterday for lower Disney resort pricing, it’s unlikely that many will choose to start their day at Animal Kingdom, especially with the attractive morning Extra Magic Hour at Disney’s most popular theme park. Hollywood Studios will remain popular with Fantasmic, decent hours of operation, and a lack of evening Extra Magic Hours elsewhere. As always, you’ll find the most success if you arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. If you’re not riding the thrill rides (Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl), you’ll want to attend the first showing of Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo because those shows will be popular in the afternoon. Also consider heading over to Camp Minnie-Mickey right before the characters appear in the morning to find the shortest lines. Collect FASTPASSes for attractions you either want to ride again or couldn’t make it to in the morning and you should be able to do just about everything the Animal Kingdom has to offer. After completing your itinerary, you may want to Park Hop to Magic Kingdom for Wishes and Main Street Electrical Parade, Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic, or Epcot for dinner and IllumiNations. Keep in mind that crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade. Stay through close if there’s more that you want to accomplish because wait times will only decrease from 6pm onward. Without Park Hopper, consider transferring to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at one of its excellent restaurants. There’s also a public observatory where you can gaze out at the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s private savannas and enjoy the same view many guests are paying a premium to have right outside their balconies. A trip to Downtown Disney or the BoardWalk for dinner and shopping also makes a lot of sense.
Epcot is highly recommended and your best choice if you’re not interested in visiting Animal Kingdom. Tomorrow’s evening Extra Magic Hour will draw the majority of Disney resort guests and they won’t be attending today as well. We also have morning Extra Magic Hour and Main Street Electrical Parade pulling people towards Magic Kingdom and Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios continuing to draw crowds. Plan to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ or follow a more compartmentalized two-day touring plan if you prefer. If you arrive later, plan to FASTPASS Test Track and then Soarin’ as soon as possible. Both will have 60+ minute waits for most of the day after 9:30am due to their popularity and relatively low capacities. Move on to the World Showcase right at 11am, beginning with the water rides in Mexico and Norway, to stay in front of the incoming crowds that will congregate in Future World. Return to Future World after 5pm if you have more to accomplish and to ride/re-ride the headliners with FASTPASS. Keep in mind that Innoventions, Captain EO, Journey into Imagination with Figment, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Living with the Land, and Circle of Life ordinarily close at 7pm. Return to those between 5pm and 7pm and then plan to visit Mission: Space, Spaceship Earth, and the Seas Pavilion before finishing up with Test Track and Soarin’ after 8pm. It’s also a great day to stay for dinner and IllumiNations.
Hollywood Studios is not recommended. While the morning Extra Magic Hour will help draw Disney resort guests toward Magic Kingdom, it won’t be as big of a draw as when Magic Kingdom offers Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes less often. With Main Street Electrical Parade, Wishes, and similarly long hours every day this week, Magic Kingdom will only be marginally more crowded today. We also don’t have the more popular evening Extra Magic Hours scheduled anywhere. I’m looking towards tomorrow as being less crowded, thanks to the more popular evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot and similarly long hours of operation at Magic Kingdom. There’s also the fact that the morning Extra Magic Hour on Saturday will be more attractive to Disney resort guests. Like yesterday, there’s nothing specific drawing people towards Hollywood Studios, which means it won’t be far and away busier than non-recommended days during the week. However, you will find higher crowds and longer waits in the afternoon. Most people will want to take advantage of the lower crowds at Epcot and hold off on Hollywood Studios until tomorrow.
The morning Extra Magic Hour at Magic Kingdom will lure a decent number of Disney resort guests, making the Park busier than either this past Tuesday or Wednesday. With more people than usual arriving yesterday for the lower resort pricing, we’ll also see more off-site visitors treating this like your typical Monday, meaning they “have to” go on their first full day. The fact that we have Main Street Electrical Parade scheduled every night this week certainly “helps” distribute crowds more evenly, even though the Disney resort crowd will predictably visit when Extra Magic Hours are scheduled. You can have success provided you take advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hour by arriving no later than 6:40am and heading straight to Fantasyland or other open attractions. Move on to the headlining Mountain rides or character meet and greets when they open and you’ll be in excellent shape. However, you will find that crowds are heavier than recommended days in the afternoon. You’ll probably want to take a break from 1pm to 6pm or so and return in the evening to ride some major attractions with FASTPASS, have dinner, see some high capacity attractions, and enjoy the evening spectaculars. Keep in mind that you would be much better off visiting on a recommended day if you aren’t Extra Magic Hours eligible or won’t arrive until 9:30am or later because it will be busier than recommended days from 11am onward. If you aren’t Extra Magic Hours eligible, tomorrow is the better choice.
Friday January 4
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 9pm – 11pm
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom: 8am – 1am (Highly Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 8pm and 10pm, Wishes Fireworks: 9pm
Animal Kingdom is recommended, though it isn’t the best day of the week there. While we’ll see more people than usual arriving over the last two days, other off-site visitors will be here for the usual weeklong vacation. After visiting the other three more popular Parks first, they’ll inevitably save Animal Kingdom for last, before ultimately returning to Magic Kingdom on Saturday and then leaving on Sunday. Most people will want to take advantage of the lower crowds at Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom, but Animal Kingdom is certainly a viable alternative. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and take care of Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest first thing. After that, move on to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl/DINOSAUR, visit the characters at Camp Minnie-Mickey, or see the first Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo the Musical. Keep in mind that crowds disperse after the 3:45pm Parade. If you couldn’t get to some of the attraction earlier in the day, stay through until 8pm because waits will only decrease from 6pm through close.
We’ll want to avoid Epcot. Its evening Extra Magic Hours will lure the majority of Disney resort guests, which will lengthen waits times at the attractions for the entire afternoon and evening. Epcot is almost always at its busiest and lines are the longest when it has evening Extra Magic Hours. This is due to the fact that many Disney resort guests head to whichever Park has Extra Magic Hours, even if they don’t plan to take advantage of them. Without Park Hopper, Disney resort guests must stay in the Park with Extra Magic Hours for the entire day. The increased crowds lead to longer lines, heavier congestion in common areas, and an overall less pleasant touring experience. I would urge you to visit a different Park. If you want to head to Epcot today, despite my strong objections, your best chance to ride the headlining rides is from 9am-11am. Most Disney resort guests will sleep in and arrive around lunch in anticipation of staying until 10-11pm. The morning will be a decent time to tour Epcot, but you’ll probably want to Park Hop elsewhere after lunch or you’ll be stuck in significantly larger-than-usual crowds. You might also consider an afternoon break from 2pm-6pm when crowds will be at their largest. You could then return in the early evening for dinner and Extra Magic Hours. Alternatively, you could also Park Hop over in the evening for Extra Magic Hours, provided you’re aware of how busy it will be. The last hour of Extra Magic Hours is always the least crowded, so plan to stay until 11pm and head back to Test Track or Soarin’ after 10:30pm. Still, with the changeover to only two hours of Extra Magic Hours, you can expect 10pm – 11pm to continue to be decently busy because there won’t be the 11pm – 12am drop off as we’ve seen over the last several years. Skip Illuminations if you’ll be here on another night because it will be more crowded than usual. Overall, there’s no reason to visit Epcot today unless you can’t schedule it another day or tour efficiently from 9am – 1pm, take a break, and stay through 11pm for Extra Magic Hours.
Hollywood Studios is the most recommended Park. We’re looking at a morning Extra Magic Hour tomorrow that will be more popular with Disney resort guests. With Fantasmic scheduled every night and similar operating hours offered every day, the Studios won’t be far and away less crowded than other days this week like it was when Fantasmic was scheduled less often. Nonetheless, we’re looking at fewer people in the Park, crowds that grow slower, increased FASTPASS availability, less congestion in common areas, and shorter waits at rides, shows, and restaurants. To have the most success, you’ll still want to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. Because Toy Story Mania has such a limited capacity, wait times are almost always 60+ minutes in the afternoon and FASTPASSes are often gone by 1pm, even when the overall crowd level is low and Hollywood Studios is recommended. You’ll want to make it your top priority. Your second priority is Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which also sees long afternoon waits and FASTPASSes that run out in the late afternoon. Tower of Terror and Star Tours should be easier to ride, but also remain priorities. If you can get these attractions done in the early morning, you’ll be in great shape for the rest of the day. The only other problem most people run into is trying to schedule all of the stage shows that run on a set schedule. You may also want to prioritize characters that will have longer afternoon waits. The Toy Story characters usually have the longest waits. They appear first at 9:15am, which gives you time to FASTPASS and ride Toy Story Mania before getting in line by 9:10am. Phineas & Ferb tend to have the second longest lines in Hollywood Studios. They typically begin appearing at 9:30am near Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, which should give you enough time to scoot over there shortly after they begin greeting. Check the week’s Times Guide to verify appearance times. Two other popular characters appear in the Animation Building in the Animation Courtyard. Sorcerer Mickey in particular has long afternoon waits and The Incredibles characters also tend to have decent lines. Since both characters meet indoors and their lines aren’t usually over 20 minutes long, you should be able to find them with decent waits after 4:30pm. Finally, you’ll find some characters in the morning near Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat that won’t appear later in the afternoon. Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Chip, Dale, Friends of Winnie the Pooh, Goofy, and Pluto are all common, but no specific character is guaranteed to appear. For Fantasmic, consider the Fantasmic Dining Package that guarantees everyone on the reservation a seat in the reserved section of the theater if you’re interested in the 6:30pm. You’ll still need to arrive at least 30 minutes early, but it’s better than the 60+ minutes early you’ll need to arrive without the package. It makes the most sense on the Disney Dining Plan because it only costs one table service credit (except at Hollywood Brown Derby, which still costs two credits as it would otherwise) and includes the appetizer. If the Dining Package isn’t available or you’re not interested, plan to see the 8pm show if you’re able. It will be far less crowded and you won’t have to deal with two large roped off sections for the Dining Package. Still, it’s early enough in the evening that a lot of families will be able to stay up for it if they choose to. Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early to secure good seats together. Arriving earlier will only result in better seats. As far as general seating is concerned, the best seats are about half way up in the center sections, but be prepared to arrive an hour early for those seats. Sit any closer and you run the risk of getting wet and it’s more difficult to see what’s happening on the water.
Magic Kingdom is highly recommended and your best choice if you have other plans for Hollywood Studios. Magic Kingdom won’t be highly recommended again until next Tuesday and Wednesday. If you’re just arriving and can wait that long, both of those days would be far less crowded than today because of the lower overall crowd level. However, it still won’t be empty with the above average overall crowd level, decent hours of operation, Main Street Electrical Parade, and Wishes. It’s still more important to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Fantasyland (Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh) or the headlining Mountain rides (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain). You may also want to fit other time-sensitive attractions like Tomorrowland Indy Speedway or Astro Orbiter in there as well, along with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and other quick attractions that will have decent afternoon waits. Consider taking a break from 1pm to 5pm or so when crowds are heaviest and wait times are longest to rest up for the evening entertainment. For Main Street Electrical Parade, scout out a spot along the Parade route in Liberty Square or Frontierland for the 10pm Parade. Both areas are significantly less crowded than Main Street and require a shorter wait and the 10pm Parade is much less crowded because so many families leave after Wishes.
Saturday January 5
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 1am (Not Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 8pm and 10pm, Wishes Fireworks: 9pm
Animal Kingdom comes recommended. We don’t have Extra Magic Hours or special events to attract Disney vacationers of any sort. Magic Kingdom will be attracting significant crowds with its long hours of operation and both nighttime spectaculars and Hollywood Studios with morning Extra Magic Hour and two Fantasmic shows. We also had two morning Extra Magic Hours earlier in the week and another on Monday to appeal to the sizable Disney resort contingent. To take full advantage of the low crowd level, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. Get those two attractions out of the way early and the only real concerns are getting to Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical. You would be in the best shape if you could get to the first or last show of the day as well as over to DinoLand USA before 10:30am when lines begin to build at DINOSAUR and Primeval Whirl. You may also want to prioritize the Character Greeting Trails at Camp Minnie-Mickey. Here, you’ll find Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip, abd Dale dressed up in their holiday finest along with Pocahontas, King Louie, and Baloo. Use FASTPASS throughout the day and you should have no trouble experiencing just about everything Animal Kingdom has to offer in just one day. Finally, keep in mind that crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade and it’s usually a great time to return to the major attractions from 5:45pm through close.
Epcot is our best Park to visit. Last night’s evening Extra Magic Hours will have been wildly popular with Disney resort guests and they will be nowhere near Epcot today, especially in the morning. Take full advantage by arriving early and head straight to Soarin’, followed by Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, and Mission: Space or follow a touring plan. If you’re also interested in the Character Spot, you may want to head there first thing in the morning because waits from 9:30am onward will be over 30 minutes because of its popularity and low capacity. At Character Spot, you can meet Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto in their classic attire one after the next. After completing Character Spot, waits at Soarin’ or Test Track should still be less than 20 minutes. At either of those rides, worst case scenario is you can FASTPASS them and return later. That isn’t possible at Character Spot. On the other hand, a 40 minute wait at Character Spot isn’t terrible because you do get to meet five of the most popular characters. It’s also an excellent day to stay for IllumiNations and enjoy the World Showcase in the afternoon. To have the most success, move up through World Showcase beginning around 11am. That will put you well ahead of the crowds until at least 3pm and you’ll be among the first people to enter each of the World Showcase Pavilions.
Hollywood Studios is not recommended. While the addition of Fantasmic to every night this week makes each show less appealing, it also makes today’s morning Extra Magic Hour more attractive to Disney resort guests because they’ll also have the opportunity to see Fantasmic and enjoy the same operating hours as other days during the week. Because most Disney resort guests will be arriving later in the morning, you can still have success if you are Extra Magic Hours eligible, arrive by 7:30am, and head straight to Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. However, you’re in trouble if you arrive at 10am with everyone else. Make full use of the morning and you can do well, but it’s going to be busier than recommended days in the afternoon and you’ll likely want to take a sizeable afternoon break from 1pm to 5pm or so to rest up for Fantasmic, after arriving early in the morning. Luckily, Magic Kingdom will be attracting a lot of people and Epcot will be more popular with locals, so it won’t be a terrible day. Still, tomorrow is a much better day to visit.
Moving into next week, we’re going to see far fewer people in the Parks as winter breaks conclude around the country. We’ll still see a sizable number of South American tour groups, but they aren’t as obnoxious because temperatures are lower and overall crowds are so much lower than the summer. It’s much easier to avoid them and they aren’t present in nearly the numbers that they are in July and early August. With the falling overall crowd level, today is going to be less busy than this past Sunday and Monday with the New Year’s holiday. All things considered, there should be less people in the Park overall today than this past Tuesday as well, even though Tuesday morning will be extremely light on crowds. You can do okay today if you arrive prior to Park opening and take care of your priorities first thing, but the afternoon and evening are going to be busier than any day up until January 19th for Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend. Even though tomorrow and Monday are also “not recommended,” they will still be less crowded than today. In other words, you’re better off visiting Magic Kingdom any day in the future up until January 19th because overall crowds are lower, and thus, Magic Kingdom will also be less crowded. Still, there are much better choices today, which is why Magic Kingdom isn’t recommended. If possible, you’ll want to visit on either this coming Tuesday or Wednesday. Thursday of next week is the best day to see the Electrical Parade and this coming Monday would also be less crowded with the lower overall crowd level. Avoid Magic Kingdom today or plan for above average crowds. That means arriving early, taking an afternoon break from 1pm – 6pm when crowds are heaviest, and returning in the evening for dinner, some late night rides, and the nighttime spectaculars.
Sunday January 6
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Highly Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 8pm (Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 10pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 10pm – 12am
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm and 9pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom comes recommended. We don’t have Extra Magic Hours or special events to attract anyone. Magic Kingdom will remain popular with its evening Extra Magic Hours and Hollywood Studios will be popular with longer hours of operation than most days in the future. Ideally, plan to arrive prior to Park opening and focus on riding Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest as early as possible or FASTPASS them later in the day (or both). After getting those out of the way, move on to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR or one of the more popular shows – either Finding Nemo the Musical or Festival of the Lion King and you’ll be set for the rest of the day. If you have young children or otherwise have interest, you may also want to visit Camp Minnie-Mickey early in the morning to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip, and Dale. You may also see characters like Pocahontas, Rafiki, Baloo, and King Louie. Check your Times Guide and plan to arrive in Camp Minnie-Mickey about ten minutes before the characters appear. Mickey will have the longest lines later in the day. If you can’t get to Camp Minnie-Mickey early in the morning, plan to arrive about ten minutes before the start of a Festival of the Lion King show. Because the exit to Festival of the Lion King is near the Character Trails in Camp Minnie-Mickey, the area is flooded once an hour with about a thousand guests, many of which would not visit Camp Minnie-Mickey otherwise. If you don’t end up arriving prior or close to Park opening, plan to stay through until 8pm and return to the major headliners after 5:45pm when standby waits are lower than the afternoon. Note that Kilimanjaro Safaris will likely stop operating earlier in the evening, so plan around that if you’re looking to ride again. Save Everest and DinoLand for after 7pm to find incredibly short waits. Take advantage of one or both of the less crowded times of day, use FASTPASS as much as possible in the late morning and afternoon, and tour efficiently and you should have an excellent day.
Epcot is the most recommended Park. We have a rare evening Extra Magic Hours scheduled tomorrow because of the Marathon next week that will be more popular with Disney resort guests. It’s a particularly excellent day to see IllumiNations and have dinner in the World Showcase because Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios will be attracting most of the nighttime crowd. Despite the recommendation, you will still have the most success if you arrive prior to opening and head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Test Track or follow one of the touring plans. It’s more important to arrive early and take care of the headliners first thing than it is to pick the “right” day. You’ll run into lines at the headliners in Future World if you don’t arrive until 10:30am with everyone else. To stay ahead of the crowds for the longest amount of time, move up through the World Showcase beginning at 11am with the water rides in Norway and Mexico. Return to Future World after 5pm to see anything you missed. The 5pm to 7pm timeframe is an excellent opportunity to do Living with the Land, Journey into Imagination with Figment, Captain EO, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Circle of Life, Sum of All Thrills, anything in Innoventions, and anything else other than the major headliners. If you’re interested in re-riding Soarin’ and Test Track, collect FASTPASSes earlier in the day because standby wait times will most likely continue to be 50+ minutes from 5pm – 8pm. If you can’t get to Soarin’ and Test Track in the morning or with FASTPASS, visit one after 8:30pm when lines are shorter.
Hollywood Studios is recommended. We’re coming off a popular morning Extra Magic Hour yesterday, but don’t have the more popular evening Extra Magic Hours scheduled tomorrow. Most people will want to take advantage of the lower crowds at Epcot and hold off on Hollywood Studios until tomorrow. To have success, you’ll still want to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. Because Toy Story Mania has such a limited capacity, wait times are almost always 60+ minutes in the afternoon and FASTPASSes are often gone by 1pm, even when the overall crowd level is low and Hollywood Studios is recommended. You’ll want to make it your top priority. Your second priority is Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which also sees long afternoon waits and FASTPASSes that run out in the late afternoon. Tower of Terror and Star Tours should be easier to ride, but also remain priorities. If you can get these attractions done in the early morning, you’ll be in great shape for the rest of the day. You may also want to prioritize the Toy Story, Phineas and Ferb, or Sorcerer Mickey characters. In addition, characters appear at Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat in the early morning that won’t appear during any other part of the day. Usually, Minnie, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Donald, Daisy, Stitch, Piglet, and Tigger appear, but no specific characters are guaranteed. The only other problem most people run into is trying to schedule all of the stage shows that run on a set schedule. For Fantasmic, consider the Fantasmic Dining Package that guarantees everyone on the reservation a seat in the reserved section of the theater if you’re interested in the 6:30pm show. You’ll still need to arrive at least 30 minutes early, but it’s better than the 60+ minutes early you’ll need to arrive without the package. It makes the most sense on the Disney Dining Plan because it only costs one table service credit (except at Hollywood Brown Derby, which still costs two as it would otherwise) and includes the appetizer. If the Package isn’t available or you’re not interested in spending the extra money, do whatever you can to see the 8pm show because it will be far less crowded. As far as general seating is concerned, the best seats are about half way up in the middle sections, but be prepared to arrive an hour early for those seats. Any closer and you run the risk of getting wet and it’s more difficult to see what’s happening on the water. Overall, it’s a recommended day to visit, but tomorrow would be better.
Magic Kingdom isn’t recommended due to the evening Extra Magic Hours that are popular with Disney resort guests and the addition of two Main Street Electrical Parades. Although the Parade was scheduled twice every night last week, it will be scheduled much less often moving forward and will thus be more popular. With that said, you can have success in the early morning, like you can any other day this week, by arriving prior to Park opening and heading straight for Fantasyland, the headlining Mountain rides, or whatever else you deem most important on your itinerary. That may include popular characters or attractions that have limited capacities and high afternoon wait times like Astro Orbiter and Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. You’ll most likely want to take an afternoon break from 1pm to 6pm or so when crowds and temperatures peak. Return in the evening for dinner, some nighttime attractions, and the evening entertainment. The problem with the evening Extra Magic Hours is that they aren’t particularly late. When evening Extra Magic Hours begins at 11pm or 12am, most families are long gone by 12am and wait times are minimal to nonexistent throughout the Park. With the 10pm start and only two extra hours, expect at least the first hour to be moderately crowded. If you are staying for Extra Magic Hours, I would recommend beginning in Adventureland because most people will head to Tomorrowland and Fantasyland first. Next, move up through Frontierland and Liberty Square on your way to Tomorrowland. Save Fantasyland for last because crowds will be lower by 11pm because so many families will have to leave. It’s not uncommon for Peter Pan’s Flight to have a 60 minute wait in the afternoon and a 15 minute or less wait at the end of the night. Save Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Journey of the Little Mermaid for the very end of the night. Stay through 12am because crowds will only get lower as it gets later in the evening.
Monday January 7
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Tentatively Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 9pm – 11pm
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Most Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm and 9pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom comes tentatively recommended, which is somewhat rare for a morning with Extra Magic Hours attached. Hollywood Studios is the better choice in most situations, but you can do extremely well at Animal Kingdom if you’re Extra Magic Hours eligible and arrive by 7:30am. I like to ride Expedition Everest continually until about 8:40am and then head over to Kilimanjaro Safaris by 8:50am to get in line before the incoming off-site crowd arrives. You can also do the usual Safaris and then Everest progression before continuing on to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR. You won’t run into any lines until at least 9:30am. If you’re not Extra Magic Hours eligible or aren’t planning to arrive until 9:30am or later, then you will run into longer lines. However, with the low overall crowd level and the fact that it’s so early in the week, relatively few people will be headed to Animal Kingdom. The rare evening entertainment at Magic Kingdom and extremely popular evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot will also help pull people away. The Studios is a better choice overall, but Animal Kingdom is perfectly viable if it fits into your itinerary better.
Epcot is not recommended, thanks to the rare Monday edition of evening Extra Magic Hours. With the Marathon this weekend, Disney is trying to pull Disney resort guests away from Epcot over the busy weekend there. Luckily, Magic Kingdom’s rare Electrical Parade will help pull people away from Epcot. We also have a fair number of people arriving yesterday for a traditional weeklong vacation with plans to head to Magic Kingdom first thing regardless of what’s going on elsewhere. Still, the number of on-site visitors numbers 75,000+ even in January, thanks to promotions and tour groups. Many of these people inevitably follow the Extra Magic Hours schedule because they truly think it’s Disney’s way of telling them where they belong each day. This Thursday is the best day of the week to visit and Wednesday or Friday would also be better. You can do well today if you arrive by 8:30am and head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ because most Disney resort guests won’t arrive until 10am or later with plans to stay through 10pm or so. Evening Extra Magic Hours is a good time to hit the less popular attractions, but Soarin’ and Test Track will see wait times that are just as long as the afternoon, especially now that Extra Magic Hours are cut to two hours. Tour efficiently in the morning and you can make out okay, but this coming Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday would all see easier touring.
Hollywood Studios is the most recommended Park. Magic Kingdom’s Electrical Parade/Wishes combo will be more popular with on-site and offsite visitors alike and Epcot’s evening Extra Magic Hours will be a huge nighttime pull for on-site guests. That means fewer people in the Park, crowds that grow slower, increased FASTPASS availability, less congestion in common areas, and shorter waits at rides, shows, and restaurants. To have the most success, you’ll still want to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. Because Toy Story Mania has such a limited capacity, wait times are almost always 60+ minutes in the afternoon and FASTPASSes are often gone by 1pm, even when the overall crowd level is low and Hollywood Studios is recommended. You’ll want to make it your top priority. Your second priority is Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which also sees long afternoon waits and FASTPASSes that run out in the late afternoon. Tower of Terror and Star Tours should be easier to ride, but also remain priorities. If you can get these attractions done in the early morning, you’ll be in great shape for the rest of the day. The only other problem most people run into is trying to schedule all of the stage shows that run on a set schedule. You may also want to prioritize characters that will have longer afternoon waits. The Toy Story characters usually have the longest waits. They appear first at 9:15am, which gives you time to FASTPASS and ride Toy Story Mania before getting in line by 9:10am. Phineas & Ferb tend to have the second longest lines in Hollywood Studios. They typically begin appearing at 9:30am near Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, which should give you enough time to scoot over there shortly after they begin greeting. Check the week’s Times Guide to verify appearance times. Two other popular characters appear in the Animation Building in the Animation Courtyard. Sorcerer Mickey in particular has long afternoon waits and The Incredibles characters also tend to have decent lines. Since both characters meet indoors and their lines aren’t usually over 20 minutes long, you should be able to find them with decent waits after 4:30pm. Finally, you’ll find some characters in the morning near Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat that won’t appear later in the afternoon. Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Chip, Dale, Friends of Winnie the Pooh, Goofy, and Pluto are all common, but no specific character is guaranteed to appear. For Fantasmic, consider the Fantasmic Dining Package that guarantees everyone on the reservation a seat in the reserved section of the Theater. You’ll still need to arrive at least 30 minutes early, but it’s better than the 60+ minutes early you’ll need to arrive without the package. It makes the most sense on the Disney Dining Plan because it only costs one table service credit (except at Hollywood Brown Derby, which still costs two credits as it would otherwise) and includes the appetizer. As far as general seating is concerned, the best seats are about half way up in the center sections, but be prepared to arrive an hour early for those seats. Sit any closer and you run the risk of getting wet and it’s more difficult to see what’s happening on the water.
Magic Kingdom is going to be busy today. Mondays are usually the second busiest day of the week at the Magic Kingdom, second to only Saturdays, for a variety of reasons. First, a lot of people travel over the weekend and visit Magic Kingdom on their first full day. In most instances, that day is Monday. Second, Mondays often feature longer hours, Wishes Fireworks, and Main Street Electrical Parade, when other days during the week have shorter operating hours and don’t offer the Electrical Parade. Anyone who wants to see the evening entertainment will have to visit on a day when it’s offered, like most Saturdays and Mondays. Main Street Electrical Parade is only scheduled on three nights this week and it will attract a lot of people. Epcot’s evening Extra Magic Hours will help a bit, but it won’t do much to sway anyone who wants to naturally visit Magic Kingdom first and won’t do anything to sway the off-site contingent. You could have success in the morning from 9am to 11am or so, but you’re much better off waiting until tomorrow, Wednesday, or Friday to visit for the entire day. If you would like to see the Main Street Electrical Parade, your best bet is always an evening Park Hop over to the Magic Kingdom so that you can spend the majority of your day at a recommended Park with low crowds and still have the opportunity to enjoy Magic Kingdom’s nighttime spectaculars. For optimal Parade viewing, find a spot along the Parade route in Frontierland or Liberty Square for the 9pm Parade because those areas are much less crowded than Main Street, offer a view that is just as good, and require less of a wait to get a good spot. Without Park Hopper, you’ll want to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Fantasyland or the headlining Mountain rides. Consider taking an afternoon break and then return in the evening around 5pm for dinner and the shows. If you’re spending two days at Magic Kingdom during the week, you may want to make one of those days a Parade day and then plan a second recommended day to hit the headliners and popular attractions. If you do that, use FASTPASS throughout the day today and spend as much time as possible on the less popular and high capacity attractions. The evening crowd level this Thursday will be lower because the overall crowd level is lower and Thursdays are naturally less busy than Mondays. Wait until then to see the Parade if you can, especially if you’re Extra Magic Hours eligible and can take advantage of the 8am – 9am hour.
Tuesday January 8
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Most Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Not Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Highly Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is the most recommended Park. We don’t have special events, Extra Magic Hours, or anything specific drawing people toward it. It’s also early enough in the week that many people on weeklong vacations will be saving Animal Kingdom for later in the week. Overall, today and Saturday are the two best days of the week to visit. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. Once you get through these two attractions, you have little to worry about other than trying to get to the scheduled shows and potentially the Camp Minnie-Mickey characters. Finding Nemo and Festival of the Lion King do get busy during the afternoon, so try to see the first or last show of the day. You’ll also want to get to DinoLand USA before 10:30am to ride Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR because those two attractions are popular. Still, they aren’t necessarily your top morning priorities and you can easily FASTPASS them throughout the day if need arises. Despite “only” being open eight hours, you can still see most of what the Animal Kingdom has to offer in one day, provided you arrive early in the morning, tour efficiently, collect FASTPASSes, and keep an eye on the time in order to see the scheduled stage shows. Finally, crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade. Plan to return to any favorites from 4:15pm through close when waits will be shorter than the afternoon.
Epcot isn’t recommended due to the morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract Disney resort guests, lack of long hours and evening entertainment elsewhere, and the natural progression of weeklong Disney vacationers that will naturally head to Epcot after the Magic Kingdom yesterday. While the morning Extra Magic Hour will be an excellent time to tour, Epcot will get progressively busier as more and more Disney resort guests arrive. You could have success if you arrive at 7:30am, head straight for the headliners, and move up to the World Showcase around 11am, but afternoon crowds will be heavier than recommended days and you’ll likely want to Park Hop elsewhere or take a break around 2pm. Yesterday and Thursday are the best days to visit this week.
Hollywood Studios is not recommended. While Epcot will attract a decent number of Disney resort guests with its morning Extra Magic Hour, we don’t have the Electrical Parade scheduled at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom offers short hours of operation. Neither theme park will be drawing significant crowds. When that happens, people tend to default to the Studios’ decent hours of operation and Fantasmic. The fact that we aren’t coming off our usual evening Extra Magic Hours last night doesn’t help either. Yesterday and this coming Thursday are significantly better days to visit. Nonetheless, there isn’t necessarily anything attracting people to the Studios specifically. You can still do very well if you arrive prior to Park opening, hit the headliners and most popular characters first thing, collect FASTPASSes throughout the day, and take an afternoon break to rest up for dinner and Fantasmic. However, most people will want to take advantage of the low crowds at Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom and hold off on Hollywood Studios for a more recommended day.
Magic Kingdom is highly recommended, but tomorrow will be even less crowded. Wednesdays are historically the least crowded day of the week at the Magic Kingdom due to the natural progression of weeklong vacationers that visit Magic Kingdom early and late on their trip, especially when the Electrical Parade is scheduled on a limited number of evenings. You can still have a lot of success if you visit today, especially with the low overall crowd level. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head to Fantasyland or the headlining Mountain rides. You may have other time sensitive attractions on your itinerary like Astro Orbiter or Tomorrowland Indy Speedway as well. While these aren’t “the most popular” or “headlining” attractions, they are still morning priorities because they have guaranteed uncomfortable waits from 10am onward. Popular characters may also be a morning priority, particularly the ones that don’t offer FASTPASS. Use FASTPASS throughout the day and you should have no trouble experiencing most of what the Magic Kingdom has to offer in just one day. Consider returning on another evening for Main Street Electrical Parade. Thursday would be best, but that isn’t saying much when your only other options are the incredibly popular Monday and Saturday. As far as crowds and waits are concerned, tomorrow and Friday will also be highly recommended.
Wednesday January 9
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Not Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
It’s the busiest day of the week at Animal Kingdom. The morning Extra Magic Hour will attract the bulk of the Disney resort crowd and there’s no evening Extra Magic Hours or special evening entertainment going on at the other Parks, which will cause a lot of off-site guests to visit as well. Most people prefer to visit the other Parks when they’re either open longer or have special evening entertainment like Fantasmic (when it’s scheduled less often) or Main Street Electrical Parade. When none of that is available, they’ll default to the Animal Kingdom. With both yesterday and tomorrow recommended, there’s no reason to visit today.
It’s an above-average day at Epcot. Yesterday’s morning Extra Magic Hour will have been moderately attended by Disney resort guests and they won’t be looking to return today. Fantasmic and Toy Story Midway Mania will also be more popular at Hollywood Studios. I’m looking toward tomorrow as having lower crowds and shorter waits, thanks to morning Extra Magic Hour attracting people to Magic Kingdom and the addition of Main Street Electrical Parade. However, today won’t be terrible by any means. Plan to arrive as early as possible and either following a touring plan or head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission Space, and Soarin’. You’ll be in good shape if you’ve moved to the World Showcase by 12pm, starting with the boat rides in Mexico and Norway.
With no Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom, no evening Extra Magic Hours anywhere, and a lowly morning Extra Magic Hour at Disney’s least popular theme park, Hollywood Studios is going to be busier than recommended days during the week. While the addition of Fantasmic to every night this week makes each specific show less appealing, we still need to be concerned about the lack of attractive forces elsewhere. Plus, it’s later in the week, which means most people on a weeklong vacation will already have visited Magic Kingdom and Epcot and they’ll be looking to spend a day at one of Disney World’s less popular theme parks. With nothing specific drawing people to the Studios, it’s not going to be crazy crowded, but it is going to be busier than other recommended days during the week and should be avoided if possible. With Magic Kingdom being incredibly popular tomorrow with the morning Extra Magic Hour and Electrical Parade, the Studios would be a much better choice tomorrow.
Magic Kingdom is our best Park to visit today for the exact same reasons it was recommended yesterday. We also have a morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract off-site visitors and two Electrical Parades that will attract off-site visitors tomorrow. This coming Saturday will be busy for the same reasons. Take advantage by arriving prior to Park opening and head straight for Fantasyland (Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Peter Pan’s Flight, Winnie the Pooh), the headlining Mountain rides (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain), or other time sensitive attractions (Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway). You may also want to prioritize characters that will have 30+ minute standby waits without the ability to FASTPASS them in the afternoon. You’ll be able to accomplish a ton of attractions in a short amount of time if you make efficient use of the morning and use FASTPASS at the major attractions throughout the day. Consider a break from 1pm to 5pm or so to rest up for dinner, a few nighttime attractions, and Wishes.
Thursday January 10
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Highly Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Most Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm and 9pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is recommended. We’re coming off a popular day at Animal Kingdom yesterday, thanks to the morning Extra Magic Hour that will draw a lot of Disney resort guests. Today, we have morning Extra Magic Hour/Main Street Electrical Parade attracting crowds toward the Magic Kingdom. As always, you’ll find the most success if you arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. If you’re not riding the thrill rides (Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl), you’ll want to attend the first showing of Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo because those shows will be popular in the afternoon. Also consider heading over to Camp Minnie-Mickey right before the characters appear in the morning to find the shortest lines. Collect FASTPASSes for attractions you either want to ride again or couldn’t make it to in the morning and you should be able to do just about everything the Animal Kingdom has to offer. After completing your itinerary, you may want to Park Hop to Magic Kingdom for Wishes and Main Street Electrical Parade, Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic or Epcot for dinner and IllumiNations. Keep in mind that crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade. Stay through close if there’s more that you want to accomplish because wait times will only decrease from 4:15pm onward. Without Park Hopper, consider transferring to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at one of its excellent restaurants. There’s also a public observatory where you can gaze out at the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s private savannas and enjoy the same view many guests are paying a premium to have right outside their balconies. A trip to Downtown Disney or the BoardWalk for dinner and shopping also makes a lot of sense.
Epcot is highly recommended and your best choice if you have other plans for the Studios. We have morning Extra Magic Hour and Main Street Electrical Parade pulling people towards Magic Kingdom attracting on-site and off-site visitors alike. The only problem is that we don’t have our usual evening Extra Magic Hours scheduled tomorrow to draw the majority of Disney resort guests. Plan to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Sum of All Thrills or follow a more compartmentalized two-day touring plan if you prefer. If you arrive later, plan to FASTPASS Test Track and then Soarin’ as soon as possible. Soarin’ and Test Track will have 40+ minute waits for most of the day after 10:30am due to their popularity and relatively low capacities and Test Track won’t be far behind. Move on to the World Showcase beginning around 11am if crowds begin to build in Future World, beginning with the water rides in Mexico and Norway. Return to Future World after 5pm if you have more to accomplish and to ride/re-ride the headliners with FASTPASS. Keep in mind that Innoventions, Universe of Energy, Captain EO, Journey into Imagination with Figment, Captain EO, Living with the Land, and Circle of Life usually close at 7pm. Hit those attractions from 5pm to 7pm to find shorter waits than the 1pm to 4pm timeframe. Return to Test Track and Soarin’ after 8pm to find the shortest waits outside of 9am – 10am. It’s also a great day to stay for dinner and IllumiNations.
Hollywood Studios is the most recommended Park. While it’s later in the week, Magic Kingdom will be a much bigger draw with morning Extra Magic Hour and Main Street Electrical Parade drawing off-site and on-site visitors alike. The evening Extra Magic Hours tomorrow will also be a bigger draw for on-site visitors. It’s also likely that Disney will extend the close to 8pm and add a second Fantasmic tomorrow, which will only make it more popular with off-site visitors. Still, touring efficiently is more important than “picking the right day,” especially at Hollywood Studios. That means arriving prior to Park opening and taking care of Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours first thing in the morning or with FASTPASS throughout the day. FASTPASSes for Toy Story will likely be gone by noon, so make sure it’s your top priority. Standby waits ordinarily hit the triple digits due to its popularity and limited capacity. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster also sees decent afternoon waits, likely in the 30-50 minute range, with FASTPASSes that run out in the late afternoon. Plan to head there second or collect FASTPASSes for it as soon after Toy Story Midway Mania as possible. You may also want to prioritize the Toy Story, Phineas and Ferb, or Sorcerer Mickey characters. In addition, characters appear at Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat in the early morning that won’t appear during any other part of the day. Usually, Minnie, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Donald, Daisy, Piglet, and Tigger appear, but no specific characters are guaranteed. Overall, you can do well at the Studios if you arrive early and tour efficiently, but afternoon crowds will be decent. Arrive at 10:30am with everyone else and you’re looking at long lines at Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. You can still enjoy the various shows, but it’s going to be more difficult to experience those two attractions. Thankfully, Tower of Terror and Star Tours see shorter waits and more FASTPASS availability. Still, Tower of Terror will hit 30-40 minutes in the afternoon and Star Tours should see 20 minute waits. Plan to use FASTPASS if you don’t get in line before 10:30am.
The morning Extra Magic Hour at Magic Kingdom will lure a lot of Disney resort guests and we also have the first Main Street Electrical Parade since Monday. Combined, this will make Magic Kingdom significantly busier than either of the last two days or tomorrow. You can have success provided you take advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hour by arriving no later than 7:40am and heading straight to Fantasyland or other open attractions. Move on to the headlining Mountain rides or character meet and greets when they open and you’ll be in excellent shape. However, you will find that crowds are heavier than recommended days in the afternoon. You’ll probably want to take a break from 1pm to 5pm or so and return in the evening to ride some major attractions with FASTPASS, have dinner, see some high capacity attractions, and enjoy the evening spectaculars. Keep in mind that you would be much better off visiting on a recommended day if you aren’t Extra Magic Hours eligible or won’t arrive until 10am or later because it will be busier than recommended days from 11am onward. Tonight is your best opportunity this week to see Main Street Electrical Parade, but the Magic Kingdom will still be busy. If you are planning to see the Parade, I recommend scouting out a spot along the Parade route in Frontierland or Liberty Square for the 9pm Parade. Both locations are significantly less crowded than Main Street and offer a view that is just as good. The later Parade is less crowded because so many families clear out after Wishes. To enjoy the Electrical Parade with the least possible hassle, plan to visit a recommended Park in the morning, take an afternoon break, and then visit Magic Kingdom in the evening for dinner and the nighttime spectaculars.
Friday January 11
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 6pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Recommended)
Family 5K
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 8pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 8pm – 10pm
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is recommended, though it isn’t the best day of the week there. Most people will want to take advantage of the lower crowds at Magic Kingdom or Epcot, but Animal Kingdom is certainly a viable alternative. The main problem is that it’s later in the week and a lot of people will be saving Animal Kingdom until the end of their weeklong vacation, before returning to Magic Kingdom tomorrow. Luckily, Hollywood Studios will be much more popular with Disney resort guests with the evening Extra Magic Hours attached. With the low overall crowd level, you can still do well at Animal Kingdom if it fits into your schedule better. Keep in mind that either yesterday or tomorrow would be better days to visit. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and take care of Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest first thing. After that, move on to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl/DINOSAUR, visit the characters at Camp Minnie-Mickey, or see the first Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo the Musical. Keep in mind that crowds disperse after the 3:45pm Parade. If you couldn’t get to some of the attraction earlier in the day, stay through until 6pm because waits will only decrease from 4:45pm through close.
Epcot is recommended, which is somewhat rare for a Friday, because it usually hosts either morning or evening Extra Magic Hours. However, with the Marathon events this weekend, Disney is trying to pull Disney resort guests toward Epcot earlier in the week. We do have the Disney Family Fun Run this morning at 6:30am. However, the race begins and ends outside of the Park and is far less popular than Saturday’s Half Marathon and Sunday’s Marathon. We can expect to see more people than usual outside the turnstiles for rope drop because some people that run the race will inevitably stick around to enjoy the Park. Still, we’re looking at fewer people at rope drop than either of the next two mornings and you won’t see any runners inside Epcot because the race is over long before the Park opens. Yesterday would be better because there are no races causing heavier crowds in the morning. You can do very well this morning if you arrive by 8:20am and head straight for Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’. Those arriving at the International Gateway entrance will also have an advantage because none of the race participants will enter from that side. With few resort guests in attendance, overall crowds will be low, even if you see more people than usual at the turnstiles in the morning. Tomorrow and Sunday will see more complications.
Hollywood Studios is not recommended, thanks to a rare Friday edition of evening Extra Magic Hours. Disney is trying to pull people away from Epcot this weekend due to the Marathon complications. Because it’s also later in the week, and people on a traditional weeklong vacation will have already had plenty of opportunities to visit the more popular theme parks, we can expect the Studios to be significantly busier than any other day this week. Thus, it should be avoided if possible. You can still do well in the morning, but it’s going to be busy from 10:30am through the end of evening Extra Magic Hours. The 8pm close and second Fantasmic will only make it more popular with the sizable off-site contingent. Yesterday and Sunday are much better choices.
Magic Kingdom is our best Park to visit. We’re in between a popular day yesterday with morning Extra Magic Hour and the Electrical Parade, which will be popular with both on-site and off-site guests. Tomorrow, we have longer hours of operation and both nighttime spectaculars as well, which will be even more popular. Add in locals and Marathoners and we can expect tomorrow to be the busiest day of the week. Today, the shorter hours and lack of the Electrical Parade will be far less attractive, ultimately resulting in lower crowds than either non-recommended day. Take advantage by arriving prior to Park opening and taking care of the Fantasyland attractions first thing, beginning with Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Peter Pan’s Flight, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. You may also want to prioritize the headlining Mountain rides, low capacity attractions like Astro Orbiter and the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, or popular characters. Collect FASTPASSes throughout the day and you’ll be able to make it through a ton of attractions with short waits and easy touring. This past Tuesday and Wednesday were also highly recommended. If you’re looking for the best day to see the Electrical Parade, then you’ll want to take a look at this past Thursday for the 9pm Parade.
Saturday January 12
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 7pm (Most Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Recommended)
Half Marathon
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 10pm (Not Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm and 9pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
The Half Marathon is a minor concern in most situations, though it will adversely affect travel around Epcot and Magic Kingdom before 9am. The course does not run through or near Hollywood Studios, but it will still be a hassle for those driving from the Magic Kingdom or Epcot areas to get out to the Studios or Animal Kingdom because the Half Marathon route includes roads connecting the two areas. This is especially true if you’re traveling from the Magic Kingdom area to Hollywood Studios for morning Extra Magic Hour because you’ll run into the Marathon throughout that drive. Today and tomorrow are two days you may want to take Disney transportation, even if you have your own car, because the bus drivers will be well apprised of detours and alternate routes to move around the runners who will have the right of way on the streets. The Half Marathon should clear out by 9:30am or so and travel should not be affected whatsoever after 10am. To a point, you may want to visit whichever Park is most easily accessible to your resort. If you’re staying at a Magic Kingdom area resort (Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Ft. Wilderness), consider at least beginning your day at Magic Kingdom. If you’re staying at an Epcot area resort (BoardWalk Inn, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Swan, Dolphin), consider heading to Hollywood Studios or Epcot, and if you’re staying at an Animal Kingdom area resort (Animal Kingdom Lodge, All Stars, Coronado Springs), consider heading to Animal Kingdom. Despite the recommendation, it may still be a hassle for some people to get to the Animal Kingdom and you’ll want to take that into consideration when you decide where to spend your morning.
Animal Kingdom is the most recommended Park. We have nothing specific to draw people towards it and anyone coming from the Magic Kingdom or Epcot areas will have more trouble than usual getting out there by 8:45am because of the transportation delays. It’s perfect if you’re coming from offsite or staying nearby. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. You should be able to collect FASTPASSes for both for use later in the day when crowds will inevitably pick up in the afternoon. After that, consider moving on to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR or see one of the two most popular stage shows – Finding Nemo the Musical or Festival of the Lion King. Scheduling those shows is really the only concern after getting through the major headliners. If you’d like to meet the characters in Camp Minnie-Mickey, you’ll also want to head over there about ten minutes before the characters are scheduled to begin appearing. If you can’t make it then, try to arrive about ten minutes before the start of a Festival of the Lion King show. Because Lion King’s exit is located in the area, the show drops off about 1,000 people once per hour, which inevitable lengthens lines and wait times for the characters. Normally we would see crowds disperse after the 3:45pm Parade, but that may be less true than usual with the late start many will be having here. You’ll still find shorter lines at 6:15pm than you would at 1:15pm, but the morning will be the key.
The Half Marathon is a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. The race begins at 5:30am and most racers will have crossed the finish line outside Epcot by 9am. However, the final miles are inside Epcot and you may see some last minute racers along with various Marathon paraphernalia around the Park. To avoid this entirely, you’ll want to visit this past Thursday or this coming Monday when the Marathon won’t be an issue whatsoever. Yesterday will also look like more of a “normal” day inside Epcot. Still, you shouldn’t have much trouble getting to Epcot. Magic Kingdom area resort guests can easily take the Monorail in and road closures/delays are kept to a minimum after 8am. Arrive by 8:30am and you should have no trouble hitting Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ first thing in the morning. Most Marathon runners will be headed back to their resorts after the race for a shower and breakfast and their families are likely to join them. In 2012, the Half Marathon was not a major inconvenience. With the full Marathon tomorrow, we can expect additional inconveniences because runners will be inside Epcot all morning.
Hollywood Studios is not recommended unless you’re Extra Magic Hours eligible and plan to arrive by 7:30am to take advantage of it. You can do very well hitting Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours first thing in the morning before moving to other characters and attractions. However, the Park will be busier than recommended days from 10:30am through close. You’ll want to have moved on to the high capacity attractions like Backlot Tour, Muppet Vision 3D, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Great Movie Ride as well as the high capacity shows by that time. Consider taking a break or Park Hopping elsewhere around 1pm when crowds are at their heaviest. If you’re not planning to make the morning Extra Magic Hour or you’re not eligible for it, then you’ll want to visit yesterday or tomorrow when crowds are lower.
Saturdays are naturally the busiest day of the week at the Magic Kingdom. We have longer hours of operation, visiting locals, and a lot of vacationers who will be visiting the Magic Kingdom for a second time before returning home tomorrow. On top of that, Main Street Electrical Parade is only scheduled on three nights this week. Because the Parade is so popular, a lot of people will visit on a day that they can see it, like today. All of this makes me hesitant about recommending the Magic Kingdom, despite a lack of Extra Magic Hours. Yesterday and next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday will be much better days to tour, but you can have a moderate amount of success today if you arrive prior to 9am and head straight for the headlining or Fantasyland attractions. The afternoon will be busier than any other day this week and you’ll either want to take a break and return for the Electrical Parade and Wishes or visit the less popular attractions from 2pm – 6pm. While it is possible to have a decent day here if you arrive early and tour efficiently, there are much less crowded days to visit during the week.
Sunday January 13
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 6pm (Highly Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Tentatively Recommended)
Marathon
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Most Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Tentatively Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 9pm – 11pm
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
This is a tricky morning to plan because there will be a fair amount of road closures and delays throughout the morning and early afternoon as well as roped off areas in all four major theme parks for the Disney World Marathon. While the Marathon officially begins at 5:30am, it’s a 26 mile race with a minimum 16-minute-per-mile pace, meaning it lasts about seven hours. That means people will still be crossing the finish line in the Epcot parking lot at 12:30pm as well as running along major roadways and throughout the theme parks all morning. If you are staying on Disney property, I recommend visiting whichever theme park is closest to your resort. Travel by boat or monorail if possible. If you’re planning a lazy morning during your vacation, you may want to make this it. A late start and a sit down breakfast at your resort may be just the ticket to get everyone well rested and excited to continue their Disney World “vacation.” You’ll be in great shape if you do arrive at any of the theme parks by 8:30am and tour efficiently in the morning. You may want to consider Disney buses even if you normally drive because there will be road closures and your usual route may be convoluted with detours. The bus driver will know their route and get you where you’re headed as efficiently as possible. Of all the theme parks, Magic Kingdom is the most unaffected because most runners will have moved through it by 9am when the Park opens. Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot will all see roped off pathways and runners throughout the day. Luckily for Animal Kingdom, the course only goes through the right side of the Park, through Asia, DinoLand, and Discovery Island. Africa and Camp Minnie-Mickey are not affected. Epcot is probably the worst because the race ends there and goes through Future World and the World Showcase. Expect to see runners from 9am through 1pm, but they aren’t very disruptive inside the theme park itself.
Animal Kingdom is highly recommended, especially if you are coming from off-site or staying at a nearby resort like the Animal Kingdom Lodge, All-Stars, or Coronado Springs. It may be a hassle to get out there from a Magic Kingdom area resort in particular though. There’s nothing specific drawing crowds and most people in town for a short marathon weekend vacation won’t have Animal Kingdom on their radars. The race will also clear out of Animal Kingdom for the most part by the time it opens at 9am. Take care of Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest first thing and you’ll be in good shape for the rest of the day, especially if you get to the first Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo the Musical show. Use FASTPASS efficiently throughout the day and you should have no trouble riding any of the major attractions a second or third time.
Epcot is tentatively recommended. The race runs through and ends in Epcot’s parking lot, which means runners are going to be inside until about 1pm. Since they run in designated lanes, they aren’t too disruptive and you should have no trouble doing whatever you like on your itinerary. The main problem is getting here. From the Magic Kingdom area resorts, you can easily take the Monorail. From the Epcot area resorts, you can easily walk or take the boat to the International Gateway entrance. From the other resorts, I recommend Disney transportation. They’ll be able to deal with the various road closures and delays better than you and your GPS. If you’re looking to avoid the hassle altogether, you’ll want to save Epcot for tomorrow or this upcoming Wednesday or Thursday. After about 11am, road closures are much less of an issue and you shouldn’t run into any marathon runners after about 1:30pm. Keep that in mind if you’re planning a lazy morning or arriving at your resort from the airport/home later in the day.
Hollywood Studios is the most recommended Park, especially if you can travel by boat or foot from an Epcot area resort. While we do have miles 22, 23, and 24 going right through it, there’s really no way around being in the thick of the Marathon this morning and it wouldn’t be helpful to simply recommend Animal Kingdom every day. We’re sandwiched in between yesterday’s popular morning Extra Magic Hour and tomorrow’s popular evening Extra Magic Hours. Take advantage by arriving prior to Park opening and heading straight for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. Make Toy Story Mania your top priority because it will have the longest afternoon waits and FASTPASSes will still likely run out by noon, even with low crowds and the recommendation. For Fantasmic, consider the Fantasmic Dining Package that guarantees everyone on the reservation a seat in the reserved section of the theater if you’re interested in seeing the 6:30pm show. You’ll still need to arrive at least 30 minutes early, but it’s better than the 60+ minutes early you’ll need to arrive without the package. It makes the most sense on the Disney Dining Plan because it only costs one table service credit (except at Hollywood Brown Derby, which still costs two credits as it would otherwise) and includes the appetizer. As far as general seating is concerned, the best seats are about half way up in the center sections, but be prepared to arrive more than hour early for those seats. Sit any closer and you run the risk of getting wet and it’s more difficult to see what’s happening on the water. Overall, it’s a great day to visit the Studios and see Fantasmic.
Magic Kingdom is tentatively recommended if you can arrive prior to Park opening. The evening Extra Magic Hours coupled with all the transportation woes will make this Park low on crowds until at least 11am, but things will pick up considerably going into the afternoon and they’ll stay heavy with the relatively early evening Extra Magic Hours. The lack of Main Street Electrical Parade is in our favor, but the operating hours aren’t any longer than tomorrow, which means we’ll have a decent number of Disney resort guests en route and a lot of people that ran the Half Marathon yesterday morning interested in visiting as well. I’m not too keen on the Magic Kingdom’s evening Extra Magic Hours when they begin at 9pm either because more families can stay through 10pm. We see crowds disperse more when Extra Magic Hours don’t start until 11pm or 12am because most families with young kids need to leave soon after Wishes and Main Street Electrical Parade earlier in the night. Overall, you can have a lot of success if you tour from 9am – 1pm, take a break, and return around 6pm, but the afternoon will be busy, though not as busy as tomorrow. This coming Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday would all be less crowded days to visit and more recommended overall. Today is better than yesterday or tomorrow though, which makes it tentatively recommended.
Monday January 14
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 8pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 8pm – 10pm
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm and 9pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom will be moderately more popular than recommended days due to the morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract a decent number of Disney resort guests. Mondays at the Animal Kingdom aren’t wildly popular because of the fact that morning Extra Magic Hours aren’t as popular as evening Extra Magic Hours and because it’s early in the week and many people who travel over the weekend will be heading to the Magic Kingdom regardless of the Extra Magic Hours schedule. Still, there are better days to visit the Animal Kingdom than today, including tomorrow, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. While the morning Extra Magic Hour is an excellent time to tour, it’s difficult to get out to the Animal Kingdom by 7:45am to take full advantage of it. If you’re staying at a Monorail Deluxe Resort, you’re looking at a 20+ minute drive to the Animal Kingdom, plus time for the bus to arrive – not to mention getting multiple people up and ready early in the morning with just one shower and limited space. At 6:30am. If you’re absolutely certain that you’ll arrive by 7:45am, then you can have a lot of success because the crowd level won’t be that high, but it will be busier in the afternoon than other recommended days this week due to a higher number of Disney resort guests than usual. You’re much better served holding off for a recommended day if you’re not going to arrive until 9am or later.
Epcot is the only expressly recommended Park. We don’t have Extra Magic Hours, special evening entertainment, or anything else that will draw people toward Epcot specifically. It has also been difficult to schedule Epcot over the last few days with the various Marathon events. Disney resort guests will be more likely to visit tomorrow or Friday for Extra Magic Hours and off-site visitors on a weeklong vacation will be headed to the Magic Kingdom for the Main Street Electrical Parade, along with many people in town for the Marathons. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ or follow one of the two-day compartmentalized touring plans. You’ll also be in the best shape if you’ve moved on to World Showcase by 12pm. Should you have more to accomplish in Future World, return after 5pm when most of the crowd has moved on to World Showcase. Just keep in mind that a lot of the Future World attractions close at 7pm. Usually, just Soarin, Test Track, Mission: Space, Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Character Spot continue to operate after 7pm. If Character Spot is on your itinerary, either visit after 7pm or have those who want to meet the characters head there first thing in the morning. Overall, it’s a great day for Epcot and an excellent opportunity to spend time in both Future World and World Showcase.
Hollywood Studios will be busy due to the evening Extra Magic Hours that are popular with Disney resort guests, the later close than most other days this week, and the addition of the second Fantasmic. The morning will be an okay time to tour, but crowds will increase around 11am as more and more Disney resort guests arrive. Yesterday, tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday would all be better days to visit. Evening Extra Magic Hours at the Studios aren’t usually much of a success for people because there are only a few attractions open and the waits for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours will likely be just as long as they were during the day, especially now that Extra Magic Hours have been reduced to two hours. If you’re staying for evening Extra Magic Hours, your best bet is always to save these headlining attractions for the very end of the night and visit Toy Story Mania last. You can have a moderate amount of success if you arrive early, but with several recommended days coming up, there’s really no reason to press your luck.
Magic Kingdom is going to be busy today. Mondays are usually the second busiest day of the week at the Magic Kingdom, second to only Saturdays, for a variety of reasons. First, a lot of people travel over the weekend and visit Magic Kingdom on their first full day. In most instances, that day is Monday. Second, Mondays often feature longer hours, Wishes Fireworks, and Main Street Electrical Parade, when other days during the week have shorter operating hours and don’t offer the Electrical Parade. Anyone who wants to see the evening entertainment will have to visit on a day when it’s offered, like most Saturdays and Mondays. Main Street Electrical Parade is only scheduled on three nights this week and it will attract a lot of people. Finally, we’ll have a lot of Marathon runners interested in visiting the Magic Kingdom before returning home. You could have success in the morning from 9am to 11am or so, but you’re much better off waiting until tomorrow, Wednesday, or Friday to visit for the entire day. If you would like to see the Main Street Electrical Parade, your best bet is always an evening Park Hop over to the Magic Kingdom so that you can spend the majority of your day at a recommended Park with low crowds and still have the opportunity to enjoy Magic Kingdom’s nighttime spectaculars. For optimal Parade viewing, find a spot along the Parade route in Frontierland or Liberty Square for the 9pm Parade because those areas are much less crowded than Main Street, offer a view that is just as good, and require less of a wait to get a good spot. Without Park Hopper, you’ll want to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Fantasyland or the headlining Mountain rides. Consider taking an afternoon break and then return in the evening around 5pm for dinner and the shows. If you’re spending two days at Magic Kingdom during the week, you may want to make one of those days a Parade day and then plan a second recommended day to hit the headliners and popular attractions. If you do that, use FASTPASS throughout the day today and spend as much time as possible on the less popular and high capacity attractions. The evening crowd level this Thursday will be lower because the overall crowd level is lower and Thursdays are naturally less busy than Mondays. Wait until then to see the Parade if you can, especially if you’re Extra Magic Hours eligible and can take advantage of the 8am – 9am hour.
Tuesday January 15
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Most Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Highly Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is the most recommended Park. We’re in between yesterday’s and tomorrow’s morning Extra Magic Hours, each of which will be more attractive to Disney resort guests. It’s also early enough in the week that most people arriving for a weeklong vacation will be saving Animal Kingdom, Disney’s least popular theme park, for later in the week. There’s simply nothing drawing people to Animal Kingdom with its short hours of operation, lack of Extra Magic Hours, and no special events/nighttime entertainment. To have the most success, arrive as early in the morning as possible and head to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest first thing. After that, head to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR or over to one of the major stage shows and you won’t have anything to worry about for the rest of the day. You may also want to schedule the popular characters at Camp Minnie-Mickey. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip, Dale, Baloo, and King Louie appear and there are usually other characters with short waits as well, including Pocahontas. Despite “only” being open eight hours, you should be able to do most of the Animal Kingdom’s attractions if you arrive prior to Park opening, use FASTPASS efficiently, and make good use of your time. If you don’t arrive until 10am or later, plan to collect FASTPASSes for Expedition Everest and then Kilimanjaro Safaris. Use those FASTPASSes during the day and return to the major attractions after 4pm. A lot of people leave after the 3:45pm Parade, causing lines to be much shorter in the final hour of operation, especially with the 5pm close and very few people Park Hopping in the afternoon and early evening.
Epcot isn’t recommended due to the morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract Disney resort guests, lack of long hours and evening entertainment elsewhere, and the natural progression of weeklong Disney vacationers that will naturally head to Epcot after the Magic Kingdom yesterday. While the morning Extra Magic Hour will be an excellent time to tour, Epcot will get progressively busier as more and more Disney resort guests arrive. You could have success if you arrive at 7:45am, head straight for the headliners, and move up to the World Showcase around 11am, but afternoon crowds will be heavier than recommended days and you’ll likely want to Park Hop elsewhere or take a break around 2pm. Yesterday and Thursday are the best days to visit this week. This Friday will be the busiest day of the week.
Hollywood Studios is recommended, though this past Sunday and this coming Friday would be better. While it’s true that we’re coming off a busy day yesterday for evening Extra Magic Hours, a decent number of Disney resort guests will ignore it in order to visit Magic Kingdom first on a standard weeklong vacation. The Extra Magic Hours schedule also doesn’t do much to sway the off-site contingent. With decent operating hours of operation every day and Fantasmic scheduled every night this week, the Studios won’t be far and away less crowded on “recommended days,” compared to “not recommended days,” like it was when Fantasmic was scheduled less often. Nonetheless, you can expect peak wait times to be lower, crowds to build slower, FASTPASSes to be more plentiful, and waits to be lower than days that aren’t recommended. Overall, this will be a day with “slightly below average” crowds at the Studios specifically, as compared to other days this week. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Toy Story Midway Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Toy Story Mania in particular has wait times that almost always hit 60+ minutes in the afternoon and FASTPASSes that routinely are gone by 1pm. Make it your morning and FASTPASS priority. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster also sees long afternoon waits and FASTPASSes that run out in the late afternoon. Plan to head there right after Toy Story Mania or collect FASTPASSes as soon as possible, after first collecting them for Toy Story. The other two attractions with decent lines are Tower of Terror and Star Tours. Luckily, they have higher capacities and aren’t as popular. You’ll still want to ride before 10:30am or plan to use FASTPASS later in the day. FASTPASS return times for both attractions are usually 40 to 60 minutes out, meaning you can easily FASTPASS them later in the afternoon. However, expect to see 30 minute standby wait times from 12pm – 4pm. Once you get through those four attractions, it’s really just a matter of getting over to the high capacity rides and shows that run on a set schedule. It’s unlikely you’ll run into much of a line at Backlot Tour or Great Movie Ride, but fitting in the various stage shows can be tricky because they have a tendency to start and end at the same time. You may also want to make a popular character a morning priority. Check your Times Guide and plan to arrive at as many characters as possible about five minutes before they’re scheduled to appear. Overall, you can have a lot of success if you arrive prior to Park opening and take care of the headlining attractions first thing. For Fantasmic, I recommend the Fantasmic Dining Package, which guarantees everyone on the reservation a seat in the reserved section of the Theater. It makes the most sense on the Disney Dining Plan because it costs the same one table service credit at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano or Hollywood & Vine and two table service credits at Hollywood Brown Derby that you would pay otherwise. It also includes the appetizer, which you normally wouldn’t receive on the Dining Plan. You’ll still need to arrive at least 25 minutes early, or you run the risk of Disney opening the reserved section up to the general population, but it’s better than the 60 minute wait you’re looking at to score decent seats together without the Package.
Magic Kingdom is highly recommended and an excellent choice if you don’t want to wait until tomorrow to visit. Epcot’s morning Extra Magic Hours and Hollywood Studios’ Fantasmic will help draw crowds away and a lot of people will have visited yesterday for their first full day at Disney World. Currently, we don’t have Main Street Electrical Parade scheduled in the evening, which means even fewer people will be eyeing it than earlier this month. Still, it’s more important to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Fantasyland (Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh) or the headlining Mountain rides (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain). You may also want to fit other time-sensitive attractions like Tomorrowland Indy Speedway or Astro Orbiter in there as well, along with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and other quick attractions that will have decent afternoon waits. Characters that will have long lines in the afternoon and don’t offer FASTPASS are also a priority. Consider taking a break from 1pm to 5pm or so when crowds are heaviest and wait times are longest to rest up for the evening entertainment. Magic Kingdom will also be the most recommended Park tomorrow, so you may want to hold off until then if you have other plans today. If you’re trying to decide between today and tomorrow, then I would go with tomorrow because it’s in the middle of the week and even more people will be ready to visit another Park. However, today will be nearly as good if you tour efficiently in the morning, take a restful break, and return in the evening for Wishes and some late night attractions.
Wednesday January 16
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Not Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Most Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
It’s the busiest day of the week at Animal Kingdom. The morning Extra Magic Hour will attract the bulk of the Disney resort crowd and there’s no evening Extra Magic Hours or special evening entertainment going on at the other Parks, which will cause a lot of off-site guests to visit as well. Most people prefer to visit the other Parks when they’re either open longer or have special evening entertainment like Fantasmic (when it’s scheduled less often) or Main Street Electrical Parade. When none of that is available, they’ll default to the Animal Kingdom. With both yesterday and tomorrow recommended, there’s no reason to visit today.
It’s an above-average day at Epcot. Yesterday’s morning Extra Magic Hour will have been moderately attended by Disney resort guests and they won’t be looking to return today. Fantasmic and Toy Story Midway Mania will also be more popular at Hollywood Studios. I’m looking toward tomorrow as having lower crowds and shorter waits, thanks to morning Extra Magic Hour attracting people to Magic Kingdom and the addition of Main Street Electrical Parade. However, today won’t be terrible by any means. Plan to arrive as early as possible and either following a touring plan or head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission Space, and Soarin’. You’ll be in good shape if you’ve moved to the World Showcase by 12pm, starting with the boat rides in Mexico and Norway.
With no Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom, no evening Extra Magic Hours anywhere, and a lowly morning Extra Magic Hour at Disney’s least popular theme park, Hollywood Studios is going to be busier than recommended days during the week. While the addition of Fantasmic to every night this week makes each specific show less appealing, we still need to be concerned about the lack of attractive forces elsewhere. Plus, it’s later in the week, which means most people on a weeklong vacation will already have visited Magic Kingdom and Epcot and they’ll be looking to spend a day at one of Disney World’s less popular theme parks. With nothing specific drawing people to the Studios, it’s not going to be crazy crowded, but it is going to be busier than other recommended days during the week and should be avoided if possible. With Magic Kingdom being incredibly popular tomorrow with the morning Extra Magic Hour and Electrical Parade, the Studios would be a much better choice tomorrow.
Magic Kingdom is our best Park to visit today for the exact same reasons it was recommended yesterday. We also have a morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract off-site visitors and an Electrical Parade that will attract off-site visitors tomorrow. This coming Saturday will be busy for the same reasons. Take advantage by arriving prior to Park opening and head straight for Fantasyland (Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Peter Pan’s Flight, Winnie the Pooh), the headlining Mountain rides (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain), or other time sensitive attractions (Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway). You may also want to prioritize characters that will have 30+ minute standby waits without the ability to FASTPASS them in the afternoon. You’ll be able to accomplish a ton of attractions in a short amount of time if you make efficient use of the morning and use FASTPASS at the major attractions throughout the day. Consider a break from 1pm to 5pm or so to rest up for dinner, a few nighttime attractions, and Wishes.
Thursday January 17
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Highly Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is recommended. We’re coming off a popular day at Animal Kingdom yesterday, thanks to the morning Extra Magic Hour that will draw a lot of Disney resort guests. Today, we have morning Extra Magic Hour/Main Street Electrical Parade attracting crowds toward the Magic Kingdom. As always, you’ll find the most success if you arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. If you’re not riding the thrill rides (Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl), you’ll want to attend the first showing of Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo because those shows will be popular in the afternoon. Also consider heading over to Camp Minnie-Mickey right before the characters appear in the morning to find the shortest lines. Collect FASTPASSes for attractions you either want to ride again or couldn’t make it to in the morning and you should be able to do just about everything the Animal Kingdom has to offer. After completing your itinerary, you may want to Park Hop to Magic Kingdom for Wishes and Main Street Electrical Parade, Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic, or Epcot for dinner and IllumiNations. Keep in mind that crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade. Stay through close if there’s more that you want to accomplish because wait times will only decrease from 4:15pm onward. Without Park Hopper, consider transferring to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at one of its excellent restaurants. There’s also a public observatory where you can gaze out at the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s private savannas and enjoy the same view many guests are paying a premium to have right outside their balconies. A trip to Downtown Disney or the BoardWalk for dinner and shopping also makes a lot of sense.
Epcot is the most recommended Park. We have morning Extra Magic Hour and Main Street Electrical Parade pulling people towards Magic Kingdom attracting on-site and off-site visitors alike. Disney resort guests are much more likely to visit tomorrow for evening Extra Magic Hours. Plan to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ or follow a more compartmentalized two-day touring plan if you prefer. If you arrive later, plan to FASTPASS Test Track and then Soarin’ as soon as possible. Soarin’ and Test Track will have 40+ minute waits for most of the day after 10:30am due to their popularity and relatively low capacities. Move on to the World Showcase beginning around 11am if crowds begin to build in Future World, beginning with the water rides in Mexico and Norway. Return to Future World after 5pm if you have more to accomplish and to ride/re-ride the headliners with FASTPASS. Keep in mind that Innoventions, Universe of Energy, Captain EO, Journey into Imagination with Figment, Captain EO, Living with the Land, and Circle of Life usually close at 7pm. Hit those attractions from 5pm to 7pm to find shorter waits than the 1pm to 4pm timeframe. Return to Test Track and Soarin’ after 8pm to find the shortest waits outside of 9am – 10am. It’s also a great day to stay for dinner and IllumiNations.
Hollywood Studios is highly recommended. While it’s later in the week, Magic Kingdom will be a much bigger draw with morning Extra Magic Hour and Main Street Electrical Parade drawing off-site and on-site visitors alike. Tomorrow also works with the evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot and the fact that Saturday’s morning Extra Magic Hour at the Studios will be more popular with on-site guests. Still, touring efficiently is more important than “picking the right day,” especially at Hollywood Studios. That means arriving prior to Park opening and taking care of Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours first thing in the morning or with FASTPASS throughout the day. FASTPASSes for Toy Story will likely be gone by noon, so make sure it’s your top priority. Standby waits ordinarily hit the triple digits due to its popularity and limited capacity. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster also sees decent afternoon waits, likely in the 30-50 minute range, with FASTPASSes that run out in the late afternoon. Plan to head there second or collect FASTPASSes for it as soon after Toy Story Midway Mania as possible. You may also want to prioritize the Toy Story, Phineas and Ferb, or Sorcerer Mickey characters. In addition, characters appear at Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat in the early morning that won’t appear during any other part of the day. Usually, Minnie, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Donald, Daisy, Piglet, and Tigger appear, but no specific characters are guaranteed. Overall, you can do well at the Studios if you arrive early and tour efficiently, but afternoon crowds will be decent. Arrive at 10:30am with everyone else and you’re looking at long lines at Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. You can still enjoy the various shows, but it’s going to be more difficult to experience those two attractions. Thankfully, Tower of Terror and Star Tours see shorter waits and more FASTPASS availability. Still, Tower of Terror will hit 30-40 minutes in the afternoon and Star Tours should see 20 minute waits. Plan to use FASTPASS if you don’t get in line before 11am.
The morning Extra Magic Hour at Magic Kingdom will lure a lot of Disney resort guests and we also have the first Main Street Electrical Parade since Monday. Combined, this will make Magic Kingdom significantly busier than either of the last two days or tomorrow. You can have success provided you take advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hour by arriving no later than 7:40am and heading straight to Fantasyland or other open attractions. Move on to the headlining Mountain rides or character meet and greets when they open and you’ll be in excellent shape. However, you will find that crowds are heavier than recommended days in the afternoon. You’ll probably want to take a break from 1pm to 5pm or so and return in the evening to ride some major attractions with FASTPASS, have dinner, see some high capacity attractions, and enjoy the evening spectaculars. Keep in mind that you would be much better off visiting on a recommended day if you aren’t Extra Magic Hours eligible or won’t arrive until 10am or later because it will be busier than recommended days from 11am onward. Tonight is your best opportunity this week to see Main Street Electrical Parade, but the Magic Kingdom will still be busy. If you are planning to see the Parade, I recommend scouting out a spot along the Parade route in Frontierland or Liberty Square. Both locations are significantly less crowded than Main Street and offer a view that is just as good. To enjoy the Electrical Parade with the least possible hassle, plan to visit a recommended Park in the morning, take an afternoon break, and then visit Magic Kingdom in the evening for dinner and the nighttime spectaculars.
Friday January 18
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 9pm – 11pm
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Most Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is recommended. While we would be better off if Magic Kingdom offered Main Street Electrical Parade and longer hours, Epcot’s evening Extra Magic Hours are always popular and will draw a lot of Disney resort guests. The only problem is that it’s late in the week, which means most people on a weeklong vacation will have made it to the other more popular theme parks. A lot of people naturally save Animal Kingdom for later in the week because they’re more interested in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. Still, with the average overall crowd level, today will be far from busy. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and take care of Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest first thing. After that, move on to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR or visit the characters and Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo the Musical. Keep in mind that crowds disperse after the 3:45pm Parade. If you couldn’t get to some of the attraction earlier in the day, stay through until 5pm because waits will only decrease from 4:15pm through close.
We’ll want to avoid Epcot. Its evening Extra Magic Hours will lure the majority of Disney resort guests, which will lengthen waits times at the attractions for the entire afternoon and evening. Epcot is almost always at its busiest and lines are the longest when it has evening Extra Magic Hours. This is due to the fact that many Disney resort guests head to whichever Park has Extra Magic Hours, even if they don’t plan to take advantage of them. Without Park Hopper, Disney resort guests must stay in the Park with Extra Magic Hours for the entire day. The increased crowds lead to longer lines, heavier congestion in common areas, and an overall less pleasant touring experience. I would urge you to visit a different Park. If you want to head to Epcot today, despite my strong objections, your best chance to ride the headlining rides is from 9am-11am. Most Disney resort guests will sleep in and arrive around lunch in anticipation of staying until 10-11pm. The morning will be a decent time to tour Epcot, but you’ll probably want to Park Hop elsewhere after lunch or you’ll be stuck in significantly larger-than-usual crowds. You might also consider an afternoon break from 2pm-6pm when crowds will be at their largest. You could then return in the early evening for dinner and Extra Magic Hours. Alternatively, you could also Park Hop over in the evening for Extra Magic Hours, provided you’re aware of how busy it will be. With Extra Magic Hours only being two hours now, wait times at Soarin’ and Test Track won’t ease much until after 10:30pm. However, other attractions will see nominal waits and it’s a great time to take in Epcot’s natural ambiance and hit a few of the less popular/high capacity attractions. Skip Illuminations if you’ll be here on another night because it will be more crowded than usual. Overall, there’s no reason to visit Epcot today because crowds will be higher than any other day during the week and waits at Soarin’ and Test Track will be just as long as they were during the day until at least 10:30pm.
Hollywood Studios is recommended for similar reasons as yesterday, though the lack of Main Street Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom doesn’t help. Luckily, we have the extremely popular evening Extra Magic Hours luring Disney resort guests to Epcot today and Hollywood Studios’ morning Extra Magic Hour will prove popular. Overall, this past Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and today will all be similarly crowded and there isn’t necessarily a huge advantage to picking one day over another. Try to pick the day that fits into your itinerary best. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. Once you get through these attractions in the morning or with FASTPASS, you have little to worry about for the rest of the day, other than trying to get to the Studios’ various high capacity attractions and stage shows that run on a set schedule. For Fantasmic, you’ll want to arrive about 60 minutes early to guarantee good seats together. If that sounds like it’s about 30 minutes too long, consider the Fantasmic Dining Package that guarantees everyone on the reservation a seat in the reserved section of the Fantasmic theater. It will still require you to arrive at least 30 minutes early, or you run the risk of Disney opening the reserved section up to the general population, but it saves the stress of having to decide when it’s time to line up and decreases the overall wait. The Fantasmic Dining Package makes the most sense on the Disney Dining Plan because it costs the same one table service credit at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano or Hollywood & Vine and two table service credits at Hollywood Brown Derby that you would pay otherwise. Plus, it includes the appetizer, which you normally wouldn’t receive on the Disney Dining Plan. While it’s officially a recommended day, arriving prior to Park opening and hitting the headliners first thing is more important than which day you pick. Arrive at 11am, no matter the recommendation or the overall crowd level, and you’ll be looking at long lines at Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
Magic Kingdom is the most recommended Park, especially as we look forward to a busier weekend for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. The overall crowd level will be higher over the next three days, causing crowds to be higher at each theme park regardless of recommendation. Because most people value time at Magic Kingdom more than the other Parks, you’ll want to take this opportunity to visit in lower crowds. Yesterday’s Main Street Electrical Parade will have been popular and tomorrow’s Main Street Electrical Parade and longer hours will be attractive to off-site guests and those who plan to return to the Magic Kingdom for a second time before leaving on Sunday. Today, we don’t have Extra Magic Hours, the Main Street Electrical Parade, long hours of operation, or special events, which means most people will choose to visit another day. To have the most success, arrive prior to 9am and head straight for the headlining Mountain rides, popular characters that don’t offer FASTPASS, or Fantasyland attractions, beginning with Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Winnie the Poh. You should have no trouble getting a lot of attractions done throughout the morning and the Park won’t be particularly busy for the rest of the day. Still, plan to use FASTPASS and focus on the less popular attractions from 1pm to 5pm when crowds will be at their highest level.
Saturday January 19
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Highly Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 10pm (Not Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm and 9pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom comes highly recommended. We don’t have Extra Magic Hours or special events to attract Disney vacationers of any sort. Magic Kingdom will be attracting significant crowds with its long hours of operation and both nighttime spectaculars and Hollywood Studios will be popular with the morning Extra Magic Hour and Fantasmic. Relatively few people on a short trip over Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend will be looking to visit Animal Kingdom at all. Or if they are, they’re likely to visit when Magic Kingdom isn’t open late. We also had two morning Extra Magic Hours earlier in the week and another on Monday to appeal to the sizable Disney resort contingent. To take full advantage of the low crowd level, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. Get those two attractions out of the way early and the only real concerns are getting to Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical. You would be in the best shape if you could get to the first or last show of the day as well as over to DinoLand USA before 10:30am when lines begin to build at DINOSAUR and Primeval Whirl. You may also want to prioritize the Character Greeting Trails at Camp Minnie-Mickey. Here, you’ll find Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip, Dale, Baloo and King Louie along with other characters like Pocahontas and potentially Rafiki or Br’er Bear. Use FASTPASS throughout the day and you should have no trouble experiencing just about everything Animal Kingdom has to offer in just one day. Finally, keep in mind that crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade and it’s usually a great time to return to the major attractions from 6pm through close. If you’re staying late, check the time of the last Kilimanjaro Safaris departure – it will be long before the rest of the Park closes. Keep that in mind and hit Everest and DinoLand USA in the last hour to find the shortest evening waits.
Epcot is the most recommended Park. It’s a particularly excellent day to see IllumiNations and have dinner in the World Showcase because Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios will be attracting most of the nighttime crowd. Despite the recommendation, you will still have the most success if you arrive prior to opening and head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ or follow one of the touring plans. It’s more important to arrive early and take care of the headliners first thing than it is to pick the “right” day. You’ll run into lines at the headliners in Future World if you don’t arrive until 10:30am with everyone else. To stay ahead of the crowds for the longest amount of time, move up through the World Showcase beginning at 11am with the water rides in Norway and Mexico. Return to Future World after 5pm to see anything you missed. Keep in mind that both Innoventions buildings, the Imagination Pavilion, and Universe of Energy close at 7pm. The 5pm to 7pm timeframe is an excellent opportunity to do Journey into Imagination with Figment, Captain EO, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Sum of All Thrills, anything in Innoventions, Circle of Life, Living with the Land, and anything else other than the major headliners. If you’re interested in re-riding Soarin’ and Test Track, collect FASTPASSes earlier in the day because standby wait times for both will most likely continue to be 45+ minutes from 5pm – 8pm.
Hollywood Studios is not recommended. The sizable Disney resort contingent numbers 75,000+ people during a relatively busy weekend like this one. Because Disney sells the Extra Magic Hour program so well in its marketing materials, many of these Disney resort guests follow the Extra Magic Hours schedule because they think it’s Disney telling them where they belong each day. The additional people cause lines to be longer at attractions, quick services, restaurants, and stores. In addition, FASTPASSes will run out sooner, peak wait times will be higher, and shows are more likely to fill to capacity, in turn causing you to show up earlier and wait longer. While you can have success if you are Extra Magic Hours eligible and arrive by 7:15am, most people will want to visit another day. Avoid it unless you can’t visit any other day or are certain you’ll arrive by 7:15am and plan to hit Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours first thing in the morning.
Saturdays are naturally the busiest day of the week at the Magic Kingdom. We have longer hours of operation, visiting locals, and a lot of vacationers who will be visiting the Magic Kingdom for a second time before returning home tomorrow. On top of that, Main Street Electrical Parade is only scheduled on three nights this week. Because the Parade is so popular, a lot of people will visit on a day that they can see it, like today. All of this makes me hesitant about recommending the Magic Kingdom, despite a lack of Extra Magic Hours. Yesterday and next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday will be much better days to tour, but you can have a moderate amount of success today if you arrive prior to 9am and head straight for the headlining or Fantasyland attractions. The afternoon will be busier than any other day this week and you’ll either want to take a break and return for the Electrical Parade and Wishes or visit the less popular attractions from 2pm – 6pm. While it is possible to have a decent day here if you arrive early and tour efficiently, there are much less crowded days to visit during the week.
Sunday January 20
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Highly Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 8pm (Most Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 10pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 10pm – 12am
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm and 9pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom comes highly recommended. We don’t have Extra Magic Hours or special events to attract people and most of those on a short Martin Luther King Weekend trip won’t have Animal Kingdom on their itinerary. The early morning, from 9am – 10:30am, is always the best time to tour. FASTPASSes are plentiful with return times that are just 40 to 60 minutes in the future and standby waits that are guaranteed to be low. The end of the day will also see lower crowds, but FASTPASSes are more likely to be gone at the major attractions even if standby waits are shorter. Still, expect wait times at Everest and DinoLand to be mostly nonexistent after 7pm, making a late morning or afternoon arrival viable. An added bonus is Animal Kingdom is beautiful in the dark and often isn’t open late enough for people to enjoy it. Ideally, plan to arrive prior to Park opening and focus on riding Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest as early as possible or FASTPASS them later in the day (or both). After getting those out of the way, move on to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR or one of the more popular shows – either Finding Nemo the Musical or Festival of the Lion King and you’ll be set for the rest of the day. If you have young children or otherwise have interest, you may also want to visit Camp Minnie-Mickey early in the morning to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip, Dale, Baloo, and King Louie. Pocahontas is also usually present. Check your Times Guide and plan to arrive in Camp Minnie-Mickey about ten minutes before the characters appear. Mickey will have the longest lines later in the day. If you can’t get to Camp Minnie-Mickey early in the morning, plan to arrive about ten minutes before the start of a Festival of the Lion King show. Because the exit to Festival of the Lion King is near the Character Trails in Camp Minnie-Mickey, the area is flooded once an hour with about a thousand guests, many of which would not visit Camp Minnie-Mickey otherwise. If you don’t end up arriving prior or close to Park opening, plan to stay through close because wait times will only ease after the Parade. With no evening entertainment to keep people around and restaurants that are vastly underrated, few people Park Hop in the afternoon. Take advantage of one or both of the less crowded times of day, use FASTPASS as much as possible in the late morning and afternoon, and tour efficiently and you should have an excellent day.
Epcot is recommended again today. We have a lot going on at the other Parks and nothing specific to draw crowds to Epcot. It’s a particularly excellent day to see IllumiNations and have dinner in the World Showcase because Magic Kingdom will be attracting most of the nighttime crowd. Despite the strong recommendation, you will still have the most success if you arrive prior to opening and head straight to Soarin, Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, and Mission: Space or follow one of the touring plans. The overall crowd level is above average this weekend because of the holiday and you’ll still run into 60ish minute waits at Test Track and Soarin’ in the afternoon. There’s just no way around that when crowds are heavier because both attractions are popular and have limited capacities. Thankfully, you’ll be well on your way to the other Future World attractions and World Showcase before those waits increase. If you don’t arrive early in the morning, FASTPASS Soarin’ and then Test Track as quickly as possible. If crowds begin to substantially increase in Future World around noon, begin to move up through the World Showcase beginning with the water rides in Mexico and Norway. Consider returning to Future World after 5pm when crowds decrease there and begin to creep up into World Showcase. See the two-day Epcot touring plans if you’re looking for a more compartmentalized approach.
Hollywood Studios is the most recommended Park. We’re sandwiched in between yesterday’s moderately popular morning Extra Magic Hour and tomorrow’s extremely popular evening Extra Magic Hours. Keep in mind that the overall crowd level is higher today and tomorrow and the Studios will be busier overall than later in the week. However, that’s true of every theme park and there’s no way around that this weekend. While we were concerned about the 8pm closures earlier in the month, it isn’t as big of a deal with longer hours at Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom too. Take advantage by arriving prior to Park opening and heading straight for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. Make Toy Story Mania your priority because it will have the longest afternoon waits and FASTPASSes will still likely run out by noon, even with the recommendation. The only other problem most people run into is trying to schedule all of the stage shows that run on a set schedule. You may also want to prioritize characters that will have longer afternoon waits. The Toy Story characters across from Toy Story Mania tend to have the longest waits. Because they usually begin appearing at 9:15am, you’ll have time to collect FASTPASSes for Toy Story, ride Toy Story, and then get in line for the characters around 9:10am. Phineas & Ferb usually have the second longest lines in Hollywood Studios. They typically begin appearing at 9:30am, which means you’ll have time to collect FASTPASSes, ride Toy Story Mania, and potentially meet Buzz and Woody before heading over to visit Phineas & Ferb, which are located near Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano and across from the exit to Muppet Vission 3D. Check the week’s Times Guide to verify appearance times. Two other popular characters appear in the Animation Building in the Animation Courtyard. Sorcerer Mickey in particular has long afternoon waits and The Incredibles characters also tend to have decent lines. Since both characters meet indoors and their lines aren’t usually over 20 minutes long, you should be able to find them with decent waits later in the day if you have other morning priorities. Finally, you’ll find some characters in the morning near Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat that won’t appear later in the afternoon. Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Chip, Dale, Friends of Winnie the Pooh, Goofy, and Pluto are all common, but no specific character is guaranteed to appear. With the addition of the 8pm Fantasmic, do what you can to stay for that show. Most families will opt for the 6:30pm show and then head for the buses back to their resorts, leaving the second show less crowded. Also, you won’t have to deal with two large sections reserved for Dining Package users during the 8pm show. Overall, you can do well at the Studios if you arrive by 8:20am, but you’re looking at long lines and heavier crowds if you don’t arrive until 10:30am with everyone else.
Magic Kingdom is occasionally recommended on Sundays with evening Extra Magic Hours because the early morning is an excellent time to tour and the late night evening Extra Magic Hours can also be good if you “tour smart.” However, I’m concerned about a slightly different crowd pattern than usual due to Martin Luther King holiday and the number of people that will be in town for a shorter vacation. While the morning will be an excellent time to tour, we’re looking at significantly heavier crowds than recommended days from 11am through at least 10pm. This past Friday would have been considerably less busy and this coming Tuesday and Wednesday will also be excellent. If you are headed to Magic Kingdom anyway, you can have a lot of success in the morning from 9am – 11am or so if you arrive by 8:40am and take care of Fantasyland, the headlining Mountain rides, or whatever attractions you deem most important on your itinerary. Continue collecting FASTPASSes for the major attractions as often as possible for use later in the day when crowds peak. Because of the long operating hours, you will likely want to take an afternoon break from 1pm to 6pm or so when crowds are heaviest. Return in the evening to ride attractions with FASTPASSes collected earlier in the day, have dinner, enjoy some high capacity attractions, and watch the nighttime spectaculars. If you are staying, plan to see the 9pm Electrical Parade, which will be much less crowded than the 7pm Parade due to the number of families that leave shortly after Wishes. They may have plans to stay through part of the evening Extra Magic Hours, but most will have kids that have crashed long before. Visit Tomorrowland after 10:30pm and then move on to Fantasyland after 11pm to find lower wait times.
Monday January 21
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 7pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 8pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 8pm – 10pm
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm and 9pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom will be moderately more popular than recommended days due to the morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract a decent number of Disney resort guests. Mondays at the Animal Kingdom aren’t wildly popular because of the fact that morning Extra Magic Hours aren’t as popular as evening Extra Magic Hours and because it’s early in the week and many people who travel over the weekend will be heading to the Magic Kingdom regardless of the Extra Magic Hours schedule. With the holiday weekend this week, crowd patterns will be a little different than usual and we’ll have a decent number of people that are actually toward the end of their vacation today, making Animal Kingdom more attractive to them as well. While the morning Extra Magic Hour is an excellent time to tour, it’s difficult to get out to the Animal Kingdom by 7:30am to take full advantage of it. If you’re staying at a Monorail Deluxe Resort, you’re looking at a 20+ minute drive to the Animal Kingdom, plus time for the bus to arrive – not to mention getting multiple people up and ready early in the morning with just one shower and limited space. At 6:30am. Or earlier. If you’re absolutely certain that you’ll arrive by 7:30am, then you can have a lot of success because the crowd level won’t be that high, but it will be busier in the afternoon than other recommended days this week due to a higher number of Disney resort guests than usual. You’re much better served holding off until Tuesday or Thursday if you’re not going to arrive until 9am or later.
Epcot is the only expressly recommended Park. We don’t have Extra Magic Hours, special evening entertainment, or anything else that will draw people toward Epcot specifically. While Epcot will be busier today than other days this week because the overall crowd level is higher, it’s still our best choice. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ or follow one of the touring plans. It’s a great day to stay for dinner and IllumiNations as well. If you’re planning to take one day off for resort hopping, pool activities, Downtown Disney etc. then you might want to make today it. It’s going to busier than other days later in the week because of the holiday.
Hollywood Studios will be busy due to the evening Extra Magic Hours that are popular with Disney resort guests. The morning will be an okay time to tour, but crowds will increase around 11am as more and more Disney resort guests arrive. I’m looking towards tomorrow as a better day to visit and this coming Thursday and Friday are also recommended. Unfortunately, I’m not too fond of evening Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios. There are only a few attractions open and the waits for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours will likely be just as long as they were during the day for most of the evening, especially with the relatively early normal close and fact that Extra Magic Hours are now just two hours. In addition, 9,000+ people will exit Fantasmic at 7pm and again at 8:30pm, right as evening Extra Magic Hours gets underway. The Fantasmic Theater is located right on Sunset Boulevard, across from the entrances to Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. While not everyone seeing Fantasmic will be a Disney resort guest, many of them will be, and a ton will be headed to Tower of Tower and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster because they truly believe it’s the best time to get in line. Unfortunately, they’ll find themselves lined up with a few thousand of their new best friends. If you’re staying for evening Extra Magic Hours, your best bet is always to save these headlining attractions for the very end of the night and visit Toy Story Mania last. While you could theoretically have success if you arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for the headliners, the same will be true later in the week and you won’t have to deal with the significantly heavier afternoon and evening crowds. Avoid it unless you’re planning to visit from 9am – 1pm or can’t visit any other day.
Magic Kingdom is, by far, the worst Park to visit today. First, it’s a national holiday, which will attract a fair amount of locals that have the day off. Although Martin Luther King Day doesn’t bring in a ton of people because it’s just one day and we’re coming off of the very busy holiday season, visiting locals are always a concern on holidays. Second, we have a rare main Street Electrical Parade scheduled. The Main Street Electrical Parade isn’t scheduled again until Thursday and it’s extremely popular. Anyone who wants to see the Parade will need to be at the Magic Kingdom tonight, Thursday night, or Saturday night. Because most people don’t opt for the Park Hopper upgrade or don’t use it after they’ve purchased it, they will need to spend their entire day at the Magic Kingdom in order to see the Main Street Electrical Parade at night. Finally, a lot of people travel over the weekend and naturally head to the Magic Kingdom on Monday for their first full day. All of this will make the Magic Kingdom incredibly busy today and any other day this week would be less crowded, other than potentially this Saturday, which will have similar crowds and waits. For Main Street Electrical Parade viewing, this coming Thursday would actually be better because the overall crowd level is lower and nighttime crowds will be slightly smaller. As always, the best Parade viewing spots are located along the Parade route in Frontierland and Liberty Square for the 9pm Parade. These locations offer a view that is just as good as Main Street, but don’t require the excessive waits.
Tuesday January 22
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Most Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Highly Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is the most recommended Park. We don’t have special events, Extra Magic Hours, or anything specific drawing people toward it. It’s also early enough in the week that many people on weeklong vacations will be saving Animal Kingdom for later in the week. Overall, today, Friday, and Saturday are all very good days to visit. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. Once you get through these two attractions, you have little to worry about other than trying to get to the scheduled shows and potentially the Camp Minnie-Mickey characters. Finding Nemo and Festival of the Lion King do get busy during the afternoon, so try to see the first or last show of the day. You’ll also want to get to DinoLand USA before 10:30am to ride Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR because those two attractions are popular. Still, they aren’t necessarily your top morning priorities and you can easily FASTPASS them throughout the day if need arises. Despite “only” being open eight hours, you can still see most of what the Animal Kingdom has to offer in one day, provided you arrive early in the morning, tour efficiently, collect FASTPASSes, and keep an eye on the time in order to see the scheduled stage shows. Finally, crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade. Plan to return to any favorites from 4:15pm through close when waits will be shorter than the afternoon.
Epcot is not recommended. We have the morning Extra Magic Hour attracting the majority of Disney resort guests and a lot of off-site visitors who will naturally visit Epcot after the Magic Kingdom yesterday. Plus there’s no Main Street Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom, making Epcot’s 9am – 9pm day with IllumiNations extra-attractive. Today will be the second busiest day of the week at Epcot and numerous other days will be substantially less busy. Skip it unless you can’t get there any other day or are certain you’ll arrive by 7:30am for the morning Extra Magic Hour and plan to either Park Hop elsewhere or take a break in the afternoon.
Hollywood Studios is recommended, though not as highly as it was when Fantasmic wasn’t scheduled. When the Studios closes early and doesn’t offer evening entertainment, people tend to avoid it, which shortens wait times, decreases congestion in common areas, and provides for a better overall experience. The good news is that we’re coming off a popular day yesterday with evening Extra Magic Hours, a second Fantasmic, and a later close. People that were up late last night will be nowhere near the Studios this morning, particularly in the morning. Disney resort guests are much more likely to visit Epcot for the morning Extra Magic Hour. The only problem is that the Extra Magic Hours don’t do anything to sway the off-site contingent, some of whom will visit Magic Kingdom yesterday and be looking at Toy Story, Fantasmic, and Tower of Terror today. You can do very well by following the usual advice – arrive by 8:30am and hammer out Toy Story Midway Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster first thing. After that, Tower of Terror and Star Tours are lesser priorities along with whatever characters you’d like to meet. The problem most people run into is scheduling the various shows because they all tend to start and end at the same time. Overall, it’s a good day to visit the Studios, but the headliners will see decent afternoon waits, like they do virtually every day.
Magic Kingdom is recommended, but tomorrow will be even less crowded. Wednesdays are historically the least crowded day of the week at the Magic Kingdom due to the natural progression of weeklong vacationers that visit Magic Kingdom early and late on their trip. You can still have a lot of success if you visit today, especially with the low overall crowd level. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head to Fantasyland or the headlining Mountain rides. In Fantasyland, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Peter Pan’s Flight are your major priorities. You may have other time sensitive attractions on your itinerary like Astro Orbiter or Tomorrowland Indy Speedway as well. While these aren’t “the most popular” or “headlining” attractions, they are still morning priorities because they have guaranteed uncomfortable waits from 10am onward. Popular characters that don’t offer FASTPASS may also be a priority. Use FASTPASS throughout the day and you should have no trouble experiencing most of what the Magic Kingdom has to offer in just one day. Consider returning on another evening for Main Street Electrical Parade. Thursday would be best, but that isn’t saying much when your only other options are the incredibly popular Monday and Saturday. As far as crowds and waits are concerned, tomorrow and Friday will also be highly recommended.
Wednesday January 23
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Not Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
It’s the busiest day of the week at Animal Kingdom. The morning Extra Magic Hour will attract the bulk of the Disney resort crowd and there’s no evening Extra Magic Hours or special evening entertainment going on at the other Parks, which will cause a lot of off-site guests to visit as well. Most people prefer to visit the other Parks when they’re either open longer or have special evening entertainment like Fantasmic (when it’s scheduled less often) or Main Street Electrical Parade. When none of that is available, they’ll default to the Animal Kingdom. With both yesterday and tomorrow recommended, there’s no reason to visit today.
It’s an above-average day at Epcot. Yesterday’s morning Extra Magic Hour will have been moderately attended by Disney resort guests and they won’t be looking to return today. Fantasmic and Toy Story Midway Mania will also be more popular at Hollywood Studios. I’m looking toward tomorrow as having lower crowds and shorter waits, thanks to morning Extra Magic Hour attracting people to Magic Kingdom and the addition of Main Street Electrical Parade. However, today won’t be terrible by any means. Plan to arrive as early as possible and either following a touring plan or head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission Space, and Soarin’. You’ll be in good shape if you’ve moved to the World Showcase by 12pm, starting with the boat rides in Mexico and Norway.
With no Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom, no evening Extra Magic Hours anywhere, and a lowly morning Extra Magic Hour at Disney’s least popular theme park, Hollywood Studios is going to be busier than recommended days during the week. While the addition of Fantasmic to every night this week makes each specific show less appealing, we still need to be concerned about the lack of attractive forces elsewhere. Plus, it’s later in the week, which means most people on a weeklong vacation will already have visited Magic Kingdom and Epcot and they’ll be looking to spend a day at one of Disney World’s less popular theme parks. With nothing specific drawing people to the Studios, it’s not going to be crazy crowded, but it is going to be busier than other recommended days during the week and should be avoided if possible. With Magic Kingdom being incredibly popular tomorrow with the morning Extra Magic Hour and Electrical Parade, the Studios would be a much better choice tomorrow.
Magic Kingdom is our best Park to visit today for the exact same reasons it was recommended yesterday. We also have a morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract off-site visitors and an Electrical Parade that will attract off-site visitors tomorrow. This coming Saturday will be busy for the same reasons. Take advantage by arriving prior to Park opening and head straight for Fantasyland (Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Peter Pan’s Flight, Winnie the Pooh), the headlining Mountain rides (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain), or other time sensitive attractions (Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway). You may also want to prioritize characters that will have 30+ minute standby waits without the ability to FASTPASS them in the afternoon. You’ll be able to accomplish a ton of attractions in a short amount of time if you make efficient use of the morning and use FASTPASS at the major attractions throughout the day. Consider a break from 1pm to 5pm or so to rest up for dinner, a few nighttime attractions, and Wishes.
Thursday January 24
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Highly Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm and 9pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is recommended. We’re coming off a popular day at Animal Kingdom yesterday, thanks to the morning Extra Magic Hour that will draw a lot of Disney resort guests. Today, we have morning Extra Magic Hour/Main Street Electrical Parade attracting crowds toward the Magic Kingdom. As always, you’ll find the most success if you arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. If you’re not riding the thrill rides (Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl), you’ll want to attend the first showing of Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo because those shows will be popular in the afternoon. Also consider heading over to Camp Minnie-Mickey right before the characters appear in the morning to find the shortest lines. Collect FASTPASSes for attractions you either want to ride again or couldn’t make it to in the morning and you should be able to do just about everything the Animal Kingdom has to offer. After completing your itinerary, you may want to Park Hop to Magic Kingdom for Wishes and Main Street Electrical Parade, Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic, or Epcot for dinner and IllumiNations. Keep in mind that crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade. Stay through close if there’s more that you want to accomplish because wait times will only decrease from 4:15pm onward. Without Park Hopper, consider transferring to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at one of its excellent restaurants. There’s also a public observatory where you can gaze out at the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s private savannas and enjoy the same view many guests are paying a premium to have right outside their balconies. A trip to Downtown Disney or the BoardWalk for dinner and shopping also makes a lot of sense.
Epcot is the most recommended Park. We have morning Extra Magic Hour and Main Street Electrical Parade pulling people towards Magic Kingdom attracting on-site and off-site visitors alike. Disney resort guests are much more likely to visit tomorrow for evening Extra Magic Hours. Plan to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ or follow a more compartmentalized two-day touring plan if you prefer. If you arrive later, plan to FASTPASS Soarin’ and then Test Track as soon as possible. Soarin’ and Test Track will have 60+ minute waits for most of the day after 10:30am due to their popularities and relatively low capacities. Move on to the World Showcase beginning around 11am if crowds begin to build in Future World, beginning with the water rides in Mexico and Norway. Return to Future World after 5pm if you have more to accomplish and to ride/re-ride the headliners with FASTPASS. Keep in mind that Innoventions, Universe of Energy, Captain EO, Journey into Imagination with Figment, Captain EO, Living with the Land, and Circle of Life usually close at 7pm. Hit those attractions from 5pm to 7pm to find shorter waits than the 1pm to 4pm timeframe. Return to Test Track and Soarin’ after 8pm to find the shortest waits outside of 9am – 10am. It’s also a great day to stay for dinner and IllumiNations.
Hollywood Studios is highly recommended. While it’s later in the week, Magic Kingdom will be a much bigger draw with morning Extra Magic Hour and Main Street Electrical Parade drawing off-site and on-site visitors alike. Tomorrow also works with the evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot and the fact that Saturday’s morning Extra Magic Hour at the Studios will be more popular with on-site guests. Still, touring efficiently is more important than “picking the right day,” especially at Hollywood Studios. That means arriving prior to Park opening and taking care of Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours first thing in the morning or with FASTPASS throughout the day. FASTPASSes for Toy Story will likely be gone by noon, so make sure it’s your top priority. Standby waits ordinarily hit the triple digits due to its popularity and limited capacity. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster also sees decent afternoon waits, likely in the 30-50 minute range, with FASTPASSes that run out in the late afternoon. Plan to head there second or collect FASTPASSes for it as soon after Toy Story Midway Mania as possible. You may also want to prioritize the Toy Story, Phineas and Ferb, or Sorcerer Mickey characters. In addition, characters appear at Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat in the early morning that won’t appear during any other part of the day. Usually, Minnie, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Donald, Daisy, Piglet, and Tigger appear, but no specific characters are guaranteed. Overall, you can do well at the Studios if you arrive early and tour efficiently, but afternoon crowds will be decent. Arrive at 10:30am with everyone else and you’re looking at long lines at Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. You can still enjoy the various shows, but it’s going to be more difficult to experience those two attractions. Thankfully, Tower of Terror and Star Tours see shorter waits and more FASTPASS availability. Still, Tower of Terror will hit 30-40 minutes in the afternoon and Star Tours should see 20 – 30 minute waits. Plan to use FASTPASS if you don’t get in line before 11am.
The morning Extra Magic Hour at Magic Kingdom will lure a lot of Disney resort guests and we also have the first Main Street Electrical Parade since Monday. Combined, this will make Magic Kingdom significantly busier than either of the last two days or tomorrow. You can have success provided you take advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hour by arriving no later than 7:40am and heading straight to Fantasyland or other open attractions. Move on to the headlining Mountain rides or character meet and greets when they open and you’ll be in excellent shape. However, you will find that crowds are heavier than recommended days in the afternoon. You’ll probably want to take a break from 1pm to 5pm or so and return in the evening to ride some major attractions with FASTPASS, have dinner, see some high capacity attractions, and enjoy the evening spectaculars. Keep in mind that you would be much better off visiting on a recommended day if you aren’t Extra Magic Hours eligible or won’t arrive until 10am or later because it will be busier than recommended days from 11am onward. Tonight is your best opportunity this week to see Main Street Electrical Parade, but the Magic Kingdom will still be busy. If you are planning to see the Parade, I recommend scouting out a spot along the Parade route in Frontierland or Liberty Square for the 9pm Parade. Both locations are significantly less crowded than Main Street and offer a view that is just as good. The later Parade is less crowded because so many families leave shortly after Wishes. To enjoy the Electrical Parade with the least possible hassle, plan to visit a recommended Park in the morning, take an afternoon break, and then visit Magic Kingdom in the evening for dinner and the nighttime spectaculars.
Friday January 25
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 9pm – 11pm
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is recommended. While we would be better off if Magic Kingdom offered Main Street Electrical Parade and longer hours, Epcot’s evening Extra Magic Hours are always popular and will draw a lot of Disney resort guests. The only problem is that it’s late in the week, which means most people on a weeklong vacation will have made it to the other more popular theme parks. A lot of people naturally save Animal Kingdom for later in the week because they’re more interested in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. Still, with the below average overall crowd level, today will be far from busy. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and take care of Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest first thing. After that, move on to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR or visit the characters and Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo the Musical. Keep in mind that crowds disperse after the 3:45pm Parade. If you couldn’t get to some of the attraction earlier in the day, stay through until 5pm because waits will only decrease from 4:15pm through close.
We’ll want to avoid Epcot. Its evening Extra Magic Hours will lure the majority of Disney resort guests, which will lengthen waits times at the attractions for the entire afternoon and evening. Epcot is almost always at its busiest and lines are the longest when it has evening Extra Magic Hours. This is due to the fact that many Disney resort guests head to whichever Park has Extra Magic Hours, even if they don’t plan to take advantage of them. Without Park Hopper, Disney resort guests must stay in the Park with Extra Magic Hours for the entire day. The increased crowds lead to longer lines, heavier congestion in common areas, and an overall less pleasant touring experience. I would urge you to visit a different Park. If you want to head to Epcot today, despite my strong objections, your best chance to ride the headlining rides is from 9am-11am. Most Disney resort guests will sleep in and arrive around lunch in anticipation of staying until 10-11pm. The morning will be a decent time to tour Epcot, but you’ll probably want to Park Hop elsewhere after lunch or you’ll be stuck in significantly larger-than-usual crowds. You might also consider an afternoon break from 2pm-6pm when crowds will be at their largest. You could then return in the early evening for dinner and Extra Magic Hours. Alternatively, you could also Park Hop over in the evening for Extra Magic Hours, provided you’re aware of how busy it will be. With Extra Magic Hours only being two hours now, wait times at Soarin’ and Test Track won’t ease much until after 10:30pm. However, other attractions will see nominal waits and it’s a great time to take in Epcot’s natural ambiance and hit a few of the less popular/high capacity attractions. Skip Illuminations if you’ll be here on another night because it will be more crowded than usual. Overall, there’s no reason to visit Epcot today because crowds will be higher than any other day during the week and waits at Soarin’ and Test Track will be just as long as they were during the day until at least 10:30pm.
Hollywood Studios is recommended for similar reasons as yesterday, though the lack of Main Street Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom doesn’t help. Luckily, we have the extremely popular evening Extra Magic Hours luring Disney resort guests to Epcot today and Hollywood Studios’ morning Extra Magic Hour/later close/second Fantasmic will prove popular tomorrow. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. Once you get through these attractions in the morning or with FASTPASS, you have little to worry about for the rest of the day, other than trying to get to the Studios’ various high capacity attractions and stage shows that run on a set schedule. For Fantasmic, you’ll want to arrive about 60 minutes early to guarantee good seats together. If that sounds like it’s about 30 minutes too long, consider the Fantasmic Dining Package that guarantees everyone on the reservation a seat in the reserved section of the Fantasmic theater. It will still require you to arrive at least 30 minutes early, or you run the risk of Disney opening the reserved section up to the general population, but it saves the stress of having to decide when it’s time to line up and decreases the overall wait. The Fantasmic Dining Package makes the most sense on the Disney Dining Plan because it costs the same one table service credit at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano or Hollywood & Vine and two table service credits at Hollywood Brown Derby that you would pay otherwise. Plus, it includes the appetizer, which you normally wouldn’t receive on the Disney Dining Plan. While it’s officially a recommended day, arriving prior to Park opening and hitting the headliners first thing is more important than which day you pick. Arrive at 11am, no matter the recommendation or the overall crowd level, and you’ll be looking at long lines at Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
Magic Kingdom is the most recommended Park. Yesterday’s Main Street Electrical Parade will have been popular and tomorrow’s Main Street Electrical Parade and longer hours will be attractive to off-site guests and those who plan to return to the Magic Kingdom for a second time before leaving on Sunday. Today, we don’t have Extra Magic Hours, the Main Street Electrical Parade, long hours of operation, or special events, which means most people will choose to visit another day. To have the most success, arrive prior to 9am and head straight for the headlining Mountain rides, popular characters that don’t offer FASTPASS, or Fantasyland attractions, beginning with Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, and Ariel’s Grotto. You should have no trouble getting a lot of attractions done throughout the morning and the Park won’t be particularly busy for the rest of the day. Still, plan to use FASTPASS and focus on the less popular attractions from 1pm to 5pm when crowds will be at their highest level.
Saturday January 26
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Highly Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 8pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 11pm (Not Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm and 9pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom comes highly recommended. We don’t have Extra Magic Hours or special events to attract Disney vacationers of any sort. Magic Kingdom will be attracting significant crowds with its long hours of operation and both nighttime spectaculars and Hollywood Studios will be popular with the morning Extra Magic Hour and two Fantasmic shows. We also had two morning Extra Magic Hours earlier in the week and another on Monday to appeal to the sizable Disney resort contingent. To take full advantage of the low crowd level, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. Get those two attractions out of the way early and the only real concerns are getting to Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical. You would be in the best shape if you could get to the first or last show of the day as well as over to DinoLand USA before 10:30am when lines begin to build at DINOSAUR and Primeval Whirl. You may also want to prioritize the Character Greeting Trails at Camp Minnie-Mickey. Here, you’ll find Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip, Dale, Baloo and King Louie along with other characters like Pocahontas and potentially Rafiki or Br’er Bear. Use FASTPASS throughout the day and you should have no trouble experiencing just about everything Animal Kingdom has to offer in just one day. If you can’t arrive early, a late arrival is also viable with the 8pm close. Check your Times Guide to see when Kilimanjaro Safaris will stop operating and plan around that if you’d like to ride it. Either FASTPASS it when you arrive or enter the queue about 15 minutes before the last Safari leaves. Crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade because people don’t hang around for the restaurants or the lack of evening entertainment. Save Expedition Everest and DinoLand for after 7pm to minimize waits as much as possible. As an added bonus, Animal Kingdom is beautiful after dark.
Epcot is the most recommended Park. It’s a particularly excellent day to see IllumiNations and have dinner in the World Showcase because Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios will be attracting most of the nighttime crowd. Despite the recommendation, you will still have the most success if you arrive prior to opening and head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ or follow one of the touring plans. It’s more important to arrive early and take care of the headliners first thing than it is to pick the “right” day. You’ll run into lines at the headliners in Future World if you don’t arrive until 10:30am with everyone else. To stay ahead of the crowds for the longest amount of time, move up through the World Showcase beginning at 11am with the water rides in Norway and Mexico. Return to Future World after 5pm to see anything you missed. Keep in mind that both Innoventions buildings, the Imagination Pavilion, and Universe of Energy close at 7pm. The 5pm to 7pm timeframe is an excellent opportunity to do Journey into Imagination with Figment, Captain EO, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Sum of All Thrills, anything in Innoventions, Circle of Life, Living with the Land, and anything else other than the major headliners. If you’re interested in re-riding Soarin’ and Test Track, collect FASTPASSes earlier in the day because standby wait times for both will most likely continue to be 30+ minutes from 5pm – 8pm. If that isn’t possible, return to Soarin’ around 7:45pm and Test Track around 8:45pm.
Hollywood Studios is not recommended because the morning Extra Magic Hours will attract so many Disney resort guests. The later close than most other days this week and addition of a second Fantasmic will only make it more popular with off-site guests as well. Because Disney sells the Extra Magic Hour program so well in its marketing materials, many of these Disney resort guests follow the Extra Magic Hours schedule because they think it’s Disney telling them where they belong each day. The additional people cause lines to be longer at attractions, quick services, restaurants, and stores. In addition, FASTPASSes will run out sooner, peak wait times will be higher, and shows are more likely to fill to capacity, in turn causing you to show up earlier and wait longer. While you can have success if you are Extra Magic Hours eligible and arrive by 7:20am, most people will want to visit another day. Avoid it unless you can’t visit any other day or are certain you’ll arrive by 7:20am and plan to hit Toy Story Midway Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours first thing in the morning.
Saturdays are naturally the busiest day of the week at the Magic Kingdom. We have longer hours of operation, visiting locals, and a lot of vacationers who will be visiting the Magic Kingdom for a second time before returning home tomorrow. On top of that, Main Street Electrical Parade is only scheduled on four nights this week. Because the Parade is so popular, a lot of people will visit on a day that they can see it, like today. All of this makes me hesitant about recommending the Magic Kingdom, despite a lack of Extra Magic Hours. Yesterday and next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday will be much better days to tour, but you can have a moderate amount of success today if you arrive prior to 9am and head straight for the headlining or Fantasyland attractions. The afternoon will be busier than any other day this week and you’ll either want to take a break and return for the Electrical Parade and Wishes or visit the less popular attractions from 2pm – 6pm. While it is possible to have a decent day here if you arrive early and tour efficiently, there are much less crowded days to visit during the week.
Sunday January 27
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 7pm (Highly Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Most Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 9pm – 11pm
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is highly recommended. We have evening Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom luring a lot of Disney resort guests. Disney resort guests are more likely to visit tomorrow or Wednesday for morning Extra Magic Hour. With the low crowds and ten hour day, you should be able to do just about everything the Park has to offer if you arrive close to Park opening. Focus on riding Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest as early as possible or FASTPASS them later in the day (or both). After getting those out of the way, move on to DinoLand USA or one of the more popular shows – either Finding Nemo the Musical or Festival of the Lion King and you’ll be set for the rest of the day. Keep in mind that crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade and 5:15pm – 7pm will have shorter waits than the afternoon. You also have an outstanding opportunity to Park Hop after the Park closes. You could head to Epcot for dinner and IllumiNations, Magic Kingdom for evening Extra Magic Hours, or Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic. Without Park Hopper, consider transferring to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner and a look around the resort or take a trip out to Downtown Disney or the BoardWalk for dinner and shopping.
Epcot is recommended again today. We have a lot going on at the other Parks and nothing specific to draw crowds to Epcot. It’s a particularly excellent day to see IllumiNations and have dinner in the World Showcase because Magic Kingdom will be attracting most of the nighttime crowd. Despite the strong recommendation, you will still have the most success if you arrive prior to opening and head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ or follow one of the touring plans. If you don’t arrive early in the morning, FASTPASS Test Track and then Soarin’ as quickly as possible. If crowds begin to substantially increase in Future World around noon, begin to move up through the World Showcase beginning with the water rides in Mexico and Norway. Consider returning to Future World after 5pm when crowds decrease there and begin to creep up into World Showcase.
Hollywood Studios is the most recommended Park. We’re sandwiched in between yesterday’s moderately popular morning Extra Magic Hour and tomorrow’s extremely popular evening Extra Magic Hours. Take advantage by arriving prior to Park opening and heading straight for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. Make Toy Story Mania your priority because it will have the longest afternoon waits and FASTPASSes will still likely run out by noon, even with the recommendation. The only other problem most people run into is trying to schedule all of the stage shows that run on a set schedule. You may also want to prioritize characters that will have longer afternoon waits. The Toy Story characters across from Toy Story Mania tend to have the longest waits. Because they usually begin appearing at 9:15am, you’ll have time to collect FASTPASSes for Toy Story, ride Toy Story, and then get in line for the characters around 9:10am. Phineas & Ferb usually have the second longest lines in Hollywood Studios. They typically begin appearing at 9:30am, which means you’ll have time to collect FASTPASSes, ride Toy Story Mania, and potentially meet Buzz and Woody before heading over to visit Phineas & Ferb, which are located near Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano and across from the exit to Muppet Vission 3D. Check the week’s Times Guide to verify appearance times. Two other popular characters appear in the Animation Building in the Animation Courtyard. Sorcerer Mickey in particular has long afternoon waits and The Incredibles characters also tend to have decent lines. Since both characters meet indoors and their lines aren’t usually over 20 minutes long, you should be able to find them with decent waits later in the day if you have other morning priorities. Finally, you’ll find some characters in the morning near Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat that won’t appear later in the afternoon. Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Chip, Dale, Friends of Winnie the Pooh, Goofy, and Pluto are all common, but no specific character is guaranteed to appear. Overall, you can do well at the Studios if you arrive by 8:20am, but you’re looking at long lines and heavier crowds if you don’t arrive until 10:30am with everyone else.
Magic Kingdom is occasionally recommended on Sundays with evening Extra Magic Hours because the early morning is an excellent time to tour and the late night evening Extra Magic Hours can also be good if you “tour smart.” However, the early regular close and only two hours of evening Extra Magic Hours will result in crowds that don’t thin out as much as they did when Magic Kingdom was open until 1am or later. While the morning will be an excellent time to tour, we’re looking at significantly heavier crowds than recommended days from 11am through 10pm. This past Friday would have been considerably less busy and this coming Tuesday and Wednesday will also be excellent. If you are headed to Magic Kingdom anyway, you can have a lot of success in the morning from 9am – 11am or so if you arrive by 8:40am and take care of Fantasyland, the headlining Mountain rides, or whatever attractions you deem most important on your itinerary. Continue collecting FASTPASSes for the major attractions as often as possible for use later in the day when crowds peak. Because of the relatively long operating hours, you will likely want to take an afternoon break from 1pm to 6pm or so when crowds are heaviest. Return in the evening to ride attractions with FASTPASSes collected earlier in the day, have dinner, enjoy some high capacity attractions, and watch Wishes. With the 9pm close, crowds aren’t going to thin that much until after 10pm. If you are staying for Extra Magic Hours, I recommend beginning in Adventureland because most people will head to Tomorrowland and Fantasyland first. Next, move up through Frontierland and Liberty Square on your way to Tomorrowland. Save Fantasyland for last. It’s not uncommon for Peter Pan’s Flight to have a 60 minute wait in the afternoon and a ten minute or less wait at the end of evening Extra Magic Hours. Save Journey of the Little Mermaid, Peter Pan’s Flight, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh for the very end of the night.
Monday January 28
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 8pm (Not Recommended)
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 8pm – 10pm
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 7pm and 8:30pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Not Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom will be moderately more popular than recommended days due to the morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract a decent number of Disney resort guests. Mondays at the Animal Kingdom aren’t wildly popular because of the fact that morning Extra Magic Hours aren’t as popular as evening Extra Magic Hours and because it’s early in the week and many people who travel over the weekend will be heading to the Magic Kingdom regardless of the Extra Magic Hours schedule. Still, there are better days to visit the Animal Kingdom than today, including tomorrow, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. While the morning Extra Magic Hour is an excellent time to tour, it’s difficult to get out to the Animal Kingdom by 7:45am to take full advantage of it. If you’re staying at a Monorail Deluxe Resort, you’re looking at a 20+ minute drive to the Animal Kingdom, plus time for the bus to arrive – not to mention getting multiple people up and ready early in the morning with just one shower and limited space. At 6:30am. If you’re absolutely certain that you’ll arrive by 7:45am, then you can have a lot of success because the crowd level won’t be that high, but it will be busier in the afternoon than other recommended days this week due to a higher number of Disney resort guests than usual. You’re much better served holding off for a recommended day if you’re not going to arrive until 9am or later.
Epcot is the only expressly recommended Park. We don’t have Extra Magic Hours, special evening entertainment, or anything else that will draw people toward Epcot specifically. Disney resort guests will be more likely to visit tomorrow or Friday for Extra Magic Hours and off-site visitors on a weeklong vacation will be headed to the Magic Kingdom for the Main Street Electrical Parade. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ or follow one of the two-day compartmentalized touring plans. You’ll also be in the best shape if you’ve moved on to World Showcase by 12pm. This ensures you stay in front of the incoming crowds that will linger in Future World into the afternoon. Should you have more to accomplish in Future World, return after 5pm when most of the crowd has moved on to World Showcase. Just keep in mind that a lot of the Future World attractions close at 7pm. Usually, just Soarin, Test Track, Mission: Space, Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Character Spot continue to operate after 7pm. Should you be interested in visiting Character Spot, the best time is after 7:30pm, when waits are short. If you have kids that are skipping Soarin’ and Test Track, they could head to Character Spot along with an adult at Park open. Overall, it’s a great day for Epcot and an excellent opportunity to spend time in both Future World and World Showcase.
Hollywood Studios will be busy due to the evening Extra Magic Hours that are popular with Disney resort guests. Despite the low overall crowd level, on-site visitors still number over 75,000 with Disney discounting and other promotions. Because Disney sells the Extra Magic Hours program so well in its marketing materials, many of these people head to the Park hosting Extra Magic Hours, causing it to be busier than other days during the week. The morning will be an okay time to tour, but crowds will increase around 11am as more and more Disney resort guests arrive. Yesterday, tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday would all be better days to visit. Evening Extra Magic Hours at the Studios aren’t usually much of a success for people because there are only a few attractions open and the waits for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours will likely be just as long as they were during the day, especially now that Extra Magic Hours have been reduced to two hours. If you’re staying for evening Extra Magic Hours, your best bet is always to save these headlining attractions for the very end of the night and visit Toy Story Mania last. You can have a moderate amount of success if you arrive early, but with several recommended days coming up, there’s really no reason to press your luck.
Magic Kingdom is going to be busy today. Mondays are usually the second busiest day of the week at the Magic Kingdom, second to only Saturdays, for a variety of reasons. First, a lot of people travel over the weekend and visit Magic Kingdom on their first full day. In most instances, that day is Monday. Second, Mondays often feature longer hours, Wishes Fireworks, and Main Street Electrical Parade, when other days during the week have shorter operating hours and don’t offer the Electrical Parade. Anyone who wants to see the evening entertainment will have to visit on a day when it’s offered, like most Saturdays and Mondays. Main Street Electrical Parade is only scheduled on three nights this week and it will attract a lot of people. It’s also likely that Disney will extend the close, which will only make it more popular with on-site and off-site visitors alike. You could have success in the morning from 9am to 11am or so, but you’re much better off waiting until tomorrow, Wednesday, or Friday to visit for the entire day. If you would like to see the Main Street Electrical Parade, your best bet is always an evening Park Hop over to the Magic Kingdom so that you can spend the majority of your day at a recommended Park with low crowds and still have the opportunity to enjoy Magic Kingdom’s nighttime spectaculars. For optimal Parade viewing, find a spot along the Parade route in Frontierland or Liberty Square because those areas are much less crowded than Main Street, offer a view that is just as good, and require less of a wait to get a good spot. Without Park Hopper, you’ll want to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Fantasyland or the headlining Mountain rides. Consider taking an afternoon break and then return in the evening around 5pm for dinner and the shows. If you’re spending two days at Magic Kingdom during the week, you may want to make one of those days a Parade day and then plan a second recommended day to hit the headliners and popular attractions. If you do that, use FASTPASS throughout the day today and spend as much time as possible on the less popular and high capacity attractions. The evening crowd level this Thursday will be lower because the overall crowd level is lower and Thursdays are naturally less busy than Mondays. Wait until then to see the Parade if you can, especially if you’re Extra Magic Hours eligible and can take advantage of the 8am – 9am hour.
Tuesday January 29
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Most Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 7pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Highly Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is the most recommended Park. We’re in between yesterday’s and tomorrow’s morning Extra Magic Hours, each of which will be more attractive to Disney resort guests. It’s also early enough in the week that most people arriving for a weeklong vacation will be saving Animal Kingdom, Disney’s least popular theme park, for later in the week. There’s simply nothing drawing people to Animal Kingdom with its short hours of operation, lack of Extra Magic Hours, and no special events/nighttime entertainment. To have the most success, arrive as early in the morning as possible and head to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest first thing. After that, head to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR or over to one of the major stage shows and you won’t have anything to worry about for the rest of the day. You may also want to schedule the popular characters at Camp Minnie-Mickey. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip, Dale, Baloo, and King Louie appear and there are usually other characters with short waits as well, including Pocahontas. Despite “only” being open eight hours, you should be able to do most of the Animal Kingdom’s attractions if you arrive prior to Park opening, use FASTPASS efficiently, and make good use of your time. If you don’t arrive until 10am or later, plan to collect FASTPASSes for Expedition Everest and then Kilimanjaro Safaris. Use those FASTPASSes during the day and return to the major attractions after 4pm. A lot of people leave after the 3:45pm Parade, causing lines to be much shorter in the final hour of operation, especially with the 5pm close and very few people Park Hopping in the afternoon and early evening.
Epcot isn’t recommended due to the morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract Disney resort guests, lack of long hours and evening entertainment elsewhere, and the natural progression of weeklong Disney vacationers that will naturally head to Epcot after the Magic Kingdom yesterday. While the morning Extra Magic Hour will be an excellent time to tour, Epcot will get progressively busier as more and more Disney resort guests arrive. You could have success if you arrive at 7:45am, head straight for the headliners, and move up to the World Showcase around 11am, but afternoon crowds will be heavier than recommended days and you’ll likely want to Park Hop elsewhere or take a break around 2pm. Yesterday and Thursday are the best days to visit this week. This Friday will be the busiest day of the week.
Hollywood Studios is recommended, though this past Sunday and this coming Thursday would be better. While it’s true that we’re coming off a busy day yesterday for evening Extra Magic Hours, a decent number of Disney resort guests will ignore it in order to visit Magic Kingdom first on a standard weeklong vacation. The Extra Magic Hours schedule also doesn’t do much to sway the off-site contingent. With decent operating hours of operation every day and Fantasmic scheduled every night this week, the Studios won’t be far and away less crowded on “recommended days,” compared to “not recommended days,” like it was when Fantasmic was scheduled less often. Nonetheless, you can expect peak wait times to be lower, crowds to build slower, FASTPASSes to be more plentiful, and waits to be lower than days that aren’t recommended. Overall, this will be a day with “slightly below average” crowds at the Studios specifically, as compared to other days this week. To have the most success, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Toy Story Midway Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Toy Story Mania in particular has wait times that almost always hit 60+ minutes in the afternoon and FASTPASSes that routinely are gone by 1pm. Make it your morning and FASTPASS priority. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster also sees long afternoon waits and FASTPASSes that run out in the late afternoon. Plan to head there right after Toy Story Mania or collect FASTPASSes as soon as possible, after first collecting them for Toy Story. The other two attractions with decent lines are Tower of Terror and Star Tours. Luckily, they have higher capacities and aren’t as popular. You’ll still want to ride before 10:30am or plan to use FASTPASS later in the day. FASTPASS return times for both attractions are usually 40 to 60 minutes out, meaning you can easily FASTPASS them later in the afternoon. However, expect to see 30 minute standby wait times from 12pm – 4pm. Once you get through those four attractions, it’s really just a matter of getting over to the high capacity rides and shows that run on a set schedule. It’s unlikely you’ll run into much of a line at Backlot Tour or Great Movie Ride, but fitting in the various stage shows can be tricky because they have a tendency to start and end at the same time. You may also want to make a popular character a morning priority. Check your Times Guide and plan to arrive at as many characters as possible about five minutes before they’re scheduled to appear. Overall, you can have a lot of success if you arrive prior to Park opening and take care of the headlining attractions first thing. For Fantasmic, I recommend the Fantasmic Dining Package, which guarantees everyone on the reservation a seat in the reserved section of the Theater. It makes the most sense on the Disney Dining Plan because it costs the same one table service credit at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano or Hollywood & Vine and two table service credits at Hollywood Brown Derby that you would pay otherwise. It also includes the appetizer, which you normally wouldn’t receive on the Dining Plan. You’ll still need to arrive at least 25 minutes early, or you run the risk of Disney opening the reserved section up to the general population, but it’s better than the 60 minute wait you’re looking at to score decent seats together without the Package.
Magic Kingdom is highly recommended and an excellent choice if you don’t want to wait until tomorrow to visit. Epcot’s morning Extra Magic Hours and Hollywood Studios’ Fantasmic will help draw crowds away and a lot of people will have visited yesterday for their first full day at Disney World. Currently, we don’t have Main Street Electrical Parade scheduled in the evening, which means even fewer people will be eyeing it than earlier this month. Still, it’s more important to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Fantasyland (Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh) or the headlining Mountain rides (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain). You may also want to fit other time-sensitive attractions like Tomorrowland Indy Speedway or Astro Orbiter in there as well, along with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and other quick attractions that will have decent afternoon waits. Characters that will have long lines in the afternoon and don’t offer FASTPASS are also a priority. Consider taking a break from 1pm to 5pm or so when crowds are heaviest and wait times are longest to rest up for the evening entertainment. Magic Kingdom will also be the most recommended Park tomorrow, so you may want to hold off until then if you have other plans today. If you’re trying to decide between today and tomorrow, then I would go with tomorrow because it’s in the middle of the week and even more people will be ready to visit another Park. However, today will be nearly as good if you tour efficiently in the morning, take a restful break, and return in the evening for Wishes and some late night attractions.
Wednesday January 30
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Not Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 7pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Most Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
It’s the busiest day of the week at Animal Kingdom. The morning Extra Magic Hour will attract the bulk of the Disney resort crowd and there’s no evening Extra Magic Hours or special evening entertainment going on at the other Parks, which will cause a lot of off-site guests to visit as well. Most people prefer to visit the other Parks when they’re either open longer or have special evening entertainment like Fantasmic (when it’s scheduled less often) or Main Street Electrical Parade. When none of that is available, they’ll default to the Animal Kingdom. With both yesterday and tomorrow recommended, there’s no reason to visit today.
It’s an above-average day at Epcot. Yesterday’s morning Extra Magic Hour will have been moderately attended by Disney resort guests and they won’t be looking to return today. Fantasmic and Toy Story Midway Mania will also be more popular at Hollywood Studios. I’m looking toward tomorrow as having lower crowds and shorter waits, thanks to morning Extra Magic Hour attracting people to Magic Kingdom and the addition of Main Street Electrical Parade. However, today won’t be terrible by any means. Plan to arrive as early as possible and either following a touring plan or head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission Space, and Soarin’. You’ll be in good shape if you’ve moved to the World Showcase by 12pm, starting with the boat rides in Mexico and Norway.
With no Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom, no evening Extra Magic Hours anywhere, and a lowly morning Extra Magic Hour at Disney’s least popular theme park, Hollywood Studios is going to be busier than recommended days during the week. While the addition of Fantasmic to every night this week makes each specific show less appealing, we still need to be concerned about the lack of attractive forces elsewhere. Plus, it’s later in the week, which means most people on a weeklong vacation will already have visited Magic Kingdom and Epcot and they’ll be looking to spend a day at one of Disney World’s less popular theme parks. With nothing specific drawing people to the Studios, it’s not going to be crazy crowded, but it is going to be busier than other recommended days during the week and should be avoided if possible. With Magic Kingdom being incredibly popular tomorrow with the morning Extra Magic Hour and Electrical Parade, the Studios would be a much better choice tomorrow.
Magic Kingdom is our best Park to visit today for the exact same reasons it was recommended yesterday. We also have a morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract off-site visitors and an Electrical Parade that will attract off-site visitors tomorrow. This coming Saturday will be busy for the same reasons. Take advantage by arriving prior to Park opening and head straight for Fantasyland, the headlining Mountain rides (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain), or other time sensitive attractions (Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway). You may also want to prioritize characters that will have 30+ minute standby waits without the ability to FASTPASS them in the afternoon. You’ll be able to accomplish a ton of attractions in a short amount of time if you make efficient use of the morning and use FASTPASS at the major attractions throughout the day. Consider a break from 1pm to 5pm or so to rest up for dinner, a few nighttime attractions, and Wishes.
Thursday January 31
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 5pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 7pm (Highly Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 7pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 8pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is recommended. We’re coming off a popular day at Animal Kingdom yesterday, thanks to the morning Extra Magic Hour that will draw a lot of Disney resort guests. Today, we have morning Extra Magic Hour/Main Street Electrical Parade attracting crowds toward the Magic Kingdom. As always, you’ll find the most success if you arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. If you’re not riding the thrill rides (Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl), you’ll want to attend the first showing of Festival of the Lion King and/or Finding Nemo because those shows will be popular in the afternoon. Also consider heading over to Camp Minnie-Mickey right before the characters appear in the morning to find the shortest lines. Collect FASTPASSes for attractions you either want to ride again or couldn’t make it to in the morning and you should be able to do just about everything the Animal Kingdom has to offer. After completing your itinerary, you may want to Park Hop to Magic Kingdom for Wishes and Main Street Electrical Parade, Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic, or Epcot for dinner and IllumiNations. Keep in mind that crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade. Stay through close if there’s more that you want to accomplish because wait times will only decrease from 4:15pm onward. Without Park Hopper, consider transferring to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at one of its excellent restaurants. There’s also a public observatory where you can gaze out at the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s private savannas and enjoy the same view many guests are paying a premium to have right outside their balconies. A trip to Downtown Disney or the BoardWalk for dinner and shopping also makes a lot of sense.
Epcot is the most recommended Park. We have morning Extra Magic Hour and Main Street Electrical Parade pulling people towards Magic Kingdom attracting on-site and off-site visitors alike. Disney resort guests are much more likely to visit tomorrow for evening Extra Magic Hours. Plan to arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, Mission: Space, and Soarin’ or follow a more compartmentalized two-day touring plan if you prefer. If you arrive later, plan to FASTPASS Test Track and then Soarin’ as soon as possible. Soarin’ and Test Track will have 40+ minute waits for most of the day after 10:30am due to their popularities and relatively low capacities. Move on to the World Showcase beginning around 11am if crowds begin to build in Future World, beginning with the water rides in Mexico and Norway. Return to Future World after 5pm if you have more to accomplish and to ride/re-ride the headliners with FASTPASS. Keep in mind that Innoventions, Universe of Energy, Captain EO, Journey into Imagination with Figment, Captain EO, Living with the Land, and Circle of Life usually close at 7pm. Hit those attractions from 5pm to 7pm to find shorter waits than the 1pm to 4pm timeframe. Return to Test Track and Soarin’ after 8pm to find the shortest waits outside of 9am – 10am. It’s also a great day to stay for dinner and IllumiNations.
Hollywood Studios is highly recommended. While it’s later in the week, Magic Kingdom will be a much bigger draw with morning Extra Magic Hour and Main Street Electrical Parade drawing off-site and on-site visitors alike. Tomorrow also works with the evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot and the fact that Saturday’s morning Extra Magic Hour at the Studios will be more popular with on-site guests. Still, touring efficiently is more important than “picking the right day,” especially at Hollywood Studios. That means arriving prior to Park opening and taking care of Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours first thing in the morning or with FASTPASS throughout the day. FASTPASSes for Toy Story will likely be gone by noon, so make sure it’s your top priority. Standby waits ordinarily hit the triple digits due to its popularity and limited capacity. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster also sees decent afternoon waits, likely in the 30-50 minute range, with FASTPASSes that run out in the late afternoon. Plan to head there second or collect FASTPASSes for it as soon after Toy Story Midway Mania as possible. You may also want to prioritize the Toy Story, Phineas and Ferb, or Sorcerer Mickey characters. In addition, characters appear at Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat in the early morning that won’t appear during any other part of the day. Usually, Minnie, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Donald, Daisy, Piglet, and Tigger appear, but no specific characters are guaranteed. Overall, you can do well at the Studios if you arrive early and tour efficiently, but afternoon crowds will be decent. Arrive at 10:30am with everyone else and you’re looking at long lines at Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. You can still enjoy the various shows, but it’s going to be more difficult to experience those two attractions. Thankfully, Tower of Terror and Star Tours see shorter waits and more FASTPASS availability. Still, Tower of Terror will hit 30-40 minutes in the afternoon and Star Tours should see 20 – 30 minute waits. Plan to use FASTPASS if you don’t get in line before 11am.
The morning Extra Magic Hour at Magic Kingdom will lure a lot of Disney resort guests and we also have the first Main Street Electrical Parade since Monday. Combined, this will make Magic Kingdom significantly busier than either of the last two days or tomorrow. You can have success provided you take advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hour by arriving no later than 7:40am and heading straight to Fantasyland or other open attractions. Move on to the headlining Mountain rides or character meet and greets when they open and you’ll be in excellent shape. However, you will find that crowds are heavier than recommended days in the afternoon. You’ll probably want to take a break from 1pm to 5pm or so and return in the evening to ride some major attractions with FASTPASS, have dinner, see some high capacity attractions, and enjoy the evening spectaculars. Keep in mind that you would be much better off visiting on a recommended day if you aren’t Extra Magic Hours eligible or won’t arrive until 10am or later because it will be busier than recommended days from 11am onward. Tonight is your best opportunity this week to see Main Street Electrical Parade, but the Magic Kingdom will still be busy. If you are planning to see the Parade, I recommend scouting out a spot along the Parade route in Frontierland or Liberty Square. Both locations are significantly less crowded than Main Street and offer a view that is just as good. To enjoy the Electrical Parade with the least possible hassle, plan to visit a recommended Park in the morning, take an afternoon break, and then visit Magic Kingdom in the evening for dinner and the nighttime spectaculars.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Holy Moses.
Well, this should certainly put that debate over on disboards to bed.
Hats off to you, sir.
This is phenomenal.
YEAH!!!! Just in time for me to make ADRs. Thanks Josh!
What have they been debating about over there?
The Calendar was pointing to August 2012 when you clicked the calendar image originally. The link should be updated.
Thank you Josh! xoxo
Whoop whoop! Thanks a bunch! I’m so excited!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2965605
Josh, thought you would appreciate this Disboards thread.
Len obviously has no idea just how big of a celebrity blogger you are.
Thank you Thank you Thank you!! Hope you are enjoying Seattle!!
Hi, planning a visit in Jan. 2013 starting on the 7th thru 12th….I am curious about the 7th date in your calendar…it says HS and AK as best parks…but AK has the magic morning hours and opens up an hour earlier….I noticed so far on every other day and months that AK has this happens you don’t put them in green but in red…is this a mistake or something I am missing? Please let me know as I plan on going to AK on the 7th but would like to avoid the crowds as best as possible!! thanks in advance!
The explanation is underneath the crowd calendar image. Specifically:
Animal Kingdom comes tentatively recommended, which is somewhat rare for a morning with Extra Magic Hours attached. Hollywood Studios is the better choice in most situations, but you can do extremely well at Animal Kingdom if you’re Extra Magic Hours eligible and arrive by 7:30am. I like to ride Expedition Everest continually until about 8:40am and then head over to Kilimanjaro Safaris by 8:50am to get in line before the incoming off-site crowd arrives. You can also do the usual Safaris and then Everest progression before continuing on to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl and DINOSAUR. You won’t run into any lines until at least 9:30am. If you’re not Extra Magic Hours eligible or aren’t planning to arrive until 9:30am or later, then you will run into longer lines. However, with the low overall crowd level and the fact that it’s so early in the week, relatively few people will be headed to Animal Kingdom. The rare evening entertainment at Magic Kingdom and extremely popular evening Extra Magic Hours at Epcot will also help pull people away. The Studios is a better choice overall, but Animal Kingdom is perfectly viable if it fits into your itinerary better.
For marathon weekend, if you arrive at a park and there are runners still racing, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not run in front of them to cross the path. It is dangerous to you and the runner. I understand you’ve paid a lot of money for your park ticket, but we’ve been training for months (if not years) for the sheer glory of earning a marathon medal. Smacking into you at full force might rob us of the opportunity to finish the race. Please wait until the CM tells you to cross. Thanks in advance
Sincerely,
A 2013 Disney Marathon runner
Josh,
I really liked your probably hours changes for December. Helped a ton with planning. Do you think WDW will extend park hours during the first week of January? We have a pre-RD ADR at MK one day but I’m considering moving it if that pre-RD becomes slightly after RD.
Thanks,
Laura
Thanks so much for your crowd calendar! It really helped us this past week…wish I would have taken the difference between “recommended” and “most recommended” more seriously and sooner planned to do the ones that were “most recommended” on particular days. I will definitely plan accordingly in the future. I hope you keep doing this for years to come so that this is around in the future for our next trip
I’m sorry but your calendar is wrong, you have listed the last week of January is one of the least crowded, well we just returned from Disney after a week there and it was packed, lines up to an hour wait!!!!