TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
I’ve never waited 2 hours at Dollywood. Usually 20 minutes tops.
I do remember waiting a crazy long time for millennium force though. Do they still have dj’s in the cue?
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News Walt Disney World theme parks increase capacity but see longer waits and less physical distancing
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
I do remember waiting a crazy long time for millennium force though. Do they still have dj’s in the cue?
HongKongFooy
Well-Known Member
Yep, a very real silver lining to the nastiest stink cloud of humanity.
25% of what is the question. And I think it is easy to admit more people while still being within 25% of something.
During phased closings at Christmas, there is an hour wait to use the bathrooms. By that measurement, the parks are probably at only 10%.
Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
No DJs on queues anymore. Just have tvs playing videos. As far as wait times go. The top coasters still have an hour wait or more. To me the Disney wait times are nothing.
Hey, friends, can we get this to happen...
1. Build a giant Thunderdome.
2. Put into said Thunderdome all the people who say the parks are too crowded right now.
3. Also put into said Thunderdome all the people who say it will take years for Disney parks to rebound.
4. Profit.
As a frequent theme park goer I have rules I follow to have a good day. The two of note to this discussion:
1. Always rope drop, the first 1-2 hours are crucial to getting on the big rides with waits that do not violate...
2. Think long and hard about getting in a line more then 30 minutes, you should only do that 2-3 max a day; and except for rare occasions (once a day max) avoid lines over 1 hour.
This is true at Disney and Cedar Point. I can and will (barring mechanical issues, which is a big ask) get you on every major coaster (Steel Vengeance, Maverick, MF, TTD, Valravyn, Gatekeeper, TTD) without a long wait provided you get morning ERT (Resort Guest or Platinum SP holder.) Waiting stinks, most of your day should be spent experiencing attractions, not waiting for them. If you are waiting in two hour lines you are doing it wrong.
When I’m traveling to a far away regional park and only have one day I will pay for Flash Pass/Quick Queue/Fastlane, and I always get Universal Express (because I stay onsite) but when it comes to parks I know and frequent regularly, I don’t need those tools.
Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
Its why I do follow what you do at all parks I go to. I still don't consider many of those wait times long for Disney attractions. Too many Disney fans are spoiled with FP and it being free
Figment2005
Well-Known Member
I haven't posted in a while, but from what I seeing in this thread there are a few perception vs actuality assumptions going on. As a person who has seen the parks consistently every day over the last 8 years I can say with absolute confidence the parks are still not at 25% capacity. It looks busy because the space available has been reduced along side the reduction in guests allowed in the parks. These long lines that folks are seeing sprawling throughout the paths are simply because of the 6 foot spacing and reduction in ride capacity. With the amount of people currently in the park there would be absolutely no wait for anything if capacity of the attractions or queues wasn't reduced.
Let's look at the transportation options for arriving and departing the Magic Kingdom. The ferries which at full capacity hold 600 people and the monorails that hold almost 400 could empty a normal park in about an hour and a half with the support of busses for resorts etc. However now the capacity of a fully loaded boat is around 150 guests and a monorail around 100. This means it still takes around the same amount of time to empty a park even though the guest count is much reduced. The attendance has been quite consistent over the past 2 months. So I do ask everyone to please not make any assumptions on how busy the parks are simply by seeing the lines, but look at the full picture of why the lines are the way they are.
I'm honestly pretty sure that the parks, specifically the Magic Kingdom, are still not hitting that 25% maximum capacity.
Let's look at the transportation options for arriving and departing the Magic Kingdom. The ferries which at full capacity hold 600 people and the monorails that hold almost 400 could empty a normal park in about an hour and a half with the support of busses for resorts etc. However now the capacity of a fully loaded boat is around 150 guests and a monorail around 100. This means it still takes around the same amount of time to empty a park even though the guest count is much reduced. The attendance has been quite consistent over the past 2 months. So I do ask everyone to please not make any assumptions on how busy the parks are simply by seeing the lines, but look at the full picture of why the lines are the way they are.
I'm honestly pretty sure that the parks, specifically the Magic Kingdom, are still not hitting that 25% maximum capacity.
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
I haven’t been to the parks post covid but I’ve been to MK every year for New Year’s Eve for the past 10+ years. 25% of that is still a decent number of people.
Added to that the shorter park hours and no parades, fireworks, and castle shows and the crowding is going to be very different.
A 1 hour wait for splash would be 20 minutes or so if it was running at capacity.
MrHappy
Well-Known Member
Is Disney World Really Operating at 25% Capacity? | The Motley Fool
The world's largest theme park operator might be limiting Florida theme park attendance to a quarter of its capacity, but there are reasons it seems like it's more than that.
FeelsSoGoodToBeBad
Well-Known Member
I thought about reposting this article as I think it got lost in the shuffle a bit a while back. I think its an excellent explanation for why things feel more crowded, but in reality the attendance is very low.Is Disney World Really Operating at 25% Capacity? | The Motley Fool
The world's largest theme park operator might be limiting Florida theme park attendance to a quarter of its capacity, but there are reasons it seems like it's more than that.www.fool.com
Is Disney World Really Operating at 25% Capacity? | The Motley Fool
The world's largest theme park operator might be limiting Florida theme park attendance to a quarter of its capacity, but there are reasons it seems like it's more than that.
Hmm...
So is it now confirmed that: "Legal capacity of the park [MK] according to trip planning specialist Touring Plans is 90,000"?
And that: "Epcot has room for 110,000 guests"?
DisneyCane
Well-Known Member
When I went to AK a few days after reopening it couldn't have been even 5% of capacity. There was no wait at all for FoP. With the shortcut to reride we rode 4 times in a row, went and did the rest of the park (with multiple rides on Kali and Dinosaur) and went back and rode FoP 3 more times. We weren't in the park more than 3 hours total. There was practically nobody there. Several times we didn't see another person on the walkways where we were.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
Saw it on the internet so it has to be true....
Chi84
Premium Member
I don't think it's necessarily being spoiled as much as choosing to vacation in a different way. Getting to the park at rope drop or (even worse) for early morning magic hours sounds like a nightmare to me. To a great extent, we choose Disney because we can easily ride the headliners without doing those things.
People are different and choose to vacation in different ways, and understanding that is a great part of Disney's appeal across the generations. When we were young, we stood in lines or got up early to ride without a wait or get legacy Fastpasses to our favorite rides, but that's no longer our idea of a good vacation. For some reason, Disney still wants us as guests, possibly because older guests are a bit more willing and able to go for the upcharge events, pricey restaurants and other things that add to Disney's profits.
For the record, I would not be opposed to paying for a ride reservation system (I think FP+ is history) if it can be somewhat reasonable. I don't mind paying, but I would have to see value in it.
Well, let's get at all of them. The maximum capacity of the four park according to TouringPlans are below. I added in some other stats...
Maximum Capacity | 25% | Daily Average (TEA '19 Yearly/365) | Daily Average as % of Max Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Magic Kingdom | 90,000 | 22,500 | 57,500 | 64% |
EPCOT | 110,000 | 27,500 | 34,000 | 31% |
Hollywood Studios | 60,000 | 15,000 | 31,500 | 53% |
Animal Kingdom | 60,000 | 15,000 | 38,000 | 63% |
Article here for current implications...
October Mid-Month Crowd Calendar Update | TouringPlans.com Blog
Crowd levels are up at Walt Disney World. On October 12, 2020, Disney's CEO Bob Chapek said in a CNBC interview that the
touringplans.com
Seems right, @lentesta?
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
That’s really interesting. Also explains why MK feels so crowded on at capacity days.... 60k is probably what it should be.Well, let's get at all of them. The maximum capacity of the four park according to TouringPlans are below. I added in some other stats...
(TEA '19 Yearly/365)
as % of Max Capacity
Article here for current implications...
October Mid-Month Crowd Calendar Update | TouringPlans.com Blog
Crowd levels are up at Walt Disney World. On October 12, 2020, Disney's CEO Bob Chapek said in a CNBC interview that the
Seems right, @lentesta?
