As guests welcomed 2026, Walt Disney World Resort marked the final day of 2025 with crowd levels that tested patience across all four parks, turning New Year’s Eve into one of the busiest days of the year.
Long before evening festivities began, attraction queues had already reached multi-hour lengths. By 11 a.m. on December 31, EPCOT’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was posting waits near 170 minutes, while Test Track approached 195 minutes. These numbers continued to climb as the day moved forward and additional guests arrived for the holiday celebration.
Entertainment offerings were plentiful throughout the resort. Dance parties, DJs, and nighttime events filled the schedule, but the growing crowds created challenging conditions for navigating the parks. As midnight approached, wait times continued to reflect the sustained demand across Walt Disney World.
EPCOT consistently led the resort in posted waits, though Magic Kingdom was not far behind. TRON Lightcycle / Run and Space Mountain experienced heavy demand, contributing to the park’s congestion. Meanwhile, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, despite closing earlier and lacking New Year’s Eve–specific programming, also recorded higher-than-usual waits as guests spread out across the property.
For many visitors, advance planning became a necessity. Guests relying on paid line-skipping options or early arrivals were better positioned to manage the day, reinforcing New Year’s Eve’s status as one of the most difficult times to tour Walt Disney World.
After the calendar turned and crowds began to thin, newly reported data revealed that some of the day’s longest waits had been even longer than first believed.
WDWMagic reported that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind peaked at 225 minutes during the holiday—just shy of four hours. To put that into context, guests could have watched Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) in its entirety while standing in line. At 150 minutes, the film is the longest of the trilogy and still leaves extra time to spare.
The earlier installments also fit easily within the wait. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) runs 122 minutes, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) has a runtime of 137 minutes.
Paid alternatives were not always available. According to Thrill Data, Lightning Lane Single Pass access for Cosmic Rewind sold out by 8:27 a.m., leaving standby as the only option for most of the day.
These conditions reflect a larger conversation surrounding Disney’s theme parks. Despite criticism related to pricing and operational shifts, guest demand remains strong. Disney’s most recent earnings call showed that while attendance declined slightly, overall revenue increased due to higher per-guest spending.
As Walt Disney World moves forward into 2026, the question remains how long guests will continue to accept long waits and rising costs—or whether future vacations may shift toward destinations that offer a different pace.
Would you queue this long on New Year's Eve? Let us know in the comments down below!
