Disney Parks “Absolutely Dead” on Typically Crowded Holiday Weekend

Two surefire ways to step into a sprawling queue at Walt Disney World are because of a summer trip or a holiday weekend vacation. On the weekend before July 4, Disney Guests are confronted with both—making it the perfect recipe for a shoulder-to-shoulder Disney Park experience.

Not to mention the House of Mouse specializes in Independence Day festivities as the unofficial fireworks capital of the world. With patriotic pastries served up in the Parks for the days leading up to the holiday and Fourth of July fireworks like Magic Kingdom’s “Disney’s Celebrate America! – A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky” and EPCOT’s “The Heartbeat of Freedom,” all signs pointed to a congested holiday weekend. As of July 3, despite the build-up from past Park performances, Walt Disney World was unusually empty.

Where Have All the Disney Fans Gone?

It’s not unheard of for Disney enthusiasts to avoid historically ultra-crowded weekends like the one leading up to July 4. Still, data shared by u/eth6113 on the most magical subreddit showed a 30% decrease in Magic Kingdom Park Attendance compared to last year and 2019:

According to Thrill Data, the numbers showed consistency between the Magic Kingdom showing and the other Walt Disney World Resort Parks. However, other Orlando theme Parks and Disneyland Park reflected similar Guest numbers to previous years. Based on this Independence Day weekend report, one could surmise this drop in attendance is a Walt Disney World problem.

A Disney Guest, u/occasional_nomad, verified the dip in numbers from a Hollywood Studios standpoint:

Hollywood Studios was absolutely dead tonight, the Saturday before the 4th of July. Walked right onto Smuggler’s Run, 30 min wait for Rise, 10 for Midway Mania.

Even a Cast Member, u/MysticalFapp, added to the confirmation that the Disney Parks were eerily empty:

Work there for the summer and yeah, it was insanely slow today. Thunder mountain was a 10 minute wait at a couple of times.

The Disconnect at Disney

Disney has been at the center of controversy with box office blunders, legal dilemmas with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, “woke” backlash, and aversions to post-pandemic Park policies. Guests could land on any combination of those factors to explain the dwindling crowd levels on such a prominent weekend, but these are the most likely culprits.

Disney enthusiast u/Nostradomusknows, attributed the declining attendance to a timing issue:

I’m going to say people having caught up on their pandemic delayed vacations has a good deal to do with this.

Another Disney fan, u/Supersnow845, assigned international travel setbacks as a potential cause:

Common origins of international guests and the price of airfares is likely playing into it. European tourists are likely substituting for DLP and Asian/Australians for HKDL/TDR/SDL

While either of those could be contributing factors, the prevailing hypothesis was aligned with one Disney Guests have been lamenting since 2021. Here’s what u/throwawayforyabitch had to say:

I think it’s two things. Tighter budgets. You can go to universal and stay at a cheaper hotel with the similar perks as a Disney one if you’re going to the park. And two is Disney has made it much more difficult to plan vacations.

With ripple effects from financial woes related to the pandemic, inflation, and seemingly ever-increasing Disney prices, it seems as though the Parks are pricing out a significant sector of formerly consistent Guests that theme parks like Universal Orlando are holding on to.

Although it’s possible that Guests could suddenly flood the Parks in the next 24 hours, it’s clear the attendance fell short from previous years—even in 2022. This might be an opportunity for Disney to receive the Guests feedback about the Park pricing and policies, but nothing can be changed before the first firework lights up the sky on July 4.