OpEd: Empty Disney World Shows Everything’s Getting Back to Normal

We are finally getting back to normal life, and the empty thoroughfares of the Walt Disney World Resort’s Theme Parks are a sign of that.

This year began with a surprising question: “What happened to Disney World’s post-holiday slow season?” We at Disney Fanatic shared how January and February were jam-packed with families who were taking advantage of a rare opportunity.

Read More: Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Turns into a ‘Ghost Town’

While other parts of the United States remained bogged down in lingering covid-excused restrictions such as the work-from-home lifestyle and school kids stuck doing virtual learning, the State of Florida and its Theme Parks, like Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, were open and ready to receive Guests. Thus the horse of remote workers and students, after being unable to travel since Spring of 2019, decided to go work from a place they could also play. This new flexibility added to those taking part in this year’s “revenge travel” trend, and the combination kept ‘The Most Magical Place On Earth” filled to the brim. The window of opportunity for that flexibility bled into the revenge travel blitz of Spring Breaks and summer vacations.

But the time of summer vacation is ending. Schools are reopening once again for in-school classes. Parents are going back to the office or quitting their jobs to find another work-from-home opportunity. The “revenge travel” fund held in check by three summers of disrupted family vacations is used up. Time for life to get back to normal.

Related: Yet Again, Walt Disney World Almost Empty

So the kids are back in school. Their parents are back to work. The window of opportunity to get away with more play than normal is dwindling. It is sad to see the images of Themed Lands like Fantasyland and World Discovery so empty. But that’s a good thing! Normal life is truly returning.

There will still be plenty of crowds at Disney World. We have Labor Day Weekend capping off the summer. We have Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party running on select nights between now and Halloween. Crowds of Disney Adults will still flock to EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival until it ends in Mid-November and just before the holidays kick off with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.

But in the meantime, let’s carry the Magic we have taken from this year to get back to work to pay for next year’s trip!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s and may not reflect the sentiments of Disney Fanatic as a whole.