The summer heat has arrived in Disney World, bringing the crowds with it as people head to the parks for their vacations!

But, the parks are still not completely back to normal, even though Disney World has started to shift many things to how they were pre-closures. Right now, the biggest changes that we’ve seen as of late are the fact that masks are optional for fully vaccinated guests (except on transportation) and Cast Members outdoors.  Distancing measures have been significantly reduced, temperature checks are no longer in place, markers have been removed from many locations, and more people are able to stand in a queue and board attractions.

So, how does that affect crowds? Let’s break it down!

Disney World is still operating at a limited capacity, even though the parks will be increasing that in the low double digits throughout the year. Regardless, that has allowed more guests to come into the parks, meaning bigger crowds!

The summer has historically been one of the busiest times of the year with a peak amount of people heading to Disney World. Since kids are off from school, it’s the most plausible time of the year to take the time to head to the parks together. Park Passes have continued to sell out quickly, especially now that the summer will bring the return of fireworks to Disney World.

When Happily Ever After in the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT Forever both return on July 1st, you can already expect an influx of guests as Park Passes have begun to fill up. Disney World has even extended its park hours to accommodate the amount of guests heading to the parks with the return of fireworks.

Right after fireworks debut on July 1st, the 4th of July will bring plenty of additional guests as well for the holiday weekend. After the crowds we saw on Memorial Day Weekend recently, it can only be a sign of the crowds to come in July. However, up until then, we’ve already seen PLENTY of people in the parks for the summer ahead of the debut of the fireworks.

The amount of crowds in the parks also lends to the idea that park hopping is going to get more and more difficult too. Since guests must check into the theme park they have a Park Pass for first, the second park of choice depends on whether it’s hit capacity. And, now that more guests will be heading to Disney World with limited capacities still in place, we could see less availability for Park Hopping.

That means the next few months are going to take more planning before heading to the parks as you take into account everything you want to do during the day. You can call (407) 560-5000 to see if your second park choice of the day is at capacity or not before you make your way there.

However, the crowds aren’t probably going to stop in the summer. October will bring the beginning of Disney World’s 18-month long 50th anniversary celebrations. Plus, Remy’s Ratatouille Attraction and La Crêperie de Paris will be opening on October 1st in EPCOT too with Space 220 coming sometime this Fall (and we know that new things typically attract more people)!

The BOO Bash After Hours event will also kick off from August to September, which has already given us the hint that it’s popular with tickets selling out, call lines going down, and additional dates being added to the event. Since Halloween is another popular time of the year, the combination of the Fall festivities with new entertainment and restaurants is basically an equation for a continual influx of busy crowds throughout the rest of the year.

While the crowds might seem a bit overwhelming, they’re actually more similar to how they were prior to Disney World’s closure last year! And, there are still capacity measures in place, so there isn’t nearly the same amount of people in the parks as we’ve seen previously. Of course, we’ll continue to update you on what the crowd levels look like over the summer and throughout the rest of the year. In the meantime, stay tuned with All Ears for the latest Disney entertainment and news!

What does the return of fireworks mean for Disney World?

When’s your next Disney trip planned? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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