Why You Should Avoid Disney World for the 50th Anniversary

Disney World’s big 50th Anniversary is quickly approaching! And, if you’ve been keeping up with AllEars recently, then you know that Disney has A LOT in store for guests during the 18-month long celebration.

And, while new attractions, specialty fireworks shows, new 50th anniversary menus at restaurants, and more can be enticing, this may not necessarily be the best time to head over to Disney World for everyone. So, here are a few reasons why you might actually want to avoid the parks and resorts on October 1st!

Want to know why you SHOULD visit on October 1st? Click here!

Crowds

It’s no secret that you should expect to wait in at least a few lines when you’re headed to Disney World, but when you’re headed to Disney World on big holidays and dates…well, you better pack as much patience as you can manage!

Disney has been building up the excitement around the 50th anniversary celebrations for the past year and all four parks will feature at least one thing that’s new. So, no matter which park you’re headed to, the crowds are likely to be very high.

And, with the parks so busy you likely won’t have much time (or ability) to tackle all of the attractions that you’re hoping to visit. Plus, you might even have trouble finding a Mobile Order pick-up window for your meals. And, good luck getting a reservation at a restaurant if you don’t already have one secured.

Crowds are expected to be especially hectic at Magic Kingdom (since it’s the original Disney World park) and EPCOT (since Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will be debuting). Although more and more park passes have been added for the 50th Anniversary, Park Pass Reservations are still booked up for the big day (meaning that they will be at capacity limits all day).

If you’re hoping to be one of the first to ride the new attraction in EPCOT you’re going to need to be up early and have quick fingers. The attraction will open with a virtual queue where guests must secure a boarding time during one of two open windows (7AM and 1PM) and you’ll be competing with thousands of other guests for a spot.

Now, Disney has revealed that Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will be available as an Individual Attraction Selection (aka a paid FastPass), but Disney has not shared when this service will roll out. So, for now, the only way to guarantee that you’ll get to ride this highly anticipated attraction is through the virtual queue.

Unless you’re ready to brave the crowds and spend much of your day waiting in lines shoulder-to-shoulder with other guests, you might want to consider scheduling your trip later into the 50th-anniversary celebrations.

Click Here To See Why October 1st is Going to Be SUCH a Big Day in Disney World

The 50th Anniversary Celebration is More Than Just October 1st

Although October 1st marks the beginning of the 50th Anniversary in Disney World, the entire celebration will last a full 18 months. This means that you’ll be able to enjoy the 50th Anniversary decor, merchandise, shows, and even events all the way until April of 2023 (aka a LONG time from now).

This means that you could potentially visit Disney World during a less busy time like January, February, mid-August, or September and still enjoy all that the 50th Anniversary has to offer.

And, while we can’t anticipate exactly how light the crowds might get, this year the parks were practically empty from mid-August to early September with wait times for popular attractions like Flight of Passage as low as 10 minutes in Disney’s Animal Kingdom — that’s how long it takes to walk through the queue!

So, waiting a couple of months and going during a season where crowds are minimal in the parks could end up really paying off if you want to see and do it all.

Click Here To See 4 BIG Reasons to Visit Disney World in 2022

What Will NOT Be Open on October 1st

Although there are a lot of big openings and debuts associated with Disney World’s 50th anniversary on October 1st, many attractions, shows, and even resorts won’t open until 2022. So, even if you’re the first one in the park when the celebrations kick off, you’ll still be missing out on some new experiences.

For example, we still don’t have opening dates for TRON: Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom…

…or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind over in EPCOT. Disney has made quite a bit of construction progress on the two roller coasters recently, but they still won’t be opening in time for October 1st (or potentially even in 2021).

Additionally, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser won’t open until sometime in Spring 2022, so guests hoping to experience the new fully immersive hotel (which might feel more like a cruise) will be visiting a bit too early if they’re headed to Disney World on October 1st.

Besides all the new attractions and experiences that are coming (and all the construction that comes with that), there are still quite a few things that simply haven’t reopened in Disney World after closing temporarily at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes resorts like both Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts (which will be opening later this month) and Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort…

…restaurants like 1900 Park Fare in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort…

…and lots of entertainment including parades, Fantasmic!, Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire, and more.

So, if you have a once every 10 years trip planned for Disney World, it might be worth waiting for some of these big attractions and experiences to open. Plus, Disney World will be VERY different next year, with more restaurants, hotels, and experiences coming back throughout 2022.

Click Here to See 35 Ways Disney World Will Be Different Next Year!

While October 1st is sure to be an exciting day in Disney World, we certainly won’t blame you if you’d rather watch from afar. But, if you’re still debating about whether or not to keep your park pass reservation (or try to secure one), you’ll want to keep in mind the crowds, what will be open, and the fact that you’ll have 18 more months to experience it all.

Plus, even if you aren’t heading into the parks, you won’t have to miss out on the big kick-off, as ABC will premiere a 2-hour long special on TV on the big day. And, of course, we’ll be sure to bring you a look at all the happenings in the parks as well, so be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for more of the latest Disney news and updates!

Click Here to See Why Everyone Gets Lost at Walt Disney World!

What do you think about going to Disney World on October 1st? Let us know what your plans for the big day are in the comments! 

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