The New Year's Day Crowds at Disney World Surprised Us in the BEST Way Possible

Happy New Year, AllEars Readers. It’s 2024 and we’re ready for another year in Disney World.

Now, a LOT is changing in Disney World, including a lot of changes coming up this month. The Disney Dining Plan is coming back, park pass reservations are going away for most guests, and park hopping is returning to normal. We’re looking forward to a great year in Disney World, so much so that we’re headed to Magic Kingdom on the FIRST DAY of 2024. So… what does the first day of the New Year look like in Disney World? Well, let’s take a look!

Now, we were in the parks for New Year’s Eve, too, so let’s compare both days. Last year, we saw a bit of a drop-off in crowds from New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day, so is that what happened this year?

It’s 2024!

Well, already, we were expecting a bit of a drop in crowds just because the Genie+ prices were a bit lower for the day than they were throughout the Christmas holiday season. (And we were REALLY hoping for a drop in crowds after the dense ones we saw on New Year’s Eve.)

New Year’s Eve

When we headed to Magic Kingdom, we were met with a sense of relief by the lack of crowds at the gates. The lines weren’t too bad to scan in!

Hey, not too bad!

On Main Street, U.S.A., there weren’t really any crowds either. Just a few folks here and there.

Just a few peeps!

We started to feel like it was oddly calm as soon as we got to the hub and still didn’t find the people!

Wow!

When we headed to Adventureland, the crowds weren’t too dense there, either. However, Pirates of the Caribbean was already at a 50-minute wait. You win some, you lose some!

Not too bad here, either

In Frontierland, it was pretty peaceful.

Frontierland

Those vibes followed us into Liberty Square, for sure!

Liberty Square

Fantasyland was a different story, though. This was where we found all the crowds hiding.

Fantasyland was where everyone was hiding!

Over in Tomorrowland, though, it was pretty calm as well.

Tomorrowland

If you plan on visiting Disney World in 2024, we’ll be covering all the changes happening in the parks this year, so be sure to check in with AllEars often!