Umm…WHAT Is Going On With Disney World Crowds?!

It’s officially summer — and the atmosphere at Disney World is here to prove it.

Put us in summer and we won’t be as happy as Olaf, but at least we’re still at Disney World

Not only have we reached ‘Sweating No Matter What’ season, but the summer crowds have officially arrived in the parks. With the 4th of July weekend just ahead, and schools across the country being out, families have seemed to flock to the parks! We can’t say we blame them, though.

We noticed pretty large crowds pretty early this morning — in each of the parks. Check out this photo from Main Street, U.S.A.! Holy moly at the PEOPLE.

Main Street

Over in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, crowds were pretty dense, too.

Toy Story Land Crowds

Disney’s Animal Kingdom looked a bit better! Okay, it looked a lot better, if we’re being honest.

Animal Kingdom

If you run into some crowds during your summer Disney trip, it’s okay! We’ve seen crowd levels fluctuate throughout the summer — sometimes unpredictably. Despite the gnarly crowds, you can plan your day around the lowest wait times to avoid standing in long lines all day.

Magic Kingdom

To plan ahead, consider budgeting enough for each person in your party to utilize Genie+ or Lightning Lanes. An updated version of Genie+ was just launched, and it can allow you to customize the service more based on your Disney day. You totally don’t have to purchase these services, though, and can avoid some of the crowds and heat by either having super early mornings or later nights in the parks — as the wait times are lowest at park-open and park-close. If you’re staying at a Disney World hotel, you’re eligible for Early Park Entry, and if you’re staying at a deluxe Disney World hotel, you could have extended evening hours!

Crowds

You could be waiting in line in the heat for a while, so we recommend bringing some extra water and even a cooling towel to help you stay cool and hydrated. You can get free water from quick service dining locations at Disney World, which is great to both stay hydrated as well as refresh your towel.