New Year’s Eve at Walt Disney World is absolute chaos at three of the four theme parks right now, but there’s one surprising haven for guests who want to avoid the worst of the crowds. Animal Kingdom is experiencing significantly lower wait times compared to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios, making it the smartest park choice for anyone visiting Walt Disney World today.
As of 11 a.m. on December 31, 2025, wait times across the resort reveal a stark difference between Animal Kingdom and the other three parks. While EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios are seeing brutal two to three-hour waits for major attractions, Animal Kingdom remains relatively manageable.
Why Animal Kingdom Is Less Crowded
The reason for Animal Kingdom’s lighter crowds is straightforward. The park doesn’t offer any special New Year’s Eve programming. It closes at 7 p.m., meaning guests looking for midnight countdown celebrations, special fireworks, and late-night party atmospheres are skipping Animal Kingdom entirely to focus on parks with extended hours and festive events.
This makes Animal Kingdom the perfect choice for guests who want to experience attractions without spending half their day standing in queues. You can actually ride multiple attractions in the time you’d spend waiting for a single ride at the other parks.
Current Animal Kingdom Wait Times
Here’s what wait times look like at Animal Kingdom as of 11 a.m.:
Highest Wait Times:
- Avatar Flight of Passage: 75 minutes
- Na’vi River Journey: 45 minutes
- Expedition Everest: 35 minutes
Lowest Wait Times:
- Kali River Rapids: 5 minutes
- Wildlife Express Train: 5 minutes
- DINOSAUR: 20 minutes
Compare those numbers to what’s happening at the other parks, and the difference becomes obvious. Animal Kingdom’s longest wait is 75 minutes for the Flight of Passage attraction. Meanwhile, other parks are seeing waits that are double or triple the length.
How Bad Are the Other Parks?
To appreciate why Animal Kingdom is the smart choice today, look at what guests are dealing with elsewhere:
EPCOT Wait Times:
- Test Track: 195 minutes (over 3 hours)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind: 170 minutes (nearly 3 hours)
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure: 115 minutes
- Frozen Ever After: 95 minutes
Magic Kingdom Wait Times:
- Tron Lightcycle / Run: 130 minutes (over 2 hours)
- Space Mountain: 75 minutes
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: 70 minutes
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: 60 minutes
- Haunted Mansion: 60 minutes
Hollywood Studios Wait Times:
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: 140 minutes
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: 120 minutes
- Slinky Dog Dash: 80 minutes
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster: 75 minutes
EPCOT’s Test Track at 195 minutes represents the longest wait across all four parks. That’s over three hours standing in line for a single attraction. Guests attempting to experience EPCOT today are spending more time in queues than actually riding anything.
The Trade-Off
The downside to choosing Animal Kingdom is obvious. You won’t experience any special New Year’s Eve entertainment. There are no midnight countdown fireworks. No DJs. No extended park hours. The park closes at 7 p.m., forcing you to either head home or transfer to another park for evening celebrations.
However, for guests who prioritize actually experiencing attractions over special events, Animal Kingdom provides significantly better value today. You can ride Flight of Passage, Expedition Everest, and multiple other attractions in the time you’d spend waiting for Test Track or Tron.
Strategic Approach
Smart guests could use Animal Kingdom strategically by spending the daytime hours there experiencing attractions with reasonable waits, then heading to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT for evening New Year’s festivities. This approach maximizes attraction experiences during the day while still allowing participation in special nighttime entertainment.
By 7 p.m. when Animal Kingdom closes, guests could transition to:
- Magic Kingdom for DJ performances on the castle stage and fireworks at 11:50 p.m.
- EPCOT for the party atmosphere with DJs throughout World Showcase and the Cheers to the New Year countdown at 11:54 p.m.
- Hollywood Studios for live entertainment, Pixar Dance Party, and countdown fireworks
Weather Impact
One interesting factor affecting wait times across all parks today is the cold front hitting Central Florida. This explains why water attractions have unusually low waits. Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom sits at just 5 minutes, while Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom has only a 10-minute wait despite being one of the park’s newest and most popular attractions.
Guests willing to brave the cold water can take advantage of nearly walk-on experiences at attractions that typically have significant waits.
The Bottom Line
If you’re at Walt Disney World today and want to maximize attraction experiences while minimizing time standing in brutal queues, Animal Kingdom is absolutely the best choice. The park offers the most reasonable wait times across the resort by significant margin.
The other three parks are experiencing the kind of overwhelming crowds and multi-hour waits that make the Disney experience exhausting rather than enjoyable. Unless you specifically want to participate in New Year’s Eve celebrations and don’t mind sacrificing most of your day to standing in lines, Animal Kingdom provides a much better experience today.
For guests who can visit Walt Disney World any time and aren’t specifically tied to New Year’s Eve, today serves as a reminder of why avoiding the parks during peak holiday periods makes sense. The current wait times reflect what happens when the resort operates at its absolute maximum capacity, with more guests than the parks can comfortably accommodate.
