January is no longer a reliable slow period at Disney parks. Recent attendance patterns show that even traditionally quieter months can produce extreme crowding, depending on location, ride capacity, and holiday travel.
In the U.S., Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort both saw attendance decline in 2025. Those dips have fueled discussion around rising costs, changing travel habits, and whether demand has stabilized after the post-pandemic surge.
Disney World has already adjusted its strategy. This week, the Florida resort introduced new summer hotel deals. The offers include two complimentary hotel nights and extra theme park ticket days with qualifying four-night, four-day room-and-ticket packages, plus discounts for annual passholders.
Even with those incentives, lower annual attendance has not translated into consistently shorter waits. Crowd levels remain highly concentrated around holidays and major attractions.
That was evident over New Year’s Eve. Guests at EPCOT reported some of the longest waits of the year despite broader attendance declines.
Test Track, which reopened in 2025 after its latest transformation, reached waits of up to 195 minutes. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind peaked at 225 minutes — exceeding the runtime of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Holiday congestion at Walt Disney World is expected. What followed days later at Tokyo Disney Resort was not.
Six-Hour Wait Posted at Tokyo DisneySea
On January 6, guests at Tokyo Disney Resort encountered posted wait times of up to 380 minutes for a single attraction.
The resort is owned and operated by The Oriental Land Company under a licensing agreement with The Walt Disney Company, similar to the structure planned for Disneyland Abu Dhabi.
The attraction responsible was Soaring: Fantastic Flight at Tokyo DisneySea. The ride follows the same format as other Soarin’-style attractions, flying guests over global landmarks before concluding above Tokyo DisneySea.
According to Tokyo Disney Resort regulars, the 380-minute queue broke its post-pandemic record, marking the longest posted wait at the resort since November 2019.
At that time, the same attraction reached 420 minutes.
Breaking News✨
“Soarin’: Fantastic Flight” Reaches a 380-Minute Wait!!
This updates the highest wait time for all attractions within Disney Resort after COVID, and it’s the first time in a full 6 years since the “Soarin’ 420-minute wait around 9 AM on 2019/11/9”!!‼️
Updating the post-COVID wait times by 40 minutes is seriously insane
緊急速報✨
「ソアリン:ファンタスティック・フライト」380分待ちに到達！！
これは、コロナ後のディズニーリゾート内全アトラクションの最高待ち時間更新であり、「2019/11/9の9時頃のソアリン420分待ち」以来、実に6年ぶりです‼️
コロナ後の待ち時間を40分待ちも更新してるの流石にやばい pic.twitter.com/udJy79LrLu
— ワンス@全制覇の人 (@oncelikedisney) January 6, 2026
Soaring: Fantastic Flight opened in Tokyo DisneySea’s Mediterranean Harbor area in 2019 and has remained one of the park’s highest-demand attractions. During our visit in May, cast members closed the ride to most guests well before the park’s advertised closing time. Only Premier Access holders were allowed to queue, a move intended to manage demand.
Guests have reported that the attraction is currently operating at reduced capacity, which has likely intensified wait times.
New Lands Haven’t Reduced Demand Elsewhere at Tokyo DisneySea
The surge is notable because Soaring: Fantastic Flight is no longer the resort’s newest attraction.
In 2024, Tokyo DisneySea opened Fantasy Springs, a major expansion inspired by Tangled, Frozen, and Peter Pan.
The land includes four attractions: Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey (which puts its own spin on the Frozen Ever After attraction found at EPCOT, Hong Kong Disneyland, and, from March, Disneyland Paris), Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, and Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies.
Fantasy Springs initially required restricted access through select passes, including eligibility tied to stays at the über-luxurious (not to mention expensive) Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel. Those restrictions have since been removed, meaning guests can enter Fantasy Springs at any time of the park’s operating day.
Even so, the new land does not consistently post the longest waits at the resort.
Tokyo Disney Resort is known for sustained crowd pressure. While The Oriental Land Company reported attendance declines during Tokyo’s extreme summer heat in 2025, congestion at park entrances continues to appear regularly.
Certain attractions remain consistent drivers. Pooh’s Hunny Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland – a trackless, more innovative take on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – continues to draw long lines, while Journey to the Center of the Earth and Toy Story Mania remain among the most in-demand rides at Tokyo DisneySea.
Taken together, the data points to a clear conclusion. Attendance may fluctuate year to year, but demand at specific Disney attractions continues to concentrate — leaving little room for a true off season, even in January.
What’s the longest you’ve ever waited in line at Disney?
