For the first time in decades, the world’s most visited theme park may be shifting coasts — and storms in Florida might be to blame.
Disneyland in Anaheim, California is closing in on a historic milestone that could finally topple Florida’s Magic Kingdom from its decades-long reign as the most attended theme park on Earth. According to Disney CEO Bob Iger, the California flagship is pulling in “almost 30 million” guests annually — a bombshell announcement made during Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration on July 17.
That number has never been officially achieved by Disneyland before. And if the estimate holds up, the original Disney park could finally snatch the global attendance crown from its East Coast sibling.
A Near-Collision at the Top
While Iger’s claim wasn’t followed by a hard stat sheet, Disneyland Resort officials confirmed the number is a general approximation of both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure combined — an estimated 10% bump over 2023’s 27.25 million combined attendance (according to TEA/AECOM figures).
More specifically, Disneyland Park brought in 17.25 million guests in 2023, while California Adventure saw 10 million — numbers that nearly matched Magic Kingdom’s top global ranking of 17.72 million.
The kicker? The difference between first and second place in 2023 was fewer than 500 visitors. That’s right — five hundred.
Florida’s Stormy Season Could Be Disneyland’s Golden Ticket
Why is this happening now? A rough 2024 in Florida may have opened the door for Anaheim’s rise.
Two hurricanes — Helene and Milton — wreaked havoc on the Sunshine State in late summer and early fall of 2024. While Disney hasn’t directly blamed weather for the drop, quarterly reports from earlier this year noted a decline in Walt Disney World visitation, hinting at broader disruptions across its Florida parks.
Meanwhile, California’s Disneyland Resort — boosted by new entertainment, milestone nostalgia, and fewer weather-related shutdowns — has seemingly surged.
Disneyland’s Silent Comeback
For years, Disneyland was quietly closing the gap. But attendance tracking — once a proud Disney tradition — has been hush-hush in recent years. The company stopped releasing annual guest totals, instead leaving third-party sources like TEA/AECOM to do the math.
The 30 million estimate from Iger would not only surpass Disneyland’s pre-pandemic peak of 28.5 million (set in 2019), but would also outpace the Magic Kingdom’s record of 20.96 million from that same year.
That’s right: California could be back on top, and bigger than ever.
The Legacy Question
Iger dropped the attendance reveal while reflecting on Walt Disney’s legacy. “More than anything else,” he said, “he’d be awestruck by the fact that almost 30 million guests flow through the gates of his beloved Disneyland each year.”
It was a moment meant to inspire — but it also sent theme park insiders into a frenzy. Is Disneyland poised to become the most visited theme park in the world?
We’ll know for sure this fall when TEA releases its full 2024 Global Attractions Attendance Report. But for now, Anaheim is on the brink of a historic comeback — and the Magic Kingdom may be about to lose its crown.
To be clear the difference was not 590 but 500,000 based on the numbers you quoted!