Hello Fall, Good Bye Summer Crowds!

It’s time to do a happy dance because our favorite time of year in the parks is here! We’re going to let you in on one of Disney Fan’s worst-kept secrets: as soon as school starts, crowds drop off dramatically. So dramatically in fact that this is the only time of year my “Disney Grump” husband will go. This year is no different, despite Post-Pandemic demand driving crowds. 

Despite the fact that crowds are typically low for this time of year we were positively shocked to see just how low. Thrill Data recently released an analysis of Wednesday crowds at each park for the last seven weeks. The black line there was this last Wednesday. Look at those crowds, or should say, lack thereof! 

Credit: Twitter/ @thrilldata

These crowds honestly remind me of 2020 crowds. While I hated the circumstances that led to it, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that 2020 was absolutely my favorite Disney trip ever! To get an idea of how low the crowds were, this is a photo I took at peak lunch time at Sunshine Seasons, arguably one of the most popular lunch spots at EPCOT:

Credit: Jill Bivins

The current crowds aren’t exactly that low, but ITM recently called Magic Kingdom a ghost town” and it’s easy to see why. Check out this photo they snapped: 

Credit: ITM

The drop in crowds is pretty logical, school is back in season so out of town family visits drop off. No one wants to take their child out of school at the very beginning of the year and locals are still avoiding the heat since Orlando is still right in the thick of the dog days of summer. I’m not saying that now is the time to go but… now is the time to go. Just don’t plan on hitting up Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, only one date this month is still available.