Tomorrow is Christmas! And the Disney World crowd has only been increasing each day this month. This is a reality for every holiday season at Disney World.
However, what is new is the fear of COVID spread. Moreover, Omicron cases in Florida is on the rise. As predicted, the state can have more than 40,000 cases every day if this goes on.
Tips to avoid Disney World Crowd during holidays
If you plan to visit Disney World during holidays, here are some tips to escape crowds!
1. Using Individual Attraction Selections & Genie+
The new system by Disney to skip the queue is very helpful. Mainly when you are visiting the park on a busy day.
Genie+ & Individual Attraction Selections is priced at $15 every day, and it has its pay-per-ride prices. This is worth it as you will be saving a lot of time if you are going this holiday season.
Moreover, if you are buying “Genie+,” then you have to log in at 7:00 am to make the initial selection for that day. Also, for the “Individual Attraction Selections,” if you are staying at the resort, you can buy them at 7:00 am. But for others, they need to wait till Disneyland’s opening time.
Furthermore, it would help if you did not miss these windows, you will have only a few to choose from, and most of these choices are not that practical.
2. Visit parks at the earliest hours
If you want to avoid the crowds, the first thing to do is arrive early. Also, we highly suggest that you go to Disneyland for a rope drop. This means you need to arrive at the park about 45 to 60 minutes before it opens.
Also, if you are going to the Magic Kingdom, you might need some extra time as buffer. This is because you have to take the Disney transport from TTC.
Moreover, if you are arriving first, you will get in the queue first as well for popular attractions. Hence you will be knocking attractions off from the must-try list.
3. Dine when fewer people will be at restaurants
Another way to avoid crowds is to plan your meals at off times, which means you should not eat lunch between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm and avoid having dinner from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
Most people will be at the restaurants, and the snack stands at this hour. If you go at this hour, you will not need to wait long before you order something.
Moreover, if you plan to have dinner at any “table service restaurant,” you have to make reservations before going there. However, your options might be few if you plan it for this season.
Furthermore, if you plan to have a meal at “dining quick service,” you should make your order on the “Mobile Orders” early morning. Once you order it online, you can select the time you wish to have your meal.
Remember, this holiday season, these time windows might fill up quickly. So you need to order your meal early in the morning.
4. Visit attractions selectively to cut crowds
Most parks will be particularly crowded during certain hours or days. For example, during Christmas Day, Magic Kingdom is most crowded. Also, EPCOT and Magic Kingdom are packed on December 31.
Moreover, EPCOT will always be crowded on weekends during the holiday season. This is because locals come here to have their dinner at the World Showcase.
Some places will be packed compared to others, such as Main Street U.S.A., Toy Story Land, Fantasyland, and Galaxy’s Edge.
Also, other than these, the theme park will be chaotic before fireworks and parades. Hence, if you want to attend them, you have to come to these places ahead of their time during this season.
5. Use your Resort Perks
You will get some perks when you stay at the Disney theme park Resort hotels. Hence you need to make the most use of these perks. People staying at the resorts get “Early Theme Park Entry,” which means you can enter every park half an hour before its opening time.
Moreover, if you are staying at the Deluxe Resort, you can stay at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom late at night on some nights. With this perk, you can stay at the park for 2 more hours after its closing time.
6. Buy Dinsey merchandise selectively
It would help if you made a few smart decisions when you do souvenir shopping. First, you need to avoid big shops such as The Emporium and World of Disney. Instead, go to smaller shops in the park, or you can shop from the resort.
Also, do not shop during the evening or when the park is closing because the shops will be fully packed.
Moreover, there is a new “Mobile Checkout” feature. This is available in many gift stores in the park. Due to this, you can ship all checkout lines and use your mobile to pay for your stuff.
Final thoughts
These are the vital things one should know to avoid Disney World crowd during the holiday season. Also, if you are visiting now, keep checking the official Disney app. The app updates all the latest news about the park.
