Tracking Christmas 2024 Crowds at Disney World and Universal Orlando

UPDATE: The charts have been updated with wait times through Friday, December 27, 2024.

The busiest week of the year for theme parks is between Christmas and New Year’s Day.  That’s not new.

What’s new is that it looks like 2024 crowds are lower for most Disney theme parks and higher for Universal Orlando’s parks, compared to what we saw in 2023. I list some possible reasons at the end of this post. We’re going to take a deep dive into the data, but if you want to skip ahead to any section – or to my overall thoughts on what we’re seeing – use the links below.

• Magic Kingdom Crowds for Christmas 2024
• EPCOT Crowds for Christmas 2024
• Christmas 2024 Crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Christmas 2024 Crowds at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• Christmas Wait Times at Universal Studios Florida
• Christmas Wait Times at Universal’s Islands of Adventure
• Conclusions

What’s in the Charts

The graphs below show waits in line for a few key attractions in all four Disney World theme parks and both Universal Orlando parks. I’m following wait times between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., which allows crowds to build to their peaks. And I’m looking at dates from December 23, 2024 through January 1, 2025, to allow for a full week of visits. Of course, it’s not New Year’s Day yet, but I’ll be updating this post throughout the week until we get the full data set.

I’m not tracking water-based rides, like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls because of the weather. Also, data isn’t shown in the graphs below when a ride wasn’t operating at the time we looked for a posted wait.

Throughout, you’ll find 2023 waits in orange and 2024 waits in blue.

Magic Kingdom Crowds for Christmas 2024

Through December 26, wait times at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train are about 20% lower in 2024 as compared to 2023:

Space Mountain’s wait times are around 15% lower in 2024:

Wait times for Peter Pan’s Flight are down by more than 18%:

Over in Frontierland, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is closing in January for a lengthy refurbishment. That might be increasing wait times, since there’s only a small drop (maybe 5%) in 2024 waits versus 2023:

Waits at Liberty Square’s Haunted Mansion are around 15% lower in 2024 versus 2023:

And Pirates of the Caribbean’s waits have dropped around 20% in 2024 as compared to 2023:

TRON Lightcycle Run didn’t have posted wait times during Christmas 2023. Let me know if there are any other Magic Kingdom attractions you’d like me to track.

EPCOT Crowds for Christmas 2024

EPCOT’s wait times are up slightly versus 2023. Part of that is likely due to Test Track being closed for a long update, reopening in 2025. And I have another theory, which I’ve included at the bottom of this post.

Here’s the wait times for the iconic Spaceship Earth, one of Disney World’s great attractions. Waits at Spaceship Earth are down about 15% in 2024 versus 2023:

Wait times at Soarin’ Around the World are about the same in 2024 as compared to 2023:

When it comes to EPCOT attractions, you either love Living with the Land or you’re wrong. EVERYONE AGREES WITH ME because wait times are up more than 10% so far this year. Slay queen (or whatever the kids are saying these days).

Ratatouille is my favorite Pixar movie, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is a great addition to World Showcase. Remy’s wait times this year are down about 5%, on average, as 2023. A single-rider line was added to Remy in 2024. I don’t think that has much of an effect on waits during this week, but it still helps a bit:

I would’ve included EPCOT’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, but it doesn’t have a standby line, so waits are harder to measure.

Christmas 2024 Crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Waits across Hollywood Studios are down around 15% in 2024 versus the 2023 Christmas season, but some attractions are doing better than others. Let’s go through them, staring with the Tower of Terror:

Tower’s wait times for Christmas 2024 are down about 25% versus 2023. Most of that has come on December 25, 26, and 27. The ride might have been partially down on December 27, 2023 though.

Like Test Track, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is closing at some point in 2025 for a Muppets re-theming. This might be the last Christmas Aerosmith, and people are getting their goodbyes in. Waits at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster are only down slightly in 2024 versus 2023:

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is my favorite attraction at Hollywood Studios. Wait times at Runaway Railway are down about 7% in 2024:

Slinky Dog Dash might be the most popular attraction in Hollywood Studios. Wait times are down about 10% at this fantastic family-friendly coaster, with a lot of that decline happening on December 27:

Over in Galaxy’s Edge, wait times for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run are down more than 30%. I think that’s the biggest drop for any established, major ride in Orlando. It’s a decent ride, so this is mildly surprising.

But wait times at Rise of the Resistance are about the same this year versus last year. I think Rise of the Resistance is the best ride Disney’s done in decades, and it’s good to see it with this many people.

Christmas 2024 Crowds at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

This year’s wait times at Disney’s Animal Kingdom up around 8% as compared to 2023’s – more than any other Disney World theme park. It’s also the least expensive single-day park ticket, and I think that’s having a HUGE effect on park attendance. I’ll talk about that more in the conclusion below. For now, let’s look at the attractions.

Avatar Flight of Passage is likely the most popular attraction in Animal Kingdom. Average wait times so far this year are virtually identical to 2023:

Na’Vi River Journey is the other attraction in Animal Kingdom’s Pandora land. It’s best described as a psychedelic It’s a Small Pandora. Wait times are down a little more than 15% this year, with a lot of that drop happening on Friday, December 27:

The Animal Kingdom’s thesis attraction is the Kilimanjaro Safaris. And the Safaris are very popular in 2024, with average waits around 25% higher this year than 2023:

Over in the Asia section of the park, lines for the Expedition Everest coaster are about the same in 2024 versus 2023 on average:

The Animal Kingdom’s last headliner is Dinosaur, which is closing in 2026 to be re-themed as an Indiana Jones ride, when the entire Dinoland USA area will be rethemed to Tropical Americas. Wait times at Dinosaur this year are only slightly lower – about 10% – than last year:

Next we’ll take at look at Universal Orlando’s two theme parks, Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.

Christmas Wait Times at Universal Studios Florida

Wait times at Universal Studios Florida’s attractions below are up around 20% in 2024 as compared to 2023. Almost every attraction’s wait times are up substantially year-over-year, even for established rides like Revenge of the Mummy. Let’s start with Diagon Alley though.

Wait times for Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts are up a bit over 15% year over year, reflecting a sudden interest in banking with goblins:

Even older rides like Revenge of the Mummy are seeing wait times about 10% higher in 2024 as compared to 2023:

The Men in Black Alien Attack ride might not have aged as well as some others, but it’s wait times are still up over 15% versus 2023:

And Transformers The Ride 3D continues to pull in crowds who care about plot, dialog, and nuance. Okay, maybe not nuance, but wait times are still up more than 35% year-over-year:

Wait times for Minion Blast are down about 14% in 2024 as compared to 2023. But the attraction opened in 2023, and crowds might have been willing to wait in longer lines to experience it for the first time.

 

Christmas Wait Times at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Wait times at Islands of Adventure are up more than 20% for Christmas 2024, reflecting the popularity increase for both of Universal’s theme parks. That has to be promising for Universal as it prepares to open Epic Universe in May 2025.

Wait times at Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure are up more than 20% so far this Christmas. It’s one of the best coasters in Central Florida, too.

Waits are also up over 10% at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, an established attraction that remains popular:

I think Jurassic World VelociCoaster is the best roller coaster in Orlando. Wait times for Christmas 2024 at VelociCoaster are up about 10% year over year:

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is similar in design to the Transformers ride over at Universal Studios. But Spider-Man is the better experience and its wait times are up around 20% year over year:

Wait times for The Incredible Hulk Coaster drop significantly in the afternoon, as more people walk farther back into the park. Wait times at Hulk are up more than 10% versus 2023:

Finally, wait times at the Cat in the Hat are relatively low as compared to other rides. But for any debate there’s always two sides. Wait times in 2024 are up nearly 40 percent. For stats lovers that’s quite an impressive ascent.

Some Observations On Disney and Universal Christmas Week Wait Times So Far

Universal Orlando Wait times at key attractions in both Universal Orlando theme parks are up substantially in 2024 as compared to 2023. It seems like a safe bet to say that attendance is higher based on those increased wait times. (That is, it’s unlikely to be a systemic error across all the attractions we’re looking at, for all of the days we’ve collected data.)

One-Day One-Park adult tickets to Universal Orlando are $190 this week. That’s the highest they’ve been for 2024, so people are paying a premium to get in.

Universal will have Epic Universe open next Christmas, so there’ll be three parks to handle crowds instead of two. These higher wait times for 2024 show that Universal has a chance to bring more people in, even with slightly higher ticket prices in 2025.

Walt Disney World It’s slightly harder to compare year-over-year waits for Walt Disney World. Disney made significant operational changes to its DAS program in 2024 to prevent abuse of its Lightning Lane line-shortening service. We think that reduced the number of guests using the Lightning Lane line by at least 30%, and that leads to shorter waits for everyone in the park.

That said, it seems like there’s a link between Disney World’s one-day ticket prices and year-over-year wait time changes:

The Disney parks with the most expensive one-day tickets are showing the biggest drop in wait times.

Here’s the data through December 26, with the price of a one-day adult ticket in parentheseis:

• Magic Kingdom ($201) – Wait times down 15% so far
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios ($196) – Wait times down 12%
• EPCOT ($190) – Wait times up 4%
• Universal Studios Florida ($190) – Wait times up 20%
• Universal’s Islands of Adventure ($190) – Wait times up 20%
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom ($175) – Wait times up 7%

I haven’t checked, but I suspect Universal’s hotels are probably cheaper this week than Disney’s.

With six – and soon to be seven – theme parks to choose from, it seems like more families are opting to visit the less expensive parks. The difference in ticket prices is $26 at most, but that’s almost $80 for a family of three, which is enough to pay for lunch in the parks. Alternately, they could be choosing Disney’s less expensive parks in order to pay for Lightning Lane.

I’ll update this post on Monday, December 30. In the comments below let me know your thoughts on why crowds look like this, and if there’s another attraction you’d like me to track.