Magic Kingdom Combine-In is Busier Than Ever!

Social gathering Season is now underway for 2024 at Walt Disney World, with Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Social gathering now via the top of October and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering virtually instantly thereafter till December 20, 2024! This covers rising crowds throughout Magic Kingdom, why that is occurring (and can solely worsen), and find out how to keep away from it.

Particularly, this covers my expertise with mix-in through the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween (MNSSHP). Clearly, because it’s nonetheless spook season and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering (MVMCP) doesn’t start till November. Regardless, the thought is strictly the identical. These crowds have been a rising drawback for the final two years at each MNSSHP and MVMCP.

This doesn’t cowl the occasion in any respect. Simply the window of time earlier than it begins when friends can enter Magic Kingdom early for the pre-party. If you happen to’re on the lookout for step-by-step technique for the occasion, seek the advice of our Information to the 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Social gathering or our Information to the 2024 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering as an alternative.

For many who are unfamiliar with the Magic Kingdom mix-in, it’s the time between 4 pm and 6 pm when Magic Kingdom remains to be open to day friends however earlier than MNSSHP or MVMCP formally begins. In consequence, there are each common ticket holders and particular occasion exhausting ticket holders each within the park on the similar time. Therefore the identify: Magic Kingdom mix-in.

There are just a few causes for permitting particular occasion friends to enter Magic Kingdom previous to the official begin time, most of that are past the scope of this put up. We’ll give attention to a reasonably simple logistical one, which is {that a} exhausting begin at 7 pm would lead to a large crowd all making an attempt to enter Magic Kingdom directly and turning into annoyed (delicate understatement) when it took an hour of helpful occasion time to get contained in the park. The combination-in staggers entries to a higher diploma, which is sweet for friends and park operations.

Nonetheless, Magic Kingdom mix-in crowds have been growing over the previous few years, as talked about above. That is occurring no matter crowds through the day or through the occasion itself. On the contrary, what you encounter at mix-in is sort of completely divorced from daytime or occasion attendance.

To that time, I’ve noticed this dynamic at Magic Kingdom a number of instances already this yr past what’s documented right here. On each single a kind of days, wait instances and ‘seems like’ crowds have been each absurdly low through the day. Our newest wait instances report lined the Lowest Crowd Degree Month & Week at Walt Disney World Since 2021! Though it must be evident from the title alone, the parks are actually gradual proper now.

On occasion days, Magic Kingdom is the slowest of the gradual. We’re speaking common wait instances which are 14-Quarter-hour and, at worst, 1/10 crowd ranges. Lots of nowadays don’t even register as 1/10 on thrill information’s scale, and are as an alternative 0/10. I’ve been in Magic Kingdom on a few of these days, they usually give me flashbacks to the post-reopening interval in 2020. Not fairly that useless, however nonetheless fairly gradual.

That is the low season and decrease crowds are to be anticipated to some extent. The present “diploma” is simply a lot much less busy than I anticipated, and I anticipated pretty low crowds. In any case, it’ll additionally get progressively worse over the course of Social gathering Season. See Greatest & Worst 2024 Crowd Days at Magic Kingdom for a fool-proof record of the least and most crowded dates at Magic Kingdom between now and December 2024. This features a handful of purple flag dates to keep away from in any respect prices.

Regardless of absurdly low daytime attendance, the MNSSHP I attended was offered out…similar to each different occasion thus far this season. And similar to each date shall be by the point it’s over. There are solely a half-dozen events that also have tickets accessible and, relaxation assured, these will all promote out very quickly. Ditto Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering. Just one date is offered out proper now, however November and December are additionally additional into the longer term than September and December. That’s the reason there, nothing extra.

On this explicit day, I returned to Magic Kingdom at round 3:15 pm. This was simply the worst crowd I’ve ever seen this early for mix-in at any exhausting ticket occasion at Magic Kingdom. That’s an commentary I’ve had repeatedly over the previous few years. These Magic Kingdom mix-in crowds are solely getting worse–a pattern we count on to proceed.

It must be famous that this was nonetheless 45 minutes earlier than particular occasion friends can be allowed to enter Magic Kingdom. Furthermore, that this was on a very popular day (albeit not almost as unhealthy as final yr) with seems like temperatures flirting with triple digits.

Happily, Walt Disney World has gotten higher about dealing with the ever-increasing mix-in crowds. This yr, there’s a brand new corral system and really clear signage indicating the place friends ought to go:

That is fairly properly organized–a large enchancment over final yr. It additionally could not seem like too unhealthy of a crowd…but it surely’s solely 3:15 pm.

Typical knowledge is to reach half-hour upfront of mix-in, and that’s for educated friends who plan forward. Many extra (maybe most) arrive proper at 4 pm, not realizing there shall be friction to the method and it’ll take a little bit of time to really get into the park.

On the subject of Walt Disney World, one mantra to recollect is: “when you’re early, you’re on time…when you’re on time, you’re late.” (I by no means appreciated my dad’s navy cliches as a child, however boy have they been helpful as an grownup doing the very severe work of visiting theme parks.)

As you may most likely collect, this crowd solely worsens between 3:15 pm and three:55 pm.

There are extra corrals that proceed to replenish, and it turns into extra chaotic exterior the park as there’s solely a lot area on the turnstiles themselves. Disney must hold pathways clear to permit visitor stream into and out of the park, in addition to routes to transportation open.

Moreover, Magic Kingdom remains to be open to day friends, so not all the turnstiles can be utilized for the events till 6 pm.

By way of sensible recommendation, we now have just a few suggestions about find out how to navigate this.

First, when you have common admission to Magic Kingdom, don’t use the particular occasion turnstiles! This may appear apparent, however we’ve heard from so many individuals through the years who exit the park and re-enter (or from Annual Passholders who simply present up at 4 pm for no actual motive).

Anybody with common admission is a lot better served by using an in-park check-in station. Go to Fantasy Faire close to Mickey’s PhilharMagic in Fantasyland, Tortuga Tavern throughout from the Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland, or Sew’s Nice Escape throughout from Monsters Inc. Snort Ground in Tomorrowland. Tortuga Tavern is the least busy, Sew’s Nice Escape is busiest–but it surely’s additionally closest to the entrance of the park and infrequently opens sooner than the others. That is advantageous when you plan on queueing up for the Jack & Sally meet & greet in City Sq. earlier than the occasion begins.

There’s actually no different motive to make use of the SGE check-in location. And actually, there’s actually no different motive to line up proper at or earlier than 4 pm. In our expertise, the candy spot is round 4:30 to five pm. The preliminary rush is over, however you’re beating everybody else who doesn’t assume to do that till the occasion begins.

If you happen to don’t have common admission and also you’re making an attempt to get absolutely the most out of your occasion time, we’d advocate arriving at round 3:15 pm. Possibly a tad earlier. This may increasingly seem to be unhealthy recommendation given the crowds you may plainly see in these images, however any earlier and also you’ll see diminishing returns.

There shall be crowds at 3 pm and even earlier than that. However it’s protected to imagine, I hope, that all your time has worth and it’s not price arriving a full hour earlier to avoid wasting ~5 minutes getting into the park. Granted, time inside Magic Kingdom might be price greater than time exterior it, however how far more?

If that’s an additional hour of pool time or having fun with your resort (which additionally prices some huge cash and has a excessive worth!), it’s a good tradeoff. Spending much less time in these crowded corrals within the (doubtlessly) scorching solar is the best way to go.

Which brings us to the third choice: arriving between 4:30 pm and 5 pm.

That is the very same concept as going to the in-park wristband distribution a bit later, combined with the above notion that all your time at Walt Disney World has worth. To every their very own, but when I’m on trip and staying at an on-site resort, that is what I’m doing. All waking trip time is efficacious, and one of many largest mistake Walt Disney World planners make is just not recognizing this.

If spending extra time on the pool and even taking an extended nap will depart you extra rested, it’s going to extend the chance which you can keep till the bitter (or fairly, glorious) finish of the night time versus leaving early. You may also do an early dinner exterior the park, having fun with meals that’s truly edible versus consuming in Magic Kingdom.

I don’t know your loved ones or your priorities and may’t give definitive recommendation–these are just some choices to think about.

As for why that is occurring, there has all the time been an preliminary rush of friends round 4 pm, however many individuals didn’t know they may enter Magic Kingdom early prior to now. That or they didn’t care as they have been already within the park. This has modified in recent times as Walt Disney World higher advertises the perk, presumably to assist justify the value will increase.

My robust suspicion is that an growing variety of friends are buying Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween as an alternative of standard day tickets, fairly than along with common admission. This may very well be enjoying out in a methods massive and small, from vacationers shopping for shorter period tickets (3 days as an alternative of 4) to locals skipping out on Annual Passes and getting their “Disney repair” throughout Social gathering Season.

This would possibly sound like far-fetched theories or greedy at straws to elucidate this phenomenon, but it surely’s primarily based on a mixture of firsthand expertise and in depth suggestions from readers and journey brokers.

When Disneyland actually began growing costs on Annual Passes a number of years in the past and lowered choices for locals, many Californians began skipping APs and as an alternative doing Mickey’s Halloween Social gathering (now Oogie Boogie Bash). This skipped the recognition of those events, which now promote out in a short time even on dates that aren’t significantly busy.

Priced-out locals desirous to get their Disney repair would additionally clarify why MNSSHP and MVMCP are promoting quicker than ever, regardless of pent-up demand in any other case slowing. It will additionally clarify how that is occurring within the face of falling crowds, that are the bottom they’ve been since 2021. Low common attendance and excessive demand for exhausting ticket occasions isn’t even contradictory–it makes good sense.

It additionally explains the bigger crowd previous to 4 pm. These are friends desirous to get as a lot worth out of the occasion ticket as attainable as a result of they don’t have various admission. It is a distinction to vacationers with multi-day tickets that will embrace a park day previous to the beginning of MNSSHP or MVMCP, who haven’t any incentive to reach proper at 4 pm.

Consequently, you may count on each Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Social gathering and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering to proceed promoting out even when daytime attendance drops. Priced out locals and even vacationers making an attempt to chop prices and squeeze essentially the most worth out of their tickets will maintain demand for these particular occasions.

You may also count on value will increase to proceed. As long as single-day tickets for Magic Kingdom aren’t considerably cheaper (they usually aren’t!) than the events, many friends will go for MNSSHP and MVMCP as an alternative. Once more, we’ve already seen all of these items occur at Disneyland Resort, so these are hardly daring predictions.

For exactly the identical motive, this mix-in crowd can even proceed to develop, as a better proportion of friends don’t have various admission on occasion days. And as these higher-knowledge friends study from previous expertise, they’ll begin arriving even earlier in future years. What was as soon as a crowd at 3:45 pm has already grow to be a crowd at 3:15 pm. It’ll be a crowd at 3:00 pm by 2025, at 2:30 pm by 2026, and so forth.

So how can Walt Disney World remedy this drawback? (And it’s a drawback to some extent as a result of Disney doesn’t like congestion like this exterior the gates, because it’s a security and safety concern.)

The very first thing that involves thoughts is letting Disney Trip Membership members enter at 2 pm. This isn’t even my vivid concept–it’s Disney’s! They used to do that pre-COVID. Again then, the perk was deemed essential to entice DVC members to buy tickets (MVMCP and MNSSHP didn’t promote out usually). Now, it might be to unfold out that mix-in crowd only a bit.

Apart from that, Walt Disney World’s greatest choices are ticket offers. They have already got the the Florida Resident Uncover Disney Ticket and the 4-Park, 4-Day Walt Disney World Magic Ticket that run via the top of this month. Understandably, many locals–who’re accustomed to Florida climate this time of yr–would nonetheless choose an night particular occasion. I’d thus suggest bringing again the EPCOT After 4 Annual Cross and in addition promoting ‘starlight’ tickets (discounted admission on common days after 4 pm–additionally not my concept, Tokyo Disney does this).

With that stated, these mix-in crowds are literally a good factor to some extent–so Walt Disney World shouldn’t go too far in making an attempt to scale back them. Having all kinds of visitor demographics means individuals could have completely different causes for being there–rides with decrease wait instances, leisure, characters, and so on. Regardless of the bigger mix-in crowds, we’ve seen that persons are unfold out a lot better throughout MNSSHP or MVMCP. It’s a fragile stability, and it looks as if Walt Disney World has achieved that within the final couple of years at these occasions.

Planning a Walt Disney World journey? If you happen to’re fascinated about studying extra about accommodations, our Walt Disney World Inns Evaluations web page is an efficient place to start out. For the place to eat, check out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations web page. If you wish to get monetary savings on tickets or decide which kind it’s best to get, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel take a look at unconventional issues it’s best to take in your journey. When you arrive on the parks, our Walt Disney World “Journey Guides” are nice for figuring out what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of those matters and a lot extra, the perfect place to start out is our complete Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information to benefit from your expertise!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Have you ever skilled these enormous Magic Kingdom mix-in crowds earlier than Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Social gathering? Are you one of many friends who has chosen occasion tickets over an Annual Cross or longer period common tickets? Ideas on any of the recommendation or assessments right here? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!