MK 430 Close January 27

[pens4821]

Has anyone gone to the park when it closed early? I changed my plans around to be there since I figure crowds be less. Then I thought maybe everyone else will have the same idea. I have hoppers so will just go elsewhere in the evening.

Would like to use the opportunity to do some of the bigger wait rides hopefully with not as long of a wait. Tiana, 7 dwarfs, SM, and Tron we are going to try to save until after lunch. I know there is really no way to know for sure, but would you think it’s likely or not to do those from 1/130 until 430?

 

[hardcorestitch]

Has anyone gone to the park when it closed early? I changed my plans around to be there since I figure crowds be less. Then I thought maybe everyone else will have the same idea. I have hoppers so will just go elsewhere in the evening.

Would like to use the opportunity to do some of the bigger wait rides hopefully with not as long of a wait. Tiana, 7 dwarfs, SM, and Tron we are going to try to save until after lunch. I know there is really no way to know for sure, but would you think it’s likely or not to do those from 1/130 until 430?

This must be a Cast Member appreciation night.

 

[MPD]

We’re gambling on the same thing - lower crowds then hop in the evening. But who knows how busy it will be!

 

[scrappinginontario]

The crowds may be lower but they may not be as low as a party day. Many guests will not check park hours prior to arriving and will be surprised by the early close.

I just looked at historical crowd data on TP from this date last year and it was a GREAT day to go!! 1/10 crowd level in 2025!!

Hopefully some who have gone these days in past years will share their experiences here.

 

[Tom_E_D]

The majority of people who go to WDW have base tickets, not park hoppers or annual passes. Many of us* would rather go to MK on a day when it is open several extra hours and has the nighttime parade and fireworks, even if it means the lines will be longer. Also, this isn't like Halloween/Christmas party season, where everyone who wants to see the parade and fireworks has to go on the few nights there is no party, thus making the park much more crowded on those nights. The nights before and after the cast member party shouldn't be much more crowded than a normal night, making them more desirable for us base ticket holders.

*=I usually have base tickets myself.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Historically, the day that MK closes early in January for cast member appreciation is one of the lowest crowd days for the year. If you have hoppers, it's a great morning to pick MK.

 

[Marthasor]

I went on Oct. 31 this year, so not a direct correlation, but crowds were quite sparse before the party so I would think the CM appreciation day would be very similar. Even with that, I don't think I would only allot 3 hours for those big rides. Just walking through the park is going to eat up a lot of your time. I would probably pad it with an extra hour if possible.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

One thing to be aware of is that they do close the attractions lines early for these events based on the posted wait times. Don’t plan on jumping in line for a headliner at the end of the day as it will likely already be closed.

 

[garada3]

Will the crowd level be so low that lightning lane purchase will not be needed? I budgeted for buying LL as that day is our main Magic Kingdom day.

 

[Tom_E_D]

Whether lightning lanes will be "needed" or not is a question of how long you're willing to wait. Crowds should be low. The highest posted waits at MK on the day of the last cast member party (January 30, 2025) were 60 minutes for Tron and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which had 42 minute averages for the day. The data can be seen in graphs here: https://wdwpassport.com/past-crowds/january-2025/30

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Will the crowd level be so low that lightning lane purchase will not be needed? I budgeted for buying LL as that day is our main Magic Kingdom day.

You’re going to need all the help you can get. I can’t imagine trying to cover MK in a half day without a line skipping option. Are you hopping? This will also allow you to start stacking passes for your evening park.

Having a Lightning Lane can also get you into attractions and lands that are already closed. On our visit, Fantasyland was closed around 3:30 but we had a pass for Peter Pan so they let us in. We couldn’t get on any attractions other than Pan, but it was a unique experience walking around a virtually empty Fantasyland.

 

[Marthasor]

Will the crowd level be so low that lightning lane purchase will not be needed? I budgeted for buying LL as that day is our main Magic Kingdom day.

I think LLMP on a day like this will really depend on how early you intend on entering the park. If it's early, I would probably buy it. If you are arriving later in the day, I think you will find you might only be able to use it for your initial 3 attractions and then will have really slim pickings for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, with that early of a close, it really impacts your ability to schedule more attractions as the day goes on because they simply aren't available as they would be on a day that the park closes at say, 10 pm or 11 pm.

 

[garada3]

Whether lightning lanes will be "needed" or not is a question of how long you're willing to wait. Crowds should be low. The highest posted waits at MK on the day of the last cast member party (January 30, 2025) were 60 minutes for Tron and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which had 42 minute averages for the day. The data can be seen in graphs here: https://wdwpassport.com/past-crowds/january-2025/30

Thanks for the link to the wait time graphs - very interesting.

I noticed that the park hours for the day last year were 8:00-4:30, with resort guest early theme park time starting at 7:30.

Posted hours for the day of the cast appreciation event this year are 9:00 - 4:30, with the resort extra time of 8:30-9:00am.

Does anyone know/remember, were the hours last year always posted as 8:00-4:30 or was the opening time changed to 8:00 closer to the date?

 

[garada3]

You’re going to need all the help you can get. I can’t imagine trying to cover MK in a half day without a line skipping option. Are you hopping? This will also allow you to start stacking passes for your evening park.

Having a Lightning Lane can also get you into attractions and lands that are already closed. On our visit, Fantasyland was closed around 3:30 but we had a pass for Peter Pan so they let us in. We couldn’t get on any attractions other than Pan, but it was a unique experience walking around a virtually empty Fantasyland.

Were guests informed what time the various lands were closing?

After the MK, we are planning on hopping over to Epcot for a Guardians single pass and then dinner. I figure that will be enough after a busy day at the MK.

 

[garada3]

I think LLMP on a day like this will really depend on how early you intend on entering the park. If it's early, I would probably buy it. If you are arriving later in the day, I think you will find you might only be able to use it for your initial 3 attractions and then will have really slim pickings for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, with that early of a close, it really impacts your ability to schedule more attractions as the day goes on because they simply aren't available as they would be on a day that the park closes at say, 10 pm or 11 pm.

We are definitely taking advantage of the extra 30 minutes and should be near the front of the group for 7DMT.

I hadn’t yet considered the fact that LL availability that afternoon will be like availability near the end of a normal night - thanks for pointing that out. It makes total sense but somehow I hadn’t thought about it that way.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Were guests informed what time the various lands were closing?

No, the attraction closings were based on the posted wait times and that wouldn’t be known in advance.

This was the first time that I’ve ever seen attractions close early but they did want the employee recognition event to start on time with all lines cleared of day guests.