Park Capacity

[hbarbesin]

Hey guys - we are heading to Disney next week and 4 out of 7 days are no longer accepting reservations to Hollywood Studios and MK. Has anyone been when it’s been at capacity this Summer? How busy is it actually? I know they are not at 100% capacity but they haven’t said what the capacity % is once they upped it from 35%

 

[a1tinkfans]

Be prepared for big crowds and longer lines. Good luck n have a safe trip!!!! Remember, ur at Disney after all.

 

[hbarbesin]

Totally understand and we are patient at the parks, I’m just curious how busy. We normally go last 2 weeks of Aug and it’s not bad but I haven’t been since Aug 2019

 

[Mrs.AMC]

No more park reservations is not "at capacity"
It's two very different numbers
It's not anywhere nearly as busy as a day when the parks are full to capacity.

 

[RoseGold]

Hope ROTR doesn't go down and it doesn't lightning.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Totally understand and we are patient at the parks, I’m just curious how busy. We normally go last 2 weeks of Aug and it’s not bad but I haven’t been since Aug 2019

It’s a little difficult to know what additional information you’re looking for. Can you share what exact information you would like? As shared by @a1tinkfans, it will be busy with long lines.

I checked the park availability calendar for the next few days and they are also showing MK and DHS are full for park reservations. Possibly reviewing wait times on the app for the next few days will better provide the information you are looking for?

 

[mom2rtk]

Hey guys - we are heading to Disney next week and 4 out of 7 days are no longer accepting reservations to Hollywood Studios and MK. Has anyone been when it’s been at capacity this Summer? How busy is it actually? I know they are not at 100% capacity but they haven’t said what the capacity % is once they upped it from 35%

Disney hasn’t been releasing specific percentages since early on.

 

[xipotec]

Reservations are used to dictate labor. So even on slightly less crazy days it will seem busy due to them shorting labor

 

[reddog21]

We were at parks that were at "reservation" full capacity and it felt like a normal summer crowd level. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the park at "reservation" capacity and the same park that still had availability.

We went the same time last year and it was way more crowed than this year at least it felt that way.

 

[mom2rtk]

Reservations are used to dictate labor. So even on slightly less crazy days it will seem busy due to them shorting labor

Precisely why reservations are never going away.

 

[HopperFan]

Capacity means two things:
(1) Actual capacity due to ride, restaurant and store capacity.
(2) The number of guests Disney has decided let in any given day.

Disney closes parks to more reservations at the two most popular parks to force guests in to the two least popular parks. This allows for even staffing and financial purposes.

At this moment both MK and DHS are available for park reservations for Annual Passholders through the month. So no, park isn't "at capacity". Disney is forcing "day ticket" guests into the other parks because they know those guests will chose one of the other parks due to time/ticket constraints.

Disney has been crowded for the last year and corporate says they are above 2019 levels. That is busy. That is back to normal. And without full staffing that makes for lines.

Pack your patience and have a fun trip!

 

[farfaraway]

The parks are definitely crowded. Most parks , with the exception of MK, weren't too bad until 10:00-10:30. If you can get there early and have access to EE use it. Lines seem to thin out an hour or two before closing time. We noticed line times dipped during fireworks/evening show times. Just enjoy your trip, be patient, and be prepared for lines. Being at Disney is better than being at home.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

We were at parks that were at "reservation" full capacity and it felt like a normal summer crowd level. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the park at "reservation" capacity and the same park that still had availability.

We went the same time last year and it was way more crowed than this year at least it felt that way.

This
If you take away the summers of 2020 and 2021, this year is like any other year. 2020 was very abnormal in the way of attendance. 2021 only slightly higher than 2020
This year is pretty much the same as it's always been.
Not worse, not better.
We did not wait any longer or wait any less on any ride than any trip in the past 8 years started with 2019 and back. Not really. I mean, was there an anomaly here or there, sure. There always is. Always will be. But in general, it's the same. The only place I've seen a major difference is the lack of CP in Epcot. And even that is returning to normal now.

 

[xipotec]

Precisely why reservations are never going away.

Our local Renaissance fair just dod reservations only as well.

Crazy as its all out doors and weather was a huge factor if we would visit….

No more spontaneity is allow in life cause it affects Wall Street profits….

Its sad, and it will be affecting my park choices in the future.

 

[ccianci85]

Our past trip in early August went extremely well with the use of Genie plus and the occasional ILL purchase. With park hopper passes and little kids we rope dropped then took a break midday and went back to the parks around 5pm or so and never waited in a line. In 3 days we were able to do rise, millennium, mickeys & Minnie’s, slinky, remys, guardians, soarin, seven dwarfs, splash, Everest, FOP, etc all with LL & ILL. It seems LL has definitely improved since our last visit in 2020. More availability right on great rides right after you finish each selection.

 

[raidermatt]

Our past trip in early August went extremely well with the use of Genie plus and the occasional ILL purchase. With park hopper passes and little kids we rope dropped then took a break midday and went back to the parks around 5pm or so and never waited in a line. In 3 days we were able to do rise, millennium, mickeys & Minnie’s, slinky, remys, guardians, soarin, seven dwarfs, splash, Everest, FOP, etc all with LL & ILL. It seems LL has definitely improved since our last visit in 2020. More availability right on great rides right after you finish each selection.

It works pretty well at MK and HS, provided of course you stay on top of bookings throughout the day. Not as well as FP+ mind you, but well enough to get on everything you want.

Epcot and AK are trickier because they have fewer high demand attractions and the availability dries up faster. At Epcot for example, its difficult to get Guardians, TT, Remy's, and Frozen as these can be all gone by midday. Soarin' is no longer what I would call a high demand attraction. Standby often is at 30 minutes or below, and LL availability can usually be booked real time or at least less than 30 minutes in advance.

 

[raidermatt]

Hey guys - we are heading to Disney next week and 4 out of 7 days are no longer accepting reservations to Hollywood Studios and MK. Has anyone been when it’s been at capacity this Summer? How busy is it actually? I know they are not at 100% capacity but they haven’t said what the capacity % is once they upped it from 35%

All indications are capacity is no longer capped. As others have said, the reservations are a matter of how many guests Disney wants in each park and have nothing to do with the actual capacity. And of course it has nothing to do with what guests actually want.

We just returned and our last trip was also in August of 2019. It was definitely busier than that last trip, both in terms of line wait times and in terms of general crowding in common areas and walkways. There are also significantly more people walking while staring at their phones, which compounds the problem.

 

[DisneyFive]

I think parks were sold out a month ago when we were there and it felt like any other typical summer day that we've been there the last 4 summer trips spanning back to 2016. Sold out isn't anything like actual park capacity that gets hit during Christmas time, etc.

Dan

 

[dizneyfiend]

Hey guys - we are heading to Disney next week and 4 out of 7 days are no longer accepting reservations to Hollywood Studios and MK. Has anyone been when it’s been at capacity this Summer? How busy is it actually? I know they are not at 100% capacity but they haven’t said what the capacity % is once they upped it from 35%

So so busy. Lines for literally everything. We had fun but it was challenging. I hope you’re planning on using Genie+.

 

[sponica]

I have a friend down there now, she said it's busier than this time last year when nobody went because of the delta spike. But it's like night and day compared to February of this year.