Park Phase Closings

[WDW Mad4Mickey]

I am an AP holder and I am leaving tomorrow for Disney and am planning on MK on Friday. Does it ever get to a Phases 4 closing days leading up to Xmas? AP holders are able to get into the parks up to a Phase 4 closing correct?

 

[wilkeliza]

Phase 4 is not that common and only usually lasts for a portion of the day. It will probably be Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as well as NYE.

 

[Accident]

the only day I've heard of with any phase of closing is xmas day itself. that usually happen around 10-11am and goes back to normal entrance about 1-2pm.

although nye last year might have also.. I don't work there so I only hear what the blogs say.

EDIT TO ADD: I don't remember what the phased closing list is again but I think 4 is resort guests only. 3 I think is the last phase ap non-resort can get in. 1 is when 1 day tickets stop and I forget 2. the list has more info than that but that's what I vaguely remember seeing posted before.

 

[CAS239]

No it won't hit phase 4 closure. Well 99% chance it won't.

AP holders and on site guests are good to enter a park up until a phase 4 closure which is full closure of a park. Most days around Christmas and nye will reach phase 2, MAYBE phase 3. But it's very rare for a park to hit phase 4 and has only happened a handful of times since wdw has been opened. Could be wrong but I believe the last phase 4 closure was at MK during Easter in like '09 or '10

So for anyone, if you're on site or an AP holder, I wouldn't worry at all about getting inside the parks. You'll be good

 

[lullwater]

A pic of a list I found from wdwprepschool

 

[CAS239]

Phase 1
Casual visitors are turned away at the automobile toll plazas. This means that people without tickets, those with one-day, single-park tickets, and those intending to use cast member passes will not be allowed to park.

Other guests may enter such as:

• Those with multi-day or multi-park tickets
• Those staying at a Disney Resort
• Annual Passholders
• Those re-entering the park that day.
• Those "hopping" from another park.
• Those with in-park reservations or appointments.
• Those arriving via Disney transportation

Phase 2
The only guests allowed through the turnstiles and into the parking lots are:

• Those staying at a Disney Resort
• Annual Passholders
• Those re-entering the park that day.
• Those "hopping" from another park.
• Those with in-park reservations or appointments.
• Those arriving via Disney transportation

Phase 3
The only guests allowed through the turnstiles and into the parking lots are:

• Those staying at a Disney Resort
• Annual Passholders
• Those with in-park reservations or appointments.

Phase 4
Full closure
-The park and parking lot are closed to all arriving guests. The only Phase 4 Closure in the past 10 years has been Magic Kingdom on April 7, 2009.

 

[supersnoop]

The only phase 4 closing in the past 10 years was on Easter in 2009. And the Magic Kingdom has added capacity for about 20,000 more people since then with the renovation of "New" Fantasy Land.

 

[jaysmom4285]

From Touring Plans, with the definitions of the closures, as CAS239 posted, along with the number of times they have happened in which parks:

Closure Phases
Disney uses different closure "phases" to gradually restrict the types of guests allowed into a theme park. Closures start at Phase 1 and progress up to Phase 4, where no additional guests of any sort are allowed into the park. Phased closures do not necessarily last all day: for example, if Magic Kingdom is under a Phase 4 closure at 10:00 a.m. on Christmas, sufficient guests might leave by 7:00 p.m. that all restrictions on park entry are lifted.

Note that what is below is what we believe to be true; however, Disney does not publish its park closure procedures and may change its practices at any time.

Phase 1 Closure
Casual visitors are turned away at the automobile toll plazas. This means that people without tickets, those with one-day, single-park tickets, and those intending to use cast member passes will not be allowed to park.

Other guests may enter such as:

• Those with multi-day or multi-park tickets
• Those staying at a Disney Resort
• Annual Passholders
• Those re-entering the park that day.
• Those "hopping" from another park.
• Those with in-park reservations or appointments.
• Those arriving via Disney transportation

The following are dates within the past 10 years when Walt Disney World parks have reached, yet not gone past, a Phase 1 capacity closure:

• Magic Kingdom: December 25, 26, and 29, 2014

Phase 2 Closure
The only guests allowed through the turnstiles and into the parking lots are:

• Those staying at a Disney Resort
• Annual Passholders
• Those re-entering the park that day.
• Those "hopping" from another park.
• Those with in-park reservations or appointments.
• Those arriving via Disney transportation

The following are dates within the past 10 years when Walt Disney World parks have reached, yet not gone past, a Phase 2 capacity closure:

• Magic Kingdom: April 8 and 9, 2009; December 28 and 30, 2009; December 29, 2010; December 25 and 28, 2011; December 24, 25, and 30, 2012; December 25 and 30, 2013; July 4, 2014; December 31, 2014.
• Hollywood Studios: December 29, 2009 and December 28, 2011
• Animal Kingdom: December 28, 2009 and December 28, 2011

Phase 3 Closure
The only guests allowed through the turnstiles and into the parking lots are:

• Those staying at a Disney Resort
• Annual Passholders
• Those with in-park reservations or appointments.

The following are dates within the past 10 years when Walt Disney World parks have reached, yet not gone past, a Phase 3 capacity closure:

• Magic Kingdom: April 7, 2009; December 29 and 31, 2009; March 30, 2010; December 25 and 31, 2010; December 31, 2011; December 27, 28, and 31, 2012; January 2, 2013; March 25-28, 2013; July 4, 2013; December 31, 2013.

Phase 4 Closure
The park and parking lot are closed to all arriving guests. The only Phase 4 Closure in the past 10 years has been Magic Kingdom on April 7, 2009.

 

[stenmarks]

Currently on site and no closings so far this year. We were here Dec 27-Jan 1 last year and there were several days of phased closing (WDWMagic called them Phase A and B instead of using numbers)...I think 12/28/15, 12/29/15, and 12/31/15.

 

[supersnoop]

Currently on site and no closings so far this year. We were here Dec 27-Jan 1 last year and there were several days of phased closing (WDWMagic called them Phase A and B instead of using numbers)...I think 12/28/15, 12/29/15, and 12/31/15.

Phase A and B come before the numbered closures. They're basically phase 1 closures, but with some exceptions.

 

[AngiTN]

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever seen any guesstimates as to what each park's capacity is? I assume it's based on acreage/open space in some manner or another but that's just a guess
Has the one at HS changed with so much of it closed off now?

 

[wilkeliza]

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever seen any guesstimates as to what each park's capacity is? I assume it's based on acreage/open space in some manner or another but that's just a guess
Has the one at HS changed with so much of it closed off now?

I use to have those numbers. MKs did get bigger with NFL and I imagine DHS got smaller since Streets of America is closed and that use to be a people trap. Epcot has a number that is ridiculously high that when I worked there they would just say there was no official capacity. The reason I was given for Epcot's massive number is how they can open up the grassy areas all the way to the water line and just the sheer amount of open space that is there. I wish I remember the numbers for each park but it was one of those you weren't really suppose to share nuggets of information they would drop in a meeting so I would hear it, think that's a lot of people, and forget it.

Edit to add for MK it is somewhere in the ball park of 100K now. I know a "light" day at Epcot was 25K-30K.

 

[Accident]

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever seen any guesstimates as to what each park's capacity is? I assume it's based on acreage/open space in some manner or another but that's just a guess

I've see it posted before but I can't say where it is.

My professional experience with venues and capacity it's a calculation of space + evacuation routes/doors/ability in the event of an emergency. It's a little more hazy in disney looking in from the outside as each structure would have a capacity but to a degree because it's all enclosed so each open area probably has some number attached to it as well because we are essentially gated into the space until there is an emergency and every way out suddenly gets opened up. Then you get into backstage structures and routes out of there which might also get added to the number because it's part of the park even though guests can't go there. disney is always on the cautious side but there is some days where it feel like 'this can't be legal and under the capacity number".

edited to add: I have spotted the capacity fire marshall papers in some of the buildings, especially the little huts so if someone knows what the front door of each park is, there should be a fire Marshall sign there on exact capacity. the question becomes who can get to it and would they be willing to repeat the number.

Let's also not forget that the hub getting larger also made the number go up, it wasn't just fantasyland that added to the capacity number

 

[disdreamer7]

Currently on site and no closings so far this year. We were here Dec 27-Jan 1 last year and there were several days of phased closing (WDWMagic called them Phase A and B instead of using numbers)...I think 12/28/15, 12/29/15, and 12/31/15.

Do you know what time the closings were? We will be at MK on the 29th planning on being there before rope drop, so just wondering. We are off site due to last minute plans.

 

[stenmarks]

Do you know what time the closings were? We will be at MK on the 29th planning on being there before rope drop, so just wondering. We are off site due to last minute plans.

I think they reached closure status around 10 am on those days. We were at a Disney Springs hotel for that trip, had Park Hoppers, and had Memory Maker so we satisfied several criteria for entrance during the closings. I think arriving before rope drop is key, especially considering the increased security screenings.

 

[disdreamer7]

I think they reached closure status around 10 am on those days. We were at a Disney Springs hotel for that trip, had Park Hoppers, and had Memory Maker so we satisfied several criteria for entrance during the closings. I think arriving before rope drop is key, especially considering the increased security screenings.

We have park hoppers as well.

 

[escapeartist]

I find this all so fasinating!

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

Just thought I'd share MK is projected 97,000 guests 12/24. Have fun y'all and merry Christmas!

 

[CAS239]

We have park hoppers as well.

Unless you are going with single day tickets or planning on buying a one day ticket that day, then you really shouldn't worry at all of any closings happening on those days

 

[whiporee]

I've always figured the number was about 100,000.

Which is insane, but also the size of a few football stadiums.