We’ve seen the crowds at Disney World get a little bigger over the past few months, and we now know that capacity at the parks increased to 35 percent just before the holidays.
Magic Kingdom
But how does that compare to New Year’s Eve’s past? Say 2019? Well, we dug into our photo archives to compare, and BOY, things are CRAZY different (we already knew that but seeing pics really puts it into perspective).
So here’s what Magic Kingdom looked like on New Year’s Eve in 2020 just this morning. The park literally felt abandoned at times.
There’s definitely a lack of crowds in Magic Kingdom! pic.twitter.com/3eM8iZbNFz
— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 31, 2020
Crowds did eventually pick back up, though, later in the day. And this is what we consider crowded right now.
Magic Kingdom is getting a little busier! pic.twitter.com/K7eTVX2taO
— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 31, 2020
But here’s what surprised us! We’ve been so used to limited capacity at the parks that when we looked at last year’s photos at Magic Kingdom, we almost screamed out loud! This is what New Year’s Eve looked like during the day last year:
Magic Kingdom 2019 New Year’s Eve
Just wow! And the night photos we have from last year are equally as shocking. This is the crowd from last year on New Year’s Eve waiting for the fireworks (there are no fireworks planned for this year).
Fireworks Crowds from 2019
To compare again, this is New Year’s Eve 2020 at Hollywood Studios, which is booked to full capacity.
Hollywood Studios crowds New Year’s Eve 2020
And this is just us trying to leave Magic Kingdom in 2019 after the fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
Bus Line at Magic Kingdom
So when we say that a park is crowded now, we realize that our definition of “crowded” has certainly changed! But we’ll continue to keep track of crowds and capacity at the parks, so stay tuned for updates!
PHOTOS and VIDEOS: Here’s What the New Year’s Eve Crowds Looked Like in Disney World Today
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Have you been to Disney World on New Year’s Eve before? Let us know in the comments!
The post What a Difference a Year (and a Pandemic) Makes on New Year’s Eve in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.