Have you ever seen Magic Kingdom when the park passes have completely SOLD OUT?

Disney World’s Park Pass Reservation system has been a staple ever since the parks reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic closures. The new system requires guests to have both a theme park ticket and a Park Pass Reservation in order to enter any of the parks. The reservations are limited, which means that parks can (and do) sell out of reservations. Today (November 17th), Magic Kingdom completely sold out of park passes, for regular guests and for Annual Passholders. Come with us to see what a sold-out Disney World park looks like!

It’s not super unusual for the Disney World parks (especially Magic Kingdom) to run out of park passes for regular guests, especially during busy times like the holiday season. However, usually there are still some Annual Pass spots left — but not today.

When we saw that the passes were completely sold out, we were curious to find out what the crowds would look like in Magic Kingdom. So imagine our shock when the park actually felt pretty…empty?

Even the Transportation and Ticket Center (where you’ll park your car to take a Monorail, bus, or Ferryboat to the park) was less busy than we’ve seen the past few days. There was still a fairly decent line for the Monorail, but it wasn’t miles long like we saw recently. 

Entering Magic Kingdom, we noticed pretty standard crowds at the top of Main Street, U.S.A., and over near the Town Square Theater.

This is usually one of the busiest areas of the park, as many guests enter and leave throughout the day.

In Fantasyland, crowd levels looked pretty normal, and we’ve certainly seen this area get far busier than what we saw today. What’s going on??

It was even stranger in Adventureland, which felt like a ghost town. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride was closed down when we were there, but there weren’t many guests nearby to be disappointed by that closure, because they all seem to have mysteriously vanished.

Even the nearby gift shop, which is usually bustling, was eerily empty.

Aloha Isle is THE place to get a Dole Whip in Magic Kingdom, and you’d have no trouble buying one right now, as there wasn’t a line at all at this restaurant. 

We took a look at the ride wait times, which confirmed the strangely low crowds we were seeing. Popular rides like “it’s a small world,” Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin all had wait times under an hour (with many under 30 minutes), which is pretty low for the middle of the day.

Splash Mountain had a wait time of 5 minutes (!!)…

…and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had a wait of only 70 minutes. Seven Dwarfs is the most popular coaster in Magic Kingdom, and a 70-minute wait in the afternoon is very low for it, especially during the holiday season.

It makes sense that the crowds would be lower today, as many people likely have plans to visit next week for the holiday break, but it’s interesting that Disney seemed to adjust the available park pass reservations so that those passes ran out even though the park doesn’t feel full at all.

We’ve seen Magic Kingdom get MUCH busier than this (does anyone else still have nightmares about the 50th-anniversary opening day crowds?), so clearly the number of available reservations for Magic Kingdom changes day by day.

Based on the crowds we’re seeing today, it might be a good idea for the future to plan a Disney vacation right before the holiday season officially kicks off. You could find yourself enjoying all the holiday perks (like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, holiday treats, and festive decorations) without the huge crowds!

If you do experience bigger crowds during your upcoming trip, take a look at these posts to help you manage your time and beat the crowds:

• What Exactly Is Rope Drop in Disney World, and How Can You Do It Like a Pro?
• What You Should Ride FIRST in Disney World
• 5 Places to Escape in Magic Kingdom When Your Anxiety Is Through the Roof
• Over 15 Secret Walkways to Beat the Crowds in Disney World

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What do you think of the crowds in Magic Kingdom today? Let us know in the comments.

The post What CROWDS Look Like on a SOLD OUT Magic Kingdom Day first appeared on the disney food blog.