Daily Park Report: December 1, 2025

Monday, December 1 Recap: A Tale of Two Experiences

Monday brought near-perfect Florida weather to Walt Disney World—clear skies, a comfortable high of 77°F, and no rain to dampen spirits. With Thanksgiving week firmly in the rearview mirror and most travelers back home, the parks settled into what should have been a uniformly quiet post-holiday lull. But the data tells a more nuanced story. While three parks coasted through the day with very light crowds, Magic Kingdom displayed some unusual patterns that caught our attention. Two special events were in play: Disney Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios and the ongoing EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays.

Park-by-Park Analysis

Animal Kingdom

The clear winner for a relaxed Monday experience, Animal Kingdom posted the lowest median wait of just 16.4 minutes—running 18% below its 30-day average. The park earned a crowd level of 2/10 (Very Light), with the busiest hour occurring at noon when median waits peaked at a still-manageable 25 minutes. If you were here, you likely walked onto most attractions with minimal planning. The one exception? Wildlife Express Train, which we'll address in the outliers section.

EPCOT

Despite hosting the International Festival of the Holidays—an event known to draw crowds—EPCOT remained remarkably calm with a 20.5-minute median wait, essentially flat compared to its 30-day average (+2.5%). The crowd level registered at 2/10. Peak crowds arrived at 11:00 AM when medians hit 35 minutes, likely as festival-goers positioned themselves for lunch and booth sampling. World Showcase tends to absorb crowds effectively, and yesterday was no exception. The festival booths themselves don't generate posted wait times, but the low ride waits suggest foot traffic was well-distributed.

Hollywood Studios

Despite Jollywood Nights being scheduled for the evening, daytime crowds at Hollywood Studios were 25% lighter than the 30-day average, with a median wait of 26.2 minutes. The crowd level came in at 3/10 (Light)—the highest of the four parks, but still comfortable. The 11:00 AM peak brought 35-minute median waits. The hard-ticket evening event likely contributed to the reduced daytime attendance, as some guests saved their park day for the after-hours party instead.

Magic Kingdom

Here's where things get interesting. Magic Kingdom posted a 21.7-minute median wait—44.7% above its 30-day average. While still technically a 2/10 crowd level (Very Light), this represented the biggest deviation from baseline among all parks. Peak hour didn't hit until 3:00 PM, later than the other parks, with median waits reaching 30 minutes. The question is: why the spike when every other park ran below or at average?

Outliers and Surprises

The Magic Kingdom anomaly becomes clearer when examining individual attractions. An unusual cluster of family-friendly rides posted waits 100-200% above their typical levels:

• The Barnstormer: 30 min (typically 10)
• PeopleMover: 15 min (typically 5)
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel: 15 min (typically 5)
• Under the Sea: 30 min (typically 10)
• "it's a small world": 25 min (typically 10)
• Dumbo: 25 min (typically 10)

This pattern suggests a demographic skew toward families with young children—possibly those extending Thanksgiving travel or local annual passholders taking advantage of low-crowd Mondays with kids not yet back in school. The Wildlife Express Train at Animal Kingdom (25 min vs. typical 5 min) supports this theory, as it's another attraction popular with younger guests.

Downtime Report

Three major attractions experienced identical downtime windows from 8:55 AM to 10:10 AM—a 75-minute outage affecting Space Mountain, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, and Spaceship Earth. The synchronized timing across three parks is unusual and may indicate a system-wide technical issue rather than individual attraction problems. All three were operational for the remainder of the day. If you were rope-dropping any of these, you unfortunately hit the worst possible timing.

Today's Prediction: Tuesday, December 2

Today's forecast changes the calculus significantly. With a 67% chance of rain and a high near 79°F, expect muggier conditions and likely afternoon showers. Rainy weekdays in early December typically thin crowds further, but they also concentrate remaining guests in covered attractions and indoor queues.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party runs tonight at Magic Kingdom, which should suppress daytime crowds there as party ticket holders save their energy. EPCOT continues the Festival of the Holidays—the World Showcase pavilions offer excellent rain cover, making it a solid choice.

Best bet today: Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. Both have significant indoor/covered attractions, and yesterday's data showed them running well below average. Magic Kingdom will likely normalize after yesterday's family-heavy crowds, but the Christmas party creates afternoon uncertainty. Bring ponchos, check the radar, and embrace the empty queues that Florida rain tends to create.