Daily Park Report: December 11, 2025

Thursday December 11 Recap: A Ghost Town Christmas at Magic Kingdom

Thursday delivered near-perfect Florida winter weather with clear skies, a comfortable high of 66.8°F, and zero precipitation. The combination of mid-week timing and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party created an unusual dynamic across property: regular day guests either avoided Magic Kingdom entirely or departed early, while EPCOT's Festival of the Holidays continued drawing steady afternoon and evening crowds. The result was one of the lightest operating days we've recorded at Magic Kingdom this season, with the other three parks ranging from very light to moderate.

Park-by-Park Breakdown

Magic Kingdom

The numbers tell a remarkable story. Magic Kingdom posted a crowd level of just 1/10 with a median wait of 11.2 minutes, running 25.3% below the 30-day average. Even at peak hour (12:00 PM), the median wait reached only 15 minutes. This is the Christmas Party effect in full force: guests who want evening access buy separate tickets, while day guests anticipate an early park closure and choose other destinations. With over 5,100 data points collected, this wasn't a sampling fluke. If you were in the park during regular hours yesterday, you experienced some of the shortest waits of the holiday season.

Hollywood Studios

Studios saw the heaviest relative crowds at 4/10 (Moderate-Light), though this still represented a 16.6% decrease from the 30-day average. The median wait of 29.2 minutes against a typical 35-minute baseline suggests guests redirected here from Magic Kingdom. Peak hour hit at 11:00 AM with 40-minute median waits, meaning morning rope drop and late afternoon both offered better conditions. Rise of the Resistance experienced two separate downtime windows in the late afternoon and early evening, which likely contributed to temporary wait spikes on other Galaxy's Edge attractions.

EPCOT

Despite hosting the Festival of the Holidays, EPCOT maintained a 2/10 crowd level with a median wait of 20.8 minutes, only 4% above the 30-day average. The notable pattern here was a late peak hour at 5:00 PM with 30-minute median waits. This aligns with festival behavior: guests arrive in the afternoon for food booths and holiday entertainment rather than morning ride touring. Morning visitors found consistently shorter waits across World Celebration and World Nature.

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom posted a 2/10 crowd level with an 18.5-minute median wait, 7.5% below the 30-day average. Peak hour arrived at noon with 30-minute median waits. The park continues to benefit from lower baseline attendance compared to the other three, making it a reliable choice for guests prioritizing short waits over special events.

Outliers and Surprises

Several attractions posted wait times that deviated substantially from their typical patterns:

• Swiss Family Treehouse averaged 15 minutes, 200% above its typical 5-minute wait. This walkthrough attraction often sees inflated percentages on light days when a few guests queue up, but three times normal is notable.
• Tiana's Bayou Adventure averaged just 5 minutes, a full 75% below its typical 20-minute wait. The two-hour midday downtime suppressed its average, and the Christmas Party closure likely deterred guests from prioritizing it.
• Living with the Land at EPCOT ran 66.7% above typical at 25 minutes. Festival crowds gravitating toward World Nature and the adjacent Land pavilion dining likely contributed.
• Zootopia: Better Zoogether! at Animal Kingdom also ran 66.7% above typical. The newer attraction continues drawing curiosity despite multiple downtime incidents.

Downtime Report

Thursday saw substantial downtime across all four parks. The most significant interruptions occurred at Magic Kingdom: Tiana's Bayou Adventure went down for over two hours (12:35-2:41 PM), and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was offline for 107 minutes during late morning. Spaceship Earth at EPCOT experienced two separate outages totaling nearly two hours. Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios had back-to-back late-day closures during what would typically be high-demand evening hours. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh had an unusually rough day with three separate closures. None of these appear to indicate extended refurbishment, but guests should always have backup plans during the holiday season when maintenance crews work to keep attractions operational under heavy seasonal use.

Today's Prediction: Friday, December 12

Conditions look favorable for another manageable day. The forecast calls for clear skies with a high of 72°F and zero precipitation chance. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party runs again tonight, which should keep Magic Kingdom day crowds suppressed, though Friday typically draws higher attendance than Thursday. Expect Magic Kingdom to climb to a 2-3/10 range rather than yesterday's ghost town levels.

EPCOT's Festival of the Holidays will continue driving late-day attendance, so morning remains the optimal touring window there. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom should hover in the 3-4/10 range as guests spread across property.

Best bet today: Magic Kingdom in the morning before noon, departing before party preparations begin. If you want a full day without early closure pressure, Animal Kingdom offers the most consistent low waits.