Daily Park Report: February 19, 2026

Hollywood Studios Slammed to 10/10 as Presidents' Day Week Peaks

Hollywood Studios hit our maximum measurable crowd level yesterday. A 57-minute median wait—43% above the 30-day average—put the park firmly in "Extreme" territory, the kind of day where even seasoned guests feel the squeeze. This wasn't a surprise given the collision of forces: NYC, Boston, and Atlanta school breaks all active simultaneously, plus thousands of Youth Flag Football World Championships families flooding the resort, plus the NAHB builders' convention adding even more bodies. What's notable is how unevenly that pressure distributed across the four parks.

Hollywood Studios: A Stress Test

With median waits above 70 minutes from 2 PM through 5 PM, Hollywood Studios became a patience exercise. Tower of Terror averaged 85 minutes—more than double its typical 40-minute baseline. The park peaked at 3 PM with a 73-minute median, and even after 6 PM, waits only dropped to 50 minutes. Rise of the Resistance going down for 70 minutes during the early afternoon didn't help; neither did Toy Story Mania's three separate closures totaling over two hours. When headliners go offline at a 10/10 park, there's nowhere for that demand to go except longer lines everywhere else.

EPCOT: Festival of the Arts Draws Heavy Crowds

EPCOT ran at 8/10—"Very Heavy"—with a 26-minute median, 28% above baseline. The morning surge hit hard, peaking at 11 AM with 40-minute medians before gradually easing through the afternoon. Festival of the Arts likely contributed, though festival guests often prioritize food and gallery experiences over queue-based attractions. Still, the spillover from smaller attractions was evident: The Seas with Nemo & Friends averaged 25 minutes (normally 5), and Figment hit 20 minutes. Living with the Land, doubling as an air-conditioned respite on an 84-degree day, posted 25-minute waits. The morning was particularly rough: Frozen Ever After was down for nearly two hours across two incidents, and Test Track was offline for 90 minutes during rope drop—painful timing for guests trying to knock out headliners early.

Magic Kingdom: Heavy but Not Extreme

Magic Kingdom landed at 7/10 with a 20-minute median, exactly matching its 30-day average despite the elevated crowd pressure across the resort. The park absorbed its share of school-break families, peaking at 1 PM with 30-minute medians, but the afternoon brought operational headaches. Tiana's Bayou Adventure was down for over four hours across two separate incidents—nearly the entire peak period from 12:50 PM to 5:25 PM with only a brief window of operation. Space Mountain went down for 90 minutes during the mid-afternoon. Peter Pan's Flight missed the first two hours of the day. Despite this, the park held at "Heavy" rather than tipping into "Very Heavy," suggesting guests distributed reasonably well across the lineup. Mad Tea Party and Under the Sea both ran about 67% above their typical waits, absorbing some of the displaced demand from offline headliners.

Animal Kingdom: The Outlier

While the other three parks ran hot, Animal Kingdom posted a comfortable 4/10 with a 25-minute median—essentially flat versus the 30-day average. This park remains underleveraged on heavy resort days, and yesterday was no exception. Even Kali River Rapids, typically a 5-minute walk-on during cooler months, averaged 40 minutes. That's less about Animal Kingdom being crowded and more about the 84-degree high making the soaking ride appealing. The park peaked at 1 PM with 40-minute medians but dropped to 15 minutes by 7 PM. For guests who recognized the dynamic, this was the place to be.

Downtime Impact

Yesterday was operationally rough. Tiana's Bayou Adventure's back-to-back closures removed Magic Kingdom's newest headliner during the entire afternoon peak. At Hollywood Studios, Rise of the Resistance's 70-minute afternoon outage came at the worst possible time for a 10/10 day—guests who missed their window had no good alternatives with Toy Story Mania also cycling through closures. EPCOT's morning was particularly frustrating: both Frozen Ever After and Test Track were offline during the first two hours, forcing rope-drop crowds to scramble. Spaceship Earth's 45-minute evening closure came just as After Hours guests were entering, though the event's limited attendance meant the impact was minimal.

Friday Outlook

Our prediction for yesterday missed badly on three parks—we had incomplete data for MK, HS, and AK going into the day. EPCOT's 7-9/10 prediction landed correctly at 8/10, so the methodology works when the inputs are there.

Today continues the Presidents' Day week surge with the same school breaks active and the Youth Flag Football championships still running. Another clear day with highs in the low 80s removes any weather friction. Expect Hollywood Studios to remain in the 9-10/10 range—the park simply doesn't have enough capacity for this demand level. EPCOT should stay at 7-9/10 with Festival of the Arts continuing. Magic Kingdom will likely run 6-8/10 as families target the flagship park for their Friday visit. Animal Kingdom remains your best bet for manageable waits, probably 5-6/10, though the warm weather will keep water ride lines elevated.

The play today: hit Animal Kingdom if you want to actually ride things. If Hollywood Studios is non-negotiable, be there at rope drop and accept that afternoons will be a grind.

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