Daily Park Report: January 14, 2026

Every Park Dropped Below Normal Yesterday—Here's What That Means for January Touring

Wednesday delivered something rare across Walt Disney World: all four parks simultaneously posted wait times well below their 30-day averages. Animal Kingdom plummeted 48% below normal. EPCOT dropped 29%. Even Hollywood Studios, which typically runs hot, came in nearly 19% under its baseline. This wasn't random—it was the predictable lull of mid-January hitting full stride.

Temperatures held in the low 60s under mostly cloudy skies, comfortable enough for touring without the heat-driven rest breaks that inflate summer waits. The Future of Education Technology Conference brought some supplemental crowds, but not enough to counteract the post-holiday exodus that defines early January.

Animal Kingdom: Ghost Town Conditions

At just 12.9 minutes median wait, Animal Kingdom recorded a 2/10 crowd level—effectively empty by any reasonable standard. The 48% drop from the 30-day average is striking, but the raw numbers tell the story better: Kilimanjaro Safaris posted 15-minute waits against a typical 35 minutes. Expedition Everest, normally a 30-minute commitment, ran at half that.

Peak hour hit at 11 AM with a median of just 15 minutes—a number most parks would celebrate as an off-peak afternoon. Guests who chose Animal Kingdom yesterday experienced walk-on conditions at attractions that regularly demand Lightning Lane purchases during busier periods.

EPCOT: Frozen's Rough Day

EPCOT's 3/10 crowd level (14.2 minutes median) made for easy touring, but Frozen Ever After spent most of the day offline. The Norway headliner went down from 8:37 AM to 12:34 PM, came back briefly, then dropped again from 1:01 PM to 4:58 PM. That's nearly 8 hours of downtime across two incidents, effectively removing the attraction from most guests' plans entirely.

The cascade was predictable: guests who'd planned morning Frozen runs pivoted to other World Showcase attractions. Spaceship Earth absorbed some overflow but still posted just 5-minute waits—67% below its typical 15 minutes. Test Track added a 48-minute evening outage starting at 6 PM, compounding an already frustrating day for guests chasing thrill rides.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends ran at 5 minutes (half its norm), suggesting guests weren't hunting for alternatives so much as simply touring a lightly attended park at leisure.

Magic Kingdom: Comfortable Despite the Crowds

Magic Kingdom's 4/10 rating at 12.5 minutes median represented a 37.5% drop from its 30-day average. The outlier list reads like a greatest-hits of low waits: Tiana's Bayou Adventure at 10 minutes (typically 30), Dumbo at 5 minutes (typically 15), and the PeopleMover at 5 minutes before its afternoon outage.

That PeopleMover downtime from 3:07 to 4:01 PM caught afternoon guests off guard—the attraction serves as a reliable Tomorrowland rest stop, and its 54-minute absence pushed some families toward Space Mountain or Buzz Lightyear instead. The Hall of Presidents also closed for 45 minutes during the same window, though its impact on crowd flow was minimal.

Haunted Mansion's 24-minute morning outage (10:43-11:07 AM) hit during the 11 AM peak hour but recovered quickly enough to avoid major guest frustration.

Hollywood Studios: After Hours Preparation

The 4/10 crowd level at Hollywood Studios (32.5 minutes median) ran 19% below the 30-day average of 40 minutes. Disney After Hours in the evening likely contributed to lighter daytime attendance as some guests planned shorter park days before the ticketed event.

Rise of the Resistance experienced two outages totaling just over an hour: 18 minutes starting at 11:16 AM, then 46 minutes starting at 11:42 AM. Guests in the late-morning window found the Galaxy's Edge headliner frustratingly unavailable during what should have been prime touring time. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster's brief 18-minute morning outage had minimal impact on overall crowd distribution.

Downtime Impact Summary

Today's Outlook: Rain Changes Everything

Thursday's forecast brings a 91% precipitation chance with temperatures dropping sharply—highs near 58°F after a low of 38°F. This is a significant weather shift that will reshape touring patterns.

Expect indoor attractions to see elevated waits as guests seek shelter. At EPCOT, assuming Frozen Ever After returns to operation, it will absorb pent-up demand from yesterday's frustrated guests plus today's rain refugees. Magic Kingdom's indoor options—Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Carousel of Progress—will run heavier than yesterday's basement numbers suggested.

Hollywood Studios becomes the strategic play: most headliners are indoor or covered, and the After Hours event has passed. Guests willing to layer up and accept some rain will find yesterday's comfortable conditions persisting through the morning before weather-driven indoor crowding takes hold.

Animal Kingdom carries risk in rain. Safari vehicles run regardless, but guests may skip the experience, and outdoor queue exposure at Everest and Flight of Passage becomes less appealing. If you're committed to the park, arrive at rope drop before the rain intensifies.

Track Conditions Before You Go

Yesterday's Frozen Ever After situation is exactly why real-time data matters—guests who arrived planning a Norway morning found their strategy invalidated before 9 AM. Lightning Brain's live attraction status helps you pivot before wasted time becomes wasted hours. Now available at lightningbrain.app and on the App Store.