Daily Park Report: January 18, 2026

Hollywood Studios Hit 9/10 Crowds While Magic Kingdom's Headliner Sat Empty

Tiana's Bayou Adventure averaged a 5-minute wait yesterday. You read that correctly. Magic Kingdom's newest headliner—the attraction that regularly commands 60-90 minute queues—dropped 83% below its typical 30-minute average. Meanwhile, three miles away at Hollywood Studios, guests faced 50-minute median waits and a crushing 9/10 crowd level. Sunday delivered one of the most dramatic park splits we've tracked this year.

The weather wasn't the story. Mostly cloudy skies with a comfortable 60°F average created ideal touring conditions across the resort. The real drivers were stacked events: the day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day brought elevated resort-wide attendance, UCA & UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team Nationals flooded Hollywood Studios with competition families, and EPCOT's International Festival of the Arts continued drawing foodies and art enthusiasts. Three separate demand surges, three different distribution patterns.

Hollywood Studios: Competition Crowds Created Chaos

The cheerleading and dance nationals transformed Hollywood Studios into the resort's pressure cooker. A 50-minute median wait pushed the park to 9/10—packed by any definition—with demand peaking at 11 AM when median waits hit 65 minutes. For context, this park's typical median sits at 35 minutes. Yesterday ran 25% above the 30-day average.

Toy Story Mania bore the brunt, averaging 70 minutes (55% above normal) and suffering three separate downtimes totaling nearly 3 hours. When families arrived at Toy Story Land expecting the park's most family-friendly headliner, they found it closed at 11:55 AM, again at 1:28 PM, and again at 3:13 PM. Those crowds didn't leave—they redistributed to Alien Swirling Saucers and Slinky Dog Dash, compounding afternoon congestion.

Rise of the Resistance added to the afternoon pain with a 105-minute closure from 1:40-3:25 PM. Galaxy's Edge guests hunting for the marquee attraction found themselves queuing for Smugglers Run instead, creating a cascade effect through Batuu. Star Tours offered refuge at just 10 minutes (normally 5), absorbing overflow guests seeking any Star Wars experience.

EPCOT: Festival of the Arts Drove 8/10 Crowds

EPCOT climbed to an 8/10 with 26.7-minute median waits—33% above the 30-day average. The Festival of the Arts is pulling harder than expected, particularly in World Showcase. But the morning tells the real story: peak hour hit at 8 AM with 45-minute medians. Early guests rushed to knock out headliners before festival crowds clogged the World Showcase promenades.

That strategy faced immediate obstacles. Spaceship Earth went down from 8:31-10:10 AM, exactly when rope-drop crowds needed it most. Test Track followed with two closures totaling 141 minutes across midday. Frozen Ever After added another 69-minute gap. EPCOT's three most popular attractions all experienced significant downtime on one of its busiest days.

The secondary attractions absorbed the displaced demand. Journey Into Imagination With Figment tripled to 15 minutes (normally 5). The Seas with Nemo & Friends doubled to 20 minutes—though it also went down for over 3 hours starting at 8:31 AM, creating a morning where guests couldn't ride either Spaceship Earth or Nemo. Gran Fiesta Tour doubled to 10 minutes. Festival guests are treating any air-conditioned attraction as a rest stop between food booths.

Magic Kingdom: The Empty Anomaly

Magic Kingdom recorded just a 5/10—moderate crowds with 16.9-minute median waits, running 15% below the 30-day average. On a holiday weekend Sunday. With perfect weather. This is genuinely unusual.

The cheerleading nationals pulled families toward Hollywood Studios. Festival of the Arts pulled adults toward EPCOT. What remained at Magic Kingdom was lighter demand and operational chaos. "it's a small world" closed for over 4 hours from 1:52-6:04 PM. Space Mountain went down twice. Pirates closed during peak evening hours. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train lost 45 minutes at midday.

Tiana's 5-minute average stands out as the day's most actionable data point. Guests who recognized the crowd split and headed to Magic Kingdom found walk-on conditions at the resort's newest attraction. Prince Charming Regal Carrousel dropped to 5 minutes (50% below normal). The park that usually demands the most careful planning became yesterday's easiest experience.

Animal Kingdom: Steady and Comfortable

Animal Kingdom held at a 4/10 with 31.7-minute medians—just 5.7% above average. This park absorbed minimal event spillover, maintaining comfortable touring conditions throughout the day. Peak hit at 11 AM with 50-minute medians, but that's entirely normal for a Sunday.

DINOSAUR ran hot at 35 minutes (75% above typical), suggesting DinoLand became a refuge for families avoiding Hollywood Studios' chaos. Kali River Rapids dropped to 5 minutes—half its usual wait—as January guests avoided getting soaked despite mild temperatures.

Downtime Impact Summary

Magic Kingdom's afternoon was particularly brutal. Between 12-3 PM, guests faced simultaneous closures of "it's a small world," Space Mountain, Astro Orbiter, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, PeopleMover, and Barnstormer. Six attractions down during peak hours on a moderate crowd day—operational struggles that would have created serious bottlenecks on a busier day.

Today's Outlook: MLK Day Plus After Hours Reshapes Everything

Martin Luther King Jr. Day brings peak holiday weekend attendance, but tonight's Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom changes the calculus entirely. The hard-ticket event clears day guests by 7 PM, which historically suppresses afternoon attendance as casual visitors avoid the early closure.

Here's the play: Magic Kingdom's morning will run heavy as guests rush to maximize limited operating hours. Expect 7-8/10 conditions from rope drop through early afternoon. But 3-6 PM should soften considerably as day guests depart ahead of the After Hours transition.

EPCOT remains the wildcard. Festival of the Arts continues, and yesterday's 8/10 suggests today could push into 9/10 territory with full holiday crowds. The 58°F high and clear skies create perfect outdoor festival conditions—expect World Showcase to pack tightly by midday.

Hollywood Studios without cheerleading competition arrivals should drop from yesterday's 9/10, but MLK Day crowds will keep it elevated. Forecast: 6-7/10 with afternoon relief possible.

Animal Kingdom offers the safest bet. Yesterday's stability suggests it will absorb holiday overflow without reaching uncomfortable levels. If you're prioritizing low waits over specific attractions, start here.

Best strategy: Morning at Magic Kingdom for Tiana's before crowds build, shift to Animal Kingdom midday, return to Magic Kingdom after 3 PM as day guests clear out ahead of After Hours.

Track the Patterns That Matter

This split-park dynamic is exactly what Lightning Brain detects—so you never waste touring hours at the crowded half of the resort. Yesterday's data showed Tiana's Bayou Adventure at 5 minutes while Toy Story Mania hit 70. That's the difference between a frustrating day and an efficient one. Lightning Brain is now available at lightningbrain.app and on the App Store.