Daily Park Report: January 6, 2026

Magic Kingdom Crowds Surged 30% Above Other Parks Tuesday

Magic Kingdom recorded an 8/10 crowd level yesterday while Animal Kingdom and EPCOT sat at 3/10 and 5/10 respectively. That 30-point swing between parks on the same Tuesday tells the story of post-holiday crowd behavior: families with remaining vacation days flooded the flagship park while the rest of the resort emptied out.

Weather played a supporting role. Near-80-degree highs with clear skies created ideal conditions for outdoor touring, yet that warmth drove distinctly different choices across properties. The 21-minute median at Magic Kingdom represents a 6.5% increase over the 30-day average, while Animal Kingdom dropped 31% below its baseline to just 21 minutes.

Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland Became a Bottleneck

The 8/10 crowd level at Magic Kingdom showed most clearly in Fantasyland, where family-friendly attractions absorbed the Tuesday surge. Tiana's Bayou Adventure hit 50-minute averages—double its typical 25-minute baseline—as the park's newest headliner continued drawing disproportionate demand. But the real surprise was the spillover effect: "it's a small world" and Under the Sea both doubled their normal waits to 30 minutes, while even Prince Charming Regal Carrousel doubled from 5 to 10 minutes.

Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland saw 35-minute waits, 75% above its 20-minute norm. The pattern is clear: guests who couldn't secure Tiana's Bayou Adventure queued for the next-best boat ride. Peak crowds hit at noon with 30-minute medians across the board, suggesting families arrived mid-morning after hotel breakfasts and created maximum pressure through the lunch hour.

Hollywood Studios: Rise of the Resistance Chaos

Hollywood Studios recorded a 7/10 with 41-minute medians, but the headline was Rise of the Resistance's troubled day. The attraction went down for nearly four hours in the morning (8:31 AM to 12:22 PM) and another two hours in late afternoon (4:51 PM to 6:52 PM). When operational, waits spiked to 90-minute averages—64% above the typical 55 minutes—as guests who'd been waiting all morning rushed the queue.

Toy Story Land absorbed some of the Galaxy's Edge pressure. Slinky Dog Dash experienced its own 37-minute midday closure, and Toy Story Mania went down for 34 minutes in late afternoon. Families hunting for alternatives found queues backing up across the land. The noon peak saw 55-minute medians, the day's highest single-hour reading at any park.

Animal Kingdom: The Empty Alternative

Animal Kingdom's 3/10 crowd level represented a 31% drop below its 30-day average. At 21-minute medians, guests who chose this park over Magic Kingdom were rewarded with comfortable touring conditions across nearly every attraction.

The exception was Kali River Rapids, which posted 35-minute averages—250% above its typical 10-minute wait. The near-80-degree weather drove guests toward water rides, but Kali complicated matters by going down for four and a half hours from 9:01 AM to 1:31 PM. When it reopened, pent-up demand created the day's most dramatic single-attraction spike. DINOSAUR also experienced a 75-minute morning closure, but with lighter overall crowds, the impact stayed contained.

EPCOT: Festival Season Wind-Down

EPCOT posted a 5/10 crowd level with 17-minute medians—32% below the 30-day average. With Festival of the Holidays concluded on December 30, the World Showcase food booths that typically drive foot traffic have closed, and wait times reflected the shift.

Operational issues hit several attractions. Living with the Land—still running its Glimmering Greenhouses holiday overlay through early January—went down for 78 minutes midday. Frozen Ever After closed for nearly an hour in the afternoon. Turtle Talk With Crush experienced a two-hour morning closure. Despite these disruptions, the lighter baseline crowds meant guests could easily pivot to alternatives without significant wait increases.

Downtime Impact Analysis

Tuesday's operational challenges created cascading effects, particularly at Hollywood Studios. Rise of the Resistance's six combined hours of downtime during a 7/10 crowd day meant thousands of guests needed alternative plans. Galaxy's Edge has limited capacity-absorbing alternatives—Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run likely saw elevated waits throughout the day as the only other major attraction in the land.

At Animal Kingdom, the Kali River Rapids closure during morning hours—when temperatures were climbing toward the day's 80-degree high—forced water-seekers to wait. The 35-minute waits when it reopened demonstrate how quickly demand concentrates on a single attraction when alternatives don't exist.

Today's Outlook: Wednesday, January 7

Expect similar patterns today with one key difference: the post-holiday exodus continues. Surf Expo runs at the Orange County Convention Center, which typically has minimal impact on park attendance but may slightly reduce local annual passholder visits.

Weather remains favorable at 77 degrees with partly cloudy skies and zero precipitation chance. Magic Kingdom will likely stay elevated as families squeeze in final vacation-day visits, but the 8/10 levels should moderate slightly as the week progresses toward school resumption.

The strategic play: Animal Kingdom's 31% crowd drop makes it the clear winner for guests seeking low waits. Arrive early to experience Kali River Rapids before any potential operational issues, then work through Pandora while morning temperatures stay comfortable. EPCOT offers the next-best alternative, particularly for guests who don't need the headline attractions and can enjoy World Showcase at a leisurely pace.

Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios carry more risk. Both parks showed elevated crowds and significant attraction downtimes yesterday. If your heart is set on Rise of the Resistance, monitor wait times through the Lightning Brain app and be prepared to pivot quickly if operational issues recur.

See Tomorrow's Patterns Before They Happen

Yesterday's 30-point crowd swing between parks isn't visible from Disney's app—but it's exactly what Lightning Brain tracks in real time. Know where the crowds aren't before you commit to a park. Available now at lightningbrain.app, and coming soon to the iOS App Store.