Daily Park Report: May 31, 2026

Space Mountain Was Gone for Over Eight Hours — and That Wasn't Even the Whole Story

Yesterday, Sunday, May 31, the single most disruptive data point across all four parks had nothing to do with crowds: Space Mountain was offline from opening until 5:04 PM — a 512-minute closure spanning most of the operating day. Magic Kingdom guests arrived expecting one of the park's signature experiences and found a dark queue. Meanwhile, EPCOT posted its most interesting number of the day, running 41% above its 30-day average even without a holiday on the calendar. Sunday told a tale of two stories: a park where downtime defined the experience, and a park quietly absorbing demand from events and new attractions.

The heat was persistent — a high of 90 degrees with thick humidity — but it didn't push guests away. It pushed them indoors, which made those downtime windows sting even more.

EPCOT: The Standout

EPCOT finished the day as the most crowd-pressured park on a relative basis, with a median wait of 21 minutes against a 30-day average of 15 — enough to land it at a 6/10. That gap is worth understanding. The Flower and Garden Festival brings guests who are genuinely interested in the outdoor gardens and food booths, which typically keeps queue demand from spiking. Not yesterday. Soarin' Across America — a returning version of the fan-favorite film — was drawing real queue interest, with Soarin' Around the World clocking 55 minutes on average, well above its typical 35. Guests who came for the updated film weren't just snacking; they were riding.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends ran triple its baseline, hitting 15 minutes against a typical five. Journey Into Imagination with Figment doubled its norm at 20 minutes. These aren't marquee numbers on their own, but they signal a guest population that was working through the park systematically rather than just grazing at the booths. The noon peak of 35 minutes median confirmed that the midday crush was real. Spaceship Earth being offline from 11:33 AM to 4:10 PM — nearly the entire prime touring window — compressed demand onto everything else, which likely accounts for some of that elevated pressure on Nemo and Figment.

Hollywood Studios: Consistently Busy, Inconsistently Available

Hollywood Studios ran at a 6/10 with a 39.7-minute median, just above its 30-day average of 35 minutes. For most of the morning, though, Slinky Dog Dash and Rise of the Resistance were both offline. Rise of the Resistance was down from opening until 1:27 PM — nearly five hours — which is a significant ask of guests who planned their morning around it. Slinky Dog Dash was unavailable until 11:15 AM. With both of Toy Story Land's and Galaxy's Edge's headliners out simultaneously, guests redistributed across Sunset Boulevard and Echo Lake, and the midday peak hit hard at noon with a 55-minute median.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets — the recently rethemed coaster — and the returning Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run were drawing guest interest, which kept demand elevated even after the headline rides came back online. Rise of the Resistance had a second closure from 6:23 PM to 7:16 PM and did not recover for the evening. Guests who held out for a late ride found the board blank. Star Tours, by contrast, ran smoothly all day and still only hit 10 minutes — half its usual modest baseline — suggesting guests were largely gravitating toward newer offerings.

Magic Kingdom: Downtime Overshadowed a Moderate Day

On paper, Magic Kingdom had a measured day: 16-minute median, 5/10, with a peak of 20 minutes at 1:00 PM. That's not a punishing experience. But the operational picture was considerably messier. Space Mountain was closed for over eight hours. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover was down for nearly six. Haunted Mansion was offline for nearly two hours in the mid-afternoon. Big Thunder Mountain closed around noon for an hour and forty minutes. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was unavailable for an hour. Country Bear Musical Jamboree logged three separate closures totaling over three hours.

The Space Mountain closure had a visible effect on the outlier data: the ride posted a 55-minute average wait — more than double its typical 35 — during the hours it was operating. Guests who caught it open in the evening clearly made a beeline. The moderate overall median reflects a park where crowds weren't overwhelming, but finding a full working rotation of headliners required patience and flexibility.

Animal Kingdom: Quiet and Comfortable

Animal Kingdom was the easiest park to tour yesterday. A 26.9-minute median put it at a 4/10, running 10% below its 30-day average, and Kilimanjaro Safaris ran lighter than usual at 20 minutes against its typical 30. Bluey's Wild World added family foot traffic, but the park absorbed it without visible strain. Expedition Everest had two separate closures — one at opening for 88 minutes and another in the evening for 53 — but neither created significant bottlenecks given the overall low demand environment. The 11:00 AM peak at 40 minutes median was brief, and guests who arrived by mid-morning found a manageable park.

Downtime Report

Yesterday was a rough day for operational reliability across the resort. Space Mountain's all-day closure was the headliner, but the picture resort-wide was notably disrupted. At Magic Kingdom alone, guests lost access to Space Mountain, PeopleMover, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at various points — never all simultaneously, but often in overlapping windows during the 11 AM to 4 PM prime touring block. When Haunted Mansion closed at 2:39 PM, Liberty Square and Fantasyland guests had fewer indoor options during the hottest part of the afternoon.

At EPCOT, Spaceship Earth's 278-minute closure during midday removed one of the park's most popular indoor attractions right when the heat was peaking. Reflections of China was offline for two hours in the morning. Test Track was down for just over an hour in the afternoon. Journey Into Imagination with Figment had two evening closures and did not reopen for the night.

Hollywood Studios' Rise of the Resistance situation was the most consequential guest experience story outside Magic Kingdom — offline for nearly the entire first half of the day, briefly back for the afternoon, then down again in the evening without recovering. For guests who bought Lightning Lane specifically for Rise, it was a frustrating day.

Monday, June 1 Prediction

Yesterday's prediction called for 7-8/10 across the board. That was too high for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom — Animal Kingdom landed at a 4, missing by three levels — but reasonably close for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. The Memorial Day holiday weekend crowd assumptions ran ahead of what the data actually showed, particularly at Animal Kingdom, which remained the resort's pressure-relief valve all week.

For today, Monday, June 1, the key event is Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom tonight. After Hours begins after regular park close and does not affect daytime operations, but it does mean day guests should expect normal hours rather than the early exits associated with party nights. The Flower and Garden Festival continues at EPCOT, and the same constellation of new and returning attractions — Soarin' Across America, Bluey's Wild World, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live — remains active across the resort.

Monday of a long weekend typically sees meaningful checkout traffic, which pulls some guests away from the parks. Combined with MODERATE crowd pressure and no school calendar drivers, today should be lighter than the weekend days. MagiCup 2026 is on the schedule, which could bring some afternoon park visits from athlete families, but the impact is likely modest.

A midday storm chance around 49% is worth watching. If a band moves through between 11 AM and 1 PM, indoor attractions will absorb displaced guests quickly. Arrive early, prioritize outdoor attractions in the morning, and use any indoor waits as a midday reset if weather develops. The afternoon looks clearer.

Best strategy today: EPCOT in the morning before the heat builds, catch Soarin' Across America before the midday rush, then shift to Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom in the late afternoon once any weather clears.

Track Every Closure Before It Affects Your Day

Yesterday's downtime situation — Space Mountain out for eight hours, Rise of the Resistance offline all morning, Spaceship Earth dark through midday — is exactly the kind of thing that derails a touring plan built without live data. Lightning Brain's real-time attraction status feeds show you what's actually running before you commit to a park. Now available at lightningbrain.app and on the App Store!