Weekly Park Report: December 14 - December 20, 2025
The week before Christmas should bring crushing crowds. Instead, Magic Kingdom handed guests four separate days with 10-minute median waits while Hollywood Studios consistently ran four times higher. ...
Magic Kingdom Delivered 10-Minute Waits While Hollywood Studios Stayed Stuck at 40
The week before Christmas should bring crushing crowds. Instead, Magic Kingdom handed guests four separate days with 10-minute median waits while Hollywood Studios consistently ran four times higher. This divergence between parks tells the real story of December 14-20, 2025.
Week at a Glance
This week, December 14-20, 2025, registered as a solid 3-4/10 across the resort - firmly in Light to Comfortable territory and defying typical pre-Christmas expectations. The resort-wide median of 20 minutes matched the previous five weeks exactly, showing remarkable consistency heading into the holiday surge. EPCOT dropped 25% below its 6-week average, while the other three parks held steady at baseline. Hard-ticket events dominated the calendar: four Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parties at Magic Kingdom and two Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios compressed regular operating hours but created unexpected pockets of opportunity. The headline: guests who picked their park strategically found exceptional conditions, while those who defaulted to Hollywood Studios fought crowds three to four times heavier than neighboring parks.
Park-by-Park Analysis
Hollywood Studios: The Outlier That Wouldn't Budge
Hollywood Studios ran hot all week with a 35-minute median - exactly matching its 6-week baseline but sitting dramatically higher than every other park. Wednesday's Jollywood Nights dropped waits to 25 minutes (a 3/10), proving the park can deliver lighter conditions when the calendar cooperates. But Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday all hit 40 minutes, and even Saturday's 35-minute median felt heavy compared to what guests found elsewhere. Rise of the Resistance contributed to frustration with 9 downtime incidents during the week. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster matched that unreliability. Guests rope-dropping Galaxy's Edge had reasonable success, but afternoon arrivals faced the week's longest sustained waits.
Magic Kingdom: The Quiet Winner
Four days at 10-minute medians. Magic Kingdom delivered touring conditions that typically only appear in early September, not mid-December. Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday all registered at 10 minutes - a 2/10 crowd level that meant walk-on conditions for most attractions. The Christmas parties on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday drove day guests out early, compressing crowds into shorter windows but keeping those windows remarkably manageable. Saturday predictably spiked to 25 minutes as the party-free day absorbed pent-up demand. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh frustrated families with 18 downtime incidents - the week's worst reliability by far. Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and Barnstormer each logged 9-11 incidents, suggesting Fantasyland operations struggled throughout the week.
EPCOT: Festival Crowds, Faster Queues
The Festival of the Holidays drew foot traffic without translating to queue demand. EPCOT's 15-minute median ran 25% below its 6-week average of 20 minutes - the only park to meaningfully outperform its baseline. The festival's food booths and entertainment absorbed guests who might otherwise pack into attraction queues. Sunday and Saturday pushed to 20 minutes (still just a 4/10), while Tuesday through Friday held at a steady 15 minutes. The Seas with Nemo and Friends averaged just 9 minutes - 38% below its typical 14.5 minutes - suggesting World Celebration and World Nature saw particularly light demand. Spaceship Earth's 11 downtime incidents marked the park's main operational headache, though Test Track's 8 incidents affected the higher-capacity thrill ride.
Animal Kingdom: Early Closes, Easy Mornings
Animal Kingdom quietly delivered the week's most varied experience. Tuesday bottomed out at 10 minutes - a true 1/10 where even Flight of Passage became approachable. Saturday peaked at 35 minutes as weekend crowds arrived for Pandora. The 20-minute weekly median matched the 6-week average exactly, landing at a comfortable 3/10. Expedition Everest logged 9 downtime incidents, and Kali River Rapids added 8 more - both significant for a park with fewer major attractions to absorb displaced demand. Wildlife Express Train waits dropped 30% below baseline, suggesting fewer guests ventured to Rafiki's Planet Watch during the shorter operating days.
Daily Pattern Analysis
| Day | Resort Avg | Busiest Park | Lightest Park | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 12/14 | 25 min | HS (40 min) | MK (10 min) | MVMCP at MK |
| Mon 12/15 | 21 min | HS (35 min) | AK (15 min) | No hard-ticket events |
| Tue 12/16 | 19 min | HS (40 min) | AK/MK (10 min) | MVMCP at MK |
| Wed 12/17 | 19 min | HS (25 min) | AK/EP (15 min) | Jollywood Nights at HS |
| Thu 12/18 | 20 min | HS (35 min) | MK (10 min) | MVMCP at MK |
| Fri 12/19 | 24 min | HS (40 min) | MK (10 min) | MVMCP at MK |
| Sat 12/20 | 29 min | AK/HS (35 min) | EP (20 min) | Jollywood Nights at HS |
The pattern reveals a consistent truth: Hollywood Studios absorbed the crowds that party nights pushed away from Magic Kingdom. Every single day, Hollywood Studios ranked as the busiest or tied for busiest park. Meanwhile, Magic Kingdom's party schedule - four nights out of seven - created repeated opportunities for guests willing to tour during compressed daytime hours. Wednesday's Jollywood Nights briefly suppressed Hollywood Studios to 25 minutes, but Saturday's event had no similar effect, likely because weekend demand overwhelmed any party-related reduction.
Reliability Report
Fantasyland operations at Magic Kingdom tested guest patience throughout the week. Families planning a classic dark ride rotation faced repeated disruptions: Winnie the Pooh went down 18 times, forcing pivots to Peter Pan or Haunted Mansion that likely cascaded wait times across the land. The vintage flat rides - Carrousel, Magic Carpets, Barnstormer - each experienced enough downtime to frustrate guests who planned quick wins between headliners. At Hollywood Studios, Rise of the Resistance's 9 incidents hit hardest at rope drop, when guests who sprinted to Galaxy's Edge found themselves redirected to a 60-minute Smugglers Run line instead. Expedition Everest's struggles at Animal Kingdom meant Pandora absorbed even more of the park's thrill-seeking demand.
Next Week Outlook
December 21-27 brings Christmas week proper, and patterns will shift dramatically. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day historically rank among the year's busiest, with all parks pushing into Heavy or Packed territory. The Christmas party season ends after December 24, removing the artificial crowd compression that created this week's Magic Kingdom opportunities. Expect Hollywood Studios to remain the toughest park to tour, with Rise of the Resistance and Tower of Terror likely exceeding 90 minutes during peak afternoon hours. Animal Kingdom's early closes continue, making rope drop essential for Flight of Passage. EPCOT's Festival of the Holidays runs through December 30, and the park may offer relative relief compared to Magic Kingdom's party-free post-Christmas crowds. Strategy: tour aggressively December 21-23, accept the Christmas surge, and target Animal Kingdom mornings when possible.
Plan Your Best Day
This week proved that park selection drives your experience more than any other factor. While Hollywood Studios guests waited 35-40 minutes, Magic Kingdom visitors walked onto attractions four days in a row. Lightning Brain's park comparison tools show you where the crowds are shifting in real-time, so you can find the opportunities hiding in plain sight. iOS app coming soon at lightningbrain.app.