Is Disney World less crowded in 2026 than 2025?
Disney World's posted waits are 4% shorter in 2026 than the same weeks of 2025: 23.7 min vs 24.7 min on average, May 1–Oct 18, on the 49 rides we tracked in both years (same rides, same hours of the day). This measures posted standby waits, not visitor numbers.
Data updated · Source: posted standby waits we log for each ride, compared like for like
Month by month (2025 vs 2026)
| Days compared | 2025 avg wait | 2026 avg wait | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 1–31 | 25.3 min | 25.0 min | 1.3% shorter |
| Jun 1–30 | 25.2 min | 24.0 min | 4.8% shorter |
| Jul 1–31 | 24.6 min | 23.8 min | 3.3% shorter |
| Aug 1–31 | 23.9 min | 22.3 min | 6.7% shorter |
| Sep 1–30 | 22.2 min | 22.1 min | about the same (-0.4%) |
| Oct 1–18 | 27.8 min | 24.9 min | 10.3% shorter |
| All: May 1–Oct 18 | 24.7 min | 23.7 min | 4.1% shorter |
Park by park
| Park | Rides compared | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Kingdom | 8 | 33.9 min | 31.3 min | 7.6% shorter |
| Hollywood Studios | 9 | 36.8 min | 34.2 min | 6.9% shorter |
| Magic Kingdom | 22 | 17.5 min | 17.2 min | 1.8% shorter |
| EPCOT | 10 | 23.0 min | 22.9 min | about the same (-0.5%) |
Magic Kingdom: the 22 rides compared
- Astro Orbiter
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Country Bear Musical Jamboree
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan's Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- The Barnstormer
- The Hall of Presidents
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
- Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney World Railroad - Fantasyland
- Walt Disney World Railroad - Main Street, U.S.A.
- Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
- Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
EPCOT: the 10 rides compared
- Frozen Ever After
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
- Journey Into Imagination With Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Turtle Talk With Crush
Hollywood Studios: the 9 rides compared
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania!
- Vacation Fun - An Original Animated Short with Mickey & Minnie
Animal Kingdom: the 8 rides compared
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Maharajah Jungle Trek
- Na'vi River Journey
- Wildlife Express Train
Left out on purpose: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Starring Aerosmith in 2025, rethemed Starring The Muppets in 2026: a different ride, not like for like.
How we compare the two years
Every number here is an average of the posted standby waits we logged, not attendance. Posted waits also move with ride capacity, Lightning Lane and how many rides are running, so treat a few percent either way as roughly flat.
To keep it like for like, a ride-hour only counts when we have it in both years: the same ride, the same park-local clock hour and the same calendar days of the month (a month needs at least 14 matching days; a ride-hour needs at least 60 readings in each year). Each ride-hour carries the same weight in both years. Our 2025 data covers fewer rides than we track now, so headliners added to our tracking later (and rides that have since closed) are not in this comparison; the lists above show exactly which rides are. Data through Oct 18, 2026.
Keep planning
Disney World 2026 vs 2025 FAQ
Is Disney World less crowded in 2026 than in 2025?
By posted wait times, a little: waits averaged 23.7 min in 2026 vs 24.7 min in 2025 (May 1–Oct 18, 4% shorter), comparing only rides and hours tracked in both years.
Which Disney World park changed the most since 2025?
Park by park, May 1–Oct 18: Animal Kingdom 8% shorter (31.3 vs 33.9 min); Hollywood Studios 7% shorter (34.2 vs 36.8 min); Magic Kingdom 2% shorter (17.2 vs 17.5 min); EPCOT about the same (22.9 vs 23.0 min).
Which month was most different from 2025?
Oct 1–18: waits were 10% shorter than the same days of 2025 (24.9 vs 27.8 min).
Is Florida tourism down in 2026?
Our data can't say: it measures posted standby waits at Disney World's parks, not how many people visit Florida or Disney World. On the rides tracked in both years, waits were 4% shorter than the same weeks of 2025 (May 1–Oct 18).
How is this comparison calculated?
Only ride-hours present in both years count: the same ride, the same park-local hour and the same calendar days. Each ride-hour carries the same weight in both years, so rides we only track in one year (new rides, closed rides, rides missing from the older data) don't skew it.