On Sunday, June 8, 2025, Walt Disney World Resort guests saw an unexpected sight: the Magic Kingdom, usually packed with families during the summer season, was eerily quiet. Those who had arrived expecting a bustling park found themselves walking through nearly empty lands instead. A guest visiting the park shared photos showing Main Street, U.S.A., and the area near Cinderella Castle, which was virtually deserted.
While summer has historically been a peak time for crowds at Walt Disney World Resort, 2025 seems to be bucking that trend. Despite offering discounts on hotel rooms, tickets, and Lightning Lane access, Disney seems unable to bring in the usual crowds. Magic Kingdom Park visitors recently noticed that attractions were less crowded than expected, even on a weekend.
“I needed a getaway and was surprised by the crowd,” said Reddit user u/SparklingPudding, who shared two images of the quiet park. “It’s my first year as an AP but I thought with school out now it would be way more crowded than this, especially on a weekend?” The guest’s photos showed an uncharacteristic lack of people, making it clear that something was off about the usual summer crowds at the Magic Kingdom.
Magic Kingdom on 6/8/25
“I rarely ride Jungle Cruise but it was 25 minutes yesterday. Pirates was 10-15. Saw [Raya] in Adventure Land (not on the schedule)… No complaints,” the guest added.
Other guests across Walt Disney World Resort shared similar stories of lighter crowds.
“I was at Epcot on Sunday. Was totally slow,” u/Turbulent_Tale6497 reported. “[Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind] was 45 mins, Remy was 30. No lines at any counter. Other than the heat, it was ideal.”
“All the parks seemed light the last 2 days,” said u/ClownBaby456.
The extreme Florida heat—rising to mid-90s—appears to be one of the main factors driving guests away.
“I think everyone is just so scared of the heat now,” said u/sandypassage, who speculated that “Summertime is gradually becoming the new ‘slow season.’”
“Summer is slow now,” u/phonytoughcraybrave agreed. “All the Disney adults know not to come when it’s hot.”
While the heat is undoubtedly a big factor, some have also pointed to the newly opened Epic Universe at Universal Orlando Resort as another reason for the lighter crowds.
“It was slower than usual in my opinion on Saturday as well,” u/Sassy_With_No_Shame wrote. “I think things are definitely slow with the opening of Epic Universe. I’ll enjoy the low crowds this summer and check Epic out next year when the crowds even back out.”
Have you noticed lighter crowds at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your experience with us in the comments!
no – park attendance is light due to costs.
Prices have gotten to be outrageous.
Walt’s idea of a place where a guy can take his family for all to enjoy is gone, the employees (n longer cast members) look like the carnival workers that Walt wanted to escape.
Attractions changing i.e. Muppets kids attraction to roller coaster, Yuk!
Frontierland for cars?Dumb!
Great Movie Ride??? What Happened?
No more Studio, just a not so fun amusement park.
Some finer dining has become crap – NO More Chefs de France- no value there, etc.
Bring back the Disney wholesome values! WDW has become a second rate attraction.
Build new lands or new park.
we were there on Sunday and then again on wednesday this week. It was slower than usual but it wasnt dead in there at all. The lines went a little bit faster which was great but lately its been somewhat slower anyways. I thought it was the heat so harsh for the last month compared to what it normally is. I dont think that Disney world sufferd financially from that. I think ( in my opinion only) that raising the prices of food quite a bit, even snacks, the price of tickets never go down at all and the merchandise has gone up quite a bit this year……….If it is nice outside then the crowds come, This super humid and today 93 degree temperatures cause people not to attend the parks so much. I dont know if the monorail stopped running at all, but we had no problem getting to the park (magic kingdom) or getting out and the lines were long.