It’s Spring Break’s Busiest Week at Disney World!
It’s the peak of spring break season at Walt Disney World, and will likely be the busiest week of the first half of the year. This crowd report shares wait time data, photos from the parks, and thoughts on what’s likely to happen next with numbers at Walt Disney World heading into spring break season.
To quickly recap, attendance has been high over the last couple of months–just as it was two winters ago before the parks closed. We’ve gone over that in a number of recent crowd reports, culminating in February being the busiest month in the last two years at Walt Disney World.
Suffice to say, March 2022 is giving last month a run for its money. While it’s not worse yet, this month’s peak week has yet to occur, and thus hasn’t skewed the data upwards. Obviously, we won’t know which ends up being worse until this month ends. It’s going to be a close “race.”
Consider consulting our 2022 Walt Disney World Crowd Calendars when choosing your travel dates. These don’t offer as granular of predictions as a lot of other crowd calendars, but that’s because that level of specificity simply is not possible in the current environment. We’d rather make credible forecasts than inaccurately thorough ones.
But we get ahead of ourselves with a forward-looking forecast, let’s dig into wait times and see to what’s up with March 2022 crowds for the first half of the month at Walt Disney World…
Let’s start with a high level look at monthly wait time averages across the entirety of Walt Disney World. (All graphs and wait time stats courtesy of Thrill-Data.com.)
As of today (March 14, 2022), February is “holding off” this month to maintain its status as the busiest month in the last two years at Walt Disney World. It currently has a 1 minute lead, 45 v. 44 minutes on average.
If you break it down by week, you can also see how crowds have been lower thus far in the first two weeks of March 2022 than last month.
That final line–the highest of them all–is this week thus far, meaning it’s today only.
Once we get into individual days, the graph becomes difficult to read–but you can still see the spike over the Presidents’ Day weekend towards the far right and again today. The average wait time right now (as of 11 am on March 14, 2022) is 57 minutes. If that number holds, today will tie February 20 and 22 as the busiest day of the last two years at Walt Disney World.
Suffice to say, March 2022 should overtake February as the busiest month after this week, but the question will be whether this week’s wait times are high enough to offset what should be lower numbers the last two weeks of the month. My guess is yes.
For park by park analysis, we’ll start with Magic Kingdom.
Magic Kingdom wait times have not been nearly as bad during the first half of March 2022 as they were in the second half of February. After hitting 10/10 the first few days of the month crowd levels have ranged from 7/10 to 9/10 every day since (minus today).
Here are the specific averages for the month:
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: 99 minutes
- Peter Pan’s Flight: 79 minutes
- Jungle Cruise: 77 minutes
- Splash Mountain: 67 minutes
- Space Mountain: 62 minutes
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: 57 minutes
- Haunted Mansion: 57 minutes
- Pirates of the Caribbean: 51 minutes
Minus Jungle Cruise, which remains stubbornly elevated for reasons that don’t make complete sense, all of those wait times are lower than last month.
It’s a similar story at Animal Kingdom.
There, wait times have fallen considerably from their late February peaks. Still, the range has been 7/10 to 9/10 this month, with one day last week randomly posting a 4/10.
Avatar Flight of Passage has averaged 100 minutes and Na’vi River Journey is doing 71 minutes, which are actually right in line with holiday season highs and last month. Kilimanjaro Safaris is at 51 minutes, while Dinosaur is averaging 34 minutes and Kali River Rapids is at 30 minutes. The few other attractions in Animal Kingdom are all below 17 minutes.
Also relevant here is that Expedition Everest is down for refurbishment until at least the end of April 2022. In another park, this would displace guests and result in higher waits elsewhere. To some extent, that’s probably happening. However, with so few rides in Animal Kingdom, it’s more likely that people are just finishing the park faster and leaving earlier. That would also explain some of the drop-off in average wait times.
We continue along to Epcot.
Again, nothing here even remotely on par with Presidents’ Day weekend. Although the 2022 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival is now underway, that hasn’t really moved the needle on these crowd levels. The last couple of weeks are all over the place, ranging from 3/10 to 9/10, with an average of 8/10.
Again, these crowd reports measure wait times, which are not conclusive of attendance. They’re an imperfect measure of raw attendance or crowds–yadda yadda yadda–but the best measure that exists.
Epcot is notorious for higher “feels like” crowds in World Showcase during festivals and on weekends and evenings. Weekends are busier for drinking and evenings are busier for people Park Hopping over to watch Harmonious. In short, people show up for things other than attractions, so that elevated attendance isn’t picked up by wait time data.
As for specific attraction wait times at Epcot, here’s what we have for the first half of March 2022:
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure: 81 minutes
- Frozen Ever After: 78 minutes
- Test Track: 62 minutes
- Soarin’ Around the World: 40 minutes
- Mission Space: 25 minutes
Finally, there’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
If you follow these crowd reports, something might look a little different about this graph. Check out the tallest red line on the very far right. That’s today, and it’s so much busier than every other day that it has skewed the scale. As of 10:58 am, the average wait time is 85 minutes, which is significantly higher than the previous record of 72 minutes on February 23.
A couple of things are important to note here. First, Hollywood Studios wait times peak earlier than any other park, meaning that an average daily reading taken at 10:58 am is going to be at or around the daily high. This number should fall as the day goes on. My bet is that it still ends up being the worst day of the year (so far), but not by this wide of a margin.
Second, those now-yellow lines next to it are still 10/10 days. See the above weekly graph–each of the last 4 weeks were all 10/10 on the crowd calendar at DHS. Today is just a much worse 10/10, so far.
Here’s a look at live wait times as of 11 am at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance went down (or at least was first reported as down in My Disney Experience) at 10:59 am. I know this because I was waiting for the clock to strike 11 am before taking this screenshot. The wait time was 195 minutes prior to the closure.
Above is a look at wait times as of 12:30 pm, moments before this post was published. Already you can see that wait times are starting to fall, minus Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. (That’ll remain elevated due to the post-downtime backlog of Individual Lightning Lane guests.)
Suffice to say, it’s going to be an absolutely brutal peak Spring Break week at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Our condolences if you’re doing DHS this week–you truly deserve an “I Survived…” shirt or something of that sort. Pack your patience and do everything possible to beat the crowds.
Here are March attraction numbers for Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: 147 minutes
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: 123 minutes
- Slinky Dog Dash: 109 minutes
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster: 82 minutes
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway: 78 minutes
- Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run: 77 minutes
- Toy Story Mania: 79 minutes
- Alien Swirling Saucers: 43 minutes
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue: 30 minutes
Keep in mind that these are averages, not daily highs. They’re the middle-of-the-road numbers from March.
The total average time it would take to do all 9 of those rides is 768 minutes, which is up from 681 minutes last month. That’s almost 13 hours, or more than the full operating day, from opening until closing, to do the entire ride lineup at DHS. No time for bathroom breaks, eating, stage shows, or even walking between attractions.
This is why Genie+ is probably worth it at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, even if you’re only able to knock out 3-4 headliners with it. That’s the likely scenario given that Slinky Dog Dash is gone within seconds and Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run fills up in under 2 hours after that. From our perspective, spending $16 per person to save 3+ hours on vacation is worth it. (Read about My Day Using Genie+ Lightning Lanes in Peak Crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.)
There’s a reason why we call Disney’s Hollywood Studios the most frustrating park at Walt Disney World. The ride roster is too top heavy, with an insufficient supporting lineup. Thankfully, stage shows and entertainment have largely returned, but it’s still easy to be overwhelmed by the wait times at DHS.
Know what you’re getting yourself into and have a savvy strategy for DHS more than any other park at Walt Disney World. That makes the experience so much better. To that point, follow our Speed Strategy for Genie+ Selections and DHS Lightning Lane Ride Ranks to max out your Genie+ count at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Looking forward, you can expect more of the same for the coming week. As covered in our March 2022 Crowd Calendar for Walt Disney World, both Osceola and Orange County, Florida have their Spring Breaks March 14-18, 2022. It’s not just those nearby counties, either–several of the largest districts in Florida (and throughout the South) are off this week. That’s to say nothing of the Midwest and Northeast, which are the biggest sources of tourists to Walt Disney World.
Our preliminary prediction was that this week would be at least 9/10 on the crowd calendar. It’s probably a safe bet to pencil in a 10/10, with the bigger question being whether this week surpasses Presidents’ Day for busiest of the year (and by extension, busiest of the last two years). While most of the last two years has been graded on a curve due to attendance limits, Walt Disney World is approaching “normal” Spring Break crowd territory again. (This week will not be the busiest in 3 years–reservations are still meaningfully impacting wait times, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.)
Speaking of Disney Park Pass availability, there’s not much of it. Availability has only worsened since we last reported on it. There’s now zero Disney Park Pass availability for this entire week.
It’s possible some dates will be reallocated from APs (given that those sales have been paused since last holiday season and the AP calendar is wide open) and refilled, but that will only worsen crowds if it happens.
Consistent with that totally unavailable calendar, you can’t even buy Walt Disney World park tickets for this week.
Theme park tickets are starting to sell out and Disney Park Pass reservations are also filling up fast for next week, with only Epcot having availability several days. Things are better the following week and in early April 2022, but Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are already unavailable some days.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Disney Park Pass availability next week and beyond. Normally, nearer dates will faster, as many guests don’t make reservations until the last minute. We’re still holding out a sliver of hope that there’s a reprieve from the crowds during the last two weeks of March, but that’s looking increasingly unlikely. Expect 9/10 averages–maybe worse.
With that said, it’s entirely possible that Walt Disney World has set a lower cap for these peak weeks or will not reallocate from Annual Passholders. We’ve seen that happen in the past, most recently around Christmas and New Year’s Eve, which were totally unavailable but not nearly as crowded as Thanksgiving. Don’t bank on that happening, but it’s a possibility.
Even when Walt Disney World is busy, it’s still possible to have a satisfying and productive day in the park. To that end, we just published Genie+ v. Savvy Standby Strategy at Walt Disney World, which is the result of extensive ‘testing’ we’ve done this month to determine the best and worst ways to beat the crowds during the peak of Spring Break 2022. We put a lot of work into that, and it should be incredibly useful for planning, while not being too overwhelming. (Also, some of the results are surprising, as paying more to skip the lines is not always the best course of action.)
For more granular, step-by-step advice, be sure to use our Walt Disney World Itineraries for plans of attack, with options now with and without Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. Speaking of which, we have a ~4,500 word  Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ for those who want to thoroughly master the new paid FastPass system.
Ultimately, it’s not just this week that’s going to end up being busy. The next month-plus will have high wait times throughout Walt Disney World, with only a few potential reprieves. The crowd situation shouldn’t get much better, at least not consistently, until after Easter. You should already have Tax Day on your calendar…consider that a cause for celebration, as that’s when things should improve.
In the meantime, pack your patience and arm yourself with savvy strategy if you’re visiting Walt Disney World this spring break season or through Easter. It is going to be very busy with “feels like” crowds and wait times among the highest we’ve ever seen in the last two years, yet again.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Predictions on crowds for spring break season? Think that this week will be the busiest week of the year (so far) at Walt Disney World? If you’ve visited in prior months during the last year, how did crowds compare between then and now? What did you think of the wait times? Any parks or times of day noticeably worse than the others? Do you agree or disagree with anything in our report? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Any spring break updates? I think your visit was too early in spring break season. Feel week just ending and the next two will be the busiest.
Trying to use any info /strategies from spring break season for upcoming summer trip.
We were there from 3/5-3/12 and thanks to all of your wonderful tips we did everything we wanted too. My 11 year old son rode Test Track 11 times using our Genie + and then the single rider line. It was busy but I didn’t feel overwhelmed because we had a plan for everyday. You could definitely which people planned and which did not because the wait times where high. We however only waited in 1 long line. My son really wanted to do The Haunted Mansion so we waited 90 minutes but other then that we ILL and Genie + everything. It was extra money but the time it saved us let us do so much more and was worth it to me. Again, I love reading your blog and appreciate all that you put into it!
Did you see that they opened availability in Epcot for the 15th and the 16th now? Do you think it’s cancellation or Disney responding to the weird crowd flows at Epcot currently
Just heard that the sororities at the near by university are going to Florida for spring break this year. They usually go to Cancun but did not want to get stuck in Mexico with Covid. They decided to stay in the states.
A friend and his wife just got back from Disney World today. He normally goes at least 3 times a year for the last 20 years. He told me it was the most crowded he has ever seen it.
Hi I was wondering if you have done a review of the Contemporary’s California Grill 50th Anniversary Party Fireworks. We were thinking about doing this when we go in November and while the food looks great how much can you really see of the fireworks? I looked on your site but cannot find any review. When we went last December the crowds were downright scary to stand on Main Street so we missed seeing them. Thanks for anyone;s insight,
I was at Hollywood yesterday and Rise was at 165 when I looked but when I got there it was at 105. I only waited for an hour and five minutes. Today, I was at Magic. Space Mountain was at 60, I waited at least that if not a little more. Jungle Cruise was at 90 and I definitely waited more than that.
Hi Tom, do you think the whole year is going to be this way? We are thinking of a September trip which is usually good for crowds, but I am starting to get concerned that even September this year is going to be nuts.
Thanks!
Hi Tom, first timer from the UK here! I’ve read and re-read many of your articles (thanks so much to all the effort you go to with them, they are so helpful), but my brain now feels totally frazzled! We are due to visit WDW 2-16 April – crowd wise, how busy should we expect these weeks please? Will they be as busy as reported in this article? Im dreading the crowds slightly! Many thanks again, Vicki
My teenagers visited for spring break last week (3/7-3/11). Despite the crazy crowds and even crazier rain, they did just about everything. They tried to get to the parks for early entry every day and were mostly successful. They did everything they wanted to in each park except for ToT (down when they were there) and Jungle Cruise (they rope dropped the mountains and never saw wait time less than 80 minutes for JC). They did RoR & Smugglers each twice in one day (RoR once with LL and once at the very end of the day). 5 minute wait for Rockin at the end of the night. It was their first time on Mickey/Minnie and Ratatouille and loved them both. Biggest complaint was having to wait for four bus loads of people before getting on to an All Stars. It was their first time navigating on their own but a lifetime of this blog has taught them well!
Hey Tom, first let me say thank you for your blog and the work and energy you put into it. Your strategies were very helpful in navigating our past visit. We were able to go to HS on Friday(11th) and MK(12) Saturday. It was perfect. We took the Skyliner to HS and was able to do early entry. That said I think that is one reason the times for HS are so elevated in the morning. That part opens the earliest and many who plan to park hop my be hoping to beat the crowds and do as much as possible to get to another park.
My family and I (group of 6) are visiting for the first time in three years. I have been reading all of your tips and blogs, and I truly appreciate all the insight. For day one yesterday, we started out with rope dropping at AK. We were able to do everything we wanted to do (and more) and out of the park heading back to resort by noon. While we were at AK, I started using Genie+ to stack headliners at DHS for last evening. We headed to DHS at 6 PM, did the three headliners, Muppet 3D, ate dinner, and stood in line at rise of the resistance before park closing. The posted wait time was 100 minutes but we were on the ride in 40 minutes. We accomplished a lot in one day!
Today we rope dropped at Epcot and followed your tips from last week’s post about how to navigate the park during a busy day at Epcot. It was spot on! We are back to the hotel for some pool time and will be at Epcot for world showcase and harmonious later, expecting large crowds. Thanks for helping us get through the first two days without frustration!
You’re welcome, and thanks for sharing your results!
I tried to do those test runs on as busy of days as possible, but knew I they wouldn’t match up with this week exactly. Glad to hear the advice is holding up, though.
Tax Day comes before Easter this year. I wouldn’t count on things improving then.
Unless the IRS is deceiving me (very well possible), Tax Day is the Monday after Easter.
My mistake. I missed the fact they moved the tax filing date from the 15th to the following Monday. Nevertheless, the week after Easter is when many schools have their holiday, including where I live in NY. I wouldn’t expect crowds to drop for at least another week.
Welp looks like my trip is going to be interesting. This trip is three years in the making. Originally planned for May of 2020. There will be 13 of us and I feel like I have read every blog and listened to every podcast. Hopefully with this army of knowledge I can zag when others zig (as Tom would say) and still have a great trip for everyone. I will definitely be throwing money at those ILLs and genie+ to make things more bearable.
Those HWS wait times are miserable! I’ve never seen it like that picture of RRC lines out of the building and covered queue area. I wonder if the impact on guest satisfaction will finally play out. I guess not anytime soon.
Disney made a point of stating that guest satisfaction was high during post-reopening earnings calls for about a year. That stopped with the last couple quarters, and I don’t think it’s any secret as to why.
I went to Epcot this morning and took advantage of getting there at opening. I just wanted to walk around and look at the topiaries. I walked onto Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land. By the time I got to France the standby line for Ratatouille was 90 minutes. It looked longer than that. I’ve rode it already, so I just kept walking. I left the park at about 11am as the spring break hordes were entering. Also, I live by SeaWorld and the streets surrounding there were a nightmare around 11:15am. So, SeaWorld is bursting at the seams with spring breakers as well.
Thanks for the report!
I’d expect every Central Florida theme park and I-Drive, in particular, to be a nightmare this week. It’ll be interesting to see whether Universal and SeaWorld are worse due to the lack of capacity caps, or better due to lower organic demand.
Having only come in for level one crowds over the past few years, the sheer number of people in the parks was a huge shock during my early-March trip. But…even more surprising were the bizarre crowd dynamics at Epcot. I ended up having to go there on Saturday, March 5th and was dreading the experience (because Epcot on a Saturday). However, it seemed that everyone was just there for food booths, which meant we were able to walk on to most of the non-headliner rides. Also stunning was that we just moseyed up to Space 220 and were able to get in for a lunch seating right then. It seems like if you aren’t there for food booths, maybe weekends are actually a really good time to visit Epcot! That, or we just got lucky since it was the first Saturday of Garden Fest…
“Bizarre crowd dynamics” are pretty much the name of the game at Epcot right now.
During holiday breaks (like this one, Presidents’ Day, Thanksgiving, etc), Epcot is bad. The rest of the time, it’s almost impossible to predict wait times v. feels like crowds–or even explain them after the fact. I’m guessing Cosmic Rewind will change the dynamic, yet again.