Disney World Faces Weekend Challenges: Fans Warned to Stay Away

If you are planning on coming to Walt Disney World Resort this weekend, be warned: things are going to be far more crowded than usual.

When visiting Disney World, guests typically come expecting crowds. If you have ever been to a theme park in your life, you know that while it is super fun, it comes with long waits for food, attractions, and character meet and greets. Disney is no exception, it is actually worse. When things get busy, it is not uncommon to see rides like Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Frozen Ever After, Flight of Passage, and others climb from one to two to three or more hours.

On top of that, the crowds can make it tough to move around the park, as you have to be ready to pay attention as you bob and weave around what could be over 100,000 guests! That being said, there are some days that are far more challenging than others, and this week is one of them. Typically, if you are ever wondering what days are going to be the busiest, Disney actually gives us a little pre-warning via financial punishment!

Tickets during more demanding days of the year will tend to be priced higher, as will Disney Genie+, and while we do not have the pricing for Disney Genie+ yet for April 20 and 21, 2024 — we do have ticket prices, and we can see that Magic Kingdom costs $184, EPCOT is $174, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is $179, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom is $164 — if you were to look just one day earlier, the tickets would be less.

These ticket prices are also among the highest we have seen in 2024, which is something we expect during holidays and other busy periods.

So why is Disney hinting that we should maybe stay away this weekend?

Well, that is because there is not one, but two events going on. The 2024 runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend begins on April 18th and will last through to the 21st, meaning there will be thousands of runners flying into Orlando this weekend to participate in the Neverland 5k, Adventure is Out There 10k, Hakuna Matata 10-Miler, Springtime Surprise Yoga, Stitch’s Ohana Challenge, and other fun festive events.

runDisney is incredibly popular, and the race spots tend to sell out within moments of tickets going live, so you can imagine the amount of people who choose these weekends to be their Disney visit. On top of that, there are many guests who may not be running, but will travel in to spectate and support other runners from the sidelines. The runners complete their run before the parks open, but it is not uncommon to see them in the parks afterward, sporting their medals.

On top of that, Dapper Day is this weekend. 

Dapper Day happens on select weekends at Walt Disney World, and it is a time when many guests choose to dress “dapper”. Some guests will do a dapper look of their favorite character, while others will just choose to use the event to elevate their fashion game. The effort put into outfits is something like cosplayers may see at a convention while still following the clothing rules that Disney has in place.

With both of these events taking up the Walt Disney calendar this weekend, guests should be sure to pack their patience. In the past, however, when Disney increased their prices, as they are doing this weekend due to high demand, we saw a drop in guests, specifically during parts of spring break, so it could end up working in your favor if you are on the fence! Our suggestion is to keep an eye on theme park wait times or visit the parks without expectation.

Disney Asking Guests to Leave the Park

Interestingly enough, Disney has actually been telling guests that they should leave “immediately” as of late. Disney has been studying Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with added cameras and microphones, observing and recording guests. Because they intend to use the footage for whatever reason they would like, a sign has been erected at the entrance of the land.

The sign reads, “Notice of audiovisual capture. This area is being used to capture audiovisual footage in connection with research being conducted by Walt Disney Imagineering. By being in. this area, you consent to being recorded as part of this research, and Walt Disney Imagineering, its parent, affiliate, and subsidiary companies may use any such audio and/or video recordings of you for any purpose whatsoever, including, but not limited to, non-identifiable sentiment analysis, without compensation to you. If you do not wish to be recorded, you should leave this area immediately. Thank you.”

These signs and alerts from Disney to guests are not very common and do not happen often. However, when they do occur, they may cause a little bit of a disruption for those who do not want their likeness used with free rein.

Are you planning on visiting Walt Disney World this weekend? Do the crowds bother you? 

This post originally appeared on Inside the Magic.