Is This Disney’s Quietest Summer Yet? Guests Stunned by Empty Parks

In theme park circles, Tokyo Disney Resort has long been revered as a model of excellence – not just for its intricate attractions or meticulous design, but for the behavior of its guests. Fans arrive hours before park opening, form orderly queues, and take photos with such discipline that crowd shots often go viral for their precision alone.

And yet, those famously disciplined crowds seem to be vanishing.

In recent weeks, guests have shared photos of near-empty walkways and shockingly low wait times—even for headliners. On social media, some have declared this summer the quietest in recent memory. “TDR’s summer event offerings start today and the parks have never been quieter,” wrote one guest. “Annual passes here we come!”

TDR’s summer event offerings start today and the parks have never been quieter. Annual passes here we come! pic.twitter.com/FWUkuDcAbM

— Alex 📷 Japan Theme Park Photography (@thehappyzan) July 2, 2025

The numbers back them up. At 8 p.m. JST, Tokyo Disneyland’s premier attraction, Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, had a posted wait of just 15 minutes. Earlier in the day, it hovered around 20. For a ride that previously pulled three-hour lines, it’s a striking drop.

A Post-Pandemic Plateau at Disney Parks

The shift isn’t isolated. Since 2023, Disney’s theme park division has grappled with softening demand. The explosive “revenge travel” boom that followed global lockdowns has slowed. Even Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, acknowledged a “moderation” in guest attendance after Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary came to a close.

At Disneyland Resort in California – which is currently celebrating its 70th anniversary – similar lulls have been observed. Social media chatter there has pointed to unusually sparse crowds, amid unsubstantiated rumors of ICE agents in parking areas and near backstage entrances. Disney has denied those claims, but the speculation appears to have affected both perception and attendance.

Now, Tokyo Disney appears to be in the same boat.

For a park once praised for its efficiency, high repeat visitation, and obsessive local fanbase, the sudden quiet has raised questions about how much has changed—and how much might need to.

Rebuilding Momentum

The Oriental Land Company, which owns and operates Tokyo Disney Resort under license from The Walt Disney Company, has acknowledged the attendance downturn. In public statements, the company said it is exploring several recovery strategies, including price adjustments.

Ticket prices are already lower than their American counterparts. A one-day adult ticket currently ranges from 7,900 yen ($55) to 10,900 yen ($76), depending on the season. Still, OLC may reduce prices further, or introduce new ticketing options altogether.

Another possibility is the return of annual passes. Once a staple of the local fan economy, the pass system was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. While multi-day tickets have since returned in limited forms, annual passes remain unavailable (although not everyone believes their return would be a good thing).

This lull comes as the park invests heavily in its future. In 2024, Tokyo Disneyland permanently closed its original Space Mountain to make way for a more advanced replacement, expected to open in 2027. Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters is also being replaced with Disney’s first-ever Wreck-It Ralph attraction.

Over at Tokyo DisneySea (which has received some criticism from disappointed guests in recent months), the long-anticipated Fantasy Springs land just opened, featuring new areas inspired by Peter Pan, Frozen, and Tangled. These expansions are aimed at positioning the resort to compete more directly with Universal Studios Japan, which has topped Disney in Japanese attendance for the past two years – fueled largely by the opening of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and its expansion, Donkey Kong Country.

Have you ever visited Tokyo Disney Resort?