
We know that as the 2021 calendar year wraps up, crowds at Walt Disney World will start to rise. Fans are heading to Disney World for the holidays, Wine and Dine Race and those that Disney vacation they might not have been able to take in the last year. But besides crowd levels, what else will impact 2021 Disney World vacation? We have some of those things and how you can be aware of them if you have Disney World vacation planned for the last few months of 2021.
50th Anniversary Celebration
One event that will greatly impact your 2021 vacation will be Disney’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. Starting in October, this event will be running for 18 more months. This event is bringing all the magic. A new ride in Remy’s Ratatouille’s Adventure opened for the 50th in the France Pavilion in EPCOT. This ride is perfect for the whole family! A Disney trip wouldn’t be complete without the two new nighttime spectaculars. Harmonious in EPCOT and Disney’s Enchantment in Magic Kingdom. These two shows combine music from our favorite movies with fireworks and projections making for an extremely magical experience. Each theme park has gotten a new evening touch with the Beacons of Magic. Each Disney park icon (castle, Tree of Life, Spaceship Earth and Tower of Terror) each lights up with special lights in the evenings. These quick shows that happen throughout the night around every 15 minutes are a great additional touch to a Disney trip. The 50th celebration also brings a new cavalcade in Magic Kingdom where Guests can see Mickey and friends in their EARidescent outfits. Disney’s Animal Kingdom was given a new daytime show that has gotten a lot of hype. Disney KiteTails has two different shows that are inspired by either Jungle Book or Lion King and feature larger than life kites of favorite characters from these movies. These are just a few of the great experiences that will impact your 2021 vacation because of the 50th anniversary celebration.
Rise of the Resistance Goes Standby
The most popular ride in Walt Disney World can be found in Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Rise of the Resistance is an attraction like we have never experienced before. Guests are taken into the Star Wars movies and become part of the Resistance. This ride will impact your 2021 vacation to Disney World as it is now available through standby. Guests previously were able to try for a boarding group at 7am or 1pm through My Disney Experience. Now this is no longer an option as it has transitioned to standby as well as Individual Lightning Lane ( we will discuss this soon). This might not seem like a big deal, but it will definitely impact your Disney vacation. If you Disney World trip won’t be complete without experiencing this highly popular attraction, you will need to figure out your strategy.
Genie+
Disney Genie, Genie+ and Individual Attractions Lightning Lane will have a huge impact on your upcoming 2021 Disney vacation. Disney Genie is a free planning service that is found in My Disney Experience. This provides Guests with predicted wait times as well as suggestions for their touring of a theme park. Genie+ is a paid service that will allow Guests to bypass the standby line by using the Lightning Lane. If you are staying at a Disney resort, you will be able to select your first Genie+ ride starting at 7am; however, if you are staying off property, your selections will be able to be made starting when the park opens. If you choose to purchase Genie+ it can have a big impact on your vacation as you will lower your time in line. In each of the four theme parks, there are two rides that aren’t included in Genie+. These rides can be purchased individually al-a-cart for a price ranging from $7 to $15. For rides such as Rise of the Resistance, this can be a great way to ensure you get to experience the ride but not have to stand in the normal standby line. This new service will greatly impact your vacation and is something you should look into before heading down. We have some additional information to help you HERE.
After Hours Events
The last two months of 2021 head into the holiday season which will bring the new Disney Very Merriest After Hours Event. This is the new Christmas party at Magic Kingdom. This will impact your 2021 vacation as the Magic Kingdom could close early on party nights which could give you less time in Magic Kingdom if you aren’t attending the party. The holiday party also could impact your vacation if you choose to attend. The party will have a Christmas parade and firework show for the 2021 holiday season. Make sure you are aware of party nights before heading to your vacation and making those park reservations.
Early Theme Park Hours
Another offering that can impact your vacation to Disney World are the early theme park hours. Those staying at a Disney resort can get into any theme park 30 minutes prior to the posted park opening. This can be a fantastic way to get ahead of the crowd and get a few highly popular rides done before the park even opens to the public. On the other hand, if you aren’t staying at a Disney resort, be aware that you might need to adjust your touring because of these hours. It is likely that those popular rides might already have a wait when you arrive.
Extended Evening Hours
Guests staying at a deluxe resort or a deluxe villa resort can have the opportunity to experience extended evening hours at either EPCOT or Magic Kingdom on select days. This is when these two parks open for an extra two hours after the park closed. Again, this is a fantastic way to get a variety of rides completed without long lines. This can have a positive impact on your vacation if you are available to attend.
Festival in EPCOT
The EPCOT festival will have a big impact on your vacation in 2021 as they continue to bring in larger crowds especially on the weekends. EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival will run through November 20th with Festival of the Holidays starting up November 26th. This is a wonderful way to try out new food from different countries from around the world. You will want to schedule some time in EPCOT to enjoy these during your vacation but be aware that the weekends are busy.
These are just a few of the things that will impact your Walt Disney World vacation in 2021. We hope that knowing them ahead of time will help you be more prepared for them when you arrive for you r Disney trip making your Walt Disney World vacation even more magical.