PHOTOS: Why Some of Disney World’s Crowds Might Be Deceiving

Lots of things are changing at Disney World — capacity is being increased, mask rules have changed, distancing on Disney’s rides has changed, and more things are starting to open up.

Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

So, you might be wondering, what are the crowds looking like now? Of course, crowd levels can vary, but today we wanted to give you a peek at the crowds in Disney’s Hollywood Studios and a look at why some of the crowds might be a bit deceiving.

When we first entered Disney’s Hollywood Studios today, we certainly weren’t alone. You can see the pockets of empty space in places, but there were a decent number of people around.

Over at the Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company near the Market and Toy Story Land, there was a pretty big line for coffee! Be sure to plan ahead for your coffee needs if you’re not willing to wait in long lines. You could consider grabbing coffee in your resort and/or packing it with you to bring into the park.

But, the BIGGEST crowds by far were over in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge! At the time we were there, Slinky Dog Dash had temporarily gone down so that could have contributed to the crowds. But seriously, there were a LOT of people in this area.

There was also a very substantial queue over at Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. But, this is where things can get a little deceiving.

The line here looked extremely long when we walked past it, but in reality the wait was about 70 minutes.

We’ve frequently seen the wait for Smugglers Run at 70 minutes or more previously, but the line used to be arranged in such a way that it took guests partially backstage. Because distancing is being reduced in many areas around Disney World, it seems the line is now once again being arranged in the front, which is more visible to guests walking past.

So, while the line might look extremely hectic, keep in mind that it might be a bit deceiving, especially compared to what you were used to seeing previously. You may spot this in other areas or other attractions too as distancing regulations change and things start moving around. Now, sometimes those long lines will indicate that there is an extremely long wait. But other times the wait might not be as bad as you might expect. Before you walk away and head to another attraction, be sure to look at those wait times or speak with a Cast Member at the ride to see how much time Disney is estimating you’ll actually spend in line.

Here’s a look at some of the wait times we saw a few minutes after we snapped those crowd photos.

That leads us to another question though — just how accurate are Disney’s estimated wait times? We’ve actually been going around the parks to find out. Click here to see what we discovered at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in terms of how accurate the wait times are over at that park!

As the summer gets underway, capacity gradually increases, and more things (like fireworks) return to Disney World, we’ll be sure to keep looking at the crowd levels and letting you know what to expect. Stay tuned for more news and updates from us here at AllEars!