Earlier this week, Walt Disney World was jam-packed with people, with multi-hour waits for attractions like Space Mountain, Soarin' and Slinky Dog Dash. The Magic Kingdom even closed at one point on Monday due to the park reaching capacity. However, though it's only Thursday, crowd levels have begun to recede, and some adjustments are being made to deal with the end of the holiday season and the start of a slower period at Walt Disney World.
1. The Festival of Fantasy Parade moves back to 3:00 PM
Image: Disney
The 3:00 parade has become such an institution at the Magic Kingdom that Disney has even created a line of merchandise themed around the classic tourist question "When is the 3 'o clock parade?" However, last fall, the daily Festival of Fantasy parade moved to 2:00 PM, where it stayed through the Halloween and holiday season while events like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party ruled the schedule and put a strain on entertainment during the day. However, now that the calendar at the Magic Kingdom is a lot less crowded, effective this week, the parade has been moved back to its normal time of 3:00 PM, where it is expected to stay until next fall.
2. Long-scheduled refurbishments begin and planned closures take effect
Image: Disney
The beginning of a new year often brings lots of closures and refurbishments to Walt Disney World and 2019 is no different, with water parks, the Walt Disney World Railroad and more getting spruced up at the moment. One of the biggest closures that is happening now is that of the Tomorrowland Speedway, which closed yesterday for a lengthy refurbishment so that changes can be made to the track to accomodate the upcoming Tron attraction.
In addition, overflow merchandise locations as well as the temporary pop-up shop The Art of Disney Presents Greg McCullough at Disney Springs have all been shuttered in recent days now that the holiday rush has ended.
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