Welcome to planDisney, Victoria! I'm so glad to be able to answer your question today because I'm a data scientist and, as you can probably guess, I really do love data. I've got some to share with you about capacity, phased closure, and what you can expect on your upcoming trip next year.
Although
the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is a very busy time at Walt Disney World, there were no phased closures due to capacity during that week in 2024. While there have been instances in the past when the parks do temporarily stop admitting new guests due to capacity, I haven't seen that happen in quite a long time.
Magic Kingdom is the most likely park to close for capacity during the busiest times of the year, but it's still considered to be a pretty rare event.
If a park begins to reach capacity, the closures happen in a few stages. First, the parking lots will be closed and the only guests admitted to the parks must be arriving on
Disney transportation. After that, if capacity still needs to be managed, only guests of
Disney Resorts Collection hotels will be admitted. Finally, there is a possibility that entrance will be restricted to all guests, but that is quite rare. So while it’s good to be aware of these stages, full closures are pretty uncommon. The
My Disney Experience app will push alerts to your phone in the event of a capacity restriction, or you can also call (407) 560-5000 to hear a recorded message about theme park availability.
I hope this answers your question, Victoria, and please let us know if there's anything else we can do to help you plan your magical vacation!
Jessica