It came as a huge surprise to me today when I read that not a single park at Walt Disney World has reached capacity so far this year over the busy Christmas period.

Usually at least the Magic Kingdom has hit capacity but so far has remained open to all over the busy period.

To give you a comparison, in 2015 Magic Kingdom hit capacity at 10am on Christmas Day and did not reopen to all guests until 4:30pm later that day. The park also hit capacity on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day!

Of course there is still time for the park to hit capacity and I am fairly sure it will happen on at least New Year’s Eve. The reason behind the lower crowds this year is likely due to this being the first Christmas with the tiered ticket pricing.

To get into the park for a single day admission is $19 more over the Christmas period at the Magic Kingdom in comparison to a quieter period. Though I would love the reason to be that people are simply taking a stand against higher pricing at Walt Disney World, it is much more likely that this is exactly what Disney wanted and expected to happen.

Still, for the park not to hit capacity yet is still quite a surprise, what are your thoughts?