Ever wondered just how bad Christmas Day crowds are in Disney World?

We were in the parks on Christmas Eve 2022 and shared a look at the shocking crowds on that day, plus we’ve been motoring crowds all this week. But today, Christmas Day 2022, we made our way to both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom to see whether the crowds would make us cringe or scratch our heads. So now, join us for a virtual trip around the parks to see what you should expect on a big holiday!

Magic Kingdom

One of our team members started their morning in Magic Kingdom. The lines for the parking area actually weren’t all that bad early this morning!

Let’s do this! 💪🎄 pic.twitter.com/IsBhudvwDi

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 25, 2022

 

 

 

And while this isn’t exactly crowd-related, we have to share a special moment we spotted in the parks — Peter Pan playing holiday games with kiddos! What a special Christmas memory that will be.

If I’m gonna play holiday games, I want to play with Peter Pan ❄️ pic.twitter.com/721hH9ouHt

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 25, 2022

 

 

 

Over by the Castle, the crowds were…strange? Where are all the people?!

I had to double check my calendar that it’s actually December 25th…could it be?! Is this ACTUALLY Magic Kingdom right now?! pic.twitter.com/ZD41hABKu9

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 25, 2022

 

 

 

Even a bit later in the morning, crowds in this particular area of the hub (right up near the Castle) weren’t all that bad.

Another view of Magic Kingdom on the Christmas Day 🎄 Do the crowds (or lack thereof) shock you or was this expected? pic.twitter.com/9yZm5by9TE

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 25, 2022

 

 

 

It just depended on the time and where you looked. In some spots, there were definitely more people.

But other areas had more breathing room.

And some spaces were downright…dare we say it…empty?

In terms of wait times, at around 11:47AM, there were some rides with a 5-minute wait (like The Barnstormer and Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover). Others were closer to 30 minutes — like Pirates of the Caribbean and Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid. And other rides, as you might expect, had longer waits. At 11:47AM, the longest wait was 85 minutes at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and 85 minutes at Peter Pan’s Flight. 

So that was the scene at Magic Kingdom — some bigger crowds in certain areas but not as many crowds in other spots. But what did EPCOT look like?

EPCOT

Over at EPCOT, there was a decent amount of people waiting to get into the park.

You can see some of the longer lines here!

Though the wait for Spaceship Earth was listed at just 35 minutes when we passed it, there was quite the line for this popular attraction.

Found the people. They’re in line for Spaceship Earth 😂

Only a 35 minute wait though! pic.twitter.com/hHGDkltj2Y

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 25, 2022

 

 

 

There were also lots of folks grabbing a morning coffee at Connections Cafe (the Starbucks location in EPCOT). Looks like the cold Florida weather may have encouraged more people to get a hot beverage!

Found the rest of the people. They’re at Starbucks 😂 pic.twitter.com/kUC1V3ch96

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 25, 2022

 

 

 

And we spotted a really long line at Mission SPACE for the Green side.

But things at the Mexico pavilion were MUCH quieter, likely because the pavilion’s only ride — Gran Fiesta Tour — was temporarily closed. Even so, the line at La Cava del Tequila was nearly empty when we walked past.

We were shocked that there was no line at the Mexico pavilion, but Gran Fiesta Tour is down! 🦆 pic.twitter.com/dVc2Uqihp0

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 25, 2022

 

 

 

In terms of wait times, some rides had 10-minute waits when we checked around 11:59AM, including Living with the Land. But others had longer waits — Spaceship Earth went up to 45 minutes, Mission: SPACE was at 70 minutes, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure was up to 120 minutes.

We’ll continue to make our way through the park and let you know what we see!

Even though some people may enjoy spending the holidays in Disney and you can typically expect the parks to be busier around this time, it looks like some guests have opted to stay home this year, whether that is because of a concern for higher crowds in the parks, weather delays from storms impacting the U.S., or even just a desire to stay away from the colder Florida temperatures that rolled in this weekend.

Note that these were the wait times/crowds from earlier in the day. Things could pick up once the day warms up and Christmas presents are all opened.

If you’re looking for a quiet place to get away and take a breather on busy park days, we’ve got a whole list of spots we recommend in Magic Kingdom right here! As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news.

See where you can find a Christmas feast in Disney today!

Have you ever spent Christmas Day in Disney World? Tell us in the comments!