When visiting a Disney park there’s one thing you can count on. Crowds and lines. However there is one trick that sometimes gives you a day with lower crowds and wait times, especially this time of year – a week before Christmas.

Visit the Magic Kingdom when there is a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) scheduled.

On these days most people with single day passes avoid the Magic Kingdom because the park closes early for the after-hours, special ticketed events. Unless one has an Annual Pass or a Park Hopper, they can’t leave to go to another park until after 2PM. Which brings crowd levels down even more as people hop to other parks.

Of course this doesn’t always work, but in my experience we’ve seen a reduction in crowds.

Normal park days can have even larger crowds this time of year

We’ve also seen the Magic Kingdom be worse than normal on days in between after-hour events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. One day pass holders will wait to go on those days since the park is open later and they perceive it to be “more bang for the buck.”

Going on days of the events paired with good planning and / or using the Genie+ add on can make your day so much more enjoyable. There will still be lines and people, but not nearly as many as you encounter during a regular park day.

Anymore the parks are packed and anything that you can do to make it a bit less chaotic is a good thing.

If you are staying at one of the Disney resort hotels you can also get into the parks a half an hour before other guests. Use that time to hit some of the longer wait time attractions first.

We usually get a Genie+ for Space Mountain or the Jungle Cruise then head to Peter Pan’s Flight, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and then hit either The Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean and it works well for us. Or get a Genie+ or paid Lightning Lane for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and go to one of the mountains first.

All of these tips could save you some wait time and frustration. But I do recommend visiting the Magic Kingdom on days when there is an event like MNSSHP or MVMCP. The only reason I would suggest something else is if your family tends to be later in the day-park close visitors, then obviously go on a regular day.

This tip usually works, but your miles may vary.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!