Christmas Day Wait Times at Walt Disney World: TRON Leads with 3-Hour Queue

Dec 25, 2024 in "Holidays at the Magic Kingdom"

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2024 Magic Kingdom Holiday Decor and Christmas Tree

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Posted: Wednesday December 25, 2024 3:00pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Christmas Day at Walt Disney World often brings large crowds, festive energy, and extended wait times, and 2025 is no different. By 3 pm, many attractions across all four parks are reporting longer standby waits. However, the majority of rides are under 100 minutes, making them quite manageable for a peak holiday.

2024 Magic Kingdom Holiday Decor and Christmas Tree

Trends Across the Parks

High Demand for Headliners: Newer attractions and timeless classics dominate the wait time charts across all parks.
Steady Interest in Meet-and-Greets: Holiday character interactions continue to draw significant crowds, with consistent wait times throughout the day.
Balanced Crowds Across Parks: Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios have the longest waits for marquee attractions, while EPCOT and Animal Kingdom maintain a more manageable balance, ideal for families looking to spread out.

Here's a closer look at the wait times park by park:

Magic Kingdom

TRON Lightcycle / Run tops the charts with a 180-minute wait.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is another guest favorite with a 105-minute wait.
Family classics like Peter Pan's Flight (90 minutes) and Space Mountain (85 minutes) also see strong demand.
Meet-and-greet locations, such as Princess Fairytale Hall and Ariel's Grotto, maintain steady waits of 45-50 minutes, highlighting the holiday appeal of character interactions.

TRON Lightcycle Run Standby Line

EPCOT

Fan-favorites like Frozen Ever After and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure each report 70-minute waits.
Soarin' Around the World stands out with a more moderate 50-minute wait, making it one of the more accessible headliners at this time.

Hollywood Studios

Star Wars attractions dominate here, with Rise of the Resistance holding at 80 minutes and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at 75 minutes.
Slinky Dog Dash continues to be a major draw, matching the 80-minute wait time.
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster keeps pace with a 70-minute standby wait, demonstrating its enduring popularity.

Animal Kingdom

Avatar Flight of Passage leads the park with a 115-minute wait, cementing its status as the park's premier attraction.
Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest hold steady at 80 and 45 minutes, offering solid options for guests seeking a balance of adventure and lower wait times.

Final Thoughts

While some headliners like TRON and Avatar Flight of Passage are drawing over 100-minute waits, many other rides remain under an hour, providing plenty of opportunities for guests to enjoy the parks without extended waits. We expect to see crowds pickup between Christmas Day and New Year's, so stay tuned for more coverage of the holiday week at Walt Disney World.

Discuss on the Forums

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wdwmagic17 days ago

I'm going to close this thread now that we have 2025 details https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/walt-disney-world-holidays-2025.986347/

wdwmagic17 days ago

Yes

DisneyDreamer0817 days ago

Does Fantasmic still happen for day guests on a Jollywood night?

DisneyDreamer0817 days ago

On sale July 16th for resort guests

Disone17 days ago

Heard and okay. Fingers crossed 🤞 then

TheMaxRebo17 days ago

No idea if they would ever do it but would be nice to see the gingerbread house somewhere at Disney Springs and would make it easier for people (locals) to get there and buy gingerbread and no overrun Grand Flo

Disone17 days ago

It's the opposite, they went out of there way to avoid this. It was suppose to happen in 23, pushed to 24 and then Pushed back again to 25 and possibly 26. Finally they ripped the bandaid off and just said do it in 2025 and get it over with. If they were trying to get rid of foot traffic they would also get rid of all the other gingerbread displays at the other Resorts. None of which make us much money as the gingerbread house at the Grand. No the Disney accountants are not trying to find ways decrease foot traffic with acceptable declines in revenue. If they're making money they're perfectly okay with the front traffic. The new bar may bring a new year-around revenue stream but they will still get a huge revenue boost by doing the gingerbread house. It's not a one or the other type thing. I'm more interested in how that Christmas tree is going to fit with the bar there. I'm waiting for the announcement, and I don't have inside knowledge on this just speculating on my own, that the Christmas tree in the lobby will also be canceled for 2025. I can't imagine they're going to put the tree so close to an actual construction site. And then once it's done will there be room for the tree?

aladdin200717 days ago

Heard this as well, not necessarily for that reason, though probably a part of it. I can't see the bar and gingerbread house operating at the same time that would be a mess. This was their way out of it and the cost of doing it, regardless of what two month profit came in from it, the bar will bring in year round profit to make up for it. Disney has been trying to decrease foot traffic for a while now across property. Bad business in my opinion, but their messed accounting reigns supreme.

Schweino17 days ago

Ive always wondered why they would add another thing to generate a queue/line (bar) when that place can get super packed when GH is up and running. Sounds like the GF lobby is going to get even worse.

Brian18 days ago

It is absolutely coming back.

mattpeto18 days ago

I hope you’re right. I’m skeptical.

Ayla18 days ago

Dreamlights will never return as long as they are using projections.

Disone18 days ago

Imagine the Goodwill they would generate, if they brought both back? This year. On the heels of closing the Muppet's and the rivers of America, they need this Goodwill. I used to think statements of the attendance decline were overstated. Maybe 10-15% which isn't good by any business model at all but it's also not the end of the world and somewhat expected with epic opening down the street. But having been there recently on Sunday, oh my God it was way more than 10 to 15%. The Magic Kingdom felt like Disneyland on a Wednesday in September. I think Walt Disney World is in dire need of some wins and good will with their guests But I also believe they are woefully unaware of this. :(

Disone18 days ago

Nope. It will be back. Too much of a money maker. And honestly amount of grand Floridian guests complaining about the crowds are easily outmatched by the amount of Grand Floridian guests complaining that there's no gingerbread house. The gingerbread house has a direct impact in excess of $1 million in revenue for the Grand and an indirect impact in the ability to sell rooms during the holiday season at extremely high rates.