The crowds showing up to Walt Disney World during the COVID-19 pandemic seem to be worse on the weekend.
Blog Mickey, using information on wait times from Thrill-Data.com, found that wait times can be twice as long in some Disney World parks on Saturdays compared to the slowest weekdays. The most pronounced weekend disparity was found at Animal Kingdom.
Crowd behavior at Disney World varies considerably from the typical regional park because the majority of visitors are out-of-town tourists. That has changed during the pandemic, as Disney CEO Bob Chapek said on the company’s last earnings call that around 50 percent of current visitors to Disney World are from local markets — who are generally less lucrative for the resort.
“Typically someone who travels and stays for five days to seven days is marginally more valuable to the business than someone who comes in on an annual pass and stays a day or two and consumes less merchandise and food and beverage,” Chapek said.
You can read more about Blog Mickey’s recommendations on weekend crowds here.
SeaWorld San Antonio expanding to year-round operation in 2021
While other theme parks are trimming their schedules during the pandemic, SeaWorld San Antonio is expanding it.
As first reported by Theme Park Insider, the park will forego its typical off season and remain open on select days in January and February.
“After SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration this winter and the turn of the New Year, guests now have the additional months of January and February to enjoy all the unique sites and experiences that SeaWorld has to offer in a safe outdoor environment with limited capacity,” the park said in a press release.
The park will not be open seven days a week during these months, but that’s not a drastic change. Following Labor Day weekend, SeaWorld San Antonio will only be open Fridays through Sundays (with the exception of Columbus Day) through the end of November.
The exact schedule for January and February operations at the park has not been announced by SeaWorld.