If you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights before it closes on January 3rd, 2016, there are a few things you need to know.
1. Expect Massive Crowds – Everyone wants to see the lights before they are retired and it is causing massive crowds in that area of the park. You should consider arriving to the park early so that you can park in the Hollywood Studios parking lot or avoid the light display until right before the park closes since the lights remain on for an hour after closing time.
2. Parking Lot Closures – The Hollywood Studios parking lot is fairy small and it has been filling up by mid to late afternoon. When this happens, Disney will redirect you to Epcot to park. After parking at Epcot, you have to wait on a bus to take you to Hollywood Studios. An alternative is to take the path along the waterfront that runs from Epcot’s International Gateway to Hollywood Studios (it’s about a 20 minute walk or a 30-40 minute boat ride). Spend the morning in Epcot enjoying Holidays Around The World and the evening in Hollywood Studios enjoying the lights.
3. Leave the stroller behind – Find an area to park the stroller and leave it when you head to the lights. It will save you frustration as it is nearly impossible to navigate a stroller through the crowds without having someone cut you off.
4. Prepare to wait – Due to the crowds, Hollywood Studios is implementing a queue area during peak times where you will have to wait for your chance to see the lights. This is due to safety concerns as you do not want too many people pushing their way in for their chance to see the lights. They are also implementing a traffic pattern to keep the crowds moving and prevent people from standing in one spot for too long.
5. Arrive for lights out – The lights are staying on about an hour after the park closes. Many people don’t know this, so wait until later in the evening and you should experience lower crowds.
For those of you that have been to the lights display this year, do you have any tips to share?
I disagree about the strollers. We have been the week before Christmas every year for the last 7 years and used a stroller every time It does get very crowded, but no more crowded than M.K. on Christmas Eve. As long as you aren’t trying to speed walk or sprint somewhere you can move through with your stroller.