We will be at WDW 10/15-22. There is a private event which is closing HS at 5pm on Tuesday, 10/17. Do these abbreviated opening hours reduce crowds at HS much like MNSSHP does at MK on party days? If so, the crowd calendar remains with a 7/10 expectation. We have hopper passes so leaving a park early one day (if the crowds are lower on that day) isn’t a huge loss, we can come back! But would switching our HS “primary” day to 10/17 be the right idea? Are days with early closure usually less crowded at HS as they are at MK?
Thank you!
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That is a really hard question to answer, since HS has had so few early closures. MK has had early closures for many parties for years, and each time it was a loss of a few hours plus fireworks.
This past year, HS has been very popular with few attractions - and most of the rides are super popular. HS has had high CL most of the time. I’m not sure there’d be a huge drop the way MK does, but probably at least some drop. There’d be no Fantasmic! and less chance for dinner at HS.
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I agree with this, but my guess is that crowds will be somewhat lower. Some guest will see the early closing (especially guests that tend to sleep and arrive later in the day) and choose a different park. If it were me and I was ok with missing Fantasmic! that day, I would go to HS on the early closing day…
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Agree, it’s almost always a good idea to visit a park with an early closure. I believe the last one in HS was 4/6/2022. This was also for a private event, with a closing time of 5:00. See CL’s below.
I think these rare events that aren’t on a regular basis get missed by the TP CL predictors. I’d guess HS will be a CL 4 that day.
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I will also be there that week and have been debating this very question. It’s the same day as. MK party and AK always closes early. So wish they would have made the HS early closure on a nonparty day! We decided to do MK that day because I think it will be lower than HS. And we are hopping to Epcot but expect it to be very crowded so we have an ADR at Spice Road and want to just relax and soak in atmosphere without expecting to do a bunch of attractions. Thankfully we have enough days to hit all the parks more than once.
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I’m considering moving our primary MK days to Thursday and Friday (hopping both nights since these are also MNSSHP days), especially since HS and EPCOT will have EEH that week. Struggling to decide, I’m probably making more out of these types of choices than is needed.
Of course you are … you’re a Liner 
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