No one likes to wait a long time in line at Walt Disney World. Guests don’t enjoy shuffling for hours to experience an attraction (which will in most cases only last a few minutes), and Disney doesn’t like losing out on revenue while guests are spending their whole day waiting in line instead of shopping or dining. However, even though no one particularly likes to wait in line, there are some easy ways you can cut down on line time in Walt Disney World.
1. Make a smart FastPass+ schedule
It’s no secret that the easiest way to avoid lines at Walt Disney World is through FastPass+. However, the way in which you use FastPass+ can directly impact how long you wait in line. For instance, if you are going to the Magic Kingdom and make FastPass+ reservations for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight and Wishes at 10:00AM, 1:00PM, and 8:00PM, you might feel like you’re getting the most out of this service. However, with this set-up, you’re actually only skipping two lines, and dooming yourself to standby oblivion for the rest of the day.
Instead, try making advance FastPass+ reservations stacked right on top of each other for the first two hours of your visit to the Magic Kingdom (preferably as close to park opening as possible). Though you might not get Peter Pan’s Flight or The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (unless you’re really lucky), attractions like the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dumbo, and Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid almost always have early morning availability.
Once you have claimed these early morning FastPass+ reservations, it’s time to hit the kiosks and start looking for attractions with immediate FastPass+ availability near you. Though it might be tempting to make a FastPass+ reservation for 3:10 for Peter Pan’s Flight, if you find yourself in Frontierland around 2:00 and there’s a FastPass+ available for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 2:15, take the immediate FastPass+, use it, and then go right back to the same kiosk and get that Peter Pan’s Flight reservation for 3:10. Though choosing attractions based solely on the time of FastPass+ availability might not be for everyone, if you don’t mind criss-crossing the park, it’s possible to skip half a dozen lines or more during a full day at the parks.
2. Be strategic about stand-by
Even though you can skip a lot of lines using the time-based FastPass+ strategy outlined above (we recently pushed the limits of this strategy and were able to make a whopping 8 FastPass+ reservations before 6PM on a crowded Magic Kingdom day), the fact is there is always an attraction or two that you simply can’t get a FastPass+ for. However, just because you know you’re going to have to shuffle through stand-by at some point, doesn’t mean you have to consign yourself to a long wait.
One of the biggest contributors to wait time length for stand-by guests is FastPass+ return windows. The beginning of a return time is always the busiest as guests line up to be the first among the FastPass crowd to get into an attraction. If you head over to a ride you aren’t using FastPass+ for and you see a big queue in front of the FastPass+ sign, it might be time to visit the water fountain, the gift shop or Starbucks. Return in ten minutes, and you’ll join a stand-by line that is actually moving, instead of one that has been stalled by the start of a FastPass+ return window.
3. Use the single rider line (where available)
Image: Disney
Guests can also shorten their time in line by utilizing the single rider line at attractions where it is offered. Though this won’t be possible for all parties (especially those traveling with small children) this is a great way to get through a long wait in a fraction of the time. And with high-capacity attractions like Expedition Everest and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, chances are good that other members of your party will likely be in the same ride vehicle with you, even if they’re not sitting next to you. And really, when you’re facing a yeti or rocking out to Aerosmith, are you really going to notice the person next to you? As long as you’re willing to be flexible (and don’t have little ones to keep an eye on), single rider can and should be used when it is available.
4. Don’t be afraid to dine al fresco
Though waiting in line for attractions is certainly the biggest bother at Walt Disney World, waiting for food and seating during lunch and dinner time isn’t much fun either. While we’d all like to live in a world where we could walk up to a counter service window at Walt Disney World, immediately get our food and then be able to sit down and eat at any table we wanted, unfortunately this almost never happens, especially at the Magic Kingdom.
Fortunately, if the weather is nice there are plenty of places where you can grab a quick bite and then eat outside, picnic style. The Magic Kingdom’s newly expanded hub may fill with guests during the nightly Wishes display, but in the afternoon, guests can get something from nearby walk-up eateries like the Cheshire Cafe or Friar’s Nook (which almost never have a wait thanks to their lack of seating areas) and then take a short walk to the hub for a perfect Walt Disney World picnic, no queueing for tables involved!
5. Stay up late
This is another tip that might not work for all families (especially those with small children), but if you can stay up late at Walt Disney World, you definitely should. During busy seasons, all four parks will stay open for some time after their nightly spectaculars (Wishes, Star Wars: Symphony in the Sky, etc.), and guests who stay in the park after the initial rush of guests leaves the park will find that attractions that were once off-limits due to wait time (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, etc.) will suddenly have ten or twenty minute waits, which is much more manageable. Though you should never count on riding a “must do” attraction during the evening hours (if a ride goes 101 in the evening it will often stay closed for the remainder of the night, which makes waiting for your favorite ride a little risky), if you’re wanting to ride something again, or don’t mind taking your chances later in the evening, this is a great way to experience some of Walt Disney World’s best attractions with little or no wait.
6. Embrace inclement weather
Rain can be a bummer at Walt Disney World. The temperature cools, your feet get soggy, and outdoor rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Expedition Everest and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train all close. Given all these circumstances, it’s no wonder why many guests flock back to their hotel rooms at the first sign of inclement weather. However, even if the rain rain rain comes down down down (to paraphrase a song popularized by a certain Honey-craving bear), you can still enjoy a day at Walt Disney World. In fact, you might just have the best day ever, as lines for in-demand indoor attractions like Toy Story Midway Mania, Space Mountain, Dinosaur and Peter Pan’s Flight all plummet as guests leave the parks in droves.
Though you’ll have to break out your poncho, if you want to wait in line less, you might want to do a little rain dance before you head to the parks, as inclement weather can cut your wait time down by quite a large margin.
What tips and tricks do you have to spend less time in lines at Walt Disney World?
