Nobody likes crowds. The bumping, the jostling, the confusion of figuring out if the person walking directly towards you is going to turn left or right before you collide… While most Walt Disney World visitors share a common distaste for crowds, for some, the stress of a sea of strangers can ruin a good vacation.
We’ve talked about dealing with crowds before on Theme Park Tourist, whether you’re an introvert visiting The Most Magical Place on Earth, whether you struggle with social anxiety or panic attacks, or even if you just need some hacks for casual guests to navigate crowds easier. Heck, we’ve even covered that special level of madness that kicks in when we all want to lose it in Disney crowds. Even with the best advice, there are some places at Walt Disney World that are unpleasant no matter what for people who don’t like crowds. If you enjoy your Disney vacation on the more peaceful side, you may want to avoid these eight spots that make Mickey’s magical world feel a bit more like Simba’s wildebeest stampede. How many of these have you encountered?
1. The World of Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Image: Disney
The World of Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has proven one of Disney’s most successful park expansions thus far. While this immersive new land saw understandably high crowds its first year, it has steadily remained one of Walt Disney World’s most attended lands, particularly thanks to its star attraction, Avatar: Flight of Passage.
Unfortunately, this success has meant there is almost no time you can completely avoid crowds at Disney’s World of Pandora. Yes, crowd levels are reasonable first thing in the morning and on light days, but this is a rarer occurrence than you’d expect. If you do manage to avoid crowds in Pandora, consider yourself lucky. Weekend nights and peak season get particularly uncomfortable in this winding land, to the point Disney has been known to limit entry if Pandora reaches capacity. Expect some shoulder bumping and awkward encounters if you visit on even a remotely busy day.
2. Magic Kingdom parade routes
Image: Disney
It’s an unfortunate reality that most of the crowd bottlenecks in Walt Disney World are found in or around Magic Kingdom. It makes sense—even with the success of Pandora, Magic Kingdom remains Disney’s busiest park. It also wasn’t completely built with convenient crowd flow in mind.
Easily the most uncomfortable crowd traps in Magic Kingdom are parade routes. While there are some ways to determine ahead of time where a parade will be passing, it is astonishingly easy to get stuck in a slow-moving river of bodies when a parade or fireworks are near. Once the show starts, visitors can find themselves stuck on the wrong side of the park when crossways close (for example, never wait until a parade has started to try to get to Tom Sawyer Island). While Disney does an admirable job trying to manage this chaos, it’s still stressful.
If you hate crowds, arrange your Magic Kingdom visit with parades and fireworks in mind. Make sure you are in the section of the park you want to visit well before a parade starts and try to hit E-ticket rides during shows. You’ll actually find lines might be shorter!
3. Disney Springs on busy nights
Image: Disney
Disney Springs is a fun stop both for both guests and locals. However, if you don’t like crowds, you might want to plan your visit to Disney Springs either earlier in the day or on a weekday. Particularly during the busy season, Disney’s ever-expanding shopping and entertainment complex can quickly turn into a human cattle drive, especially at night after the parks start closing. During the Christmas holiday and other busy seasons, moving from one store to another can try the patience of even the most stalwart guest. Spare yourself the trouble and time your Disney Springs visit when other guests are still exploring the parks.
4. The Monorail
A ride on the monorail is a favorite pastime of many Walt Disney World guests. Indeed, if you are staying at Magic Kingdom’s flagship resorts or parking at the Transportation and Ticket Center, it’s a necessity to get to and from both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Particularly in the mornings, on weekends, and during the busy season, the monorail can quickly test the fortitude of guests who don’t care for crowds.
The main issue stems from guest bottlenecks at the Transportation and Ticket Center as well as the Magic Kingdom resorts. With so many visitors needing the monorail to even get to and from Magic Kingdom, lines can run long and cars fill up quickly. Some guests can also get a bit pushy with strollers and other implements as families huddle in to make space.
While monorail rides are a fun and iconic part of a Disney visit, the truth is if you can avoid the monorail during common guest “commute” hours, you will save yourself some time and headaches. Avoid parking at the Transportation and Ticket Center if you can when guests are flooding into Magic Kingdom (particularly in the late morning). You also might be better off taking a bus to the Yacht and Beach Club or Boardwalk Inn then walking to Epcot rather than waiting in a long line for the Epcot monorail.
5. The World of Disney store
Image: Boky 8, Wikimedia Commons (license)
There is possibly no spot in Disney Springs more trying on the nerves of those who hate crowds than the World of Disney store. There’s just something about this megastore’s maze-like layout of shelves and tight corners that makes it particularly difficult to navigate if it’s even slightly crowded. Add to that the store’s insane popularity, and you have a guaranteed recipe for stress if you don’t care for crowds.
Much of the merchandise at World of Disney can be found at other places throughout Walt Disney World, but if you really want to visit with minimized crowds, try to visit close to the time Disney Springs opens for the day. Weekdays in particular aren’t too bad unless you’re in the midst of peak season.
6. Fantasyland
Image: Disney
Crowd levels at Fantasyland have fortunately become somewhat easier to manage since the opening of New Fantasyland back in 2012. However, this hasn’t changed the fact that Fantasyland remains of the most insanely busy places in Magic Kingdom. For families with small children, there is no area of the park kids love more, and families from all over are willing to fight whatever crowds necessary to see their little ones get to meet Belle, ride the Seven Dwarves Mine Train, fly with Dumbo, and dive under the sea with Ariel.
Even for adults, I don’t recommend skipping Fantasyland entirely. It’s a seriously fun place just to walk through, even if you don’t ride any rides. However, if you want to minimize crowd frustrations, consider timing your Fantasyland visit either first thing in the morning or during the fireworks. You can also keep an eye on wait times on the My Disney Experience app to see if any dips in waits indicate an outflux of families to other parts of the park.
7. Any new major park expansion
Image: Disney
Disney has an extensive list of much-anticipated expansions opening in its parks over the next five years, ranging from new attractions at Epcot to the mega-immersive Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opening in summer 2019. If the success of The World of Pandora has taught us anything, it’s to expect that these new expansions will draw crowds—massive crowds that may stay well beyond the expected busy seasons.
Think about it… Who has actually seen the movie Avatar more than once or twice? While there are exceptions to every rule, many Disney regulars were left scratching their heads when Disney chose to base an entire land off a film not known for any major cult following. However, despite all odds, The World of Pandora has managed to appeal to audiences across the spectrum. You could have hated Avatar and still find yourself cooing with delight at The World of Pandora. Guests fell in love with this dreamscape land quickly, and it continues to boost attendance at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to unforeseen levels.
There is no telling what effect more well-known properties like Guardians of the Galaxy and Toy Story will have on park attendance… and you can bet Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be packed for its first year. Hate crowds? Time your visit carefully and don’t set your expectations too high. We’re Florida resident passholders, and it took us almost a year to finally get a Fastpass to Flight of Passage!
8. Anywhere on major US holidays
Image: Disney
If you choose to visit Walt Disney World on the 4th of July, New Years Eve, or Christmas Day, there is nothing I or any other Disney expert can do to help you. There is no crowd hack that will save your trip on these days if crowds stress you out. Can you still have fun? Sure, kind of like how people can still have fun during the run of the bulls or the opening of a new IKEA. However, if you hate crowds, there is unfortunately very little that can be done to salvage your sanity if you visit Walt Disney World on a major holiday.
No matter what, Disney attendance rises on holidays, whether it be Labor Day, President’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, or Memorial Day. The only exception to this rule would be Super Bowl Sunday which is actually an amazing day to visit. If you find yourself roped into a Disney trip on a holiday against your better judgment, do lots of research into touring plans and trip hacks. Plan thoroughly, and don’t be afraid to pace yourself with regular retreats back to your room or a quiet place.
Where else in Disney World do crowds test your stress to the limit?
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