When it comes to planning your Walt Disney World vacation, many of us swear by hitting the Parks at rope drop, thereby knocking out some of the more popular rides first thing in the morning. But what if the conventional wisdom of rope-dropping the most popular rides is only half the planning story?

While lines do, indeed, tend to be shortest at the beginning of the day, they’re similarly short at the end of the day, too.

Since we’re all familiar with rope-drop strategies, here are a few rides worth waiting ’til sundown for.

A quick note! The current situation at Disney World is really strange, with wait times going as low as five minutes for major attractions like the ones on this list. As such, if you’re going to the Parks right now, these tips may not apply. But keep them tucked up your sleeve in case you need them, anyway!

Avatar: Flight of Passage

It’s arguable if Flight of Passage is still the most popular ride in the World, but it’s definitely one that can hit a multi-hour queue during peak hours. Even worse, this is the number one rope-drop pick for most guests. Lines reach over an hour minutes after opening, before jumping to over two hours by 10AM.

If you can hold off on riding this just before closing, that can drop the wait to just under 30 minutes.  Remember: if you’re in the line when the Park closes, you can stay in the line and experience the attraction, even as guests are being funneled out of the Park

Kilimanjaro Safaris

Here’s a summer tip. While you probably don’t want to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris when it’s dark (unless you brought your night-vision goggles), dusk is one of the best times to ride. Not only are there shorter lines, but the animals tend to be more active. Plus, the view is incredible. Even if the line is a bit longer, this is definitely a perfect time to ride.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

Another rope-drop pick. While the Single Rider line for Millennium Falcon can drop the queue down to mere minutes, you miss most of the experience, and you often get stuck in the least engaging role on the flight crew. Waiting ’til the Bright Suns of Batuu are replaced with rising moons makes getting that coveted pilot’s seat much more likely.

Slinky Dog Dash

Another rope-drop pick, Slinky Dog Dash doesn’t even have the decency to have you wait in air conditioning! Wait until evening to board for a quicker ride if you can’t get that coveted FastPass (when they’re reinstated).

Frozen Ever After

A big perk of Frozen Ever After is its location on the World Showcase, which means if you can navigate there before the nightly fireworks start (when they’re not suspended, of course), you can reliably slip in while most of the crowd is distracted. It’s not a huge time saver, but it can be the difference between achieving your dreams of seeing Elsa & Co. or letting them go. (See what we did there?)

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

The Mine Train is one of the most popular rides at Magic Kingdom, and with good reason. With whimsical nostalgia and genuine thrills, this is the most Disney roller coaster there is. Waiting until the evening doesn’t just secure a shorter line, but you can also time your ride to coincide with the fireworks show (when it’s blasting off)!

Splash Mountain

Finally, this classic attraction (which isn’t long for this world in its current form) is most popular during the scorching midday heat. While going at night won’t do much for the gift shop line, you won’t regret taking a nighttime trip through Critter Country.

Nearly every ride has a shorter line near closing, including ones we didn’t cover. Are there any major ones we missed? Let us know your tips in the comments!

 

 

 

Post a Comment