Disney World is a magical place with lots of great things, but there’s one not-so-magical thing: long lines.
It might seem like these lines are inescapable, but never fear! We’ve got some secrets to tackling all the rides you want to get on in one day at Disney World!
We’re letting you in on our secrets to NEVER waiting in long lines at Disney World!
Disney Genie Can Be Your Best Friend
Disney Genie is the new planning service on the Disney World App which features a free Genie (we like to call it Freenie) that offers you plans, advice, and ideas for your day and a paid version called Genie+ that’s $15 per person per day and gets you access to the new version of FastPass lines called Lightning Lanes.
Whether you’re using the free Genie’s tip boards and recommended itineraries to plan the most effective day with the shortest waits possible or you’re using Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection (A.K.A. Fancy Rides) to skip the lines, this service can be your best friend when it comes to avoiding those long lines.
Click Here to Learn EVERYTHING About Disney Genie!
Get to the Park Early
Even if you’re not an early riser, one of the best ways to cut down on your wait time for popular rides is to plan to get to the parks early. And by early, we mean really early — before the park even opens.
Disney lets resort guests into the park half an hour early for Early Park Entry, and that is when you’ll find the shortest line because, well, people don’t love to wake up too early on vacation.
Set your alarm, and plan to head straight for one or two popular rides that have the longest wait times throughout the entire day. At Magic Kingdom that likely means Splash Mountain, for example.
The Best Spots to Start Your Day at Walt Disney World
Have Some “Filler Rides” In Mind
Once the clock hits opening time, the popular rides will already have formed a pretty long line. Instead of hopping into one of those lines and waiting, head to the less popular attractions — their wait will be even lower than normal because most people are trying to ride the popular rides when they first arrive in the park.
Throughout the day, keep an eye on the attractions that have wait times that fluctuate but are generally 30-minutes or less (think The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Star Tours, etc.). They can dip at almost any time, making them great rides to hit during the day.
Disney World Rides That Never Have a Long Wait
Tackle Some Popular Attractions While Others Are Waiting to Park Hop
Now just because you may have missed a popular ride or two before the park opened in the morning doesn’t mean you won’t get a chance to catch the line with a shorter wait! Between 1 to 2PM many guests will leave the park to hop to another park. Since park hopping hours don’t start until 2PM, a healthy percentage of guests are in transit to another park or waiting to enter their second park in that short window between 1-2PM. That means fewer guests inside the park standing in lines.
The ride lines tend to dip around this time so head to one of the popular rides with the lowest wait-time. Just be sure that you’ve scheduled your lunchtime either before or after so that you aren’t tempted to skip the ride and go get food.
The Best Time of Day to Go on Walt Disney World’s Most Popular Rides
Save a Popular Attraction For the Evening
If we’re really trying to tackle all the popular rides in Disney World without a wait, then we’re arriving early and staying late! That’s because ride lines typically start to go down in the late afternoon and early evening.
Plus, if you’re willing to stay a little past park close, the wait times dip even more. How can you ride after the park has closed? As long as you’re in line one minute before the park close time, you can wait and ride. Magic Kingdom closing at 9PM? Be in line for Space Mountain by 8:59PM, and you’ll likely have a shorter wait time and be able to make it your last ride of the day! (Bonus: You can skip the mad rush with the masses for the bus stop!)
The Best Spots to End Your Night at Walt Disney World
Well, there you have it — use our secret to NEVER waiting in long lines in Disney World! And, you can see whether or not it’s worth it to use Genie+ at EPCOT!
And, stay tuned for more Disney World planning tips and tricks!
Click Here to Read More About Disney Genie!
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What is your strategy for doing Disney World rides without a long wait? Let us know in the comments!
Have you guys heard any rumors as to what the future of park hopping might be? Are they planning to keep it after 2pm only? Thanks for any hints you might be able to give us on that.