The 5 Minutes Every Day When Disney World Is Total CHAOS

Every time I go to Disney World, I learn something new.

And that’s especially wild considering I write about the parks nearly every day with information from our amazing reporters who are in the parks, and yet I STILL find that there are things I don’t know. But that means I can pass these experiences directly on to you all! So take my word for it — if you’re in any Disney World park 5 minutes before the park closes? BEWARE.

 

Let me set the scene for you: I had just finished eating at Woody’s Lunch Box in Disney’s Hollywood Studios and was making my way out of the park so I could hop in line for the Magic Kingdom bus to get back to my car.

The park closes in about 5 minutes, and as I’m walking out of Toy Story Land, I notice that the people around me are RUNNING. Parents, kids, grandparents, EVERYONE is running past me. I look behind me to make sure there’s nothing I should be running FROM (because otherwise, I’m NOT running), but nope, everything seems fine. So what are all these people running towards?

Turns out, everyone was SPRINTING to get in line for a ride before the park officially closed. That’s because in Disney World and Disneyland (but this is NOT the case for some international Disney parks), if you are physically in line for a ride, meaning you have crossed through the entrance of the queue or have joined the back of the queue, before the park is officially closed, you can ride.

Yes, even if the posted wait time is two hours, Disney World and Disneyland’s policy is that they do not close off the line until the park officially closes. Now, this is great for the guests who really wanted to ride the attraction, but not as great for the poor Cast Members who now have to stay hours later than scheduled.

This is true even for rides that have been closed for hours before park close, and I witnessed it myself! Slinky Dog Dash was closed when I entered the park around an hour and a half before park close, and it came up half an hour before park close! 

But this is also true if the ride comes back up MINUTES before the park closes! So if there’s one ride you’ve been waiting to ride all day and there’s no other ride you want to spend that precious time experiencing, you can wait right outside the attraction to see if it’ll come back up. Now, if Cast Members are telling you it’s very unlikely the ride will come back up, it’s best to listen to them and head somewhere else.

I also think it’s important to mention why this was a little more shocking to me — running technically isn’t allowed in the Disney World parks. You’re excited, trust me, I get it, but running isn’t allowed for the reason that I almost got knocked over on more than one occasion just because people were rushing past me and not looking where they were going. Fast walking is a-okay! Sprinting? Not so much.

So if you’re heading anywhere in a Disney World park within 5 minutes of park close, keep a close eye out! Or, pull off to the side to allow the madness to pass if you’re a slower walker or just don’t like the chaos. We’re always here to help you plan your upcoming vacations and prepare for the unexpected, so stay tuned to AllEars!

My social anxiety means things can get interesting in Disney World — here’s why I always use the Resort Monorail!

What’s the ride you would rush to ride before park close? Tell me in the comments!

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