How to Avoid the Lines at Walt Disney World
When you’re visiting the Most Magical Place on Earth, one thing that you’ll almost always expect to run into is crowds. In a place that serves over 50,000 people per day, long lines can seem almost unavoidable! While skipping all lines completely is virtually impossible, there are still several ways to avoid the long lines that people expect from Walt Disney World. After years of visiting the parks, I’ve learned a few ways to cut down on your line waiting time, allowing you to spend more time making memories!
Rope Drop
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile you know that I’m a big believer in Rope Drop! This is the early bird gets the worm method, and it definitely has its payoffs. By getting to the park for Rope Drop, you have a chance to ride one (or maybe more) of the bigger attractions with little to no lines!
Rope Drop is basically like another free Fastpass+ reservation and if you make waking up early your priority you’ll be happier in the long run! A successful Rope Drop day allows you to get more done in a shorter amount of time, therefore increasing the amount of fun you’ll have that day! Like plenty of other things at Disney, Rope Drop is all about strategy if you want to make the most of it. If you want to learn more about these strategies, I talk about Rope Drop and my ride suggestions for Rope Drop in each park in this post!
Fastpass+
This tip probably seems like a given, but planning ahead with your Fastpass+ reservations can go a long way for your day in the parks! Disney provides a FREE Fastpass+ service that is available to every guest. By booking your Fastpass+ reservations, you’ll be guarenteed a shorter wait time to the attractions you choose. Guests can initially book three Fastpass+ reservations per day, but once the first three have been used they are welcome to visit Fastpass+ kiosks in the parks and add one additional Fastpass+ reservation at a time.
If you’re staying on grounds for your trip, Disney allows you to book these Fastpass+ reservations 60 days in advance and if you’re staying off grounds you can book these Fastpass+ reservations up to 30 days in advance. Knowing these time frames can make all the difference in snagging those Fastpass+ reservations that you’ve been planning for! For a complete guide on the Fastpass+ system (including links to ALL Fastpass+ attractions in each park) you can check out my Fastpass+ guide here!
Parades and Fireworks
Crowds tend to gravitate towards the daily entertainment whether it be a parade or a fireworks show. If this is your first time in the parks I definitely suggest checking these shows out at least once, but if you’ve visited before or this kind of entertainment is not your thing, take advantage of these shorter wait times! This would be the ideal time to check out those classic attractions that you don’t want to wait 90+ minutes for like Peter Pan’s Flight or. any of the Magic Kingdom mountains.
Leading up to the nightly fireworks, guests camp out in front of the show area offering even more time for enjoying attractions with a lighter wait time. If you’re lucky, you may still be able to experience some fireworks magic right on the attractions! You may find this to be true on attractions like Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, PeopleMover, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and other outdoor attractions. Making the decision to skip the show so much more worth it!
Check the App
The My Disney Experience app is a must have for any trip to Walt Disney World. Aside from the mobile ordering, PhotoPass picture viewing, and Fastpass+ reserving capabilities, My Disney Experience is an awesome tool when it comes to Wait Times in the parks. Unlike its other theme park competitors, Walt Disney World pretty much has its attraction wait times down to a science. By tracking actual guests’ wait times for each attraction continuously throughout the day, Disney is able to accurately display the expected wait time for each attraction.
Thanks to modern day technology, these wait times are also continuously updated on the My Disney Experience app! Instead of having to waste your time walking around the park aimlessly searching for a ride with a wait time of 20 minutes or less, you can do things my way. Grab a churro or Mickey pretzel, have a seat, and look at all the wait times at once on the My Disney Experience app to determine your next attraction! This app was created with the guests in mind to make for a better park day experience, so don’t forget to take advantage of this helpful tool. Still need to download your My Disney Experience app? Click here to do so!
Constant long lines at Walt Disney World can be a thing of the past if you follow these tips! While park traffic and wait times will vary depending on events and holidays throughout the year, these four tips will always remain. With a little bit of strategy and planning, the fun times on your Disney vacation will only seem to get better!