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The One Time Disney Allows Line Cutting

its a small world line queue walt disney world resort ride
Credit: Michael Gray/ Flickr

With all the money guests spend to enjoy a Disney Park vacation and the amount of time they ultimately spend waiting in queues, it’s understandable that line cutting is such an infuriating situation.

Whether you’re a Disney Adult or a family with children, it’s rude and inconsiderate to disrespect people who have been waiting in line longer than you by jumping in front of them. But there is one area where guests can get away with it – ride pre-shows.

Dinosaur ride animal kingdom pre-show video disney world

Credit: DisneyDining.com

Ride pre-shows are introductory segments or mini-shows that are shown to riders before they board a ride or attraction.

Pre-shows are designed to enhance the experience and anticipation of what is to come, often providing backstory or context to the ride’s theme or storyline. They may involve actors, animatronics, special effects, and interactive elements, and even help the time waiting in line feel like it’s going by faster.

haunted mansion stretching room pre-show art line cutting disney world

Credit: Disney

Related: Disney FINALLY Takes a Stand Against Line-Cutters

One of the most classic examples of a ride pre-show is the Haunted Mansion ride in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom theme park, also featured at Disneyland Resort.

The stretching room herds waiting for guests into one confined room as a spooky voice-over preps riders for their doom buggy. If you know where the next door will open into the next part of the line, you can easily force your way past people in front of you and wait on that side of the room- subsequently being the first to exit.

There’s really no good way for a Disney Park to regulate this, even with a Cast Member watching.

Sometimes, if possible, Guests will opt to bypass the ride pre-show completely in order to get to the ride vehicle even faster. That rush can sometimes ruin the attraction experience for first-time Guests who follow the crowd, not knowing they can stop to enjoy the pre-show.

guardians of the galaxy cosmic rewind epcot disney world ride pre-show line

Credit: JerryMouse05/ Reddit

Related: Walt Disney World Attempting to Put a Stop to Rampant Line-Cutting Problem

This seems to especially be an issue at EPCOT’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster. The new roller coaster is extremely popular and often experiences delays, causing pile-ups and congestion in the pre-show areas, as shown in this Reddit thread:

Congestion at Cosmic Rewind
by inWaltDisneyWorld

Related: Is Walt Disney World Finally Cracking Down on the Rampant Line-Cutting In Parks?

Guests complain that the design of this hallway almost forces guests to cut in front of each other in line, as they are constantly asked to “fill in all the space.”

Seasoned guests who aren’t looking to push in front of anyone else say that waiting and enjoying the entirety of the ride pre-show enhances their experience and is much more pleasant than rushing.

Do you think there should be a solution to line cutting during a pre-show? Let us know in the comments. 

About Lana Porter

Lana has never lost a Disney Trivia night. Maybe it’s the hundreds of times she’s been to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, her love for Disney’s ’90’s era hand-animated musicals, or the fact that she’s often likened to cartoon characters, but Disney and its magic have a special place in her heart. Her favorite Disney experiences include the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, eating Mickey Bars on the PeopleMover, and crying during the Magic Kingdom fireworks show. One day she hopes to be chosen as the rebel spy on Star Tours. When Lana isn’t Park Hopping, she’s at home reading books of all topics, watching her favs on Disney+, or snuggling her two cats, which she swears are not named after Disney characters. She loves surprising people with her knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but admits she is still catching up with Star Wars. She is happy to combine her excitement for writing with her love for Disney-style storytelling and share what she can with the world!