Disney World has plenty of posted rules. Height requirements. Bag policies. Park hours. But the rule guests break the most isn’t always written on a sign.
It’s the unspoken agreement that once you’re in line, you stay in line.
And somehow, that agreement gets ignored more than any other.
How “Catching Up” Became Normalized
Somewhere along the way, guests started treating queues like flexible spaces. One person enters early. The rest of the group joins later. It’s framed as harmless coordination instead of cutting.
But for the people already waiting, the difference doesn’t matter. A line spot is still a line spot.
What makes this behavior spread is how quietly it happens. One or two people slipping through doesn’t feel dramatic. But when it happens repeatedly, it stacks up fast. Five minutes here. Ten minutes there. Suddenly the posted wait time feels wildly inaccurate.
Why Guests Justify Breaking This Rule
Disney World trips are expensive, exhausting, and tightly scheduled. Guests feel pressure to maximize every minute. When something disrupts the plan — a bathroom break, a slow stroller situation, a late Lightning Lane return — the temptation to bend the rules creeps in.
Guests tell themselves it’s a workaround, not cheating.
The problem is that everyone else is also trying to manage their day. When one group cuts, dozens of other plans get affected in small but meaningful ways.
The Rule Exists for a Reason
Disney doesn’t ask groups to stay together in line just to be strict. Queue flow impacts ride capacity, timing, and overall crowd movement. When guests self-manage their way through lines, it throws off those calculations.
That’s why Cast Members will sometimes stop line jumpers when they notice — especially if the group is large or the situation sparks complaints.
Still, Disney can’t be everywhere at once. And that’s where the frustration grows.
The Better Option Most Guests Skip
There are smarter, fairer ways to handle split groups. Waiting until everyone is ready. Choosing attractions with shorter standby waits. Asking a Cast Member for help when something unavoidable happens.
Those options don’t feel as quick, but they don’t come at someone else’s expense.
Why This Rule Keeps Getting Broken
As Disney adds more systems, more entrances, and more layers to attraction access, queues become harder to read from the outside. Guests see movement and assume flexibility.
Until Disney redesigns how standby lines function, this rule will keep getting ignored.
Not because guests don’t know better — but because they think no one will stop them.
I was behind one old lady in line at Alice in Wonderland, at Disneyland. We were almost to the beginning of the line, when her sons joined us. There were four. And their wives. And their four children each. Suddenly, instead of one person from the beginning of the line, I was 13. GRR!
Yeah, it is funny how the forward guests NEVER wait for the rest of their crew allowing others to pass.
Name a rule, any rule, or just acting with consideration for others…..and many take it as a challenge to find a way around, or better yet they just ignore since they feel the rules really do not apply to them because they are special (in their own mind) and really do not care about anyone else.