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Tips for Minimizing Wait Times at Disney Parks

No one wants to spend their vacation waiting in line. Unfortunately, crowds are part of a vacation to Walt Disney World. A few tips and tricks can help you experience lower wait times in the parks, even when crowds build.

These quick tips will help you lower wait times and experience more of the magic in the parks.

Early Morning Magic Toy Story Land (16)
Credit: DisDining

Go Early and Stay Late

Setting that alarm during a vacation isn’t always fun, but it can make a huge difference in your experience at Disney. For guests who stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, taking advantage of early entry is critical to low crowds.

These extra thirty minutes in the parks might seem like a little time, but it can make a huge difference. Get to the park between 45 and 30 minutes before it opens. This will get you through security and into the parks before opening.

You are putting yourself ahead of thousands of people by getting through these two steps early. This can save you hours throughout the day.

The same strategy can work in the evening. Traveling with teens or adults, you can stay late; evenings are a great time to be in the parks. After the evening shows wrap up, hang out a little if the remains open.

Many guests head out to get to bed after the evening shows. This makes for lower crowds and a great time to experience the evening magic.

Test Track Entrance at EPCOT
Credit: Disney

Enjoy the extended evening hours for guests staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort. This will allow you to stay in the parks for a few hours after closing. During this time, guests experience low crowds even for the most popular rides.

Using those early and late hours in the parks is a great way to experience lower waits during your vacation.

Disney Genie+
Credit: Disney

Use Disney Genie

Another way to avoid long lines is to look into the features offered within My Disney Experience.

Disney Genie is a free feature that will give guests tips and tricks for navigating the parks. This feature will give guests suggestions on how to tour when in the parks. It also gives predicted wait times so you can determine when the lower crowds will hit specific attractions.

Guests can also purchase Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes during their vacations. These two paid features allow guests to bypass the standby lines when visiting the four Disney parks.

These two features can get expensive but are a fantastic way to maximize time in the parks during busy days.

Please take advantage of Disney’s services via the My Disney Experience app. Both the free and paid versions will help you navigate the lines.

Credit: Disdining

Use Single Rider

Using single-rider lines can shorten your wait time for some Disney attractions. Although these are only offered for some of the rides in Disney World, they can be accommodating when they are an option.

In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you can take a single ride to Expedition Everest, and over in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you will find Rock n’ Roller Coaster and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

Over in EPCOT, Test Track offers a single rider option as well. Although there aren’t a lot of rides that offer this option, if you can take advantage of it where it is provided, it can cut down on your wait times.

This won’t work for every family, but it is an excellent option for those who can use it to shorten wait times.

No one dreams of spending hours in line when visiting Walt Disney World. With these quick tips, you can avoid longer lines and have a magical time together.

 

 

Jennifer Retzlaff

My name is Jennifer Retzlaff and I became a lifelong Disney fan during my first trip to Walt Disney World in 6th grade. From that moment, Disney became a big part of my life. I live in Iowa with my husband and two kids who are growing up too quickly for my liking. I started introducing my love for Disney early to my family with a Disney honeymoon and then trips when our youngest of 18 months. Since then, our family has been to Walt Disney World over five times and we continue to plan and dream for the next… More »

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