With larger crowds & wait occasions, you want superior technique for saving time ready at Walt Disney World. That’s the aim of this put up, breaking down the perfect & worst choices–Lightning Lanes, additional hours & rope drop–to beat lengthy traces at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. (Up to date September 15, 2024.)
Our purpose is to search out the best strategy to utilizing standby traces and/or Lightning Lanes, in addition to the perfect occasions of day at every park. Spoiler: there’s no one-size suits all reply for all individuals or all parks. That’s the large factor we’ve realized whereas extensively visiting the parks extensively for the sake of analysis to check numerous methods.
Even many longtime Walt Disney World followers are overwhelmed by the choices, so we’re right here to offer perception into lowering friction out of your days within the parks. Because the ole tantalizing teaser goes, “…and the outcomes will shock you!” However severely, they’ll. What we completed (or didn’t) with a few of these approaches truly caught us off-guard.
Earlier than getting going, we need to stress the significance of this technique for time frames when the 2024-2025 Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar is 7/10 or larger. When wait occasions are beneath that threshold, you’ll be able to “get away” with sloppier technique–crowd ranges of as much as 5/10 could be crushed with reasonable planning and energy, following the overall recommendation right here however with out being overzealous about it. Lower than 4/10 and, frankly, you don’t want a lot technique in any respect.
When you get to 7/10 or larger crowd ranges, savvy technique turns into downright important. You don’t essentially must buy Lightning Lanes each single day for the explanations defined right here, however you might want to be ready with a plan and observe it fairly carefully.
Throughout these busier dates, the information & tips right here will allow you to perform much more than the typical Walt Disney World customer. In case you’re visiting throughout the peak season, holidays, or throughout college breaks, this recommendation is arguably extra helpful proper now than the rest on this web site. To not set unrealistic expectations, however this technique ought to prevent a number of hours per day at Walt Disney World (and it ought to prevent cash, too!).
Subsequent, let’s do a fast run-through of the assorted mainstream methods to save lots of time at Walt Disney World. This isn’t complete, leaving out the priciest choices–like doing VIP excursions all through your journey or renting out the parks–for what must be apparent causes. Despite the fact that it’s protected to imagine George Clooney, Oprah, and Carrot Prime are loyal readers of this weblog, most of you in all probability aren’t that massive of excessive rollers.
The primary possibility is the controversial Lightning Lanes (e.g. Paid FastPass), which provide one approach to skip standby traces. Sadly, these include a value–not only a financial one, but additionally with frustrations, back-tracking, making experience reservations 3 or extra days earlier than you arrive, and the steep studying curve of mastering the brand new system. Look no additional than our prolonged Information to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World for a way complicated it may be.
With the change from Genie+ to Lightning Lane Multi Go, there’s as soon as once more and on-site benefit and the power to make 3 alternatives upfront. With this comes the lack of stacking, an obstacle for off-site friends, and chance that you simply’ll be scoring fewer Lightning Lanes per day. There’s additionally the fact that you simply’re probably committing to purchasing (or not) earlier than beginning your journey and seeing/feeling crowd ranges.
Lightning Lane Multi Go additionally isn’t low-cost. Present per-person costs vary from $16 to $39 earlier than tax every day, with vacation weeks (e.g.Thanksgiving) at Magic Kingdom or a number of parks anticipated to be on the higher finish of that vary. In case you’re on a funds or extra price-sensitive, this provides up–amounting to $400-$800 in added prices for a median household throughout a week-long journey.
The silver lining is that Lightning Lanes are usually not vital at each park or on daily basis. In truth, at 3 of the 4 parks, there’s superior technique–exactly what we’ll be overlaying right here! So that you’ll solely “want” to purchase Lightning Lane Multi-Go in the future of your journey. A pair different days are elective, however typically advisable.
Sticking with the pay to play choices of types, there’s Early Entry (EE) and Prolonged Night Hours (ExEH), which substitute Further Magic Hours within the morning and at evening. These have their very own professionals & cons, from being solely out there to on-site friends (or a subset thereof) to requiring individuals to stand up early or keep late. In case you’re unfamiliar with the ins and outs of every, study extra in our Information to Early Entry at Walt Disney World and Information to Prolonged Night Hours at Walt Disney World.
Moreover, we have now a few dozen or so “Further Hours” Photograph Experiences, with extra coming in late 2024 as soon as Tiana’s Bayou Journey will get a standby line (hopefully?) and TRON Lightcycle Run is added to the Early Entry lineup. Between that and field-testing the brand new Lightning Lane Multi Go system, we have now some analysis forward of us!
The large factor to notice for this vacation season is that Magic Kingdom is not scheduled to host Prolonged Night Hours, and as an alternative, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will provide ExEH on a rotating foundation. This is perhaps disappointing, however given latest crowds at Magic Kingdom throughout Prolonged Night Hours, it’s in all probability a good factor. The nights at DHS and DAK are typically far much less busy.
Subsequent, there’s tried and true rope drop or common park opening.
For these unfamiliar with this inside baseball-esque time period, rope drop is solely when the lands and points of interest formally open, which is synonymous with the printed park opening time. (It’s literal–there’s a rope that’s dropped, opening the lands to friends.) Because the entrance gates often admit friends earlier than park opening, Disney followers have demarcated the 2 occasions with this rad time period. In follow, rope drop is just about anytime throughout the first hour of normal operations.
Lastly, there’s the tip of the night, which is often the final couple hours of normal operations. We don’t have a rad time period for this one, however I really feel like that’s an enormous missed alternative for a cryptic moniker. Simply think about how most of the uninitiated we may confuse by referring to this as “rope rise.” (Get it? As a result of they drop the rope initially of the day, so it stands to purpose that they choose it–you understand, nevermind.)
If we did name the tip of the evening “rope rise,” nobody would know what the heck we’re speaking about, so fewer individuals would take benefit. In any case, wait occasions are typically shorter in direction of later at evening. When and by how a lot they fall varies by park, and is usually not totally mirrored in posted wait occasions.
In fact, there’s additionally the center of the day, or anytime between round 10 am and 6 pm.
With few exceptions, that is the busiest time of day at Walt Disney World–when crowds peak as most friends have arrived, however few have left. The vast majority of friends go to the parks throughout these hours, making them the worst time to do something in style. Conversely, it’s the perfect time to give attention to unpopular, low-wait points of interest like stage reveals and different leisure.
Obtained all of that? Good. Now let’s go park by park and talk about which strategy is greatest proper now. We’ve examined and retested each single technique for the entire parks, and up to date our conclusions as issues have modified. Right here’s the park by park rundown of which time-saving approaches are greatest…
Magic Kingdom
Relating to beating the crowds at Magic Kingdom, let’s begin with Early Entry. Sadly, we’ve discovered that on-site perk to be much less profitable right here than at every other park. This is because of a mixture of larger demand and solely Fantasyland and Tomorrowland being open. We’ve accomplished Early Entry at Magic Kingdom over a dozen occasions, and have at all times had much less success there than on the different parks–with one massive exception (see beneath).
Nonetheless, seek the advice of our Greatest Early Entry Morning at Magic Kingdom Plan for the optimum approaches to each Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. That takes a step-by-step have a look at the primary 2 hours of the day at Magic Kingdom, with Sarah beginning in Fantasyland whereas I began in Tomorrowland. It reveals exactly what we completed, various approaches, and a comparability to a median day utilizing Lightning Lanes.
Observe that this does NOT embody Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, and for excellent purpose (mentioned in that put up). In case you don’t need to heed our phrases of warning on doing the SDMT Shuffle, refer as an alternative to our Magic Kingdom Early Entry Technique Beginning at Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare.
As famous above, there’s one massive exception to this, and that’s on the uncommon mornings when Magic Kingdom formally opens at 8 am. It is because far fewer individuals could be up and out the door in time for Early Entry on these days, making the group smaller and it straightforward to perform extra. See our Photograph Report & Technique: Magic Kingdom Early Entry at 7:30 am for a run-through of what you’ll be able to anticipate to perform. If in any respect potential, we extremely suggest doing Early Entry at Magic Kingdom on these 8 am official opening days.
In case you’re not eligible for Early Entry, common rope drop is definitely nonetheless considerably good as a result of Frontierland and Adventureland are usually not open throughout Early Entry. This makes rope drop alone, or Early Entry plus rope drop an important strategy. In case you’re solely eligible for rope drop, doing Frontierland and Adventureland first and saving Fantasyland till later within the day generally is a workable strategy.
There are additionally sufficient worthwhile secondary points of interest in Magic Kingdom you can spherical out the remainder of your day with enjoyable, low wait reveals and extra. Lots of our smartest and sexiest readers get pleasure from filling out the center of their days by watching Nation Bear Jamboree on repeat.
One factor to notice right here is that TRON Lightcycle Run simply dropped its digital queue in September 2024, however doesn’t take part in Early Entry…but. For now, this makes it a comparatively good rope drop choose. That’ll probably change someday later this 12 months or in early 2025, at which level crowds will likely be unfold between Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare and TRON throughout Early Entry. Both manner, we’re glad to see the digital queue retired.
With all of that mentioned, it’s Lightning Lane Multi-Go that works greatest at Magic Kingdom and it’s actually no contest. Due to a excessive worthwhile attraction depend out there through Lightning Lanes, Magic Kingdom is the one park the place we extremely suggest shopping for LLMP.
Check out our Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Multi-Go Rankings & Time-Saving Technique for suggestions as to your first 3 picks, in addition to subsequent alternatives. Throughout a standard day at Magic Kingdom, it’s best to have the ability to rating a few half-dozen good Lightning Lanes.
That is very troublesome on the different parks, particularly Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Not like these, Magic Kingdom is the park the place Lightning Lane Multi-Go is best to make use of and presents the fewest complications. At Magic Kingdom, you can e book Lightning Lane experience reservations with a extra leisurely strategy and fewer criss-crossing the park. There’s additionally much less competitors with Lightning Lane Multi-Go at Magic Kingdom, and the lower-stakes nature results in fewer frustrations than at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
It’s particularly good that Tiana’s Bayou Journey is included with LLMP. That is the latest attraction at Magic Kingdom, and it nonetheless makes use of a digital because of its reliability and downtime woes. On account of these points, getting a spot within the digital queue for Tiana’s Bayou Journey could be very troublesome. So is scoring a Lightning Lane, for that matter. The distinction is that, at the least when you do get a Lightning Lane, you’re basically assured having the ability to experience Tiana’s Bayou Journey. There are not any such assurances with the VQ. You would rating a spot in that at 7 am and nonetheless end up unable to experience because of downtime. (Ask me how I do know…)
Subsequent, there’s the tip of the evening. Like each different park, wait occasions at Magic Kingdom do fall off within the night as friends seize spots for the Fortunately Ever After fireworks. You possibly can get pleasure from shorter waits when you’re keen to skip these, or watch them from a last-minute location in Fantasyland.
The drop-off isn’t fairly as pronounced as the opposite parks, nevertheless it’s nonetheless important. That plus queueing up for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare or TRON Lightcycle Run one minute earlier than park closing is a superb strategy when you don’t purchase Lightning Lane Single Passes for them.
For choose friends one evening per week, there’s Prolonged Night Hours. We’ve accomplished this a handful of occasions, so our pattern measurement continues to be comparatively restricted, however our success fee is 100%. Low waits in all places and blissfully uncrowded parks.
Even when you benefit from one of many aforementioned approaches and “conquer” Magic Kingdom earlier than this late evening perk, do it anyway. It’s a pleasant approach to get pleasure from Magic Kingdom, providing a serene expertise that’s a good way to decompress from the sooner chaos throughout peak season. (See Magic Kingdom Prolonged Night Hours Photograph Report.)
Epcot
Early Entry is the easiest way to beat the crowds at Epcot. That’s doubly true when you’re arriving through Worldwide Gateway, as you’ll have the ability to do Remy’s Ratatouille Journey with a ten minute wait or much less. (See Early Entry at Epcot through World Showcase.)
From the Rat Journey, it’s fully potential to do Frozen Ever After as a close to walk-on, Take a look at Monitor with minimal wait, Soarin’ Across the World with minimal wait…and every little thing else within the new neighborhoods with no waits. It’s plenty of strolling, however that’s par for the course at Epcot, and you would modify this strategy to reduce steps when you’re staying the complete day.
These arriving for normal rope drop will nonetheless get pleasure from success and time financial savings just about in all places besides Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, and that’s straightforward sufficient to save lots of for the tip of the evening. Off-site friends who aren’t eligible for Early Entry aren’t at too appreciable of an obstacle at Epcot.
Talking of which, the entrance of the park empties out at Epcot within the night hours, as a result of friends eat and drink across the World Showcase, and safe spots for the fireworks. Hitting these rides the final two hours of the day generally is a easy transfer, particularly because it’s not crucial that you simply get a entrance row view for the fireworks.
For these arriving after rope drop, Lightning Lanes are your default. Epcot is our second least favourite park for the line-skipping service, and we don’t suggest it right here except you’re Park Hopping or can’t benefit from the aforementioned methods.
In case you’re visiting on a busier day when Lightning Lane Multi-Go prices essentially the most, it’s extremely unlikely that you simply’ll rating Lightning Lanes for Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, Frozen Ever After, Soarin. On these days, I nonetheless strongly favor arriving early or staying late, particularly since Lightning Lane Multi-Go at Epcot can pressure you to do plenty of backtracking.
Prolonged Night Hours at Epcot are usually not fairly as pleasant at Epcot as Magic Kingdom. The decrease experience depend, extra apparent high priorities, and strolling distance between headliner points of interest means wait occasions for the trio of headliners don’t fall as dramatically and it takes you extra time to perform much less. On high of that, if even one experience is down, it might throw an actual monkey wrench into issues.
With good technique, you’ll be able to nonetheless accomplish Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, Frozen Ever After, and Take a look at Monitor throughout this post-closing perk, nevertheless it does require willpower (and luck). It’s also possible to do Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind as long as you rating a spot within the digital queue, however that often comes on the expense of one of many different 3 rides with standby traces. Until you get extremely fortunate, it’s nearly not possible to do all 4 in a single evening.
Talking of which, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind nonetheless doesn’t use a standby line. You possibly can seek the advice of our How you can Journey Guardians of Galaxy Cosmic Rewind & Digital Queue Technique for ideas & tips to enhance your odds of scoring a spot within the digital queue.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has truly develop into simpler to entry since opening one 12 months in the past, and the 1 pm digital queue is usually open for hours. That’s not the case on peak season days, however when you’re visiting on an 8/10 or decrease crowd stage day, you ought to have the ability to be part of its digital queue at or after 2 pm.
Hollywood Studios
We’ve been saying for the final two-plus years that Hollywood Studios is essentially the most irritating park at Walt Disney World. Amongst different issues, that is as a result of top-heavy nature of its attraction lineup, and lack of secondary rides. There was some extent throughout the phased reopening when this was notably problematic, nevertheless it has gotten significantly better with the return of most stage reveals and leisure.
For a lot of the final two years, wait occasions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have peaked sooner than every other park at Walt Disney World. Within the final month, this has began to shift with the return of Fantasmic, and we’d anticipate that development to proceed. Even Animal Kingdom, which opens earlier and is usually derided as a half-day park, doesn’t see its longest wait occasions of the day till afternoon.
Towards this backdrop, the most suitable choice for beating the crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Early Entry. Largely, it’s because Early Entry encompasses all vital, high-wait points of interest at DHS and likewise as a result of it often finally ends up being far more than a 30 minute head-start.
That’s very true when you prioritize Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, with the added upside of doing this primary being that you simply’re much less more likely to encounter a breakdown when you’re in line for it. Try our report on Early Entry at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that covers our expertise knocking out the “triple digit trio” at DHS earlier than the park opened to common friends.
The worst technique for Disney’s Hollywood Studios is counting on conventional rope drop. This must be fairly intuitive for the 2 causes recognized above: wait occasions peak early and all headliners are open for Early Entry.
In case you can’t enter DHS till common park opening time, you’re going to get perhaps 1-2 points of interest accomplished with beneath common waits. Your chance for frustrations–and thus leaving earlier than the tip of the evening–can even be larger.
As a substitute, contemplate a day arrival and staying till park closing. The excellent news is that there’s nonetheless a pronounced drop-off throughout dinner and Fantasmic. If there are two showings of that nighttime spectacular, you’re golden–benefit from decrease crowds throughout the first Fantasmic, and watch the second at or after park closing.
The unhealthy information is that, like everybody else, you’ll in all probability need to eat and see Fantasmic…and if it solely has one showtime, that is difficult. That is undoubtedly a giant blow for our favourite approach to do DHS, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly not a net-negative. Fantasmic is nice, so we’re very glad to have it again; additionally, DHS is now drawing crowds away from EPCOT and Animal Kingdom within the night hours, making these comparatively much less crowded.
Posted wait occasions are decrease within the final two hours of the day at DHS, however that solely tells a part of the story. Precise wait occasions are sometimes dramatically decrease, notably for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Canine Sprint, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and different headliners.
The one caveat we’ll add right here is that this strategy with the unreliable Rise of the Resistance is dangerous–when you solely have one shot at it and the experience goes down within the final two hours of the day, you is perhaps out of luck. Learn our Journey Information for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, which affords an outline of the perfect & worst methods to do this, and plan accordingly.
Lastly, there’s Lightning Lane Multi-Go. We’ve coated experiences with this extensively, most lately in My Nice Day Utilizing Lightning Lanes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
DHS has a high heavy lineup, and basically, you might want to be Lightning Lane Multi-Go energy person to attain the most-coveted experience reservations. Even then, unhealthy luck or technical difficulties would possibly bitter the expertise. We’ve heard from many readers who’ve solely been in a position to e book 3 Lightning Lane experience reservations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Consider Lightning Lane Multi-Go at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as an possibility of final resort. In case you can’t do Early Entry or don’t need to keep late for no matter purpose, you can purchase LLMP and probably Lightning Lane Single Go for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. It may be headache-inducing, however not any extra so than standby traces, that are simply brutal at DHS. You actually need to make the most of savvy technique to forestall Disney’s Hollywood Studios from being downright disagreeable.
Animal Kingdom
We go from essentially the most irritating park to the simplest one. Technique for Animal Kingdom basically quantities to “don’t go throughout the center of the day and stand in lengthy traces,” which appears to be what the overwhelming majority of friends do for some odd purpose.
Going early, staying late, or utilizing Lightning Lane Multi Go are all stable methods. Virtually equally so. We’d give the sting to Early Entry, which begins at 7:30 am on most dates. That’s absurdly early, and an enormous barrier for many friends. In case you’re in a position to arrive to Animal Kingdom by 7 am, this provides you an enormous benefit.
Conventional rope drop additionally works, as long as you prioritize one thing aside from Avatar Flight of Passage. Once more, most individuals aren’t up and out the door this early within the morning on trip, and that applies even to common park opening time at Animal Kingdom. (With the height season 8 am official opening, you would possibly have the ability to hit Flight of Passage with minimal wait even at conventional rope drop.)
Personally, I’m a fan of doing Animal Kingdom later within the day (see Animal Kingdom Afternoon Arrival Technique). Subjectively, that is good as a result of Animal Kingdom is the most popular park at Walt Disney World, and hitting it when the solar is decrease knocks a superb 10-20 levels off the looks like temperatures. The environment at sundown and evening can be improbable, and one thing few followers see.
Sadly, wait occasions aren’t plummeting in direction of the tip of the day like they had been a few 12 months in the past, which is probably going because of extra leisure having returned. Whereas most different rides will likely be walk-ons or near it, you’ll be able to nonetheless anticipate prolonged traces for the 2 Pandora – World of Avatar points of interest.
Lightning Lane Multi Go is the objectively higher possibility at Animal Kingdom than staying late. Despite the fact that the lineup is restricted, most eligible points of interest have availability properly into the afternoon. I’m disinclined to purchase LLMP at Animal Kingdom as a result of arriving early or staying late works properly and the eligible attraction roster is so restricted, nevertheless it nonetheless affords time financial savings.
Personally, I solely purchase LLMP at Animal Kingdom when Park Hopping. It’s our suggestion then as a result of you’ll be able to knock out the few points of interest the place Lightning Lanes are helpful at Animal Kingdom and likewise use LLMP to skip just a few traces in one of many different parks, too. Exterior of Lightning Lane Multi Go, Avatar Flight of Passage could be price the price of the Lightning Lane Single Go, however we often hit it early, late, or throughout the lunch lull as an alternative.
Finally, there are plenty of methods to beat the crowds at Walt Disney World, and that applies even throughout the peak weeks of summer time and past. Strategizing has undoubtedly gotten extra difficult within the final 12 months, and we’ve heard from numerous very long time guests who really feel left behind or overwhelmed. The unhealthy information is that there are extra pay-to-play choices they usually’ll both price additional or have much less eligibility.
The excellent news is that there’s truly better accessibility to saving time at Walt Disney World. In case you learn this ~4,000 phrase put up the evening earlier than visiting Walt Disney World, you would benefit from lots of the following tips. That merely was not potential right now just a few years in the past, when pre-booking FastPass+ as much as 60 days upfront closed the door for lots of first-timers who, fairly understandably, had no clue experience reservations had been booked months upfront.
Now, ways are uneven and inconsistent among the many parks, however there’s just about one thing for everybody. Whether or not you need to pay additional, not pay additional, rise early, or keep late. As at all times, we extremely suggest our Walt Disney World Park Itineraries for extra granular, step-by-step recommendation for planning out your total day.
About the one factor you’ll be able to’t do is sleep in, go to the parks from 11 am till 4 pm, and go away early. This has at all times been the worst approach to do Walt Disney World, and that is still true to this present day. But, for causes past me, that continues to be the “most popular” strategy for therefore many friends. In case you merely don’t try this, you’re robotically forward of the pack!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study resorts on our Walt Disney World Lodges Evaluations web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations. To save cash on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel have a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Journey Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every little thing you might want to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on our urged methods for every of the Walt Disney World theme parks? Do you like rope drop, “rope rise,” Early Entry, Prolonged Night Hours, or Lightning Lane Multi Go and Single Go? Or, do you prefer a miss of approaches when touring the parks? How do you do issues in a different way in every park? Another suggestions on arriving early or staying late on the Walt Disney World theme parks? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or strategy? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
