With upper crowds & wait occasions, you want awesome technique for saving time ready at Walt Disney International. That’s the aim of this put up, breaking down the most efficient & worst choices–Lightning Lanes, further hours & rope drop–to overcome lengthy strains at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. (Up to date September 15, 2024.)
Our function is to seek out the perfect solution to the usage of standby strains and/or Lightning Lanes, in addition to the most efficient occasions of day at each and every park. Spoiler: there’s no one-size suits all solution for all other people or all parks. That’s the large factor we’ve realized whilst broadly visiting the parks broadly for the sake of analysis to check quite a lot of methods.
Even many longtime Walt Disney International fanatics are crushed via the choices, so we’re right here to offer perception into decreasing friction out of your days within the parks. Because the ole tantalizing teaser is going, “…and the effects will wonder you!” However significantly, they’re going to. What we achieved (or didn’t) with a few of these approaches in truth stuck us off-guard.
Sooner than getting going, we need to rigidity the significance of this technique for time frames when the 2024-2025 Walt Disney International Crowd Calendar is 7/10 or upper. When wait occasions are underneath that threshold, you’ll “escape” with sloppier technique–crowd ranges of as much as 5/10 can also be crushed with average making plans and energy, following the overall recommendation right here however with out being overzealous about it. Not up to 4/10 and, frankly, you don’t want a lot technique in any respect.
While you get to 7/10 or upper crowd ranges, savvy technique turns into downright very important. You don’t essentially wish to acquire Lightning Lanes each unmarried day for the explanations defined right here, however you want to be ready with a plan and apply it beautiful carefully.
Right through those busier dates, the guidelines & methods right here will allow you to accomplish much more than the common Walt Disney International customer. In case you’re visiting right through the height season, vacations, or right through faculty breaks, this recommendation is arguably extra precious at the moment than anything in this web page. To not set unrealistic expectancies, however this technique must prevent a number of hours in step with day at Walt Disney International (and it must prevent cash, too!).
Subsequent, let’s do a handy guide a rough run-through of the quite a lot of mainstream tactics to save lots of time at Walt Disney International. This isn’t complete, leaving out the priciest choices–like doing VIP excursions throughout your go back and forth or renting out the parks–for what must be obtrusive causes. Despite the fact that it’s secure to suppose George Clooney, Oprah, and Carrot Most sensible are unswerving readers of this weblog, maximum of you almost certainly aren’t that large of excessive rollers.
The primary possibility is the arguable Lightning Lanes (e.g. Paid FastPass), which provide one technique to skip standby strains. Sadly, those include a value–no longer only a financial one, but in addition with frustrations, back-tracking, making trip reservations 3 or extra days earlier than you arrive, and the steep finding out curve of mastering the brand new machine. Glance no additional than our long Information to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney International for a way complicated it may be.
With the transfer from Genie+ to Lightning Lane Multi Go, there’s as soon as once more and on-site benefit and the power to make 3 choices upfront. With this comes the lack of stacking, an obstacle for off-site visitors, and probability that you simply’ll be scoring fewer Lightning Lanes in step with day. There’s additionally the truth that you simply’re most probably committing to shopping for (or no longer) earlier than beginning your go back and forth and seeing/feeling crowd ranges.
Lightning Lane Multi Go additionally isn’t reasonable. Present per-person costs vary from $16 to $39 earlier than tax every day, with vacation weeks (e.g.Thanksgiving) at Magic Kingdom or more than one parks anticipated to be on the higher finish of that vary. In case you’re on the cheap or extra price-sensitive, this provides up–amounting to $400-$800 in added prices for a mean circle of relatives right through a week-long go back and forth.
The silver lining is that Lightning Lanes don’t seem to be vital at each park or each day. In reality, at 3 of the 4 parks, there’s awesome technique–exactly what we’ll be protecting right here! So that you’ll most effective “want” to shop for Lightning Lane Multi-Go at some point of your go back and forth. A pair different days are non-compulsory, however frequently really useful.
Sticking with the pay to play choices of varieties, there’s Early Access (EE) and Prolonged Night time Hours (ExEH), which substitute Further Magic Hours within the morning and at night time. Those have their very own professionals & cons, from being most effective to be had to on-site visitors (or a subset thereof) to requiring other people to rise up early or keep past due. In case you’re unfamiliar with the bits and bobs of each and every, be told extra in our Information to Early Access at Walt Disney International and Information to Prolonged Night time Hours at Walt Disney International.
Moreover, we now have a few dozen or so “Further Hours” Photograph Stories, with extra coming in past due 2024 as soon as Tiana’s Bayou Journey will get a standby line (with a bit of luck?) and TRON Lightcycle Run is added to the Early Access lineup. Between that and field-testing the brand new Lightning Lane Multi Go machine, we now have a little analysis forward folks!
The massive factor to notice for this vacation season is that Magic Kingdom is no longer scheduled to host Prolonged Night time Hours, and as an alternative, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will be offering ExEH on a rotating foundation. This may well be disappointing, however given fresh crowds at Magic Kingdom right through Prolonged Night time Hours, it’s most probably a excellent factor. The nights at DHS and DAK have a tendency to be a long way much less busy.
Subsequent, there’s attempted and true rope drop or common park opening.
For the ones unfamiliar with this inside of baseball-esque time period, rope drop is solely when the lands and sights formally open, which is synonymous with the printed park opening time. (It’s literal–there’s a rope this is dropped, opening the lands to visitors.) For the reason that entrance gates in most cases admit visitors earlier than park opening, Disney fanatics have demarcated the 2 occasions with this rad time period. In follow, rope drop is just about anytime right through the primary hour of standard operations.
In the end, there’s the top of the night, which is in most cases the final couple hours of standard operations. We don’t have a rad time period for this one, however I think like that’s an enormous neglected alternative for a cryptic moniker. Simply consider how lots of the uninitiated shall we confuse via relating to this as “rope upward push.” (Get it? As a result of they drop the rope at first of the day, so it stands to reason why that they pick out it–you realize, nevermind.)
If we did name the top of the night time “rope upward push,” no person would know what the heck we’re speaking about, so fewer other people would take benefit. In the end, wait occasions have a tendency to be shorter in opposition to later at night time. When and via how a lot they fall varies via park, and is frequently no longer totally mirrored in posted wait occasions.
After all, there’s additionally the center of the day, or anytime between round 10 am and six pm.
With few exceptions, that is the busiest time of day at Walt Disney International–when crowds height as maximum visitors have arrived, however few have left. The vast majority of visitors talk over with the parks right through those hours, making them the worst time to do the rest widespread. Conversely, it’s the most efficient time to concentrate on unpopular, low-wait sights like degree presentations and different leisure.
Were given all of that? Just right. Now let’s cross park via park and speak about which way is perfect at the moment. We’ve examined and retested each unmarried technique for the entire parks, and up to date our conclusions as issues have modified. Right here’s the park via park rundown of which time-saving approaches are perfect…
Magic Kingdom
With regards to beating the crowds at Magic Kingdom, let’s delivery with Early Access. Sadly, we’ve discovered that on-site perk to be much less a hit right here than at every other park. That is because of a mixture of upper call for and most effective Fantasyland and Tomorrowland being open. We’ve accomplished Early Access at Magic Kingdom over a dozen occasions, and feature at all times had much less good fortune there than on the different parks–with one large exception (see underneath).
However, seek the advice of our Perfect Early Access Morning at Magic Kingdom Plan for the optimum approaches to each Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. That takes a step by step take a look at the primary 2 hours of the day at Magic Kingdom, with Sarah beginning in Fantasyland whilst I began in Tomorrowland. It presentations exactly what we achieved, choice approaches, and a comparability to a mean day the usage of Lightning Lanes.
Be aware that this does NOT come with Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate, and for excellent reason why (mentioned in that put up). In case you don’t need to heed our phrases of caution on doing the SDMT Shuffle, refer as an alternative to our Magic Kingdom Early Access Technique Beginning at Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate.
As famous above, there’s one large exception to this, and that’s at the uncommon mornings when Magic Kingdom formally opens at 8 am. It’s because a long way fewer other people can also be up and out the door in time for Early Access on the ones days, making the group smaller and it simple to perform extra. See our Photograph File & Technique: Magic Kingdom Early Access at 7:30 am for a run-through of what you’ll be expecting to perform. If in any respect imaginable, we extremely suggest doing Early Access at Magic Kingdom on those 8 am legitimate opening days.
In case you’re no longer eligible for Early Access, common rope drop is in truth nonetheless slightly excellent as a result of Frontierland and Adventureland don’t seem to be open right through Early Access. This makes rope drop by myself, or Early Access plus rope drop a really perfect way. In case you’re most effective eligible for rope drop, doing Frontierland and Adventureland first and saving Fantasyland till later within the day could be a workable way.
There also are sufficient profitable secondary sights in Magic Kingdom that you’ll spherical out the remainder of your day with enjoyable, low wait presentations and extra. Lots of our smartest and sexiest readers revel in filling out the center in their days via observing Nation Undergo Jamboree on repeat.
Something to notice this is that TRON Lightcycle Run simply dropped its digital queue in September 2024, however does no longer take part in Early Access…but. For now, this makes it a slightly excellent rope drop pick out. That’ll most probably exchange someday later this yr or in early 2025, at which level crowds can be unfold between Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate and TRON right through Early Access. Both manner, we’re glad to look the digital queue retired.
With all of that mentioned, it’s Lightning Lane Multi-Go that works perfect at Magic Kingdom and it’s in point of fact no contest. Due to a excessive profitable enchantment depend to be had by means of Lightning Lanes, Magic Kingdom is the only park the place we extremely suggest purchasing LLMP.
Check out our Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Multi-Go Ratings & Time-Saving Technique for suggestions as for your first 3 choices, in addition to next choices. Right through a standard day at Magic Kingdom, you must be capable to ranking a few half-dozen excellent Lightning Lanes.
That is very tough on the different parks, particularly Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Not like the ones, Magic Kingdom is the park the place Lightning Lane Multi-Go is highest to make use of and gifts the fewest complications. At Magic Kingdom, you can guide Lightning Lane trip reservations with a extra leisurely way and no more criss-crossing the park. There’s additionally much less festival with Lightning Lane Multi-Go at Magic Kingdom, and the lower-stakes nature ends up in fewer frustrations than at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
It’s particularly great that Tiana’s Bayou Journey is integrated with LLMP. That is the most recent enchantment at Magic Kingdom, and it nonetheless makes use of a digital because of its reliability and downtime woes. Because of those problems, getting a place within the digital queue for Tiana’s Bayou Journey could be very tough. So is scoring a Lightning Lane, for that topic. The variation is that, at least one time you do get a Lightning Lane, you’re necessarily assured having the ability to trip Tiana’s Bayou Journey. There aren’t any such assurances with the VQ. It’s good to ranking a place in that at 7 am and nonetheless in finding your self not able to trip because of downtime. (Question me how I do know…)
Subsequent, there’s the top of the night time. Like each different park, wait occasions at Magic Kingdom do fall off within the night as visitors seize spots for the Fortunately Ever After fireworks. You’ll be able to revel in shorter waits in the event you’re keen to skip the ones, or watch them from a last-minute location in Fantasyland.
The drop-off isn’t reasonably as pronounced as the opposite parks, nevertheless it’s nonetheless vital. That plus queueing up for Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate or TRON Lightcycle Run one minute earlier than park remaining is a smart way in the event you don’t purchase Lightning Lane Unmarried Passes for them.
For choose visitors one night time a week, there’s Prolonged Night time Hours. We’ve accomplished this a handful of occasions, so our pattern length remains to be slightly restricted, however our good fortune charge is 100%. Low waits in every single place and blissfully uncrowded parks.
Even though you make the most of one of the vital aforementioned approaches and “overcome” Magic Kingdom earlier than this past due night time perk, do it anyway. It’s a pleasing technique to revel in Magic Kingdom, providing a serene enjoy that’s an effective way to decompress from the sooner chaos right through height season. (See Magic Kingdom Prolonged Night time Hours Photograph File.)
Epcot
Early Access is one of the best ways to overcome the crowds at Epcot. That’s doubly true in the event you’re arriving by means of World Gateway, as you’ll be capable to do Remy’s Ratatouille Journey with a ten minute wait or much less. (See Early Access at Epcot by means of International Show off.)
From the Rat Experience, it’s fully imaginable to do Frozen Ever After as a close to walk-on, Check Monitor with minimum wait, Soarin’ Across the International with minimum wait…and the whole thing else within the new neighborhoods without a waits. It’s numerous strolling, however that’s par for the direction at Epcot, and it is advisable adjust this solution to decrease steps in the event you’re staying the whole day.
The ones arriving for normal rope drop will nonetheless revel in good fortune and time financial savings just about in every single place aside from Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, and that’s simple sufficient to save lots of for the top of the night time. Off-site visitors who aren’t eligible for Early Access aren’t at too substantial 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 visitors devour and drink across the International Show off, and safe spots for the fireworks. Hitting those rides the final two hours of the day could be a clean transfer, particularly because it’s no longer crucial that you simply get a entrance row view for the fireworks.
For the ones arriving after rope drop, Lightning Lanes are your default. Epcot is our 2d least favourite park for the line-skipping carrier, and we don’t suggest it right here except you’re Park Hopping or can’t make the most of the aforementioned methods.
In case you’re visiting on a busier day when Lightning Lane Multi-Go prices essentially the most, it’s extremely not likely that you simply’ll ranking Lightning Lanes for Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, Frozen Ever After, Soarin. On the ones days, I nonetheless strongly prefer arriving early or staying past due, particularly since Lightning Lane Multi-Go at Epcot can drive you to do numerous backtracking.
Prolonged Night time Hours at Epcot don’t seem to be reasonably as pleasant at Epcot as Magic Kingdom. The decrease trip depend, extra obtrusive peak priorities, and strolling distance between headliner sights manner wait occasions for the trio of headliners don’t fall as dramatically and it takes you extra time to perform much less. On peak of that, if even one trip is down, it will possibly throw an actual monkey wrench into issues.
With excellent technique, you’ll nonetheless accomplish Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, Frozen Ever After, and Check Monitor right through this post-closing perk, nevertheless it does require resolution (and success). You’ll be able to additionally do Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind as long as you ranking a place within the digital queue, however that in most cases comes on the expense of one of the vital different 3 rides with standby strains. Except you get extremely fortunate, it’s nearly not possible to do all 4 in a single night time.
Talking of which, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind nonetheless doesn’t use a standby line. You’ll be able to seek the advice of our Methods to Experience Guardians of Galaxy Cosmic Rewind & Digital Queue Technique for guidelines & tips to make stronger your odds of scoring a place within the digital queue.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has in truth turn into more uncomplicated to get admission to since opening 365 days in the past, and the 1 pm digital queue is frequently open for hours. That’s no longer the case on height season days, however in the event you’re visiting on an 8/10 or decrease crowd degree day, you must be ready to sign up for its digital queue at or after 2 pm.
Hollywood Studios
We’ve been announcing for the final two-plus years that Hollywood Studios is essentially the most irritating park at Walt Disney International. Amongst different issues, that is because of the top-heavy nature of its enchantment lineup, and loss of secondary rides. There used to be some extent right through the phased reopening when this used to be specifically problematic, nevertheless it has gotten significantly better with the go back of maximum degree presentations and leisure.
For a lot of the final two years, wait occasions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have peaked previous than every other park at Walt Disney International. Within the final month, this has began to shift with the go back of Fantasmic, and we’d be expecting that development to proceed. Even Animal Kingdom, which opens previous and is frequently derided as a half-day park, doesn’t see its longest wait occasions of the day till afternoon.
In contrast backdrop, the most suitable option for beating the crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Early Access. Largely, it’s because Early Access encompasses all essential, high-wait sights at DHS and likewise as it in most cases finally ends up being a lot more than a 30 minute head-start.
That’s very true in the event you prioritize Superstar Wars: Upward thrust of the Resistance, with the added upside of doing this primary being that you simply’re much less more likely to come upon a breakdown when you’re in line for it. Take a look at our file on Early Access at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that covers our enjoy knocking out the “triple digit trio” at DHS earlier than the park opened to common visitors.
The worst technique for Disney’s Hollywood Studios is depending on conventional rope drop. This must be beautiful intuitive for the 2 causes known above: wait occasions height early and all headliners are open for Early Access.
If you’ll’t input DHS till common park opening time, you’re going to get possibly 1-2 sights accomplished with underneath moderate waits. Your probability for frustrations–and thus leaving earlier than the top of the night time–may also be upper.
As an alternative, imagine a day arrival and staying till park remaining. The excellent news is that there’s nonetheless a pronounced drop-off right through dinner and Fantasmic. If there are two showings of that middle of the night impressive, you’re golden–make the most of decrease crowds right through the primary Fantasmic, and watch the second at or after park remaining.
The unhealthy information is that, like everybody else, you’ll most probably need to devour and spot Fantasmic…and if it most effective has one showtime, that is difficult. That is undoubtedly a large blow for our favourite technique to do DHS, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly no longer a net-negative. Fantasmic is excellent, so we’re more than pleased to have it again; additionally, DHS is now drawing crowds clear of EPCOT and Animal Kingdom within the night hours, making the ones relatively much less crowded.
Posted wait occasions are decrease within the final two hours of the day at DHS, however that most effective tells a part of the tale. Precise wait occasions are frequently dramatically decrease, specifically for Superstar Wars: Upward thrust of the Resistance, Slinky Canine Sprint, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and different headliners.
The one caveat we’ll upload right here is this way with the unreliable Upward thrust of the Resistance is dangerous–in the event you most effective have one shot at it and the trip is going down within the final two hours of the day, you may well be out of success. Learn our Experience Information for Superstar Wars: Upward thrust of the Resistance, which gives an summary of the most efficient & worst tactics to do this, and plan accordingly.
In the end, there’s Lightning Lane Multi-Go. We’ve coated studies with this broadly, maximum just lately in My Nice Day The use of Lightning Lanes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
DHS has a peak heavy lineup, and necessarily, you want to be Lightning Lane Multi-Go energy consumer to attain the most-coveted trip reservations. Even then, unhealthy success or technical difficulties may bitter the enjoy. We’ve heard from many readers who’ve most effective been ready to guide 3 Lightning Lane trip reservations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Call to mind Lightning Lane Multi-Go at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as an possibility of final lodge. If you’ll’t do Early Access or don’t need to keep past due for no matter reason why, you must acquire LLMP and most likely Lightning Lane Unmarried Go for Superstar Wars: Upward thrust of the Resistance. It may be headache-inducing, however no longer to any extent further so than standby strains, that are simply brutal at DHS. You in point of fact wish to make the most of savvy solution to save you Disney’s Hollywood Studios from being downright unsightly.
Animal Kingdom
We cross from essentially the most irritating park to the perfect one. Technique for Animal Kingdom necessarily quantities to “don’t cross right through the center of the day and stand in lengthy strains,” which appears to be what nearly all of visitors do for some extraordinary reason why.
Going early, staying past due, or the usage of Lightning Lane Multi Go are all cast methods. Nearly similarly so. We’d give the brink to Early Access, which begins at 7:30 am on maximum dates. This is absurdly early, and an enormous barrier for many visitors. In case you’re ready to reach to Animal Kingdom via 7 am, this offers you an enormous benefit.
Conventional rope drop additionally works, as long as you prioritize one thing rather than Avatar Flight of Passage. Once more, most of the people aren’t up and out the door this early within the morning on holiday, and that applies even to common park opening time at Animal Kingdom. (With the height season 8 am legitimate opening, you may be capable to hit Flight of Passage with minimum wait even at conventional rope drop.)
In my opinion, I’m partial to doing Animal Kingdom later within the day (see Animal Kingdom Afternoon Arrival Technique). Subjectively, that is great as a result of Animal Kingdom is the freshest park at Walt Disney International, and hitting it when the solar is decrease knocks a excellent 10-20 levels off the appears like temperatures. The ambience at sundown and night time could also be unbelievable, and one thing few fanatics see.
Sadly, wait occasions aren’t plummeting in opposition to the top of the day like they had been a few yr in the past, which is most probably because of extra leisure having returned. Whilst maximum different rides can be walk-ons or on the subject of it, you’ll nonetheless be expecting long strains for the 2 Pandora – International of Avatar sights.
Lightning Lane Multi Go is the objectively more sensible choice at Animal Kingdom than staying past due. Despite the fact that the lineup is restricted, maximum eligible sights have availability neatly into the afternoon. I’m disinclined to shop for LLMP at Animal Kingdom as a result of arriving early or staying past due works neatly and the eligible enchantment roster is so restricted, nevertheless it nonetheless gives time financial savings.
In my opinion, I most effective purchase LLMP at Animal Kingdom when Park Hopping. It’s our advice then as a result of you’ll knock out the few sights the place Lightning Lanes are helpful at Animal Kingdom and likewise use LLMP to skip a couple of strains in one of the vital different parks, too. Out of doors of Lightning Lane Multi Go, Avatar Flight of Passage can also be value the price of the Lightning Lane Unmarried Go, however we in most cases hit it early, past due, or right through the lunch lull as an alternative.
In the long run, there are numerous tactics to overcome the crowds at Walt Disney International, and that applies even right through the height weeks of summer time and past. Strategizing has undoubtedly gotten extra difficult within the final yr, and we’ve heard from numerous very long time guests who really feel left at the back of or crushed. The unhealthy information is that there are extra pay-to-play choices and so they’ll both price further or have much less eligibility.
The excellent news is that there’s in truth higher accessibility to saving time at Walt Disney International. In case you learn this ~4,000 phrase put up the night time earlier than visiting Walt Disney International, it is advisable make the most of lots of the following pointers. That merely used to be no longer imaginable at the moment a couple of years in the past, when pre-booking FastPass+ as much as 60 days upfront closed the door for numerous first-timers who, reasonably understandably, had no clue trip reservations had been booked months upfront.
Now, techniques are asymmetric and inconsistent a few of the parks, however there’s just about one thing for everybody. Whether or not you wish to have to pay further, no longer pay further, upward push early, or keep past due. As at all times, we extremely suggest our Walt Disney International Park Itineraries for extra granular, step by step recommendation for making plans out your whole day.
About the one factor you’ll’t do is sleep in, talk over with the parks from 11 am till 4 pm, and go away early. This has at all times been the worst technique to do Walt Disney International, and that continues to be true to this present day. But, for causes past me, that is still the “most popular” way for such a lot of visitors. In case you merely don’t do this, you’re robotically forward of the pack!
Making plans a Walt Disney International go back and forth? Find out about lodges on our Walt Disney International Accommodations Evaluations web page. For the place to devour, learn our Walt Disney International Eating place Evaluations. To economize on tickets or resolve which kind to shop for, learn our Guidelines for Saving Cash on Walt Disney International Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular take a look at artful pieces to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney International Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most efficient position to begin is our Walt Disney International Commute Making plans Information for the whole thing you want to understand!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on our instructed methods for each and every of the Walt Disney International theme parks? Do you favor rope drop, “rope upward push,” Early Access, Prolonged Night time Hours, or Lightning Lane Multi Go and Unmarried Go? Or, do you like a pass over of approaches when traveling the parks? How do you do issues another way in each and every park? Another comments on arriving early or staying past due on the Walt Disney International theme parks? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or way? Any questions we will be able to assist you to solution? Listening to your comments–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas underneath within the feedback!
