Ultimate Guide to Waiting in Line at Disney
Waiting in line at Disney can be one of the worst parts about going to the parks, but once you get on the ride and experience the fun of Disney attractions, we hope that the wait was worth it. Sometimes you are able to walk on your favorite ride with no wait, while other times you may have to wait as much as 120 minutes.
Wait times can occasionally even be less (or unfortunately more) time than what it says at the front of the attraction. In situations like these, you must have something to do while you are in line, especially if you have children.
Having conversations in line are great, but those can only last so long before you run out of things to talk about. When walking through lines, you often see people who look miserable. Occasionally you see groups who are having fun and enjoying themselves – that’s the goal! Listed below are different ways to entertain yourselves while waiting in lines for attractions.
Play a game on your phone
There are many games that each person in your party can download to play as a group. One of the most popular games you’ll see people playing while waiting in line at Disney World is Heads Up! You hold your phone against your forehead and the rest of the people in your group try to describe the word on your head while you guess it, but you only have a certain amount of time to do so! Other suggestions of apps to play in line include Psych, Spaceteam, Reverse Charades, and Yahtzee.
Grab A Snack
Before you get in line for the attraction, grab ice cream cones, popcorn, or even a to-go lunch! This will take up a lot of your time and leave you focusing on the delicious food in front of you. You can even order your food on the My Disney Experience app to save yourself some time.
Look at the Details
Many attractions at Walt Disney World have interactive queue’s. Some of these include The Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan’s Flight. Other attractions have incredibly detailed queue’s that grab your attention. The queue at Princess Fairy Tale Hall is decorated for royalty and has portraits of every princess on the wall. While in line for Pirates of the Caribbean, the surroundings and music will make you feel like you are truly in the movie. Pay attention to these details as you walk through the queue. You may even find a few hidden Mickey’s!
Plan
One of the best things you can do while waiting in line is plan the rest of your day (if not planned already). If you did already have your day planned and it was changed up due to rain, re-plan. Check the available fast passes and reservations for future days.
Even if you already have fast passes booked for future days of your trip, re-check to see if any new fast passes have opened up due to cancellations. Cancelled fast passes normally get re-released to the My Disney Experience app around 3pm. Cancelled reservations usually become available on the My Disney Experience app around 3am, so set your alarms early in order to check if your favorite restaurant has become available. You can also take this time in line to sort through the many photos you’ve probably taken up to this point!
How to Avoid Lines
The best way to avoid lines in general is to book fast passes ahead of time. If possible, book your fast passes way in advance in order to get fast passes for the best and newest attractions. Many people go to Walt Disney World without booking fast passes ahead of time, which results in standing in lines all day. If you go to the parks during peak season, you may only get on three attractions in one day because you’ve been stuck waiting in lines!
Three fast passes can be booked per day through the My Disney Experience app, or the the fast pass kiosks at the park. Keep in mind that the fast passes you book have to be in the same park throughout the day. For example, you can’t have two fast passes at Magic Kingdom, and one at Hollywood Studios. All three fast passes would need to be at Magic Kingdom.
We hope you make the best of your experience at Walt Disney World and book as many fast passes possible. For the attractions where you may have to wait a while, make the best of your time by playing games with family, paying attention to the Disney details, or planning what to do next on your trip. After experiencing the attraction, the time you waited will surely have been worth it.