Walt Disney World Wait Times for Third Week of Disney Genie
We’ve entered the busy season at Walt Disney World. The period from late October through January 3rd is usually among the most crowded times.
As such, Disney Genie and its accompanying services face an immediate stress test.
Have Walt Disney World wait times increased despite the new tech? Here’s what we just learned during week three of the Disney Genie era.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
As always, we’ll know where we stand right off the bat with Avatar Flight of Passage.
Traveling to Pandora – The World of Avatar and riding a Banshee required a 73-minute wait last week, up 12 minutes from the previous article.
Na’vi River Journey also soared to 65 minutes, a 10-minute increase from last week.
Guests don’t appear to be purchasing Disney Genie+ enough to keep the lines down here…or maybe they’re buying it too much?
That’s the tricky part of this conversation. Paid FastPass analysis cuts both ways. It could lead to longer lines if many customers are using it.
However, if everyone ignores it, they ALL enter the standby line queue.
MickeyBlog’s Maria Salerno chronicled low usage here on a recent day. We’re continuing to monitor the situation for updates.
Hopefully, Disney provides some context (and transparency) at some point. Until then, we’re all just guessing.
Here are the other average attraction wait times:
- Kilimanjaro Safaris – 36 minutes, up 11
- Expedition Everest – 20 minutes, up 3
- DINOSAUR – 17 minutes, no change
- TriceraTop Spin – 12 minutes, up 5
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug! – 11 minutes, down 1
Overall, guests waited an average of 35 minutes to ride something here. That’s up eight minutes from last time.
Obviously, most of the problem stems from Pandora’s two attractions, which blow the curve.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
At Hollywood Studios, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance spiked to 151 minutes, up 47 (!) minutes from last time.
Guests have clearly favored Lightning Lane here so much that the regular standby queue has expanded.
As a pro tip, please remember that guests at official Disney resorts can use Disney Early Theme Park Hours to enter the park ahead of everyone else.
I had friends during this timeframe who rode this and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run within 15 minutes of the park’s official opening.
Please speak with a MickeyTravels agent to book an inexpensive vacation and reap the benefits of Early Theme Park Hours!
By the way, Smugglers Run required a wait of 60 minutes, the same as last week. But, remarkably, that was only the fifth-largest wait at the park.
Take a look at this to see what I mean!
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – 95 minutes, up 25
- Slinky Dog Dash – 78 minutes, up 6
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway – 67 minutes, up 10
- Toy Story Mania! – 58 minutes, up 10
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – 54 minutes, up 7
- Alien Swirling Saucers – 38 minutes, up 5
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue! – 28 minutes, up 8
- Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy – 13 minutes, down 2
- Muppet*Vision 3D – 10 minutes, down 1
The average Hollywood Studios attraction required a 53-minute wait, one of the most significant numbers we’ve seen outside of July. That’s up 11 minutes from last time.
I reiterate that guests at Hollywood Studios should strongly consider Disney Genie+ AND Lightning Lane purchases.
Otherwise, you’ll spend most of your park visit standing in line.
EPCOT
We have Frozen Ever After atop the EPCOT wait times this week. Unfortunately, the decision to place it in the Lightning Lane tier rather than Disney Genie+ has impacted it.
Guests waited an average of 76 minutes to travel to Arendelle, up eight minutes from last time.
This isn’t the type of attraction where guests will feel they got the appropriate bang for the buck in waiting 76 minutes.
So, Disney may need to recalibrate on Lightning Lane versus Disney Genie+ here.
The flip side is that Test Track required a wait of only 45 minutes, up three minutes from the previous article.
Disney Genie has helped Test Track’s wait remain under control. As such, it was clearly a pick your poison situation between this one and Frozen Ever After.
Here are the other EPCOT average wait times:
- Soarin’ Around the World – 36 minutes, up 10
- Journey into Imagination with Figment – 14 minutes, down 1
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends – 13 minutes, no change
- Spaceship Earth – 13 minutes, up 3
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros – 12 minutes, up 3
- Living with the Land – 12 minutes, up 3
- Mission: SPACE – 11 minutes, down 1
- Turtle Talk with Crush – 10 minutes, up 2
The average EPCOT attraction required a wait of 24 minutes, up three from last time.
We have a massive divide between the haves and have nots at this park. Three rides required a wait of 36+ minutes.
Everything else remained under 15 minutes. So, Disney Genie hasn’t done its job enough here yet. Its purpose is to heighten demand at the lesser rides.
Obviously, this data suggests that it remains a work in progress.
Magic Kingdom
As usual, Magic Kingdom best reflects the overall crowds at Walt Disney World.
No matter what else anyone does during a Disney vacation, they spend ample time at Magic Kingdom.
This week’s wait times demonstrate this fact. Let’s take a look at the various attractions:
- Jungle Cruise – 79 minutes, up 12
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – 77 minutes, up 7
- Peter Pan’s Flight – 75 minutes, up 10
- Haunted Mansion – 50 minutes, up 10
- Splash Mountain – 45 minutes, up 5
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – 42 minutes, up 8
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – 42 minutes, up 5
- Pirates of the Caribbean – 42 minutes, up 10
- Space Mountain – 40 minutes, up 7
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – 39 minutes, up 3
- Astro Orbiter – 38 minutes, up 10
- It’s a Small World – 36 minutes, up 6
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid – 30 minutes, up 2
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant – 29 minutes, up 9
- The Barnstormer – 28 minutes, up 10
- Magic Carpets of Aladdin – 26 minutes, up 7
- Princess Fairytale Hall – 25 minutes, up 3
- Tomorrowland Speedway – 21 minutes, no change
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover – 19 minutes, up 3
- Mad Tea Party – 18 minutes, up 5
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel – 18 minutes, up 4
- Monsters, Inc., Laugh Floor – 15 minutes, up 1
- Mickey Mouse at Town Square – 13 minutes
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress – 5 minutes, no change
- Country Bear Jamboree – 4 minutes, no change
The average Magic Kingdom attraction required a wait of 35 minutes, up five minutes from last time.