Here Are the Disney Rides with the Longest Waits for 2022
How long are you willing to wait in line for your favorite Disney attractions?
That’s the question all Disney fans face during theme park visits.
Photo: Playbuzz.com
Now that 2022 has ended, we’ve had nearly a month to study the data.
So, here are the Disney attractions guests waited for the longest to ride.
Jungle Cruise – 60 Minutes
Overall, 13 Walt Disney World attractions required an average wait in excess of an hour during calendar 2022.
Jungle Cruise
Realistically, frequent park guests could have guessed which rides qualify for this list based on personal experience.
Many of you know which attractions demand a Disney Genie+ reservation to avoid the aggravation.
Photo: D23
Some of them like Jungle Cruise actually decreased a bit during the second half of 2022.
Since that’s a relatively unique behavior on this list, I speculate that Disney increased throughput by operating more boats simultaneously during the summer and fall.
Test Track – 60 Minutes
Image Credit: Disney
I often discuss the “Big Three” at EPCOT, the attractions whose wait times vastly exceed most of the park’s other offerings.
I’m not surprised that all three make the list, as each of them sometimes requires the longest wait of the week.
Photo: Disney
Test Track’s wait times speak to its sustained popularity. As a reminder, Disney rebooted the ride in 2012, which is more than a decade ago.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – 62 Minutes
Credit: Disney
The next two attractions share a commonality. Each one averages a 60-minute wait despite the fact that they’re both short rides.
In the case of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, your ride slows down to prepare for your exit after 80 seconds.
Photo: Disney
As such, you’ll constantly debate whether that initial thrill of acceleration justifies the hour-long line time.
Honestly, more guests should use Single Rider, but that’s a debate for another day.
Peter Pan’s Flight – 63 Minutes
Peter Pan’s Flight
This attraction opened on the same date as Disneyland in 1955. Back then, Imagineers were happy to get everything up and running.
None of them could have imagined that Disney would eventually build another park in Central Florida, much less one more popular.
For this reason, the ride throughput limitations of Peter Pan’s Flight weren’t an issue back then.
Peter Pan’s Flight
Nearly 70 years later, Peter Pan’s Flight remains a spectacular attraction, but Disney can only keep so many boats afloat in the sky.
So, fans will always spend a long time in line for a short ride.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – 64 Minutes
(Abigail Nilsson)
The next two rides vary more with their wait times than everything else on the list.
In the case of Smugglers Run, overall crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios factor heavily into its average waits.
Photo: DIsney
Sometimes, you can board this attraction in 40 minutes and even less if you use Single Rider.
When several other Hollywood Studios attractions require hour-long waits, the Millennium Falcon ride rises as well.
On the park’s most crowded days, the wait here may exceed 75 minutes.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror –69 Minutes
Tower of Terror
When I look back at 2022 wait times, it’s comically easy to tell when Tower of Terror operated with one section closed vs. all elevator shafts open.
Seriously, the difference in wait times is often double when the ride has shut down a section!
Photo: LA Times
For this reason, the Tower of Terror claimed the largest range for its wait times. Sometimes, it was in the low 40s. During Christmas Week, it was 123 minutes.
You should pay close attention to posted wait times on this one. It can save you a ton of aggravation.
Frozen Ever After – 71 Minutes
I honestly wasn’t sure which EPCOT attraction would require the longest wait, as Frozen Ever After and Ratatouille flip-flopped throughout 2022.
Photo: Disney
Ultimately, holiday crowds proved the difference between the two attractions.
Guests aren’t as enthusiastic about getting wet during the late fall and early winter as they are during the summer.
So, Frozen Ever After slowed a bit down the stretch.
Photo: Disney
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – 73 Minutes
Meanwhile, everyone couldn’t wait to ride Ratatouille during their end-of-2022 visits.
(Matt Stroshane, photographer)
The ride’s wait time during the final three months of 2022 hovered around 81 minutes, substantially more than it had been from May through September.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – 78 Minutes
Seven Dwarfs Mine train
In April, Tron Lightcycle Power Run will open. At that point, it will topple Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as Magic Kingdom’s most crowded attraction.
Even after that happens, we should celebrate Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for doing something remarkable.
Credit: Disney
This attraction dominated Magic Kingdom for nearly nine years!
That’s true despite the coaster offering solid throughput, something I cannot say about…
Slinky Dog Dash – 86 Minutes
Image Credit: Disney
Yes, throughput remains the issue on this roller coaster.
Due to the short track length and novel structure, Disney cannot operate a sizable number of coaster carts simultaneously.
For this reason, Slinky Dog Dash will remain an attraction with a significant wait time for many years to come.
Photo: TheCoasterKings.com
In truth, this problem echoes the one for Toy Story Mania!, only Disney cannot solve this one the same way.
Remember that Toy Story Mania! added a third track, which is impossible here.
Avatar Flight of Passage – 95 Minutes
Animal Kingdom
If you’ve visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom at any point over the past five years, you know the deal.
Theme park guests cannot resist the siren song of Pandora – The World of Avatar, and its E-ticket attraction remains the primary draw.
Guests show up for the immersive theming but then stay for Soarin’ on Steroids.
Photo: Facebook/Imagineer Podcast
Avatar experienced a notable uptick in December due to the impending arrival of Avatar: The Way of Water, which has since become a $2 billion movie.
The renewed popularity of the franchise ensures that Flight of Passage will remain crowded throughout the coming year (and beyond).
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – 108 Minutes
2023 Rise of the Resistance
We all knew what would “win” with the longest wait.
The funny part is that none of us would question the result, and we’d all happily stand in line anyway.
Rise of the Resistance redefines what’s possible at a Disney attraction. It’s Disney’s best ride and absolutely worth the wait.
Rise of the Resistance
In truth, 108 minutes isn’t even that bad for this ride. I usually expect the wait time to say 120+ minutes when I look.
Photo: MickeyBlog
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Feature Photo: Disney
