Walt Disney World Wait Times for Fourth Week of September 2024

The entire East Coast just suffered through a traumatic week.

Hurricane Helene devastated several parts of the country, especially parts of North Carolina.

Axios

While Walt Disney World officials had prepared for the worst, the parks thankfully avoided serious problems, as did most of Central Florida.

Still, some tourists canceled their trips due to the potential for inclement weather.

Photo:visitorlando.com

So, how did all the chaos impact the parks? Here are Walt Disney World’s average wait times last week.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Tree of Life

We’re still awaiting official word on when the phased closure of DinoLand USA will begin.

Rumors are bubbling that this announcement should come relatively soon.

The prevailing belief is that parts of DinoLand USA will close later in 2024.

Disney executives have indicated that at least DINOSAUR will remain open as a calculated way of maintaining park balance.

Until then, the story remains much the same at Animal Kingdom. So, here are the park’s average wait times last week:

• Avatar Flight of Passage – 55 minutes, down 15
• Na’vi River Journey – 55 minutes, down 6
• Adventurers Outpost – 35 minutes, down 7
• Kilimanjaro Safaris – 30 minutes, down 8
• Kali River Rapids – 27 minutes, down 10
• Expedition Everest – 26 minutes, down 5
• DINOSAUR – 24 minutes, down 9
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug! – 10 minutes, no change
• TriceraTop Spin – 9 minutes, down 1

So, we had a slower week at Animal Kingdom. Guests waited for an average of 31 minutes, which is six minutes less than last time.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Photo: Disney

As I wrote the other day, Hollywood Studios crowds have thinned lately.

In fact, the park has been as empty as we’ve tracked it since the early days of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Smuggler’s Run Entrance

That’s a general statement rather than one applicable to last week. It’s more indicative of several months of behavior.

So, this week’s wait times may fluctuate a bit, but they’re down overall from where they were in 2022 and 2023.

Photo: Disney

Here are the average wait times at Hollywood Studios last week:

• Slinky Dog Dash – 67 minutes, down 2
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – 57 minutes, down 4
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – 56 minutes, no change
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway – 50 minutes, down 2
• Toy Story Mania! – 47 minutes, up 2
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – 45 minutes, down 2
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – 41 minutes, down 5
• Red Carpet Dreams – 38 minutes, down 4
• Alien Swirling Saucers – 33 minutes, up 1
• Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy – 15 minutes, no change
• Celebrity Spotlight – 4 minutes, down 4
• Muppet*Vision 3D – 10 minutes, no change

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Overall, Hollywood Studios guests stood in line for an average of 34 minutes, which is two minutes less than last time.

For comparison, the park’s average wait time for the same week in 2023 was 46 minutes, which tells the whole story.

EPCOT

Then, we have EPCOT, the little park that could. Taken for granted for many years, EPCOT has leveled up in 2023 and 2024.

Now, fans recognize this park as a gathering spot, the place to go when you want a relaxing Disney visit.

Figment

Tourists are on vacation and want to take it easy. The best park for that is EPCOT.

Meanwhile, Florida locals know that they can enjoy cheap food and drinks here while sneaking in a few rides on Frozen Ever After.

Image: Disney

Not coincidentally, EPCOT has witnessed less of a drop than the other parks in recent weeks.

Here are EPCOT’s average wait times last week:

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – 59 minutes, down 1
• Frozen Ever After – 56 minutes, up 1
• Soarin’ Around the World – 39 minutes, down 2
• Royal Sommerhus – 38 minutes, down 2
• Meet Mickey & Friends – 27 minutes, down 3
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends – 20 minutes, down 6
• Living with the Land – 19 minutes, down 3
• Spaceship Earth – 19 minutes, down 1
• Turtle Talk with Crush – 18 minutes, down 1
• Mission: SPACE – 16 minutes, down 3
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros – 15 minutes, no change
• Journey into Imagination with Figment – 15 minutes, down 1

Soarin’ 

Overall, EPCOT attractions required an average wait of 28  minutes, which is two minutes less than last time.

Magic Kingdom

Photo: Disney

Finally, here are the average wait times at Magic Kingdom last week:

• Tron Lightcycle / Run – 118 minutes, up 19
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – 55 minutes, no change
• Peter Pan’s Flight – 49 minutes, no change
• Haunted Mansion – 40 minutes, up 2
• Space Mountain – 36 minutes, down 2
• Pete’s Silly Sideshow – 35 minutes, down 1
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – 34 minutes, no change
• Princess Fairytale Hall – 33 minutes, no change
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – 31 minutes, down 2
• Ariel’s Grotto – 30 minutes, down 3
• Town Square Theater – 30 minutes, down 3
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – 28 minutes, down 1
• Pirates of the Caribbean – 27 minutes, down 3
• Enchanted Tales with Belle – 23 minutes, no change
• It’s a Small World – 23 minutes, down 2
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid – 23 minutes, down 1
• Astro Orbiter – 22 minutes, down 1
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic – 18 minutes, up 1
• The Barnstormer – 17 minutes, down 1
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant – 17 minutes, up 1
• Country Bear Musical Jamboree – 16 minutes, no change
• Tomorrowland Speedway – 16 minutes, up 2
• Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor – 15 minutes, up 1
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin – 14 minutes, down 1
• Mad Tea Party – 13 minutes, up 1
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover – 13 minutes, up 1
• Walt Disney World Railroad – 13 minutes, no change
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel – 12 minutes, up 1
• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress – 5 minutes, no change

Final Thoughts

Overall, Magic Kingdom attractions averaged a wait of 23 minutes, which is a whopping six minutes less than last time.

So, we can track an overall slowdown at Magic Kingdom, which is to be expected for a September week with inclement weather.

Hilariously, as soon as fans got the all-clear on Friday that the parks were fine, Park Passes quickly sold out.

That’s the locals knowing they had a golden opportunity to visit the parks on a less crowded day.

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Feature Photo: Disney