Disney lines can be the bane of your existence if you don’t know to avoid the worst of them, and can really cut into your fun time, which just isn’t fun at all! So learning a few tips and tricks to avoiding some of those lines can be a godsend, especially for families with antsy children.
First of all, go early and stay late. Sounds pretty basic, but if you show up at least an hour or so early, often times the parks will allow early entrance. That means you can jump on at least one or two rides before the crowd rush and have that many more rides packed into your day.
By the same token, if you stay late, the park tends to empty out fairly drastically as evening falls. Especially in slower times, staying late can mean you pack more rides and attractions into the final couple hours before closing than you may have managed to do all day long.
If you stay in a Disney hotel, the resorts offer something else handy called Extra Magic Hours. That means that each day one of the parks will open up an hour early and stay open an hour late so you get to cash in those Extra Magic Hours and spend some more time catching the rides.
Another way to avoid lines that is fairly basic is vacation during off season. Generally at the end of August you will find the parks much less crowded since school starts back. This is the perfect time for you to have a blast at Disney and not stress over mile long lines.
If a line is so long that there is a two hour wait, seriously, just don’t bother. Head on to another ride because in that two hour wait time you could possibly ride 2-3 more different rides and have a jolly time. You can even take a moment to see a live show, or consider using a FastPass for that ride. You can always check back later and see if that two hour wait time has gotten shorter or not.
On that note, lets talk about FastPass. FastPass is a free, easy to use Disney system that allows you to bypass long lines. So sometimes, it’d be just down right crazy not to use it, especially for those super long ones like I mentioned before.
Another option, if you can bear it, is to hit the rides during a parade. Lines will be quick and easy since everyone else will be caught up in the parade. Yes, you miss out on the parade, but just think of all the extra rides you will hit.
Two other rather quirky methods to save on line time is to eat lunch while waiting in line. Think sandwiches, fruit, and easy finger foods. This in essence allows you to multi task which means you are able to see more attractions. The second method is to think left instead of right. Whenever possible enter an attraction from the left.
The reason this is so effective is because people naturally gravitate to the right and most have no idea the left side is even open. Another great option to help avoid long lines is to ride attractions during common meal times. So when everyone else is sitting around stuffing their faces, you can be hanging with your kids and overdosing on all the rides.
Finally, try hitting the parks during week days rather than the weekend. In most cases it is much less busy and your line time will be drastically reduced. That means more time for fun!
