We previously dove into how you can avoid crowds while visiting Walt Disney World. Looking at arriving early, staying late or evening purchasing Genie+.
We thought we would take some time to dive into how you can avoid long wait times for the top rides in the Magic Kingdom Park.
As a review, there are some specific ways that we know you can have shorter wait times for rides:
- Arrive early (before Park opening also known as rope drop)
- Buy Genie+ Lightning Lane Access ($15/per person per day)
- Buy Individual Lightning Lane Access (price ranges from $5 to $15 per ride per person)
- Use early entry option (for Disney resort Guests only)
- Use extended evening hours (for Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts only)
- Single Rider
- Wait until Park close
Let’s look at how each of these work for some of the top rides in Magic Kingdom so you can figure out how you are going to save time in line during your visit.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train- Fantasyland
The top ride in Magic Kingdom is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. This family-friend coaster is a great first coaster for little ones and has just enough thrill that older kids will enjoy it as well. Because it is good for the whole family, lines build quickly for this ride.
Don’t worry though, there are more than one way to experience this fun ride without long waits.
- Arrive early
- Buy individual lightning lane
- Use early entry or extended evening hours
- Wait until park close
If this ride is something that you have to ride, the best option is going to be to purchase an individual lightning lane. This will make sure you are able to ride with limited wait time. If you prefer to save that money, look into heading there during those early entry and extended evening options.
Space Mountain- Tomorrowland
If you want to fly through space, this high speed, indoor coaster is for you. This is an extremely popular ride as it is the most thrilling in Magic Kingdom right now. Use these tips to avoid waiting for a long time to blast off:
- Arrive early
- Buy Individual Lightning Lane
- Buy Genie+ (Between Feb. 25, 2022 – Aug. 7, 2022, the following attractions will be added to Disney Genie+ service)
- Use early entry or extended evening hours
- Wait until Park close
We don’t feel like purchasing individual lightning lanes is necessary for Space Mountain, but instead think hitting it early in the morning or late at night is the way to go.
Peter Pan’s Flight- Fantasyland
This classic ride continues to see long wait times as Guests young and old want to fly to Neverland with Peter Pan and Tinker Belle.
This ride is quick loading, but also a very short ride and not one we recommend waiting for a lot time in line to ride. Avoid these long lines by using one of these options:
- Arrive early
- Buy Genie+
- Use early entry or extended hours
- Wait until Park close
Most Guests are good with only riding Peter Pan’s Flight once during their Magic Kingdom day so using Genie+ as a way to have a short wait is a good option.
Splash Mountain- Frontierland
Head into the Briar batch with Brer Rabbit and friends on Splash Mountain. On those hot, summer days Splash Mountain will see extremely long wait times as fans want to cool off on this long boat ride full of fun and laughter.
Don’t get stuck on in the extremely hot line, but instead use one of these methods:
- Arrive early
- Buy Genie+
- Wait until Park closer
If you want to ride Splash Mountain more than once, use Genie+ as well as getting there early or late during your Magic Kingdom day.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad- Frontierland
Near Splash Mountain is another extremely popular ride in Magic Kingdom. The wildest ride in the wilderness is a fun rollercoaster that is a good in between Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Space Mountain.
Catch shorter wait times by:
- Arriving early
- Buy Genie+
- Wait until Park close
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a great selection for Genie+ especially if like Splash Mountain you want to ride this ride more than once during the day. Get there early and use that Genie+ selection to have two lower wait times.
Jungle Cruise- Adventureland
A ride that has recently seen an increase in wait times is Jungle Cruise. With the release of the new movie and the update to the ride, Guests are excited to experience this ride.
Plan to experience this ride by using one of the options:
- Arrive early
- Buy Genie+
- Wait until Park close
Lines are building quickly at Jungle Cruise as we are seeing Genie+ options get picked up early. Avoid those long lines by planning ahead.
Haunted Mansion- Liberty Square
A Disney classic, Haunted Mansion takes Guests on a spooky trip through a truly haunted mansion. A ghost host takes Guests on an adventure and even though it is a quick loading ride, the popularity of the ride causing long waits.
Make sure you get to experience it by using one of the following options below:
- Arrive early
- Buy Genie+
- Wait until Park close
We typically like riding Haunted Mansion a few times while in the Magic Kingdom, so using both getting to the Park early and using Genie+ would probably be our choice.
Pirates of the Caribbean- Adventureland
Finally, we have Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland. Pirates of the Caribbean make Disney special as the ride has everything: dark ride, small drops, great music, fantastic animatronics, and storytelling.
Make sure you get a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean by trying out these methods.
- Arrive early
- Buy Genie+
- Wait until Park close
This is also a ride we like to experience more than once during our vacation. Because of this we typically use Genie+ as one of the other methods to make sure we don’t have long wait times.
We hope that these suggestions on how to ride some of the most popular rides in Magic Kingdom with little wait will help you have a wonderful experience in Magic Kingdom during your Walt Disney World vacation.
If you are wanting more on Genie+, we have suggestions on what selections to make HERE.
Check out which rides we would skip (yes there are some) in the Magic Kingdom HERE.
We also have our top 10 rides in Magic Kingdom and bottom 10 rides in Magic Kingdom all to help you plan your magical experience.
