Please welcome my Guest Blogger, Heather, from “Through Heather’s Looking Glass“. She is a Disney expert, Run Disney fanatic and Mommy. She writes about living a healthy lifestyle, her family and Disney.
Standing in a line is never fun. In particular, when you are on vacation (especially with small children), you don’t want to waste your time in line after line to see a show or visit an attraction. After many years of traveling to Walt Disney World, I have compiled a list of tips to help you beat the crowds. With a little pre planning and discipline, you can enjoy more of your favorite rides and reclaim your vacation time!
5 Quick Tips to Beat the Crowds at Walt Disney World
- Stay on property: One of the perks of staying on site at a Walt Disney World resort is the ability to stay in a park up to three hours later each day, or arrive one hour early. Each day the park and times change, so be sure to check park hours in the My Disney Experience app/website. I love the morning hour in the summer when it’s hot because you can knock out several things before it gets too warm, and the evening hours make it ideal for going back to your room mid day to rest or take a nap and recharge for the evening.
- Wake up Early: I know this is not exactly what you want to hear on vacation, but it’s the truth. The parks get more and more crowded as the day goes on, so the later of a start you get, the more people you will have to deal with. This will allow you to save your fastpass+ selections for mid day, because you can see lots of things simply by standing in a short standby line before the park fills up.
- Utilize Parade, Fireworks, and Show Times: Parades, fireworks, and stage shows are very popular at Walt Disney World, which can work to your advantage if you plan to NOT see them (or see them on an alternate day). Lines are often noticeably shorter, especially during Fireworks and parade times. Use this time to wait in Standby lines and work your fastpasses around these time slots.
- Use the My Disney Experience App: The My Disney Experience app is a free app for your smart phone that helps you to tour the parks in a more efficient manner. Not only does it have a map to help you get where you are going faster, but it has park hours, character meet and greet locations, and best of all…ride wait times! No need to walk across the park to see how long a line is, just check the app so you can plan where you are going next without wasting valuable time running from place to place.
- Use Fastpass+: Fastpass+ is a great free tool that anyone in the parks can use. It is a way to preselect ride times (up to three in advance) so you have a shorter time to wait in line. Instead of waiting in the regular standby line, you will get to enter a much shorter “fastpass” line. You have a one hour window to ride your selected ride, and after you have used all three fastpasses, you can even select more one at a time until the day is over!
I know the thought of fastpasses and new technology using My Disney Experience can sound confusing and overwhelming, that is why I created a FREE E-Course to walk you through how to use this technology. My free course, My Disney Experience and Magic Bands, is available NOW for you to view as many times as you would like! Simply click here and sign up, and you will be sent a link in your email inbox so you can start right away! If you have any questions, you can email me at heather@heatherslookingglass.com.
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