How to Avoid Crowds at Disney World

Walt Disney World crowds can be bad. When attendance is high during holidays, school breaks, or other times of year, wait times can skyrocket, and lines can be long at popular rides. This post offers tips for beating crowds, avoiding long waits for attractions, dining, transportation, and more.

It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that summer vacation season is busy all around the United States. However, this year it’s a bit more of a shock for visitors to Walt Disney World, given the attendance caps and reservation requirements at the parks.

As you’re likely aware, Walt Disney World attendance is currently limited, with reservations required to enter. We’ve received a lot of negative “feedback” and doubts about this limit, so we want to address this and explain what it means…

For one thing, most people have no frame of reference as to how different attendance levels feel. Even regular visitors have probably never experienced Walt Disney World at or above 85% of capacity. In a normal summer, Walt Disney World might hit ~50% capacity on an average day. However, that’s also with every attraction, restaurant, shop, etc. all operating.

That’s not the case this year–and there’s a staffing shortage at Walt Disney World. Consequently, “feels like” crowds are a bit worst than normal, even with the Disney Park Pass reservation system in place.

As we’ve long said, even a bad day at Walt Disney World is better than a good day at home. That has taken on newfound significance and meaning after being stuck at home for a year.

In that spirit, here are some tips for making the most of your visit to Walt Disney World on days that are likely to be crowded…

Arrive Before Opening – We’ve long sung the praises of arriving to Walt Disney World’s theme parks in time for rope drop. That is now more true than ever, with Extra Magic Hours and FastPass+ gone as a way to beat the crowds and wait times.

It’s also more challenging. Due to woes with transportation and inconsistencies with parking lot opening times (it’s usually an hour, but can be earlier on busy days), there are fewer guests inside the parks before rope drop. That’s both a good and a bad thing, depending upon whether you’re one of the people on the outside or inside.

Mobile Order Early – On a normal day, the mobile order arrival window for counter service restaurants in the My Disney Experience app will start with “Now.” On busy days, the earliest pick-up time could be 30 minutes in the future or longer. We’ve seen it up to an hour in the future.

Avoid this by placing your Mobile Orders early in the day while waiting in line for an attraction. You can also modify later to push back your pickup time. Also be mindful that tables can be in short supply during peak dining hours, which is especially relevant if you want one of the limited outdoor tables in the shade. We usually snack early and eat lunch late.

Midday Escape – Conventional wisdom for Walt Disney World touring touts the midday break, returning to your hotel for pool time or a nap. This is still solid advice if you’re staying within walking, Skyliner, boat, or monorail distance of a park. However, we’re reluctant to recommend this if relying upon Disney buses.

Instead, consider using one of the aforementioned methods of transportation to visit a resort for a midday escape from the crowds and congestion. When visiting Magic Kingdom, a park notorious for a weak dining lineup, we’d highly recommend doing lunch outside the park—take a bucolic boat ride and enjoy a fantastic feast, which is also a great value for families. That same advice is less necessary for EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but taking a stroll around Crescent Lake or the Skyliner to Caribbean Beach and Riviera Resorts is similarly simple!

Stay Late – Another longstanding piece of advice has always been to stay late. This has also taken on more significance during the reopening. Despite park hours being shorter than pre-closure, fewer guests “last” the entire day.

Regardless, those who outlast the masses will be rewarded. Not just with lower crowd levels and wait times, but with superior ambiance and weather. This is another reason that aforementioned midday escape is important–it’ll give you a reprieve from the crowds and make it easier to last until park closing.

Use Cars – Walt Disney World offers no added cost transportation between its resorts and parks, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

We aren’t going to rehash this since we just addressed the topic in Bus Wait Times are Inconsistent at Walt Disney World. The bottom line is that your vacation time is valuable, and paying for a rental car, Uber or Lyft might be a good investment during busier travel times.

Rope Drop Pools – Pools can be busy at the resort hotels. We cover how this works in our recently-updated Guide to Pools at Walt Disney World.

Again, the bottom line is that it’s best to arrive early in the morning. This is also why a midday break for pool time may not be viable right now.

Shows Aren’t “Smart” – Another piece of Walt Disney World conventional touring wisdom is to do air-conditioned shows midday, as those seldom have lines, even when every other wait time around the parks is peaking.

That’s not always the case right now. Because seats are unavailable in theaters, wait times have increased dramatically and disproportionately, even for unpopular shows. Fortunately, there are still plenty of less popular rides, relaxation stations, and other areas that are good for a break.

If you’re looking for good options when wait times are high, we’re particularly fond of Tom Sawyer Island and Liberty Square Riverboat in Magic Kingdom; Living with the Land and World Showcase exhibits in EPCOT; wildlife trails in Animal Kingdom; and Walt Disney Presents in Hollywood Studios.

Ultimately, these are just some of the ways to minimize the impact of crowds during your Walt Disney World vacation. There are a range of other options, from doing more table service meals to dedicating more time to slowing down and relaxing. Honestly, even just adjusting your expectations, removing the pressure to accomplish X attractions per day, and having a more laid back approach can make a world of difference. As with so many things in life, crowds are what you make of them, and a great Walt Disney World vacation is entirely possible every single week of the year! Same with an awful one.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Have any tips for beating the crowds at Walt Disney World, post-reopening? If you’re currently visiting Walt Disney World, what has been your experience with crowds and wait times? Thoughts on the attendance levels? Does our explanation of the 35% capacity cap make sense? Do you agree or disagree with any of our recommendations? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!