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!
Two things:
One- Even though you order well in advance for food, you still have to wait a good 15 minutes on it when you get to the counter service restaurant to pick it up. I do, however, like that you have to have your meal ready before you can go in and get a seat
Two- I spoke with a cast member before we left and said something about the 35% capacity. I had asked how they could open more reservations for the park twice if they were already at 35% capacity. I asked how much that raised up capacity limits. He told me that he had no idea where anyone was getting this number. No one had been told 35% capacity, and that no cast member had been told 35% capacity.
Any guess how crowded a late summer (first week of August) trip will be? We’re hoping by that point many will be holding off for October.
We are here at Disney right now and my best advice to anyone visiting anytime soon is rent a car ! Disney transportation is a mess and Uber and Lyft are not reliable. We’ve had so many Lyft drivers just cancel our trip. Uber has been okay but they are SO expensive. Just rent a car…will save so much hassle and stress.
And the parks are crazy packed. No one is social distancing. If this is a worry to you don’t come. We were in line and my husband could literally feel someone breathing on him they were standing so close.
We were at WDW last week and had to use a mix of Disney Transportation, Lyft, Uber, and Mears. We were at the Dolphin and could not justify the cost of a rental car along with the $30 per night parking fee (in addition to the $35 resort fee). There were a few times that Uber was crazy expensive and Lyft was a bit lower but had a 20 minute wait, so we ended up on a Mears taxi which was on-site and a lot less. One night, Uber wanted $29 to drive from the Dolphin to the Polynesian. It was $15 for the taxi.
We spent $50 one night to go from Disney springs to art of animation.
We used Uber and Lyft from Hollywood Studios and MK to a hotel right outside of the World. We spent around $20-30 each time. It was well worth it for us… especially for HS – to be dropped off and picked up right at the door. I am not so sure it was worth it for MK though.
We didn’t have trouble getting an Uber, although we did notice the same trip cost different amounts depending on the time of day.
So one thing I’ve read but haven’t confirmed is that WDW did away with Fastpass because it allowed it to increase its maximum capacity. E.g., if 70,000 people could be in WDW with Fastpass (because it allows them to be out and about instead of in ride queues), 100,000 people could be in without Fastpass (because they are stuck in queues all day so not contributing to crowding). Wonder if that could also be why 35% feels higher–if it is 35% of a higher number than we are used to on even max attendance days like New Year’s.
Regardless, I agree with you the number is pretty meaningless. Real question that matters to most people is, does it feel crowded? Yes.
I’m kind of regretting our trip next week now that I see all the grey on the calendar. Was hoping it would not be so bad between FL spring break this week and the April weeks. But I guess that was wrong.
Any advice on which parks to try to hit on certain days of the week during spring break? Or will it make little difference?
Just finishing day three of four days at Disney. Wait times have mostly been shorter than published, with The exception of jungle Cruise which was about 15 minutes over the published 50 minutes. Also, On our first day, we had a noonish virtual queue for rise of the resistance, which gradually moved up almost an hour from the original time. Due to a long drive to the park, after arriving 45 minutes late, we went directly to guest services at Hollywood studios, and they said you’ll be fine….just go to the ROTR ride. That was correct, we got on with no questions asked.
Excellent News!
Nice. Disney is usually cool about things like this if you can show evidence that you were at least trying to play by the rules, and don’t act like an entitled jerk.
We had park passes for Hollywood Studios on 3/13, staying at Caribbean Beach. The night before we got a notification from Disney reminding us that we didn’t have to take Disney transportation, but could take our car instead. I read that as a diplomatic way of Disney saying “Please don’t ask us for a ride, we can’t handle you all today.” Not having a car we took an Uber, which was totally worth the $23 since we had managed to snag boarding group 1 for RoR, and it would have been really annoying to have won the lottery only to miss our chance because the Skyliner was backed up. So if Disney invites you not to ride with them, believe they have a reason.
Did you have any problem finding an Uber driver on the app? I was just in vegas and there was a huge shortage of drivers making it impossible to get a ride at certain times.
Tom we’re going April 1st to the 6th I bought Park Hopper thinking it’ll give us some options to jump to Epcot etc if things are crazy which I’m assuming they will be. Good move or should I get that $400 refunded?
Following
Following, Same question here.
Come on Tom, give us your honest thoughts, pretty please. :))
Crowds thus far this week have been bad, but honestly not as bad as I expected. More Florida residents are blocked out that week, so I’d say go for it–especially if you follow this advice and don’t mind moderate (or slightly above) midday crowds.
Thank you Tom, I’m going to go for it. At least we’ll have options. Thank you for taking the time to respond.
We are going to Disney April 3-7 and staying at Yacht Club. With inconsistent bus routes is there a quicker way to get to the Magic Kingdom?
Just take the bus. YC gets it before BC/BCV, so you should be able to get on it.
We’ll be there around the same time at the YC as well. That’s my biggest concern — MK. I’m fine driving to AK and of course, I am fine walking to Epcot and HS, but MK stresses me out! I guess the best thing will be to just get to the stop as early as possible.
Drew
We are the same. Staying at Boardwalk so we can walk to 2 parks and will drive to AK.
Our last trip at Beach club we were waiting for the AK bus EARLY. It definitely should have been the 1st bus and this was back when the parks were open EARLY. We stood there waiting watching the time change again and again.
This trip I just keep thinking that about Magic Kingdom.
Another Yacht Clubber here, will be there 4/3-4/6. We are only doing one park day at Epcot, but if you have an issue with timing of the buses to MK, your only real alternative is Uber/Lyft.
We’re here and loosely following your one day plans which have been a godsend. Also, the rental car has been clutch – we hate to wait and the investment is worth it’s weight in time. Thanks Tom!
We are booked for the last week of May. I see in the park hours right now during March the closing times are MK 9:00P, Epcot 11:00:P, HS 8:00P, AK 8:00P. Then in April they drop down to 6:00, 7:00, 7:00 and 5:00. Is that primarily due to the high crowds in March? And would you expect they might adjust up in April or May as they see how the bookings go?
Avoid the Columbia Harbour House bottleneck by going from Liberty Square to Fantasyland (and vice versa) around Sleepy Hollow Refreshments.
Longer? Sure. Less crowded? Almost certainly.
Living With The Land: Epcot’s People Mover! Or, at least for right now, Disney World’s ONLY People Mover. Seriously, though, Living With The Land is a wonderful relaxation ride.
“even a bad day at Walt Disney World is better than a good day at home.”
OOhhh! Today’s our 46th anniversary. Tom, if you want to make it anywhere near that number NEVER say this out loud or in writing again. BTW Sarah can say it as often as she wants. Fact of life #27.
We are going last week of April trying to avoid crazy crowds. Is there anything going on that week that will spike crowds? Thanks for all you do and your advice, love reading your blog to stay up to date on things!
The only possibility that comes to mind is something at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, but I only mention that because I don’t have a good grasp of that schedule and what events are cancelled v. still happening.
Otherwise, should be a good week to visit.
For anyone that gets a “people overload”, the air conditioned relaxation stations are a wonderful way to take a break. They are usually quiet and not crowded. Each park has one. We love the ones at Epcot and Animal Kingdom. You can enjoy a snack..tables are physically distanced….just remember to please clean up after yourself.
The relaxation station at Rose & Crown didn’t have AC, just a few tables with umbrellas. People kept moving chairs from the sunny tables over to the umbrella-ed tables, so they were really crowded there. Is there another relaxation station at Epcot other than the one at Rose & Crown?
EPCOT’s indoor relaxation station is inside Akershus in Norway. It’s easy to miss due to the Frozen Ever After line.
Thanks, Tom. I’ll look for it in October.
DebC, I’m hoping the relaxation stations are gone by October! You know, due to the fact that since we’re not wearing masks we won’t need them 😉 fingers crossed, anyway.
I’m just grateful that I don’t have to go during Spring Break or holidays (and my pass pretty much limits those times anyway). Our neighbors left today for the week at WDW (school is out this week) and I hope they have a decent time.
I definitely agree with staying late. Without fireworks or night shows, many guests don’t have a reason to stay until closing. Crowds had significantly thinned within an hour of closing, and we were able to get in several rides during that time.
Hey Tom,
We booked our first post-reopening trip for mid-May and are very excited. I know you and others have said posted wait times have been greatly exaggerated. If you had to guess how *much* they’re exaggerated on average, what would your guesstimate be? In real life, we skip a line if it’s longer than 30 minutes but I know the posted wait times are more fictional than usual now. Or – what are the signs to you that say “Too long! Skip skip skip!” (Recognizing that things could definitely change by mid-May.)
Generally speaking, the less busy the parks, the more exaggerated the wait times. On busier days (like right now), they’re not exaggerated as much.
Beyond that, it’s all over the place. Some waits are only exaggerated by 5-10 minutes, whereas other posted wait times are double or triple actual waits.