Matt and Elena's

Disney Park Guide

Lines, Lines, LINES!

Lines at Disneyland and Walt Disney World are part of the whole experience. Disney spends a lot of time and money designing the queues for their attractions. Sometimes they can be a lot of fun -- looking at the details and learning the whole story behind the attraction. However, we know how tiring it can be waiting in line after line. Hopefully these tips will help limit the amount of time you spend waiting in line.

Attraction Tips:

Use child swap - If you have younger children with you that do not qualify to ride, you can use child swap.
Use Fastpass - This is Disney's way of giving you a line reservation without having to wait in line.
Use single rider - If you don't mind riding with strangers, use this when available.
Parades - Lines are shorter when a parade is happening.
Fireworks - Lines are shorter when everyone is watching the fireworks.
Choose the left - It is human nature (at least for us in the USA) to choose the right side of an entrance into an attraction. If given a choice, choose the left side.
Use your head - Many people leave their brains at home when they go on vacation. Be aware of you surroundings and don't just follow the flow of people. Scan the horizon and look for alternatives, often you will find one.

Dining Tips:

Eat at off peak times - Most people think they need to eat at noon and 5 PM. If you eat at 11 AM and 4 PM you will avoid the heaviest lines at the quick service, counter service restaurants.
Use both sides - Many of the counter service restaurants use a system where you wait in line for a cashier, place your order, pay for it, then move forward to wait for your order. The cashiers podium is designed to have lines on both sides. In fact the system works better when lines are feeding both sides. Look for a cashier with people only lining up on one side. You will often find one.

Security Tips:
(Before entering any park, there is a security bag check for all guests carrying a bag of any kind. If you don't have a bag, purse, or waist pack, you can bypass the security check.)

Use both sides - Mornings are usually the time when the lines at security are the longest. The security guards are set at the far end of a long narrow table. The inspection system is designed to have people lining up on both sides of the table. Often people line up one one side. Look for a table with only one line and fill-in the other side.

You already knew this but, this site is in no way endorsed by or affiliated with Disney, Inc.

Last updated: 9 August 2006