Video:Tips for Navigating Lines at Disney

Transcript:Tips for Navigating Lines at Disney

We love theme park rides, but one of the things we're not so crazy about are the long lines caused by the gazillions of other people who also love theme park rides. Hi, I'm Arthur Levine, the Theme Parks Guide at About.com, here at Disney World to offer some tips about navigating lines at Disney parks.

Visit at Off-Peak Times to Navigate Lines at Disney

The single best tip for minimizing the time you wait in lines is to zag when everybody else is zigging. That is, plan your visit when the crowds are likely to be relatively low. Try to avoid high traffic times such as the early summer, school vacations, or holidays. Of course, there are reasons why guests flock to the parks during the busiest times, and if you find yourself visiting during a high season, you still want to zag and avoid zigging.

Arrive Early to Navigate Lines at Disney

Arrive when the park opens, and hit the most popular rides first. Leave during the midday crush, and return in the early evening. Also, figure out traffic patterns and do the opposite. For example, Spaceship Earth, the attraction near Epcot's front gate, is usually busiest in the morning when guests enter the first line they encounter. Consider going to other attractions in the morning, and return to Spaceship Earth when the lines are shorter in the afternoon.

Stay at a Disney Resort to Navigate Lines at Disney

One way to minimize wait times is to stay on property at one of the Disney World resorts. Here with more info is About.com's Hotels Guide, Charlyn Keating Chisholm. Charlyn: So if you're staying within the Walt Disney World resort, you can really get a jumpstart on your day by getting to the park as early as you can. The lines are very short then and you can ride quite a bit in the first hour or so after you get there.

Use Extra Magic Hours to Navigate Lines at Disney

You'll also want to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours, which are only available to Disney resort guests. And that's when the park is going to open an hour early, and you can get there before the crowds have been let in and ride those favorite rides. And sometimes the Extra Magic Hours are three hours after the park closes to all the rest of the guests, so the lines will be shorter then as well.

Tips for Navigating Lines at Disney During Summer

During the summertime, one of my favorite strategies for avoiding the lines is getting a very early start, riding things in the morning, and then taking a break and doing some resort down-time. So come and swim at the pool, take a nap, eat at one of the great restaurants for lunch at your resort, and then after you've had a good rest, go back in the evening when the lines maybe are a little quieter.

Use Fastpass to Navigate Lines at Disney

Arthur: Whether or not you are staying at a Disney hotel, you'll want to take advantage of Fastpass, Disney's line management system. It's free to use and can save a lot of wait time. Here's how it works: for Fastpass-enabled attractions, check the standby line wait time and the Fastpass return time to determine whether it makes sense to use Fastpass.

Tips for Using Fastpass to Navigate Lines at Disney

If it does, insert your admission ticket into the Fastpass machine, which will spit out a Fastpass indicating your return time. When it is time to return, go to the Fastpass line, and show your ticket to a cast member. It's important to note that you can't get another Fastpass for any attraction until it's time for you to return for the first attraction OR two hours have passed since you obtained the first Fastpass.

Use Apps to Navigate Lines at Disney

You might want to check out smart phone apps designed to help users better navigate the lines at Disney parks. One of the more popular queue apps is RideMax. When you do find yourself stuck in a long line, Disney has added some interactive elements to help pass the time. Themed to the attractions’ stories, the interactive queues help set the stage and build anticipation for the ride experiences.

For Fastpass tips and more info about Disney World, visit the Theme Parks site at About.com.