We love Disney for so, so many reasons: the foods, the rides, the shows, the warm-and-fuzzy feelings it leaves us with after a day well spent. What we don’t love are the ride lines. Such. Long. Lines.
(Three hours for Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train? Yeah, how ’bout no.)
Fortunately, not every ride is going to demand you stand in a line and waste your Disney day away. Consider hopping onto these rides if you’re tired of waiting in those never-ending Disney queues.
Keep in mind, situations can change depending on crowds. But these attractions tend to have the lowest wait times in Disney World.
Mad Tea Party
We’re late! We’re late! For a very important date! Okay…not really. There’s really no need to rush over to the Mad Tea Party — unless spinning teacup attractions are a must-do for you.
The Mad Tea Party is located on the outskirts of the Fantasyland section of Magic Kingdom, uber close to the Tomorrowland Speedway. (Psst — the Speedway really WILL rack up a hefty wait time. Perhaps you can hit up Mad Tea Party first before jumping in a long line to race around the track?)
On high-traffic days, Mad Tea Party could potentially get up to a 15-20 minute wait. If you ever notice the wait time get above 15, move on to a different attraction for now. You should be able to jump on later in the day — and maybe even get to jump on again! (That is, if your stomach can handle all the spinning…)
Click here to see our favorite Alice in Wonderland-themed snack!
Grand Fiesta Tour — Starring the Three Caballeros
Deep in the heart of EPCOT’s Mexican pavilion lies a quiet little boat ride with our three feathered friends — Panchito, Jose Carioca, and Donald Duck. The boat ride has a similar feel to the Pirates of the Caribbean set up over in Disneyland. Much like how Disneyland’s Pirates takes you through the Blue Bayou restaurant, the Grand Fiesta Tour floats past the San Angel Inn restaurant. Unlike the Pirates in Disneyland, however, this ride is usually a walk-on.
This relaxing boat ride is a sigh of relief for guests who’ve been traveling around the World Showcase all day. Just walk through the queue, step onto your boat, and let this charming attraction take you on a festive tour through Mexico.
Oh, and don’t forget to take in the smells of the restaurant as you float past. Mmmm… .
What did we think of San Angel Inn? Click here to find out!
Triceratops Spin
Don’t want to wait in line for Dumbo the Flying Elephant? Perhaps you can persuade the kiddos in your party to ride a flying dino instead! Triceratops Spin is located in Dinoland U.S.A. in Animal Kingdom and has the same aerial carousel design as Dumbo over in the Magic Kingdom. And — bonus points for this one — there’s rarely ever a wait!
Dinoland U.S.A.’s main attraction is the Dinosaur dark ride. So that’s usually where riders will be heading.
Triceratops Spin’s partner-in-crime, The Primeval Whirl, is no longer in operation — leaving it to be the soul survivor of the carnival stylings in this park. If you need to calm down after losing your money to one of the numerous carnival games scattered around Dinoland, then this might be the ride for you! There’s not much to it, but there’s also no line to it, either!
Wait, what do we MEAN Primeval Whirl is gone? Read about its final days here!
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
One of the most charming (pun intended) rides in the Magic Kingdom is Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel. The classic music, the intricate designs, the steady rise and fall of the horses…beautiful. All of it. Not to mention it’s directly behind Cinderella Castle, making it a picturesque spot all-around!
Though this carrousel is one of the staple rides of Fantasyland, we find ourselves walking straight on more often than not.
That being said, you may have a more difficult time walking on to this attraction during Dapper Days — then it becomes a hot-spot attraction!
Let’s reminisce over our Dapper Days at Magic Kingdom! Click here!
Journey Into Imagination With Figment
Oh BOY — this ride has caused quite a commotion for Disney fans over the years!
Whether you love this attraction or hate it, you can’t argue that — more often than not — this is a walk-on experience.
You can find this dark ride at Future World within the EPCOT park. Our favorite time to check it out is around The Festival of the Arts. After all — Figment is the mascot of the event!
Want to learn more about the Festival of the Arts? Click here to read about our past experiences!
Liberty Square Riverboat
Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square Riverboat is located on the Rivers of America and leads guests around the river. There are a couple reasons you can walk onto this ride fairly quickly.
First off, the Riverboat carries over a TON of guests at one time.
Second off, it’s a pretty long ride to Tom Sawyer’s Island and back again — meaning it’s going to take a chunk of your park day to experience it. The boat departs every 25 minutes, but you don’t have to worry about waiting in line. Just jump in the queue when it’s ready to let guests board again and you should be good to go!
What else is located in Liberty Square? Click here to find out!
Living With The Land
If you’re sprinting toward The Land pavilion in order to jump in line for Soarin’ over at EPCOT, don’t forget to hit up Living With The Land after your flight! Living With The Land is a boat ride that takes guests on a tour through Epcot’s greenhouse, all while educating riders on the importance of agriculture and environmentally-friendly technology.
Living With The Land is a fifteen-minute attraction that carries a lot of guests at one time. It’s slow, quiet, and peaceful — an overall treat for those looking for an easy-going ride after rushing to Soarin’ with the masses.
If this line has any kind of substantial wait, you KNOW you’re about to have a busy day in the park.
Click here to read about the restaurant that uses produce directly from Living With the Land!
Wildlife Express Train
It’s shocking how many people don’t know about this one! The Wildlife Express Train is hidden in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom and carries riders over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. There, guests will get to visit a petting zoo, explore the Conservation Station, and even sketch alongside Disney artists at the Animation Experience.
Because this train ride is so secluded and leads to another section of the park, it’s not usuallly busy.
Plus, the train is running constantly — so even if you miss it by a second, it’ll be back around to get you before you know it!
Click here to learn more about Rafiki’s Planet Watch!
Under The Sea — Journey Of The Little Mermaid
The constantly-moving ride system of Under The Sea — Journey Of The Little Mermaid really helps move this line along! When you hop into this queue in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland (yes, we’re in Fantasyland AGAIN), you’ll quickly wind your way through the line and be escorted to your shell-mobile in no time.
It’s almost a shame that the line moves so fast. The queue is really neat and has an animatronic Scuttle that you can interact with. You can also find human trinkets in a virtual game set up along the queue path. (Guess it’s silly to complain about moving *too* quickly through a line, but still…)
Every now and then, we see this ride pick up a little bit of a wait according to our My Disney Experience app, but we usually find that to be an exaggerated time.
Did you know there’s a National Mermaid Day? Click here to learn more!
The Seas With Nemo And Friends
Much like Under The Sea, The Seas With Nemo and Friends in EPCOT is a continually-moving dark ride that gets guests immediately on the ride. Honestly, the only reason we even find ourselves being in the queue for longer than five minutes is because we have to WALK it. That queue is GINORMOUS.
Nemo’s ride is cute and short, taking riders on an adventure to find Nemo…again. (Seriously, why can’t that little clownfish just stay PUT?)
After the ride, you can explore SeaBase Alpha — a section featuring sea creatures galore! Definitely worth the typically nonexistent wait, if you ask us!
Starving after exploring the seas with Nemo? Click here to learn about the seafood restaurant near the attraction!
Though their lines may be little, these ten rides are still fierce — and a ton of fun! We love that these rides not only cater to our love for Disney attractions but for our need to not spend the day waiting, waiting, waiting… (We’re looking at YOU, Test Track.)
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Which ride do you think deserves to be on this list? Let us know in the comments below!
K. Sullivan says
We love all of those except the tea cups and triceratops spin. We can enjoy Disney without mine train or space mountain but the mansion and pirates are a must do. It just isn’t a Disney trip without them.