Disney World is no joke.

Sure, it’s tons of fun, and you can make incredible memories with your friends and family, but there’s a lot to do in (sometimes) very little time. And if you’ve been to Disney World in the past few years, or you’ve just followed along with our posts, you know Disney World is BUSY! And that means waiting in long lines is necessary to experience your favorite attractions. But BEFORE you hop in that long line — you need to pregame.

What is pregaming before a Disney World ride line, you may ask? There are a few key things that go into pregaming for a ride, so be sure you check this list off each time you prepare to get in a 45+ minute wait:

• Make sure your phone is at least at half battery/you have a phone charger (you’ll need it for entertainment)
• Grab a snack and/or drink before your long wait (either from your own bag stash or from a location in the parks)
• Make sure EVERYONE in your party uses the bathroom!
• Fill up your water bottle

These rules really come in handy for any long Disney World wait, but there are 7 specific ones you REALLY need to plan ahead for.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

The only way you can ride Cosmic Rewind right now is through the Virtual Queue or with an Individual Lightning Lane, but if you grabbed that Virtual Queue, you still may be standing in line for about an hour. 

In retrospect, that may be much shorter than other wait times around the parks, but there’s no bathroom in this queue, and while there’s a lot to look at and many interactive aspects/videos to watch in the queue, they do repeat if you get stuck in the same spot for a little while, which can get a little obnoxious.

TRON Lightcycle / Run

The same can be said for Magic Kingdom’s newest attraction, because this ride also still operates with a virtual queue and Individual Lightning Lanes. Now, this could change when Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens this summer, but we’re keeping an eye on all of that.

TRON is specifically known for having very long virtual queue waits, unless there are other big events going on in the park such as a parade or fireworks, so be prepared to wait at LEAST an hour. If you have an Individual Lightning Lane, you’ll likely move much faster, but that’s because you’ve paid to ride.

Here’s why boarding TRON gives us MAJOR anxiety in Disney World sometimes

Slinky Dog Dash

There’s one major problem with the Slinky Dog Dash line — THERE’S NO SHADE.

This is actually the case for most of Toy Story Land, which is why it’s one of the hottest areas in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but this line is BRUTAL. If you’re wanting to wait for it, we’re begging you not to do it in the heat of the day. Please make sure your water bottle is full of ice cold water, and you have some sunscreen to reapply!

Here’s why people LOVE Slinky Dog Dash!

Tower of Terror

While Tower of Terror can get some pretty long lines here and there, it’s NOTHING compared to when one or more of the elevators goes down.

This ride line is a little tricky, because you never know when this might happen. Therefore, we suggest making sure you’ve pregamed on all fronts (especially making sure your phone is charged — you’ll definitely be playing some games in this one) to be prepared for the worst.

Frozen Ever After

One of the most popular rides in EPCOT, especially for kids, is Frozen Ever After in the Norway pavilion.

We LOVE the Kringla Bakeri og Kafe in this pavilion, so we strongly recommend grabbing a snack and/or drink from here before hopping in line, and get ready to play some Heads Up on your phone. While the queue is pretty cool once you’ve gotten inside, you don’t get to some of the heavily themed elements until closer to the end, and that’s a long time to wait.

Peter Pan’s Flight

Don’t get us wrong, Peter Pan’s Flight does a great job to keep you entertained with those interactive elements while you wait an insane amount of time for this short ride, but you still need to pregame.

Heavy emphasis on making sure you have a full water bottle and that you’ve used the bathroom with this one, because once you’re in, you REALLY won’t want to get out of line unless you 100% have to. Trust us, you’re in for the long haul.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

And lastly, we have the ride that often holds the highest wait time in Magic Kingdom, which is another one you’ll want to pregame on ALL fronts for.

Much of the queue isn’t in the shade, which can get painful really fast, and a lot of those interactive elements won’t come in to play until you’re in the shade. (By the way, it’s pretty dark in there and you will probably have no cell service — just a heads up). And if you’ve already waited an hour, you’ll be KICKING yourself if you’re tempted to get out of line because you ran out of water or you don’t have a snack.

Packing snacks in your park bag from home and making sure there’s always water in your bottle is important for any aspect of your Disney World trip, because dehydration and hunger are not joking matters! Remember to take breaks when you need to in the parks, and stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney World tips, tricks, and news.

This is the long line that’s WORTH IT in Disney World!

What else would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments!