Not gonna lie – I have waited in my fair share of lines in Disney World. Very vivid memories take up space rent-free in my brain of waiting for 3 hours in the hot, Spring Break sun for Journey Into Imagination back before they had an indoor queue. (Today’s Disney fans would never!) So I feel like I’ve earned the chance to say…I DON’T WANNA WAIT IN ANY MORE LINES!

That’s right. I officially have zero patience for it anymore. And, luckily, I have a whoooole bunch of tricks and sneaky tips that are my go-to when I’m in Disney World. And, get ready – ‘cause I’m about to share ‘em all with you!

Why Long Lines Are Giant Bummers

Just gonna remind you real quickly (or bestow the truth upon those of you who perhaps haven’t been to Disney World before) why loooong queue lines are such giant bummers.

First of all: you’re literally wasting money. Time is money in Disney World, y’all. You only have so many hours there, and you likely paid thousands and thousands of dollars for this vacation. So any minute you spend not doing something awesome is a minute and a dollar wasted. Long queue lines = wasted time and dollars.

Secondly: It’s super boring! Yes, you can use that time to do all kinds of good multi-tasking things, like book your next Lightning Lane, put in your mobile order for lunch, answer a few emails on your phone. But two hours is a long time, y’all!

Finally: It can really add to the exhaustion. At Disney World, you’re already sleeping less (probably), overstimulated, eating a bunch of sugar and junk your body isn’t used to, and highly anxious about a zillion things you don’t usually have to worry about (wait, what time is that dining reservation and does it coincide with our Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Lightning Lane?!?). So standing in the sun for a couple of hours just…waiting…could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back when it comes to your family’s mood.

Luckily, I’ve got TONS of tips for ya to avoid the lines like I do! Some require some pre-planning, and some might cost more cash (remember: time is money), but all of them will help you out. Big time.

How to Skip to the Front of the Line (If You’re Willing to Pay)

This one will cost you, but it’s probably the best way to GUARANTEE shorter ride lines in Disney World, no matter what.

Disney Genie+

Disney Genie+ is a pre-paid, line-skipping service that allows you to bypass attraction standby lines and get in a shorter line of just Genie+ customers. It costs between $15-$39 per day, per person; but on very busy days when those lines are pushing two hours for all the heavy hitter rides, it’s more than worth it.

BONUS TIP: We usually find that Genie+ is a good buy for Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios since they have a glut of rides; but usually – unless you’re there on the busiest days of the year – you can skip buying it for EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom and just use our other tactics for those.

Individual Lightning Lanes

Also on the Genie train are Individual Lightning Lanes (ILL). While over 40 attractions and rides are included in the standard Genie+ purchase, the most popular rides in Disney World ARE NOT! (What?!? I know right?!)

To ride those premium attractions with a shorter wait, you’ll need to purchase an ILL – which is a per person, per ride-through price. Usually these range from $10-25 each, and apply to rides like Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios, TRON Lightcycle / Run in Magic Kingdom, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT, and Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom.

After Hours Events

One more way to pay for access to shorter waits is purchasing a ticket to an After Hours event. Disney’s After Hours are separate-ticketed events that happen at select parks on select nights and allow event guests to hang out in the parks THREE hours past general closing time.

These events boast drastically reduced crowds, rare character appearances, way shorter ride lines, and complimentary snacks too! PLUS, after hours guests are also allowed to enter the parks 2-3 hours BEFORE the event kicks off — even without a regular park day ticket — for a pre-party mix-in (which means you won’t have to miss out on the nighttime spectacular)!

Timing is Everything

OK, time to get into the “free” ways to avoid the lines.

Go To Disney World When It’s Less Crowded

First up: the WHEN! If you want to avoid long lines without breaking the bank, head to Disney World when nobody else is there. The busiest times for Disney World are holidays (including those sneaky three-day weekends!), school breaks, and weekends.

If you can swing a trip in late August or September, when everyone is headed back to school, you’ll find one of the last remaining “slow times” in Disney World! Some days may feel downright LONELY! (Oh, and the OTHER good news about visiting during these times? It’s also cheaper when it comes to park tickets and hotels!)

Wake Up For Rope Drop

And in addition to when you take your trip, pay attention to when you actually go to the parks. Another tried-and-true tactic is – yep, you were waiting for this one! – hitting the parks in time for “rope drop.” Rope drop refers to when the parks open. Back in the day (and sometimes still – especially on busy days), Cast Members would literally hold a rope across the entrance to individual sections of the park. At “rope drop,” they drop the rope and everyone heads in (NO RUNNING!).

Sometimes, rope drop happens about 15-30 minutes before the park officially opens (not always, but sometimes); so aim to be at the park of your choosing about 30 minutes before it’s official posted opening time.

If you can drag yourself out of bed and be among the first guests through the turnstiles, you’ll have a major head start on the crowds. Imagine walking on to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Magic Kingdom with barely any wait? It’s a Disney miracle! Just be sure to have your coffee at the ready.

Don’t Fall For The “Fake” Long Lines

This is one of my favorite tips for avoiding long wait times, and people don’t really talk about it very much. So heads up!

Some rides in Disney World should NOT have long waits (e.g. waits over 30 minutes). Just as a general rule. These are the rides that aren’t as popular (e.g. shows like Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress in Magic Kingdom, or super-fun and adorable rides that I can’t understand why they’re not popular but alas like Living With the Land in EPCOT, etc), or rides that load so quickly that Cast Members can get a lot of guests through lickity-split (these are usually omnimover rides like Haunted Mansion and Spaceship Earth). If you see long waits posted for rides that usually have low wait times, then just skip those for now and come back later. The wait time will go down unless you’re there on, like, Christmas.

To get a good idea for which rides these are, download the My Disney Experience app a few weeks before you go to Disney World and keep an eye on the wait times list. You’ll quickly get an idea of which rides always fall under that 30 minute wait, and which ones verge on 60 minutes or more all day.

Along the same lines, be wary of the “artificially increased” wait times for some rides. Nope, I’m not claiming that Disney falsifies their posted ride wait times (though that CAN happen). But there are some circumstances that make rides that usually have low wait times into uber-popular attractions all of a sudden! For example, as soon as that parade passes through Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom, everyone and their grandma is gonna go get in line for Haunted Mansion. Suddenly that wait time will swell, and you don’t want to be in the middle of that!

The same happens when two rides are next to each other and one shuts down for some reason – whether it’s an electrical problem or it’s an outdoor ride and a storm is coming through. Its next-door neighbor may suddenly take on everyone who was in the line for the other ride, doubling the wait time. A good example of this one? The first time Tiana’s Bayou Adventure shuts down unexpectedly in Magic Kingdom, keep an eye on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad wait time!

My final example of this – which I love talking about – is the Spaceship Earth madhouse that happens when EPCOT opens each morning. Spaceship Earth is the first ride everyone sees, and it’s the icon of the park, so everyone immediately gets in line first thing. But not YOU, dear reader. Not you. You’re gonna bypass SSE and head directly to Frozen Ever After, or Test Track, or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and ride with no line while everyone else is waiting forever to hear Dame Judy Dench take them through the history of communication.

Spaceship Earth’s wait time will be almost nil by the afternoon. Head there on your way out instead.

Sneaky Ways To Shave Time Off Your Wait

Now, not all of us can visit Disney World when it’s empty. There’s a reason why everyone goes during school breaks and holidays, right? So if you need to visit during a busier time, here are a few tactics to make sure you’re not waiting too long for rides.

Single Rider Lines

Single Rider Lines can be a helpful tool to cut down your waits, but there are pros and cons. These are a totally free option that allows you to bypass the regular queue by – you guessed it – ditching your compadres and riding alone. Your group can wait in the line together, but you will be split up to fill in empty seats. This is a great option usually for Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom, and will often shorten your wait for Test Track in EPCOT. Occasionally you can even use it for Rock-n-Roller Coaster in Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Soarin’ in EPCOT. But if you have kids in your group, it’s probably a no-go.

Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours

Also, don’t forget that staying at Disney-owned hotels, and some good-neighbor hotels, also gives you access to Early Theme Park Entry. This allows you to enter any park 30 minutes before opening. So take that rope drop recommendation and add to it being able to be in the park for 30 minutes before anyone else gets access! You can knock out all of Fantasyland before the park even opens!

Along the same lines, guests staying at Deluxe Disney resorts have access to Extended Evening Hours. This gives you up to 2 extra hours in select parks on certain nights. Just flash your room key and head in for an evening of very low wait times. The big drawback? You’re spending a bunch to stay in a Deluxe Disney resort.

The Last Ditch Effort

Now, as a last ditch effort to avoid ride lines – and this is only for those of you who are super dedicated to sailing past the standby lines – you can book a Disney World VIP Tour. Through Disney World signature services, you can book a private tour guide to escort you around the parks, drive you around backstage, and give you front-of-the-line access to most Disney World rides and attractions.

Sounds great, right? But it’s our last resort for a reason. These tours cost $450+ per hour (that $450 price point is for the very least crowded days), and have a 7-hour minimum. So, yeah. You’re shelling out thousands for this perk, and it can still be tough to ride everything you want to ride…even if you have a whole day of front-of-the-line access.

That said, you can have 10 people on a Disney World VIP tour. So if you have a couple of families who want to share a guide for the day and split the cost, it can be a useful thing…especially on Disney World’s busiest days.

So there we go – a whole bunch of guaranteed ways to minimize your lines in Disney World! By taking advantage of paid services, visiting at off-peak times, and using line-skipping shortcuts, you can spend less time waiting and more time having a blast.

Now, if you want access to decades of experience with Disney World restaurants, too – We’ve got you covered! Did you know we’ve got a whole guidebook for that? Head over to DFBStore.com for access to decades of tips, tricks, and experience with booking the best restaurants in Disney World – and what to order when you’re there – with our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining e-Book!

If you’ve got some great tips for skipping the lines, let us know in the comments below!