Have you ever wanted to ride an attraction at Disney World but been too scared or nervous, too?
Space Mountain
Picture this: You finally hyped yourself up to ride an attraction like Tower or Terror or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. You get to the front of the line when, all of a sudden, the panic kicks in, and you want to back out. Well, we have good news for you: Disney plans for this and has “Chicken Exits” (these exits are used for other reasons as well) to allow you to back out of an attraction at the last minute.
These chicken exits are sometimes not always well known, but they can be great for many reasons, more than just chickening out. Let’s say you don’t want to ride an attraction but still want to hang out with your party. Chicken exits are great because they allow you to wait in the queue and then wait for your party at the end of the attraction.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
On certain attractions, the chicken exit is also used for Rider Switch, which allows families to switch riders in and out if a child is too young, too scared, or does not meet height requirements.
Rider Switch
Some queues are themed extensively, especially the Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios. If you have ever wanted to take a look around the hotel lobby without riding the attraction, you can go through the queue and then exit at the chicken exit.
Tower of Terror Lobby
We asked our amazing readers to find out what they think about chicken exits at Disney World and whether they use them themselves.
Tower of Terror Exit
One reader told us that they do not ride most thrill rides due to motion sickness, but they like to see the queue on rides like Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Runaway Railway
Another reader shared that they can’t do projection rides like Star Tours, so they are very familiar with the chicken exit. Regardless, they still find the line experience fun.
Star Tours
As mentioned before, you can wait with your party in line, use the chicken exit, and then wait to rejoin your group once they are off the attraction. This is the case for one of our readers. They shared that one of their children does not enjoy thrill rides, so they use every chicken door and then meet back with the rest of their group at the end of the ride.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Sometimes, riding an attraction you are nervous or scared of does not go according to plan. One of our readers shared that while they were waiting in line for Flight of Passage, they started to get anxious, which is normal when you have a lot of time on your hands while waiting in a long queue. This reader does not like heights and decided while in the queue that they better not ride and be sorry later. They did not want to risk the ride being too intense for them.
Flight of Passage
If you ever do not feel comfortable riding an attraction, knowing that a chicken exit exists can help give you peace of mind. These exits are also a great way to accommodate different people in your party, allowing some to ride the attraction and some to wait at the end for their party. As always, stay tuned to Disney Food Blog for all the latest Disney news, tips, and updates!
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I’ve used the chicken exits at Rock n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. I’m perfectly happy to wait with my people in line, but I just can’t handle the Tower of Terror, and sometimes during the RnRC launch, I just can’t breathe. Not out of amazement, it’s just the pressure of the launch. I think it’s a combination of anemia and low blood pressure. The chickening out experience at ToT can be really fun. I had a cast member take me out once who was really into staying in character, and for just a little teeny tiny moment, i thought he might just keep me trapped in there. It was actually pretty fun and much more my type of terror than being dropped randomly over and over. Plus, I could persue the gift shop for as long as I wanted, which is hard for me to find time for most of the time. By the time my people exited the ride, I had spotted pretty much everything I thought they would be interested in (and everything I was interested in 🙂 ). Of course, that was in the days of hotel package delivery!
Have always wanted to do that for Tower but now that know I have an exit —it’s time!
Have seen people with young kids crying (I don’t like this)..use the exit at Mansion.