WARNING: The Longest Line You'll Wait in on Your Next Disney World Trip WON'T Be for a Ride

It is no secret that Disney World can get crowded, which can sometimes result in longer wait times for rides and attractions.

Crowds in Magic Kingdom

While it may seem like every season is busy season at Disney World, we tend to see higher crowd levels around school breaks like spring break, summer break, and the upcoming holiday breaks. While the influx of crowds can make ride wait times longer than average, you may be surprised to find out that sometimes the longest lines in the park are not for a ride.

There are times when Disney hits the mark and makes adorable merchandise that creates a very high demand. For example, when the Disney World 50th anniversary merchandise was released in the park, there were crowds of people trying to get their hands on this historic merchandise. Eventually, Disney had to put purchasing limits in place to avoid selling out of items.

50th Anniversary Finale Collection

Now, when Disney thinks a new merchandise collection will be popular, they utilize a Virtual Queue to limit and manage crowds while shopping. We saw this recently happen for Hollywood Studio’s 35th anniversary.

Hollywood Studios 35th merch!

But it is not just limited edition t-shirts and pins that draw crowds; popcorn buckets are insanely popular at Disney World, and for good reason, as some of Disney World’s latest popcorn bucket releases are adorable. Plus, you can enjoy discounted popcorn refills when you present your bucket to outdoor vending popcorn carts.

Popcorn Cart

Now, Disney World is no stranger to long popcorn bucket lines. For example, in 2022, for the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, POP Eats was home to the Figment popcorn bucket. Lines for the bucket were hours long, and eventually, inventory ran out. EPCOT eventually restocked it for next year’s festival, and you were able to pick up the bucket via Mobile Order. Disney learned from this, and this year, for the Festival of the Arts, the new Figment popcorn bucket that featured the Imagination Pavilion was available via Mobile Order.

Figment Popcorn Bucket from 2022 and 2023

As we approach the holiday season, Disney announced that three new popcorn buckets will make their way to Disneyland, and they are super cute! First up is this Sulley popcorn bucket.

©Disney

There is also a gingerbread house popcorn bucket!

©Disney

And finally, there is a Mickey Mouse elf popcorn bucket!

©Disney

While these popcorn buckets have not yet been confirmed for Disney World, it is safe to assume that some new holiday buckets will eventually make their way over to the East Coast, and just like other popcorn bucket releases, these are going to be popular and draw long lines.

Popcorn Bucket line

So, how can you get your hands on a new popcorn bucket? Well, to start, many people will rush to the parks on the first day they are released. This creates long lines when you could be using the time waiting for a popcorn bucket to ride an attraction. We always have reporters in the parks watching out for new releases, so make sure to continue to follow along with Disney Food Blog as we will post updates on when and where new popcorn buckets are available.

Popcorn bucket line

In most cases, new popcorn buckets may only be available at one popcorn cart at the start of the day, and then they will make their way to other carts. So do not stress if one popcorn cart runs out of inventory. In most cases, they will restock or be available at another cart.

Popcorn Cart

This was the case at Disneyland when the Halloween Vampire Stitch popcorn bucket was released. Disneyland was prepared for it to be popular, and they sold it all over the park in multiple ways; for example, depending on where you bought it from, it could come with cotton candy or popcorn to accommodate more locations to sell it.

Vampire Stitch Popcorn Bucket

Overall, our biggest tip is to pack your patience and don’t give up! If you see a short line, we recommend getting in it right away, as eventually, a longer line will form. If Disney does utilize Mobile Order this year, make sure to purchase it first thing in the morning to ensure you are able to get your hands on a popcorn bucket. You can always push the pick-up time back if you can’t make it to your original time slot.

Short line for popcorn buckets

We have our fingers crossed that these adorable Christmas popcorn buckets will make their way to Disney World, and if they do, remember these tips to help you snag the popcorn bucket you want! For all the latest Disney news and tips, make sure to continue to follow along with Disney Food Blog!

Best Disney Popcorn Buckets OF ALL TIME

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