There is nothing quite like a visit to the Magic Kingdom. Full of surprise and allure, this park allows visitors to be immersed in a magical world filled with characters that they have only seen before on a big screen. But there’s one thing that can damper the magic quickly: waiting in extremely long lines, with hours of waiting time, especially with young kids. Want to know a secret? Long lines are not a prerequisite, even in a sold-out, maximum-capacity weekend, if you follow a few tricks. Read on for our tips on how to never wait in line at Magic Kingdom.
Early Bird Gets the Castle
Our biggest, most important tip is… to arrive early! And when we say early we mean sunrise early. You should arrive BEFORE the park’s official opening.
It’s a little secret, but most Disney parks open their doors before the official opening time listed. If the calendar states that the park opens at 9:00 am, and has early entry listed at 8:30 am for Disney Resort Guests, the doors open even before that, usually by a half hour or so. The Main Street and Castle area (seen above) will be open to ALL ticket holders at this time. Good to know: This early magic is for castles and main streets only. The rides will not start until the official opening, and the ride areas/rest of the park except for Main Street will be roped off until then. Those with early entry privileges will be able to access the ride areas at 8:30 (or the official time listed on the calendar), while non-resort guests will need to wait until 9:00.
Arriving with this extra time allows you opportunities like this – having the castle completely to yourself. It is a magical moment you’ll never forget, and definitely worth getting up early for!
Magical Park Experience – Stay in a Disney Partner Property
If possible, try to book a Disney Partner property for your trip. These properties allow you extra bonuses at the park, including extra magic hours which allow you to enter the park early or stay late (and sometimes both are on the same day – allowing for an extra long day at the park!). This can give you extra time to ride attractions with shorter wait times. Good to know: There are Disney Properties and Disney Partner properties at all price points. Here’s the current list of partners:
- B Resort & Spa Lake Buena Vista
- DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
- Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
- Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
- Holiday Inn Orlando
- Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
- Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
- Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
- Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
- Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
- Waldorf Astoria Orlando Bonnet Creek
- Four Seasons Resort Orlando
- SpringHill Suites by Marriott at Western Entrance
- TownePlace Suites by Marriott at Western Entrance
- Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek
Magical Park Experience – How to Navigate the Genie System
No lines, no wait – makes for a magical theme park day! During our last two visits, we didn’t wait for more than 10 minutes for a ride. One of these visits was a sold-out, maximum-capacity crowd weekend. No, we do not have superpowers, and we did not pay for a VIP service. So how did we do it? We used the Genie+ service.
You’ve never had a friend like this! Walt Disney World now uses a service called Genie, which acts like a friendly assistant to help you organize your theme park day. Through the service, you choose your priority rides and interests and it will give you a suggested itinerary for your park visit – seamlessly mapping out your day. It’s a great service to help you get organized. The best part – the use of the basic Genie service is free, and conveniently built right into the Disney app.
For $15 additional fee (per person) you can upgrade to Genie+ which allows you to book a lightning lane (aka skip the line) pass for each person in your party, one ride at a time. Once you use the Genie+ pass, you then open your next reservation… and so forth. Depending on how fast you ride and rebook your next reservation, you can get ALOT of rides in. We did 15 rides in one day, and never waited in line for more than 10 minutes, and bonus – the booking process took minimal effort.
The Genie+ service opens at 7 am daily for rides. It is absolutely essential to be ready to make your reservation right at 7 am (they book solid within minutes).
Never Wait in Line at Magic Kingdom – Here are the must-do tips:
- 💫Purchase your Genie + service ahead of the 7 am deadline.
- 💫Be online and fully ready at 7 am, with your account signed in and ready to refresh.
- 💫Once the clock strikes 7 am, book the very first lightning lane spot for your first choice ride. Booking an early morning slot is essential because this will open a new slot for you as soon as you enter the ride and your account is scanned (more scans = more rides).
- 💫Utilize early park opening (if you are staying at a Disney Partner resort), or arrive to the park as early as possible. Lines are much shorter in the morning hours. We rode It’s a Small World, Haunted Mansion, and Aladdin, all before the park opened and our first 9:30 Lightening Lane reservation.
- 💫After scanning your lightning lane pass, immediately book the next. I always book the next pass immediately after it’s scanned while walking through the ride waiting area. By the time we board the ride, our next ride is booked.
- 💫Repeat!
We did 15 rides – including the majors Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain Peter Pan, and Haunted Mansion with these above tips on a sold-out/maximum capacity weekend.
Magical Park Experience – Check the Weather Forecast
One important tip to know: If rain is in the forecast or thunderstorms are possible, be sure to visit all the outside rides first. If there is a threat of lightning the outdoor rides temporarily close down. If it is a stormy day (with long periods of lightning in the area) they may not reopen at all. If your little one has their heart set on a certain outdoor attraction, be sure to visit this first.
By using a combination of these strategies, you should be able to minimize your time waiting in lines and make the most of your day at Disney!
Ready for more tips and secrets? Click on over for our article on magical park facts and behind-the-scenes Disney tricks to impress your friends and family HERE.
