Why NOW Is the Best Time to Go to Disney World

Disney4me · February 4, 2023

When is the BEST time to go to Disney World?!

Magic Kingdom

Well, the answer all depends on YOU. Do you want to avoid crowds at all costs? Don’t visit during spring break. Do you want to be a part of the action when a brand new ride like TRON Lightcycle / Run opens? Prepare to visit when the parks are busy. If you are someone who is seeking lower wait times on a Disney World trip, right now might be the best time to visit Disney World!

We’ve officially entered Disney World’s slow season following the wild holiday season, and the wait times are proof! The wait times have significantly dropped in the past few weeks and many rides have hit manageable average wait times. That being said, there are still the few popular rides that you may want to buy Individual Lightning Lanes for.

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Crowds in February

Genie+ is Disney’s paid skip-the-line system that allows you to book a time to use the Lightning Lane for a faster wait time. At one popular attraction in each park, you can purchase an Individual Lightning Lane to bypass the line at that specific ride. The price varies depending on the day, but these are the rides where this option is available:

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT
Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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You need the My Disney Experience app to use Genie+

Take a look at what the wait times were like in Disney World this week!

Magic Kingdom

Starting at Magic Kingdom, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had the longest average wait time with 73 minutes. Last week the average wait time was also 73 minutes, so not much has changed!

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Next, Peter Pan’s Flight averaged 64 minutes, Jungle Cruise averaged 47 minutes, and Space Mountain averaged 42 minutes. After that, average wait times had Haunted Mansion at 38 minutes, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 34 minutes, Astro Orbiter at 30 minutes, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Pirates of the Caribbean at 29 minutes, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at 28 minutes.

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Haunted Mansion

After that, “it’s a small world” averaged 21 minutes, Magic Carpets of Aladdin averaged 20 minutes, Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid and The Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini averaged 18 minutes, Dumbo the Flying Elephant averaged 17 minutes, Tomorrowland Speedway averaged 15 minutes, and Mickey’s PhilharMagic averaged 14 minutes.

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Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Next, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel averaged 11 minutes and Mad Tea Party averaged 10 minutes. The Enchanted Tiki Room, the Carousel of Progress, the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, and the Liberty Square Riverboat all averaged 5 minutes.

Mad Tea Party

The Hall of Presidents, Country Bear Jamboree, and Tom Sawyer Island averaged no wait.

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EPCOT

Over in EPCOT, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure still has the longest average wait time with 69 minutes, which is a decrease compared to last week’s average of 71 minutes. Frozen Ever After had an average wait time of 65 minutes, which means the average wait time went down 1 minute on average since last week.

Frozen Ever After

Next up is Test Track at 51 minutes, Soarin’ at 32 minutes, Mission: SPACE and Turtle Talk with Crush at 15 minutes, and Spaceship Earth at 12 minutes.

EPCOT

Then, there was Journey into Imagination and Living with the Land at 11 minutes, and The Seas with Nemo and Friends and Gran Fiesta Tour at 9 minutes.

Gran Fiesta Tour

Awesome Planet, Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival, Impressions de France, and Reflections of China had no wait times this week.

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Hollywood Studios

Over in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Tower of Terror continues to win the title of highest average wait time with 93 minutes. Rise of the Resistance was the next highest with a 85 minute average wait time, followed by Slinky Dog Dash with an average wait time of 76 minutes.

Slinky Dog Dash

Next, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway averaged 57 minutes, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith averaged 54 minutes, Toy Story Mania averaged 52 minutes, and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run averaged 45 minutes.

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Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

After that, Alien Swirling Saucers averaged 31 minutes, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue averaged 20 minutes, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy and Walt Disney Presents averaged 12 minutes, and Muppet*Vision 3D averaged 10 minutes.

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Animal Kingdom

And last but not least, let’s visit Animal Kingdom, where Avatar Flight of Passage had the longest average wait time of 96 minutes. This means the time actually went up from the 90 minute average last week.

Pandora

After that, the wait times calm down a bit with Na’vi River Journey at 63 minutes, Kilimanjaro Safaris at 41 minutes, Expedition Everest at 24 minutes, and DINOSAUR at 18 minutes.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

It’s Tough to Be a Bug averaged 10 minutes and Triceratop Spin averaged 9 minutes. Both The Boneyard and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail averaged no wait time. Kali River Rapids closed for refurbishment on January 9th.

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Besides the most popular rides in each park, the wait times are relatively low. This means it’s a good time of year to visit Disney World if you want to avoid major crowds around times like spring break and summer. Genie+ might still be a must if you want to maximize your time in the parks, but it all depends on your priorities for the trip.