Disney4me Posted Wednesday at 04:15 PM Report Posted Wednesday at 04:15 PM Disney World has a handful of spots that can turn a magical day into a hot, crowded MESS, and most people walk right into them. Disney World Of course, there are plenty of places you’ll WANT to be during your vacation. You’ll want to be on time for your dining reservations and your Lightning Lane return windows. You’ll probably want to be in front of Cinderella Castle at night for that perfect fireworks view. And of course, at some point, you’ll want to brave the gift shops to get that must-have souvenir. But there are also plenty of places you DON’T want to be in Disney World…and we’re sharing the details! The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Queue at 2:20PM Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a classic ride in Magic Kingdom, and in our opinion, it’s a must-do! But there’s probably one time that you should AVOID the line for Big Thunder — right after the parade. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Big Thunder is a great ride to check out DURING the Festival of Fantasy Parade because it’s pretty difficult to get to the back of Frontierland since the parade route blocks it off. So usually, the wait time drops for the popular coaster during the 2 PM parade. But as soon as it’s over and everyone sees that short wait time in the My Disney Experience app, they’ll rush over there. Big Thunder Mountain So avoid the line unless you want to wait much longer than expected! The smarter move is to already be on the Big Thunder side of the parade route before it gets roped off. Head back to Frontierland by about 1:45PM and hop in line while everyone else is staking out a curb. You’ll be walking off the ride right around the time the crowd shows up. If you miss that window, don’t chase it. Check back later in the afternoon or after dark instead. Disney World Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy for 2027 The Line for the Express Monorail at 9:30AM…or 9:45PM Most guests in Disney World aren’t waking up early enough to truly “rope drop” the parks (you know, get there BEFORE they open). In fact, we often see the largest swell of people arrive shortly after the parks open, which means that’s when you might find the longest lines at the entrance and especially the longest lines for the Express Monorail from the Transportation & Ticket Center (Magic Kingdom’s parking lot) to Magic Kingdom. Monorail line When that monorail line gets SUPER long around 9:30AM, you might even find that it’s faster to take the ferryboat or the Resort Monorail to get to the park instead. Generally, this rush of people will last until about mid-morning. Express Monorail station at Magic Kingdom The other time that the monorail line gets really excessive is right after the Happily Ever After fireworks end in the evening. Many people stay to watch the fireworks and then head back to the parking lot, so the transportation queue gets incredibly long. If you can avoid riding the monorail at either of those times, you’ll be a LOT less stressed! Magic Kingdom at night Here’s the good news: the park doesn’t close when the fireworks end. On fireworks nights this fall, Magic Kingdom has been staying open until 10PM or 11PM, so there’s no reason to join the stampede. Grab a snack, hop on a ride or two, or browse the Main Street shops, then stroll out once the crowd has thinned. On select nights, there’s even a second Disney Starlight parade, which is one more reason to stick around. 3 Reasons Staying at a Disney World Monorail Hotel Isn’t the Hack You Think It Is Starbucks or Joffrey’s at 10 AM First thing in the morning at the Disney World parks, you’ll get the rope drop crowds. Those are the people who are serious and dedicated to knocking out a few rides before the rest of the hordes arrive. Then a little later, you’ll get the guests who want to sleep in and not rush their morning. And unfortunately, those two groups of guests converge at all the Starbucks and Joffrey’s locations right around 10 AM. Starbucks line The latecomers snag coffee when they first arrive, and the rope droppers wait to get it until they’ve accomplished a few must-dos and the ride lines start to get long. That leaves you with lengthy queues for coffee from about 10 AM to early lunchtime. Don’t waste your time in line then! Iced Banana Bread Latte For reference, the in-park Starbucks spots are Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom, Connections Café in EPCOT, The Trolley Car Café in Hollywood Studios, and Creature Comforts in Animal Kingdom. All four sit in high-traffic spots near the front or center of their park, which is exactly why they get slammed when the late arrivals walk in. You also can’t order ahead through the Starbucks app at any of them, so there’s no skipping that line. Connections Cafe Another easy fix is to get your caffeine before you ever reach the park. Grab a cup at your hotel’s quick service spot or food court on the way to the bus, and you can walk right past that 10 AM line. And if you end up at Disney Springs later in your trip, the two Starbucks locations there DO take order-ahead through the Starbucks app. Hotel Coffee Crawl: Fans Have Been Talking About This Disney World Spot for Over 15 Years Toy Story Land in the Middle of the Afternoon There’s one spot that we pretty much always hate visiting in the middle of the afternoon, and that’s Toy Story Land! First of all, the land is at the back of the park, so it usually starts to get crowded around midday when Hollywood Studios visitors are halfway through their park lap. Your afternoon in Toy Story Land could look like this! In addition to that, we’re also convinced that it’s the absolute HOTTEST land in all of Disney World. Shade here is scarce, and that pavement makes things incredibly sweltering. The ride queues are mostly outdoors, and even the quick service spot only has outdoor tables. It’s an absolute nightmare in the summertime, so do yourself a favor and stop here in the morning or evening instead! Toy Story Mania If you DO end up here at 2PM, know where the relief is. The Toy Story Mania queue is indoors and air-conditioned, so it’s the best place in the land to wait out the heat. Roundup Rodeo BBQ is inside (and blissfully cool) as well, but it’s a table service restaurant, so you’ll want a reservation. And Mobile Order your Woody’s Lunch Box food so you’re not standing at the window in the sun. Roundup Rodeo Our favorite plan is to hit Toy Story Land first thing in the morning while it’s still cool, or to save it for after sunset. The whole land is strung with oversized lights and looks fantastic after dark, and the pavement has finally had a chance to cool off. Fans Have QUESTIONS About This Toy Story Land Change, and We’re Right There With Them The Hollywood Boulevard Restrooms at Rope Drop Another spot in Hollywood Studios that you should avoid? The restrooms at the start of Hollywood Boulevard during rope drop! Those bathrooms are located just after the park entrance, which means that after people wait in line to enter the park, they’re heading there first thing. Restrooms at the Hollywood Studios entrance They’re not excessively large either, so they can get a pretty long line if it starts to get crowded. Instead of using those, we recommend stopping at the bathrooms OUTSIDE the Hollywood Studios entrance, which are massive and often kept pretty clean. Restrooms outside of Hollywood Studios And if someone in your group realizes they need to go once you’re already inside, keep walking. There are more restrooms on Sunset Boulevard and throughout the rest of the park, and first thing in the morning, the farther you get from the front gate, the shorter the wait is likely to be. Will Disney World Finally Fix This Awkward Bathroom Problem in Its New Park Expansion?! World of Disney on a Saturday Night Heading to Disney Springs on Saturday night? Well, you and EVERYONE ELSE. Disney Springs gets really crowded on the weekends because visitors and locals head out to do some shopping and get a delicious dinner. So that means that on a Saturday night, World of Disney is probably the busiest you’ll see it. Crowds at World of Disney If you like shopping shoulder-to-shoulder with a bunch of strangers, be our guest. But personally, we prefer an emptier shopping experience, so we’ll be heading to World of Disney first thing in the morning instead! World of Disney If mornings don’t work for you, a weekday is your next best bet, since that’s when more visitors are in the parks, and more locals are at work. It also helps to walk in with a list. World of Disney is the biggest Disney store in all of Disney World, and it’s easy to lose an hour wandering from room to room when you’re inching along with a crowd. 7 NEW Restaurants Are Opening at Disney World in 2027 Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe at Lunchtime And finally, let’s talk about Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. As one of the busiest quick-service restaurants in all of Disney World, this spot is bound to get crowded during any major mealtime. But there’s nothing quite like the lunch rush! Cosmic Ray’s Seating During the hours of 11-1 PM, it gets SO packed inside Cosmic Ray’s that it’s hard to walk past the registers and sometimes nearly impossible to find a table indoors. If you’d like to eat here, we suggest dining during an off-peak mealtime or later in the evening. Cosmic Ray’s If lunchtime is your only option, Mobile Order is your friend. Place your order in the My Disney Experience app before you get hungry, then let the app know when you’ve arrived and head to the pickup counter. You’ll still have to hunt for a table, but you’ll skip the lines at the registers. It also means you don’t have to figure out which of the three ordering bays serves the food you want. Food from Cosmic Ray’s On your next trip to Disney World, make sure to AVOID all of these crowded and chaotic places! We’ll keep you in the loop with the crowd trends and all the tips you need to successfully navigate the parks. Be sure to stay up to date on everything coming to Disney World in 2027 with DFB! Disney Is Opening New Rides in 2027. Here’s the Full List. Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! WE KNOW DISNEY. YOU CAN, TOO. Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever! GET YOUR GUIDE NOW What’s the most crowded you’ve ever seen Disney World? Tell us in the comments! View the full article Quote
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