How early should I get to Disney?

Does that mean you can arrive to the park later? We don't recommend it. Even if you can't participate in Early Theme Park Entry, we still recommend you get to the park around 60 minutes before Early Theme Park Entry (or around 90 minutes before the park opens to all guests).



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For those staying at an official Disney World Hotel, 45 minutes to an hour should be plenty of time. As an example, if the park opens at 8:00 in the morning, you'd want to leave the hotel no later than 7:00 or 7:15 in the morning to give yourself plenty of time for early arrival.

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The average wait time for a Disney World attraction is 36 minutes, while the average ride is just 8 minutes long. For each ride you want to visit, prepare to spend 82% of your time in line. The attraction with the longest average wait time is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, with an average wait time of 127 minutes.

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Arrive Early For The New Extra Magic Half Hour One of the easiest ways to make sure you get the most out of your day no matter which Disney park you plan to visit is to arrive early and stay late when possible! This will also allow you to take an afternoon break at your hotel if need be.

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What is the least busy time of year at Walt Disney World?”
  • The middle of January to the middle of February.
  • The last few days in February and the first week of March.
  • The last week of April.
  • Weekdays in the first half of May.
  • The second half of August.
  • September is pretty great to visit (except avoid Labor Day).


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Whether you are in Orlando for a short trip, or your preferred destination is one of the biggest theme parks in the city, it is possible to enjoy Disney World in 2 days.

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Splurge on after-hours events In 2023, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom are selling tickets for dates early in the year at prices that rival a full day's admission. “That is an enormous time saver,” said Jeffrey Merola, a Walt Disney World guidebook author and owner of Mouse Vacation Planning.

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You can do three days without park hopper and skip one park, or you can get park hopper and visit all four parks. We discuss these options more below. Either way, we recommend buying three-day tickets from an authorized seller of discount Disney World tickets, like Undercover Tourist.

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Early Theme Park Entry is a perk of staying at a Disney hotel or select other hotel that allows these guests access to every park, every day, for 30 minutes before the park opens.

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A trip at this time of year also has the added bonus of cooler temperatures — or, to superfans, Spirit Jersey weather. Disney World's least busy month, though, is almost always September.

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When is Disney World the MOST crowded?
  • Easter (both the week before and the week after typically have increased crowds)
  • Independence Day (July 4)
  • Indigenous Peoples' Day (2nd Monday in October)
  • Veterans' Day (November 11)
  • Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November)
  • Christmas week through January 1.


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Morning Extra Magic Hours allow Disney resort guests into the theme parks an hour before everyone else. That gets you into the park as early as 7:00 a.m. or 8:00 a.m., depending on the time of year and the park.

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  • You can't really skip lines.
  • You can buy the Genie Pass to buy access to the lightning lane (or whatever they call it these days), but even with that you will still be waiting in line.
  • You can pay for a private tour which may include fast access to select rides.


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That's why we have created this short list on how you can beat the queues and make the most of your time at Disney.
  1. The Early Bird Catches The Worm. ...
  2. Download the My Disney Experience app. ...
  3. Beat The Queues With Disney's Fast Pass System. ...
  4. Avoid The Main Street. ...
  5. Be Prepared. ...
  6. Don't Be A Sheep, Be Smart. ...
  7. Avoid certain days.


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Disney Genie+ is a paid service that allows you to skip the standby line and use the Lightning Lane entrance at select attractions.

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Second, annual passholders may enter the parks after 2PM without a reservation, except for Magic Kingdom on Saturdays and Sundays. Blockout dates still apply for these guests. Third, and most important, there is a partial exception for guests who are park hopping, which we'll discuss next.

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You can absolutely do this, but you won't get to go on most of the good rides. Animal kingdom is only a half day park anyway, so start there and then do Magic Kingdom after. For the next day I'd start early in HS and then take the sky ride thing over to EPCOT.

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EPCOT is arguably the least family-friendly park at Walt Disney World, so you may not need more than a few hours to do everything of interest if you have small children. With that said, a full day at EPCOT is highly recommended for first-timers.

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Genie Plus is definitely worth it for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and if you don't like early starts, you might consider it for Epcot and Animal Kingdom. If you are park hopping, Genie+ is even better value as it maximises the number of rides you have access to.

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A Magic Kingdom itinerary is simply a must if your family only has one day at Disney World. The main reason being the Magic Kingdom Park is by far the most-visited theme park in the world.

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As happens every year around this time, crowds are starting to fall before Fall 2023 at Walt Disney World. This wait times report covers data for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.

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