It seems like there are fewer and fewer low-crowd days in Disney World. EPCOT hosts festivals nearly year-round, new attractions open regularly, and crowd levels are surging.
Sure, it sounds like a great plan to say “visit while schools are in session” but if you have students or you’re a teacher, that can be difficult to accomplish. Instead, if you have to visit when the crowds are high.
Here are ten tips for making the best of park-going on the busiest days!
1 – Stay Safe
The number one tip for visiting the parks during the busiest times of the year is to stay safe. With large crowds, it’s easy to get separated from your group, and the chances are even higher if you have excited little ones. While Disney says there’s no such thing as lost children in Disney World (only lost parents), it does happen.
Before you even leave home, create a safety plan with your whole family. Teach kids that if they do get separated from their parents to go to someone with a Disney nametag. If they don’t know your cell phone number, put it on their person somewhere – in a shoe, in a pocket, or on their arm with Sharpie and New Skin overtop.
If you have older kids who you plan to let roam freely (without you), establish a meeting spot. A good option is the icon of each park. In Magic Kingdom, Cinderella Castle. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, The Tree of Life. In Epcot, Spaceship Earth. In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Chinese Theater or The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. These are good because they can be seen from almost anywhere in the parks, so it’s easy to return to them. Set a meeting time, say lunch and dinner, and check in with your kids regularly.
Alternatively, use tracking devices like those available on mobile phones or the Tile technology to track kids at a distance.
2 – Schedule Bathroom Breaks
When the parks are busy, the lines are long. Wait times can be upward of two hours on the most popular rides. Some adults can’t go that long without visiting a restroom, let alone children!
Before you get in line or visit a show (especially if it’s a long one), visit a restroom. What’s more, if you’ve run across a bathroom with no line, stop. Even lines for bathrooms can get long on busy days!
3 – Schedule Meals During Off Times
It’s also a good idea to create a schedule before you leave. This schedule should include meal times. On the busiest days, avoid scheduling meals at common meal times. Instead, schedule meals just before or just after these common meal times. For lunch this would be before noon or after 2, and for dinner before 5 or after 8.
This strategy works well: eat a large breakfast, grab a snack, eat a large lunch, and get another snack or have a late meal.
4 – Take a Mid-Day Break
When the parks are really busy, so are the restaurants. If you need a meal and you can’t or don’t want to wait in line for food, head back to your hotel. Parks are the busiest (and the hottest) around mid-day. Eat a good meal and rest for a bit. You don’t have to nap, but this is a good time to decompress and let the kids burn off some energy. Find a playground, visit the pool, watch a movie.
If you want to stay in the parks, you can still take a mid-day break! There are plenty of play areas within the parks. Two of my favorites are the Dig Site at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Casey Jr’s Splash ‘n’ Soak station In Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland.
5 – Schedule Relaxing Days
Add relaxing days to your schedule. It can be exhausting to visit parks for days on days, so avoid it if you can. A great schedule is two park days, a relax day, two park days, and bookend your vacation to relax on arrival and departure days.
If you know that Magic Kingdom is hosting a special event, get the park hopper and go to that park on party days. Crowds will be lighter because other people know that they can’t stay the whole day. Conversely, days that there aren’t parties are busy!
6 – Arrive for Rope Drop
Once you’ve actually arrived in Disney World and you’ve done all the planning you can, it’s time to put it into action. First, arrive for Rope Drop – this means before the park opens. Disney Transportation starts well before the earliest park opening. You want to be on the first bus if possible. Arriving much later than the park opening means you’ve already missed opportunities for short wait times.
7 – Expect Long Lines
If you know you’re going to visit during heavy crowds, expect long lines. Prepare yourself and prepare your children. Wear good shoes because you’re going to be standing a lot and possibly carrying children when their little legs get too tired to carry them anymore. Be sure to put snacks and drinks in your Disney Day Bag, and think about some games to play while you’re waiting in line. Play Disney Parks is an app with Disney trivia, achievements, songs, and more to pass the time in line. Just be sure to also pack an external charger because it will drain your battery!
8 – Don’t try to do everything
Even on low-crowd days, which are few and far between these days, it’s very difficult to see and do everything. Set priorities. What do you have to do, what would you like to do, and what is low on the list? Also, think about what you don’t want to do or can’t do because of shorter family members.
9 – Don’t miss the details
When the crowds are really high, we tend to overlook interesting details. When was the last time you looked at the windows on Main Street USA, spotted a Hidden Mickey, or read the plaque under the Liberty Tree in Liberty Square? Stop and just gaze at the castle or watch the transformation of the Tree of Life at night. Just because everyone else is in a hurry to move along doesn’t mean you have to be.
10 – Leave the Park Early
We often believe that we have to be in the parks from open to close to maximize our experience. One of my best tips for managing busy days in the parks is to leave the park early. Shortly before the nighttime show, head out of the parks and to a nearby hotel.
Take the monorail to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, or Disney’s Contemporary Resort and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beaches. The music is piped in, so you won’t miss a bit of the show. If you can snag a dining reservation at California Grill, you’ll have an amazing view of the show. Your reservation just has to be sometime during the day; you don’t have to dine during the fireworks. You can also catch a ferry or a bus to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, which offers great views from their beaches.
If you don’t want to leave the parks, at least head to the entrance so you’re one of the first ones out. Otherwise, you’ll be waiting a long time for transportation!
What’s your best tip for busy days at Disney World?