Worried about lines at Walt Disney World? Here are the best ways to avoid them!

Disney's parks welcome hundreds of thousands of guests each week. Most of those people end up waiting in long lines.

Don't let this be you! Use these tips to plan the perfect strategy yourself - or let someone else be your guru!

• Travel offseason, even if it means taking the kids out of school. (Contrary to what some believe, Christmas week is not a slow time at Walt Disney World.) Can’t travel anytime other than school breaks? All is not lost, but you’ll need to master some other strategies when crowds are high.

• Choose the least crowded park each day. Disney World’s four theme parks are rarely equally busy – on a given day, there’s usually one or two that are busier than they were the day before, and one or two that are less so. Knowing when to zig when others zag is a hallmark of Disney expertise. Be careful; Disney is prone to last-minute updates to their park hours and entertainment offerings, which can impact your plans.

• Maximize your FastPass+ selections by choosing the right rides at the right time. You get to make 3 per day (in one park) online, either 60 or 30 days in advance. Many people assume they’ll select their family’s most-desired rides, but this won’t work in the parks where the most popular rides are mutually exclusive for FastPasses (Hollywood Studios and Epcot). You’ll likely get to FastPass one must-do, but you’ll need a smart game plan for riding all the others. There’s a hierarchy of rides that make the best use of a FastPass, so you’ll want to research which ones those are beforehand.

Not sure where to begin? Don’t want to do all this work yourself?

• Hire a VIP tour guide. This is an expensive option, but the appeal is understandable. Disney offers VIP tour guides at a 6 hour minimum, for approximately $300-$600 per hour, who have access to the FastPass+ lane for every ride and will escort you around the parks. A non-Disney-employed tour guide local to the Orlando area will cost about half that, but won’t offer expedited ride entry beyond basic FastPass usage.
• Hire a Disney vacation planning expert. At a fraction of the price of an in-park tour guide, a specialist like me will create a customized touring plan based on your family’s wish list of attractions*. Kids’ heights, meals, show times, and mid-day resort breaks can all be incorporated into a step-by-step plan to keep you out of long lines. Just like VIP tours are often executed within about 6 hours’ time, you’ll be amazed at how much you can see and do by following a carefully crafted plan.

I utilize personally tested strategies and park touring knowledge, combined with carefully selected FastPass+ reservations, to create the most efficient plan - so you wait less, walk less, and see more. Simply show up to the parks with your plan in hand and follow along!

Researching Disney park strategies can be very time-consuming, and finding up-to-date information can be tricky. If you’re a busy person looking for Disney-focused vacation expertise and personal service, contact me today to discover how easy it can be to have someone else do the planning!

*Keep in mind that not all Disney focused travel agents offer this specific service. Some offer itineraries but not custom touring plans, so be sure to find out exactly what is offered.