Disney World Fans Reveal the Best Ride Hacks You’re Not Using

Disney4me · October 12, 2024

Disney World has over 50 rides to experience while you’re on vacation, and that’s a lot to accomplish in one trip!

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

Especially when you realize that doesn’t include the incredible shows you can experience, taking breaks for meals and snacks, and being sure you take the time needed to stay hydrated during the day. Oh yeah, and shopping! If you’re planning a trip soon and want to experience as many attractions in one day as you can, we asked our readers on Facebook what ride hacks they recommend other travelers use, and these are some HOT tips you won’t want to miss!

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Rope Drop, Nap, Then Park Close

We thought this was a really interesting strategy, because it involves two of the ones we usually give, but with a twist in the middle that can be really beneficial. One of our readers, James, simply said, “Rope drop, nap, park close.”

Slinky Dog Dash

This was quickly backed up by another reader, Sarah, who said in her reply, “That nap between 12:30-2:30 does wonders!!” We often give the advice to rope drop OR stay until park close, but doing both is quite the long day that can seriously tire you out and not prepare you for future days (but is certainly doable!). With this strategy, head back to your hotel in the middle of the day to rest, take a nap, relax in the pool, etc., and then get ready to get back out there after lunch.

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Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Now, this is easiest if you’re staying at a Disney World hotel since you can take free transportation from the park to the hotel and back, but it’s also doable if you’re staying off property and have your car — just be sure you save your parking receipt so you don’t have to pay again!

Single Rider Lines

You may have heard about single rider lines very often in Disney World, and truthfully, they’re an incredible resource, although we do wish there were more of them around the resort. On our Facebook post, Christine wrote, “Single rider lines. My family uses them regularly to skip long lines. We don’t care that we won’t sit together.”

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Test Track (June 2024)

It’s true that by using single rider lines you’re agreeing to the fact that your party will very likely not sit together on the ride, but you’ll still wait in the queue together! Sometimes it’s a longer wait, like at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (this one can be so long in fact that it’s actually the only one we recommend NOT using), but often you’ll wait 5-10 minutes or less to ride, even if the standby wait is well over an hour!

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Expedition Everest

Now, we said that not every ride uses a single rider line, so which rides can you experience them on? Check out our list below!

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
Rise of the Resistance (Disney’s Hollywood Studios; this line is currently testing and isn’t always available!)
Expedition Everest (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
Test Track (EPCOT; this was prior to its refurbishment closure, but we’re hoping to see it reopen with the ride in 2025!)

On any ride, we recommend listening closely to Cast Members calling for single riders, because it may mean you get to skip the last bit of the line!

Ride During Fireworks and Peak Meal Times

Riding rides while other people are preoccupied doing things like watching nighttime shows or dining is a great way to catch rides at slightly lower wait times. This is especially true for those nighttime shows, as they have set schedules every night, so people will know to get in line at certain times and when the actual attraction will be taking place.

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Getting ready for the fireworks

Reader Stephanie shared, “Go during fireworks. We set up numerous nights to see the different night shows. But If it’s the same show we saw before it’s ride time.” And this is an extra special tip because Stephanie is right — if seeing the shows is important to you on your vacation, we recommend planning at least TWO separate times to see it. Why? Because one night may get rained out, or the show could have an issue to prevent it from playing.

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Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party fireworks

This way, you can be sure to catch the show on one night and choose to catch those lower wait times on the other.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass

Now, we’re not saying that buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a tip, even though it is a great way to get you on more attractions by skipping the lines, but reader Jeanine has a great tip that’s so important if you HAVE chosen to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass for your vacation. She says, “With the new LL multi pass, get a tier 2 as early in your park day as you can, so you have a free one to work with. Once you scan into that first LL the tiers don’t matter anymore, so you can book the higher demand ones. Worth it to do something less popular shortly after park open so you can keep booking more.”

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This is a fantastic tip that we also quickly discovered with the new service, and it’s a great way to start booking more Lightning Lanes early in the day, rather than not being able to book any new ones until you use up your first 2-3 hours into the park day.

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Even getting to skip the lines on “filler” attractions around the parks can save you more time than you realize — 5-10 minutes here and there really does add up!

We’re always here to bring you the latest tips and tricks to help you have the best vacation, so stay tuned to DFB!