When you are on a trip to Disney, especially now that Fast Pass is a thing of the past, you don’t always want to stand in hour-long lines. There are a few rides in each park that usually have short wait times no matter what time of the year you go. What we mean by short wait times is generally under 15 to 20 minutes. Right now with the lines being spaced out, it can be tough to look at a line and know if it is short or not. What we have found in our recent trips is that the wait times are usually shorter than posted, even for longer waits.
Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
This ride is great for short wait times because of the format. Every 5 minutes the carousel rotates letting people on and off. This is also a great place to get out of the heat on a really hot day and sit down and relax as well as on a rainy day to get dry and let the storm pass. At this attraction, you will travel through the 20th century seeing the evolution of technology.
Dumbo
Even though this is a really popular ride, back when they expanded Fantasyland they moved the original Dumbo ride and added a second ride to make it a set. This makes the line go by quickly because they can load twice the amount of guests to soar high in the sky on this classic Disney ride.
Tea Party
If you want to take a whirl around the Tea Cups you will usually find a nice short wait. Being that this rise is on the short side it can move guests in and out efficiently. You will whirl round and round in giant teacups to some maddening music.
Magic Carpets
If your kiddos are looking for a nice quick ride flying high in Adventureland then you should check out the Magic Carpets. Styled after the Dumbo ride it is a nice quick on-and-off to get you to your next adventure.
The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
On this ride, the storybook comes to life as you travel through the Hundred Acre Wood with Pooh and friends. You won’t have to wait long to enter your oversized Hunny pot.
Astro Orbiter
Little ones will pilot their own spaceship flying high over Tomorrowland. The longest part of the wait for this ride is waiting for the elevator to take you up over the people mover. This ride is especially fun if you can ride it at night. It will make you feel like you are really flying through space.
Epcot
Gran Fiesta
On this boat ride, you will take in the sights and sounds of Mexico while following Donald, Panchito, and Jose on their Gran Fiesta Tour! Wait times are low on this ride because the boats only stop briefly to load and unload guests before continuing on on the adventure.
The Seas with Nemo and friends
You will travel under the sea on an adventure with Nemo on this beautiful ride. The ride vehicles do not stop making this ride and east on and off getting you onto your next adventure quickly.
Soarin
This ride doesn’t always find itself in the category of short wait times but it is one of our favorite rides in all of Disney World and if you time your flight right you can go on this ride several times in a row waiting for only a matter of minutes between shows. We have found on our 2 most recent trips that the wait times for this ride are almost always half of the posted wait time.
The Land
If you are looking for a fun ride to get away from the heat or rain The Land is always a great option. I think because the boats are continually moving it makes the wait times always short. We like to go into the Land and hit up both The Land and Soarin in one shot making the most of the AC and time away from any rain that may be moving in.
Hollywood Studios
***Hollywood Studios is the most popular park currently so most of the rides don’t always fit well into “short wait times” so we are going to talk about experiences that have short wait times for this park.
Muppet*Vision 3D
Like the Carousel of Progress over in The Magic Kingdom, Muppet 3D is a cute show that will get you out of the elements whether it be heat or a Florida shower. Also, who doesn’t love to see what the Muppets are getting themselves into?
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
If you have a few race fans this will be a big hit with your family. In this show, you will feel like you are in the middle of the action.
Alien Swirling Saucers
This ride is always known for having the shortest wait of all of the rides in Toy Story Land. You can hop on a toy rocket and spin around with the aliens from this beloved movie.
Star Tours
For Star Wars fans out there it is nice to have a least one ride that has a shorter wait time. There is no way that either of the 2 new rides in Galaxy’s Edge will make this list for I would bet years to come. You can get your Star Wars fix by hopping into hyperspace aboard a starship-like simulator.
Animal Kingdom
TriceraTop Spin
In Dino Land, you will find the delightful TriceraTop Spin with the shortest wait times in all of Animal Kingdom. Dino Land can sometimes be forgotten by some guests because it doesn’t fit with the theming of the rest of the park. Dino fans can hop into a dinosaur and twirl around the carnival-themed area.
It’s Tough to be a bug
In this 3D show, you will discover what it’s like to be a bug inspired by the film Its a bugs life.
Dinosaur
This ride may not be suited for everyone in your travel party as it can be a bit scary for little ones. If you are up for it, Dinosaur is a thrilling ride taking you on a prehistoric tour trying to save a dinosaur from extinction.
Kilimanjaro Safari
Out of all the short wait time rides in Animal Kingdom this one is by far my favorite. In order to get a short wait time I would suggest getting in line first thing in the morning. If you can get in line within the first hour of the park opening it can often be a walk-on ride.
Conclusiuon
Depending on the time of the year that you go some of these can be longer than 15 minutes and sometimes you can also add some rides into this category. We enjoy going mid to late February and early March and have found many more rides that have fall into this time frame.
Make sure you check out my full guide to planning a Disney vacation before you leave as well. There are a lot more tips and tricks over there!
