The Week Before Christmas Wait Times May Surprise You in Disney World

Can you believe we’re over halfway through December?!

Christmas in Magic Kingdom

It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Halloween and watching holiday decorations go up in the parks. Now, we’ve already celebrated with huge gingerbread displays, tons of holiday treats, and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. With the holidays comes big crowds — so what do the wait times look like during the week before Christmas?

Remember: if you don’t want to wait in the regular lines, you can purchase Genie+. This service now has flexible pricing meaning you’ll pay anywhere from $15-$29 (or possibly more) to be able to book Lightning Lanes for the day. Although it makes your day more convenient by waiting less for rides, it adds up fast especially if you have a larger group with you!

©Disney

There are many factors to consider when deciding if you’re going to buy Genie+ — priorities, length of trip — and one tool that can help you decide is the wait times.

Using Disney Genie+!

Before you go, know which rides are must-dos for you and your group. Then, take a look at the wait times in the My Disney Experience app to see what they look like around the time of your trip. During the holidays and other busy times, you may see higher wait times and higher Genie+ prices! If you don’t want to spend time scrolling through the app, you can see the average wait times this week for every Disney World attraction below.

Magic Kingdom

We’re starting at Magic Kingdom, where Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had the longest average wait time at 67 minutes again this week!

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Next, Jungle/Jingle Cruise and Peter Pan’s Flight averaged 56 minutes. After that, the ride averages put Haunted Mansion at 36 minutes,  Space Mountain at 36 minutes, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 32 minutes, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at 28 minutes, Splash Mountain at 27 minutes, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at 26 minutes, and Pirates of the Caribbean at 23 minutes.

Peter Pan’s Flight

After that, the Astro Orbiter averaged 22 minutes, “it’s a small world” averaged 18 minutes, Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid averaged 17 minutes, and Magic Carpets of Aladdin and Mickey’s PhilharMagic averaged 14 minutes. Tomorrowland Speedway averaged 13 minutes while The Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini and Dumbo the Flying Elephant averaged 12 minutes.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Next, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel averaged 11 minutes and the Mad Tea Party averaged 9 minutes. The Enchanted Tiki Room, the Carousel of Progress, the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, and the Liberty Square Riverboat all averaged 5 minutes. 

Enchanted Tiki Room

The Hall of Presidents averaged a wait time of 1 minute, while the Country Bear Jamboree and Tom Sawyer Island averaged no wait.

Magic Kingdom Is Already Sold Out for 3 Days Next Week

EPCOT

Over in EPCOT, the ride with the longest average wait time was Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, with an average wait time of 74 minutes, compared to last week’s average of 79 minutes. Frozen Ever After had an average wait time of 70 minutes, which was an increase from last week’s average of 73 minutes.

Frozen Ever After

Next, we have Test Track at 53 minutes, Soarin’ at 34 minutes, Mission: SPACE and Living with the Land at 14 minutes. Spaceship Earth and Turtle Talk with Crush averaged 13 minutes.

Living With The Land Holiday Edition

The Seas with Nemo and Friends averaged 10 minutes, and Journey into Imagination and Gran Fiesta Tour averaged  9 minutes.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends

Awesome Planet, Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival, Impressions de France, and Reflections of China had no wait times this week.

Come With Us to EPCOT’s Hidden (and Pricey) Restaurant

Hollywood Studios

In Hollywood Studios, Tower of Terror topped the list for the fifth week in a row with an average wait time of 92 minutes, compared to last week’s average of 98 minutes. Rise of the Resistance came in second place with an average of 87 minutes, while Slinky Dog Dash took third place with an average of 79 minutes.

Hello from Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

Next, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway averaged 56 minutes, Toy Story Mania averaged 57 minutes, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run averaged 50 minutes, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith averaged 54 minutes.

Millennium Falcon

After that, Alien Swirling Saucers averaged 32 minutes, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue averaged 11 minutes, Walt Disney Presents averaged 14 minutes, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy averaged 14 minutes, and Muppet*Vision 3D averaged 10 minutes.

5 Places to Escape in Disney’s Hollywood Studios When Your Anxiety Is Through the Roof

Animal Kingdom

And last but not least, let’s visit Animal Kingdom, where Avatar Flight of Passage had the longest average wait time of 88 minutes. Last week, the average was 102 minutes.

Avatar Flight of Passage

Next up was Na’vi River Journey at 55 minutes, Kilimanjaro Safaris at 47 minutes, Expedition Everest at 22 minutes, DINOSAUR at 12 minutes, and Kali River Rapids at 8 minutes.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

It’s Tough to Be a Bug averaged 10 minutes and Triceratop Spin averaged 7 minutes. Both The Boneyard and Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail averaged no wait time. 

BRAND NEW Nighttime Show in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Overall, it seems that the wait times have actually dropped a little bit compared to last week! Even though they are a little lower, some of the most popular rides still have long wait times. If those are a priority to you, you may want to consider buying Genie+.

Magic Kingdom!

Stay tuned to DFB for more updates around the holidays in Disney World!

It Will Cost You MORE to Park Hop in Disney World in 2023



Planning a Trip to Disney World? We’ve Got Everything You Need to Know

What’s your favorite park in Disney World? Tell us why in the comments!

The post The Week Before Christmas Wait Times May Surprise You in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.