Disney World crowds are getting…complicated. And those issues could seriously mess up your plans unless you know how to conquer the crowds like a true Disney expert. That’s where we come in.

We’re in the Disney World parks every single day checking out the weirdly long lines, looking for tips and tricks that could help you save cash, and scouring for the latest news. So today we’re going to go over some recent Disney World crowd trends and how to make sure you have a fantastic vacation despite some of the unexpected changes. Let’s dive in!

Disney World Crowds Are Becoming Unpredictable

Back in the olden days, you may have known exactly what to expect when it came to Disney World crowds. You may have come in prepared for long lines and heavy crowds on long/holiday weekends, around Spring Break time, during the summer, on major holidays, on runDisney race weekends, and on select other dates. But lately, things have been…strange.

Now, don’t get us wrong. Most of what we said above still holds true. You can generally expect to see larger crowds during those historically busy times. BUT sometimes the crowds can surprise you. Take Memorial Day 2023 for example. On the weekend before Memorial Day (a time when you might have expected the parks to be FULL of people), things weren’t all that bad. Sure, some spots were busier than earlier in the week, but Hollywood Studios did not feel overwhelmingly crowded. And while Tomorrowland felt a little busy in Magic Kingdom, we had seen other days where it was MUCH worse.

By the time Memorial Day itself (Monday) rolled around, things were fairly similar. There were some crowds at certain times and in some places, but inside Magic Kingdom, we didn’t get the typical holiday weekend packed-like-sardines situation. Some wait times were also pretty low — Big Thunder Mountain Railroad had a 35-minute wait at 12:10PM — not bad! Other parks had relatively low wait times as well.

But on the Tuesday following Memorial Day, crowds were strangely HUGE, and wait times were intense. Magic Kingdom even sold out of Park Passes for the day for a small period of time. Wait…what??

It was AFTER Memorial Day that we also saw some extremely long lines at places like the Transportation and Ticket Center. And despite security lines here getting better over a weekend (when you might expect things to be more packed), they were suddenly long again during the week — though, thankfully, they moved VERY quickly.

We’ve seen this happening in the past, where weekends have felt weirdly empty and even holidays like Easter have been emptier than we expected. It just goes to show that Disney World crowds are a little less predictable than they might have been in the past. We could see an emptier summer than you might anticipate and TONS more crowds on days you otherwise expected to be empty.

That can really throw off your plans, particularly if you planned your trip for days you expected to be calm, only to find that heavy crowds have suddenly descended upon the Most Magical Place on Earth. So what can you do?

Here’s Why That Won’t Matter for YOU

Here’s the key takeaway we want you to get from this article — yes, crowds can be annoying to deal with and can complicate your trip. BUT you can still do what you want on a really crowded day in Disney World, you just have to know HOW.

Below are some of our top tips for dealing with the Disney World crowds. While you might have normally only thought to work these into your plans on “traditionally” busy days, our recommendation now is to work them into your plans for ALL trips because those crowd levels can catch you off guard. If you go in expecting big crowds and plan for them accordingly, then you won’t be thrown off by them if they do appear. If they don’t materialize, then you’ll still have a great plan with the added benefit of more flexibility to change things around thanks to the lower crowds! In other words, better to plan ahead and be safe than risk it and be sorry.

Let’s go through those tips:

1 — Know WHEN to Ride Those Top Rides

Peter Pan’s Flight can often have one of the LONGEST waits in Magic Kingdom (yes, really). A crowded day can make those wait times worse. So what do you do? Do you have to skip Peter Pan or just suck it up and wait in a 90-minute+ line? Not necessarily. Know when to time your visit to this ride (and other popular ones), and you could get on it with a shorter wait!

Oftentimes, a good tip is to head to popular rides like Peter Pan’s Flight when the Magic Kingdom fireworks are going off. At that time, many guests in the park will be watching the sky instead of standing in line. That can help you shave off some of the standby wait time.

We also often see shorter lines at many rides (in general) first thing in the morning (when some folks are busy sleeping in) and as the evening rolls around (a.k.a. just before the park closes for the night, at a time when many families with little kids may have already left to their hotels). If you can hit some park rides during those timeframes you may also experience significantly shorter waits.

Staying at a Disney World hotel or another participating location? Don’t forget to take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry — that perk allows all Disney World hotel guests to enter the parks 30 minutes early (any park of your choosing, with a Park Pass). Those at Deluxe Disney World Hotels, Deluxe Villas, and select other hotels can also take advantage of Extended Evening Hours, which gives these guests exclusive access to certain parks on select dates after they’ve closed to the “regular” guests. Both of those perks can help you get on popular rides without as many folks around!

And don’t forget about another wait times tool you can use for FREE. Within the My Disney Experience app, you can look at each ride in the park and see their forecasted wait times for the day.

That can help you see when the line for that particular attraction may be shorter!

2 — Don’t Forget About Genie+ (But Know How to Use It)

This likely comes as no surprise to you, but one big way to beat the crowds and lines in Disney World is to use Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes — Disney’s two paid skip-the-line services. The key here, however, is to know HOW to use these systems properly because they come with their own set of confusing rules.

We have an entire PAGE full of details, tips, and tricks related to Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes, but here are some top tips:

• Buy Genie+ sooner rather than later — on very busy days, the service can SELL OUT
• Budget plenty of cash for it — Genie+ has hit as high as $35 per person and there’s technically no cap on price that Disney has revealed
• Buy your Individual Lightning Lanes as soon as you can so you can get them before they sell out and select the best return time for you — these become available at 7AM for Disney World hotel guests and park open for all other guests
• Check out Genie+ HACKS that’ll help you master the system

And see our video below on ways to outsmart Genie+! The key here is not just to be familiar with it, but to know how to really master the system ahead of your trip so you’ll be a pro from the second you hit the parks.

3 — Don’t Let Dining Reservations Get You Down

Want to eat at a popular Table Service restaurant in the parks but struggle to get a dining reservation? Don’t overstress. There are 3 important things you can do. First, keep checking reservation availability in the My Disney Experience app. People cancel their reservations all the time, so the one you’re looking for could pop up at any time. But, in particular, check diligently around 2 hours before you want to dine. Right now, guests only have to cancel 2 hours before their dining reservations at most locations in Disney World to avoid a cancelation fee, so many folks may be canceling right before that 2 hour mark. That could give you a chance to scoop up a last-minute spot!

Second, use the Mobile Dine Walk-Up Waitlist feature on the Disney World app. Even if a reservation doesn’t show up on Disney’s traditional booking service, you may find that the restaurant has walk-up availability. Simply check the restaurant in the app and see if a Walk-Up Waitlist option pops up!

And finally, remember that some popular Table Service restaurants have their own dedicated lounges where reservations are typically not required.

Those lounges sometimes serve the same or similar items as the Table Service restaurant, giving you the chance to enjoy the dishes you’ve been eyeing without the need for a reservation!

Did you know some Table Service restaurants offer TO GO options? It’s another way to get the food of your dreams without a reservation — click here to learn about it!

4 — Avoid Mobile Order Issues

The use of Mobile Order is heavily encouraged in Disney World’s Quick Service restaurants and can help you get your food without having to wait in long ordering lines, but Mobile Order can be full of challenges.

The big thing you’ll want to do with Mobile Order is place your orders REALLY early so you can select the best return time that works for you! If you wait too long, you might find that all of the “best” return/pick-up times have already been taken, forcing you to wait potentially for hours before your food will be ready. (Hello HANGRY family.)

You can literally place your dinner order at lunchtime, that’s how early we’re talking here (when possible). So really get in that planning when you can!

Also, remember that you might have to wait a bit for your food to be fully ready after hitting the “Prepare my Order” option in the app. So, consider hitting that before you get to the starving level and hang around the restaurant area for your food to be prepared.

Another tip is to take a close look at all the participating Mobile Order spots (which we have listed HERE). There might be locations on there that’ll surprise you. For example, some candy kitchens — like Karamell-Kuche in the Germany pavilion in EPCOT — are now available via Mobile Order. Place that order as you’re walking to the pavilion and you could save yourself some time in line.

Also, consider eating at off-hours (early or before the “rush”) to avoid some of the crowding around tables in the restaurant that can take place during peak dining hours.

5 — Don’t Forget About Merchandise Mobile Checkout

Want to buy Disney souvenirs and skip the long checkout lines? There’s a way to do that — it’s called Merchandise Mobile Checkout. This is only offered at certain spots in the parks, but it can come in handy!

Here’s a list of the participating locations as of the latest updates to this post:

Magic Kingdom

• Emporium
• Star Traders
• Tomorrowland Launch Depot

EPCOT

• Creations Shop
• Treasures of Xandar

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities
• Mickey’s of Hollywood

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• Discovery Trading Company & Riverside Depot
• Island Mercantile

Disney Springs

• Super Hero Headquarters
• World of Disney

With this service, you’ll open the My Disney Experience app at those participating locations, select the store you’re shopping at, and then scan the items you want to purchase. Then, you pay and finalize your purchase through the app and visit a designated Mobile Merchandise Checkout check-out station. A Cast Member will scan the QR code the system gives you, check your purchase, and then you can be on your merry way — no need to wait in the long checkout lines!

Note — we have had an issue with this at Star Traders in Magic Kingdom, where we’ve had to wait in the regular checkout line to have a Cast Member verify our Mobile Merchandise Checkout order, defeating the whole purpose of the system. So your experience from store to store can vary, but generally, this is a time-saving option you’ll want to check out!

6 — Take the SECRET Walkways

While the standard paths around Disney World are surely beautiful and intricately themed, to beat the crowds, there are some SECRET walkways you’ll want to check out! One big one is the Boardwalk that circumvents Frontierland along the Rivers of America. You may also want to avoid the main bridge in Tomorrowland and instead cut through Tomorrowland Terrace. Plus, the two cut-throughs between the Frontierland and Liberty Square area and Adventureland can really save you time on busy days to get around!

There are a variety of other secret spots that can help you avoid the larger crowds and get to your desired spots quickly. These are certainly useful on busy days but can be great any day of the year really.

Click here to check out over 10 secret walkways in Disney World!

7 — HAVE A PLAN

At the end of the day, this tip is really the key — have a plan in place! Unless you’re okay with not getting everything on your list done, don’t plan to just “wing it.” Yes, you want to have flexibility with your plans, that is of critical importance.

But if you have certain things you MUST do, be strategic and go in with an idea of when it’ll be best to do each thing rather than just playing it by ear and running the risk that by the time you get to your must-do ride it has a ridiculous wait or all mobile orders are taken up by the time you get hungry. Planning can really help you get the most out of your trip, especially if unexpected crowds hit.

Hopefully this post has made you feel more equipped to handle your next trip regardless of what the crowd level may be!

If you want to do some planning before your next trip, check out our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining.

We’ve compiled all of our BEST tips and tricks from years of Disney World travel into one eBook that you can download to your tablet or smartphone and take with you!

We’re offering our readers 25% off with code WDW2023.

And stay tuned for more Disney tips.

What Disney World crowd questions do you have? Tell us in the comments!

The post Disney World Crowds Have Gotten Unpredictable. Here’s How To Make That Not Matter. first appeared on the disney food blog.