How to Ride All the Top Rides in Magic Kingdom With Limited Waits

We previously looked at how Disney World Guests can shorten their wait times in a theme Park. From arriving early to purchasing Lightning Lane access either through Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane access, there are a variety of tips Guests can choose to use to get a head start on those crowds. We look at the top rides in Magic Kingdom and all the different ways. Guests can use to experience them with limited wait. We hope this helps your trip Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

For a quick review, these are the ways to avoid long lines:

1.  Arrive early (before Park opening also known as rope drop)
2. Buy Genie+ Lightning Lane Access ($15/per person per day)
3. Buy Individual Lightning Lane Access (price ranges from $5 to $15 per ride per person)
4. Use early entry option (for Disney resort Guests only)
5. Use extended evening hours (for Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts only)
6. Single Rider
7. Wait until Park close

We will break down the top ten rides at Magic Kingdom and which of these seven options can be used at each of them to avoid long lines.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

This is currently the most popular ride in Magic Kingdom found back in Fantasyland. A fun, family-friendly roller coaster, this ride takes Guests on a journey through the story of Snow White. On busy days, this ride will hit high wait times within the first hour the Park opens and won’t typically slow down until the Park closes. We have a few ways that you can avoid those long lines, though.

• Arrive early
• buy individual Lightning Lane
• Use early entry or extended evening hours
• Wait until Park close

If this ride is an absolute must experience attraction for your traveling party, purchasing the individual Lightning Lane option could be worth it. We do suggest looking at if you qualify for the early entry or extended hours based on your Resort because that is a fantastic way to knock this rollercoaster out without having to pay.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Get ready for the wildest ride in the wilderness as you fly around on this wild rollercoaster ride found in Frontierland. A good step after Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, this rollercoaster ride is a higher paced coaster with some twists and turns, making it filled with excitement. You can catch this ride in a few ways:

• Arrive early
• Buy Genie+ Lightning Lane
• Wait until Park close

We think that Genie+ will be a great option for this ride. As you can only use Genie+ once for a ride, if you want to ride Big Thunder Mountain multiple times, we suggest getting there early on and using Genie+.

Space Mountain

For a high speed rush through space, head to Tomorrowland for a ride on Space Mountain. This indoor coaster is an intense experience as you fly through the dark, dipping, darting, and moving in all directions. This is an extremely popular ride, so use these tips to skip waiting in long lines before blasting off.

• Arrive early
• Buy Individual Lightning Lane
• Use early entry or extended evening hours
• Wait until Park close

Looking at all the ways to ride Space Mountain, we don’t feel like purchasing the Individual Lightning Lane would be the best option. If you get to the Park early, you should ride Space Mountain with a limited wait.

Splash Mountain

Get ready to splash into the briar patch with Brer Rabbit and friends on Splash Mountain. Located near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland, Splash Mountain is a fan favorite during the hot days in the theme Park. Guests love the longer boat ride that brings laughs with multiple drops, including a 50 foot drop at the end. Don’t get stuck in the hot line, though by using these great options.

• Arrive early
• Buy Genie+ Lightning Lane
• Wait until Park close

For Splash Mountain, we feel like all of these options are a great choice. Like Big Thunder Mountain, to ride Splash Mountain more than once a day, you should use Genie+ as well as arriving early or staying late.

Peter Pan

A classic ride favorite of young and old Disney Guests, Peter Pan’s Flight is often a must do for many visiting Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland. Before heading into Neverland, Guests can soar over London with Peter, Wendy, Michael, John, and TinkerBelle. This is a quick loading ride, but the wait time can be extremely long for how short of an experience the ride is. Avoid these long waits by using one of these options.

• Arrive early
• Buy Genie+ Lightning Lane
• Use early entry or extended evening hours
• Wait until Park close

Most only need to ride Peter Pan’s Flight once during the day, so you can use Genie+ to ensure your ride, but know if you get to the Park early, this is a great time to ride as well without long waits.

Jungle Cruise

Always a popular ride, Jungle Cruise has become even more of a fan favorite following the update of scenes and the release of the movie. This is a slow loading attraction, so wait times increase quickly. To avoid a long time, we have a few easy ways to hear the skipper’s jokes without waiting.

• Arrive early
• Buy Genie+ Lightning Lane
• Wait until Park close

Head to Jungle Cruise early in the day to avoid those long lines or use Genie+. We think that Jungle Cruise would be an excellent use of Genie+.

Haunted Mansion

A true Disney classic, Haunted Mansion takes Guests on a spooky ride through a truly haunted mansion. Guests board their doom buggy and then are taken by their ghost host on an adventure. Although this is a quick loading ride, the attraction’s popularity causes it to have long lines. Make sure you get to experience it by using one of the options below.

• Arrive early
• Buy Genie+ Lightning Lane
• Wait until Park close

We typically like riding Haunted Mansion a few times while in the Magic Kingdom, so using both getting to the Park early and using Genie+ would probably be our choice.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Finally, we have Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventureland. Pirates of the Caribbean make Disney special as the ride has everything: dark ride, small drops, great music, fantastic animatronics, and storytelling. Make sure you get a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean by trying out these methods.

• Arrive early
• Buy Genie+ Lightning Lane
• Wait until Park close

Pirates of the Caribbean is another ride that we love to ride more than once. Because of this, we would use both Genie+ and one of the other two options.

We hope that these suggestions will help you plan out your day at Magic Kingdom with limited wait times. If you need more information on these options, check out our previous post. Looking for top rides for adults? Check out our list here.