Those who visit Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Six Flags and other theme parks aim to make the most out of their time there. Many are even willing to pay extra for services that allow them to skip long lines at attractions.
Disney revolutionized the industry in 1999 with the introduction of FastPass, a “virtual express queue” for its attractions that eventually became Genie+ and then Disney Lightning Lane. Other parks followed suit with similar platforms such as Disney Premier Access, Universal Express Unlimited, LEGOLAND Reserve & Ride, Six Flags’ The Flash Pass, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens’ Quick Queue Unlimited, etc.
These services do save you time during your theme park day, but at an additional price hike. Fortunately, there are still alternatives to help you optimize your visit without that extra cost. Here are some free time-saving theme park hacks for your next visit.
1 Plan Your Day in Advance
All modern theme parks have an exclusive mobile application available with which you can access park maps, sometimes even without needing to purchase tickets. The app displays real-time information on each ride’s wait times throughout the day.
with this data you can design a streamlined itinerary for each park to help you enjoy more and with less wait times.
After purchasing tickets, some apps can even do this for you. My Disney Experience features Disney Genie (not Genie+). This virtual assistant generates a suggested activities itinerary and helps you with your reservations, all for free.
If you prefer not to use mobile apps to plan your day, you can find updated images of each park map via your preferred web search engine. Use those to learn the fastest walking routes in the parks.
2* Schedule Your Trip During Off Seasons
If you can travel during one of the times when fewer people visit the theme parks, you will have shorter lines for all attractions.
Another advantage of visiting theme parks in the off seasons is that admission tickets and hotel stays are usually cheaper.
3 Get to the Park Early
It may sound obvious, but if you’re at the park gate right at rope drop, you’ll have a full day to explore it. Pairing this with an organized itinerary with your priority attractions will let you make the most of your visit.
You can get to the park even earlier. Guests who book hotels such as Disney Resorts and Universal Resort Hotels are eligible for early admission to their hotel’s affiliated parks. Disney Resort guests can enter any of their park half an hour before opening, while those from Universal Resorts have early access to the Harry-Potter-themed sections within theirs.
4 Start from the Back
This advice dates back to pre-internet times and still applies. When visitors arrive at the parks, they usually ride the attractions closest to the entrance first. This means that attractions further away from the entrance have less demand at the beginning of the day, even the most popular ones.
If you arrive early, you should head towards the back of the theme park first to take advantage of these “empty” rides at the start of your day, then backtrack and enjoy the ones closest to the entrance.
5 Divide and Conquer
The main cause for long lines (beside technical difficulties) is large groups of four or more friends or family who decide to sit together on every ride. However, park employees often let people who are alone board faster in order to fill empty seats.
Many Universal park rides incorporate an exclusive and much shorter Single Riders queue, which can cut up to an hour out of wait times. If you’re by yourself or your group is willing to split up, this tactic will give you extra time for more activities within the theme park.
Disney has implemented similar lines at some of its parks, but they are not as common. Recently they installed a Single Rider test queue in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The success of this trial will determine if Disney considers implementing more of theses queues in other rides.
Even if your chosen attraction doesn’t have a Single Rider line, keep an eye out as the regular queue moves along. Disney cast members will eventually start calling for sole individuals to fill seats.
Be advised that apart from not sitting with to your group, another disadvantage of this time-saving theme park hack is that you are usually seated in the back of the ride vehicle.
6 Eat Inside the Queues
Theme parks often have an appetizing variety of foods and drinks to try out, but stopping for lunch or drinks wastes precious time. Rather choose to bring refillable bottles and outside food in your bag or backpack. Many ride line even feature water fountains and waste baskets.
Parks typically let you bring edible items so long as they don’t come inside glass containers, emit strong odors, or require reheating. We recommend bringing sandwiches, packaged snacks, soft drinks in plastic bottles, and groceries that don’t require cutlery.
You can even enjoy the park’s delicacies as a team. Part of your group can stay in line while the rest buy quick service items, then catch up with the group within the queue. Consider that whoever buys groceries may lose their place in line if they don’t hurry.
After eating, use your time in line to plan your next steps after exiting the ride.
7 Request Virtual Lines
Did you know that Disney has free virtual queues? The Disney Lightning Lane Single Pass specifically is a paid version of the Virtual Queue available on Disney’s most in-demand attractions such as TRON Lightcycle / Run, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Virtual Queues for these rides can be reserved for free from the My Disney Experience or Disneyland Mobile App. Slots open up two times a day, once at 7:00 a.m. and then at 1:00 p.m. on the same day of your park visit.
Before purchasing a Lightning Lane Single Pass, first try to apply for your spot on the Virtual Queue.
8 Pick Other, Less Crowded Parks
The most visited attractions in the world are usually found in Orlando, Florida, the theme park capital of the world. However, many people only focus on the parks in that city and ignore many other equally impressive ones around the world, both from Disney and Universal, as well as other brands.
These destinations hold many of the same experiences found in Orlando and California, sometimes even better ones, but most importantly feature smaller crowds and cheaper prices.
Disneyland Paris, for instance, includes two parks with attractions similar to those of Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. They even have a version of Avengers Campus there, very popular in California yet unavailable in Orlando due to agreements that Universal made prior to Disney’s acquisition of Marvel.
Remember to Have Fun
All of these time-saving theme park hacks will help you inside the theme park, but what good will they do if you’re too exhausted to enjoy it?
Don’t forget that the main reason you visit Disney, Universal, or any theme park is to have a good time, not to get stressed.
Take time during your day to take breaks, drink plenty of water, visit the bathroom, and above all appreciate the park’s atmosphere, not just its rides.
Design and Speed Up your Trip with Our Help
You now know eight hacks to make the most of your time at the theme parks. Now, let’s plan your next trip to visit them!
After all, we’re authorized travel agents with expert certification in Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld, and Busch Gardens theme parks in the United States. Interested in other destinations or experiences? We’re also certified in National Geographic Expeditions, Disney Cruise Line, and Adventures by Disney. Still prefer virtual express queue services? We can help you with get those as well.
Contact us via WhatsApp, email, or our Facebook sales page. We’ll reply you soon about this topic or our recent deals to customize your theme park vacation package.
