Ways to Beat the Crowds and Experience More at Walt Disney World

I know that when I travel to Walt Disney World, the last thing that I want to do is to spend valuable time waiting in line for a particular attraction. We'll their are a few tricks that you can employ to alleviate some of the wait time and also ensure that you can get on many of the most popular attractions before the park opens to really speed up time and afford you more time to ride more of the attractions.

First, is a new concept that the Disney people have developed and researched that will allow you to make a reservation to come back at a later time to ride most of the most popular attractions at any of the themed parks. The FASTPASS attractions will consist of three lines: one is a standby entrance for those not using the FASTPASS, a second for those who are returning with their FASTPASS ticket to get into the attraction and the third is for those wishing to make reservations for the particular FASTPASS attraction. When you get your ticket/reservation for the FASTPASS attraction it will give you a couple time slots with which to chose from to come back and get into the attraction. You are then free to spend your valuable time in search of another attraction or event without having to wait for a half hour or more in line to get in the desired attraction. Their are some catches with this however, there are restrictions as to how many FASTPASSES you may have at any given time. Your FASTPASS will contain the time that you may get another one. Also, you can't get into the attraction before the time stated on the ticket nor can you save and use your FASTPASS on another day as they are dated and will not work other than for the date and time specified on the initial FASTPASS. You can not go from the standby line(those not holding a FASTPASS reservation ticket) to the FASTPASS line as you will not be able to get in.

Your next option is to spend you vacation on Disney property at one of the many different themed and price point resorts. From the luxurious Grand Floridian Resort to the modestly priced All star Resort and everyone in between, you have a huge selection in which to choose from. This will not only enable you to leave your car in the parking lot eliminating alot of headaches and stress by taking the Disney transportation buses where you want to go, but you have the unique opportunity to get into the parks an hour before the general public. Because of this added benefit of remaining on Disney property, being able to get into the parks early is a great way to get a jump on your day by hitting the most popular attractions early to avoid the waiting in line once the parks open up to the general public. This also enables you to miss alot of the traffic by those trying to get into the various parks for the 9:00 a.m opening time.

Another trick is to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World so that you can arrive at the end of the week! The end of the week you ask, why then? I know you are all thinking that the weekends are technically the busiest times to do anything since most people are off from work. Well, hold on a second, yes, that is true to a point. However, think about it, when you go on vacation you usually travel on the weekend and start your vacation on Monday! Well that is exactly what happens at Walt Disney World! Historically, the busiest days to visit the parks are Monday and Tuesday, with the weekends not being as crowded. Imagine that! Walt Disney World being slower on the weekend than on Monday or Tuesday!!!!! Don't tell anyone I said that! Remember I was a Castmember that worked at the Magic Kingdom and would go on vacation to Walt Disney World every year as a child, so I have some experience in this.

Another thing to do is, do your homework! Some rides may not be suitable to those with heart conditions, size limits, back problems or other underlying issues, so why wait in line only to get there and have to pass on the attraction. Also, it makes perfect sense to find out which attractions are the most popular "don't miss" attractions, this way you can hit them first thing in the morning since the longer you wait, the more people will be entering the parks and the longer the lines will become. If you have already seen the parade at the particular park, this is a good opportunity to get into the attractions faster since many of the people in attendance will be sitting or standing to catch the parade. Another thing is to eat your lunch earlier or later in the day, this way when it is the 12:00 lunch hour that we have come to know and love and be accustomed to in our jobs, while others are waiting in line to eat lunch or dinner for that matter, you can be enjoying the attractions.

The Disney company has helped to control the line problem by having many of the attraction run continuously without having to stop to let people on or off the attraction.

Hopefully this will help you to start your vacation at the "Happiest Place of All" on the right foot!