There is never a bad time to visit a theme park, but the holiday season is almost certainly the best time. Christmas at Walt Disney World is an especially beautiful experience. While Orlando may not be the place you expect to visit for a Winter Wonderland, it really is quite nice.
Of course, it’s maybe not as much fun as it could be right now, because based on wait times, Walt Disney World is pretty slammed, so if you’re going to be visiting over the next couple of weeks, get ready to either deal with crowds or pay to avoid them.
It’s Very Busy At Disney World For The Holidays
A quick look at the app for Walt Disney World shows that you’d better have a plan of attack if you’re entering theme parks over the next couple of weeks. While wait times aren’t necessarily any higher than they have been at this time in previous years, this is one of the periods where wait times tend to be higher in general, as lots of people are off work and school and so it’s a good time to visit theme parks.
Blog Mickey marked Tron: Lightcycle Run at over 100 minutes earlier today, which is a bit higher than it's used to seeing. The Tron coaster only recently added a standby line, so this is the first holiday season that it has even had that option. Avatar: Flight of Passage, always one of the longest lines at Disney World, as of this writing, has a wait time approaching three hours.
Planning, And Paying, In Advance Can Solve Some Line Problems
While you’re never going to avoid lines at Disney World all the time, there are some ways to alleviate the issue to one degree or another. Of course, those methods involve spending more money for one of the various Lightning Lane options. Using Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, which covers the majority of rides in the four Disney World parks, can let you skip many lines.
In addition to spending money, it requires a strong focus on scheduling your day. Disney World guests have the ability to book some Lightning Lanes up to a week before a trip to Disney World, so it means making some key decisions about where you’re going to go and what you’re going to do early. It also requires one to pay attention to the app while in the park in order to book additional ride return times throughout the day. While I think Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Disneyland is worthwhile in many cases, we've found it less valuable at Disney World.
There’s also the new Lightning Lane Premier Pass, which allows guests to skip lines without all the scheduling. Of course, it is a lot more expensive than the other Lightning Lane options, and access to it is limited. In fact, despite the price, Premiere Pass is sold out at some park on some days over the next two weeks, so even it isn’t always an option.
