Disney Rides NOT Worth the Wait

Even though we love most of the rides at Disney World, some Disney rides are NOT worth the wait! Whether it’s a busy day or time of year, or sometimes rides just have notoriously long waits, it can take up a lot of your day to stand in these lines. And sometimes, the experience doesn’t always equal the length of time you’ve waited.

Keep reading to see which rides we think you can skip on a busy day, or how to plan when to ride some of these attractions when the lines get crazy! You need to make the most of your trip, and sometimes, it’s okay to skip those Disney rides not worth the wait!

Like we stated earlier, we enjoy all the rides on this list, but sometimes the long lines can just be too much. Especially when it’s not a new ride, or when it’s a slow-moving dark ride. Sometimes the experience of the ride doesn’t warrant a two hour wait – but it consistently has one.

For all of these rides, using strategy is the best way to be able to ride them if they are a must. Try using Lightning Lanes, or consider taking advantage of rope drop on your trip. I also suggest riding some of these rides during morning early entry or extended evening hours if you qualify for these. There are ways around these long lines, but you have to make use of all of your tools!

Magic Kingdom Rides Not Worth the Wait

Magic Kingdom has some of the most iconic rides at Disney World, and for most people, none of these rides are a skip. They are must-dos for every trip here, and we definitely understand that. But, there are a few Disney rides not worth the wait at Magic Kingdom, especially on very busy days.

Peter Pan’s Flight

Some rides have notoriously long lines for no reason, and Peter Pan’s Flight is the top of that list. This is a cute, slow-moving indoor dark ride, and is so nostalgic. But while it’s such a cute ride, it also has the slowest loading process in all of Walt Disney World, making it have a 75-90 minute wait on regular days – not even on busy days.

The playroom in the standby queue also makes people slow down because they are doing all of the interactive things here, taking up even more time. My best advice? Skip this room by using Lightning Lane or ride this as early or as late as you can. There’s no reason to wait in a 75 minute or more wait for what is just a cute – but short – ride.

Jungle Cruise

Jungle Cruise is another slow moving ride, but unlike Peter Pan, there is a much higher loading capacity on the ride vehicles. But like Peter Pan, the wait times can skyrocket here late morning and on busy days. This is a fun ride, but again, it’s not a thrilling or new ride and doesn’t warrant more than a 30 minute wait.

You can time riding Jungle Cruise by utilizing rope drop or early entry, you don’t need to wait in a long line for this one. We suggest skipping it if need be, and riding other iconic rides like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.

TRON Lightcycle/Run

TRON is one of the newer rides at Disney World, and often has the highest wait time at Magic Kingdom. But it is absolutely one of the Disney rides not worth the wait – waiting over an hour for a 2 minute rollercoaster can be very disappointing.

While this is a thrilling ride, many think it’s too short. It’s only a 2 minute ride, and a lot of people don’t think that it’s long enough. If TRON is on your must do list, get a Lightning Lane for this one. And definitely ride some other coasters, like Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain where you get a little more time on the ride.

EPCOT Rides Not Worth the Wait

EPCOT has some great rides, both new and classic ones, and has everything from thrill rides to a trip through a greenhouse. Unfortunately, some of the most popular rides have the longest wait times, and they might not be worth the wait here.

Frozen Ever After

Frozen Ever After is such a cute ride, but the wait can be an hour or more most days. But why? It’s constantly loading, constantly moving, and the capacity on the boats is pretty good. It makes no sense that this ride consistently has a long wait.

While I love this ride, I find myself skipping it pretty often. I don’t want to wait in a long line, and I typically don’t want to use Lightning Lane on it. I find myself being able to ride only if it’s late or early. I do suggest using Lightning Lane if this is a must for you though, because even trying to time it can be difficult. If you decide to skip, you can go ride Spaceship Earth, Soarin’, and Living with the Land – all great classics.

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is another cute ride that doesn’t need to have a long wait. I had hoped once the newness had worn off a bit it would be easier to get on this ride, but I was wrong. And now that they have removed the 3D aspects, the waits have gone up even more on busy days, because more people are comfortable riding it.

While this is a very fun ride, and it’s cute to be shrunken down to the size of a rat and immersed into Remy’s world, it doesn’t need to have an hour or more wait. Use Lightning Lane here, or arrive early – especially if you can enter through the International Gateway. If you want to stand in a long line, opt for Test Track or Guardians of the Galaxy, and get a good thrill for your wait.

Hollywood Studios Rides Not Worth the Wait

Almost every ride at Hollywood Studios has a long wait, and some of them can be brutal. Most days the rides here can soar well over an hour, and some of the experiences don’t give the pay off after waiting that long.

Alien Swirling Saucers

This quick and dizzying ride can have a 30 minute or longer wait at times, and it doesn’t equal the experience. While it can be very fun, it’s not great for those with motion sickness issues or those looking for a calm or relaxing experience.

If you’re looking to skip Alien Swirling Saucers, I suggest going across and getting in line for Toy Story Mania! You might wait a little longer, but you get to play fun arcade games and compete against others. Personally, it’s a better option.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

Smugglers Run is a FUN ride, and is a must do for fans of Star Wars. BUT a 75 minute or more wait can be a lot for this ride. It’s a fairly quick experience once you get on, and unfortunately the “excitement” of the ride depends on who is on it with you. It can be a let down if you have the wrong people as pilots, and that’s unfortunate after waiting over an hour.

If you love this ride, or love Star Wars, and must ride this, make sure you get a Lightning Lane for it. If not, head over to Star Tours for a fun trip into the Star Wars universe, and a much shorter wait.

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

While this is my favorite ride at Hollywood Studios, it is definitely one of the Disney rides not worth the wait. Waits for this ride can be 50 minutes or more on a “slow day,” and that’s truthfully way too long. These indoor dark rides really tend to have long waits for no reason.

I love this ride, it’s so fun, so cute, and I’m glad there’s still a great ride inside of the Chinese Theater, but I have a hard time waiting an hour for this. It should be a lot quicker considering it’s got a pretty large loading capacity, and it moves constantly. I recommend using Lightning Lane here or doing rope drop – don’t wait more than 30 minutes.

Animal Kingdom Rides Not Worth the Wait

Animal Kingdom has some great rides, but again, the waits can get pretty bad. Part of this is due to Animal Kingdom having less experiences than some of the other parks, as well as being open less hours during most days. You have to fit a lot into a shorter amount of time here, and I definitely recommend using Lightning Lane or doing rope drop here to make the most of your day.

Kali River Rapids

Kali River Rapids is a fun and thrilling ride, especially when you are looking for a way to cool off on a hot day. But, unfortunately the wait can be very long. I myself have stood in line for over an hour to cool off, and to only get a little wet on one thigh.

This is a hot queue to stand in, and if it’s a very long wait, I don’t think it’s worth it. You will get even hotter, and there’s no guarantee you will get soaked. Get on Kali River Rapids if the line is short, or find another way to cool off. It’s absolutely one of the Disney rides not worth the wait.

Na’vi River Journey

Both of the rides in Pandora at Animal Kingdom tend to have very long waits, but I don’t think it’s always worth it for Na’vi River Journey. While it’s a beautiful and relaxing ride, and has the most impressive animatronic Na’vi in there, a wait over 30 minutes doesn’t make sense to wait in.

This is another ride that I had hoped once the newness had worn off we would get shorter waits, but that hasn’t happened. It should be a shorter line since it continuously loads, but it still gets pretty bad on busy days. This is a must for rope drop or Lightning Lane, or even early entry.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

Even though this is one of my favorite rides, I have to put Kilimanjaro Safaris on the list of Disney rides not worth the wait. Waiting more than 30 minutes for this ride is grueling, especially on hot days. Almost all of the queue is outside, and only some sections are covered. This can be hard if it’s hot or raining, and there isn’t anything to do in the queue either. There aren’t any interactive elements to take your mind off waiting.

I will pay for Lightning Lane just to ride this sometimes, because it’s such an enjoyable, relaxing, and educational ride. I truly love it, but I can’t fathom ever waiting an hour again – I’ve done it once and will never again. Plan your day accordingly if this is one of your faves too, or just use Lightning Lanes here. You can also go do the Gorilla Falls trail and the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see some amazing animals without the wait.

We hope that this list of Disney rides not worth the wait helps you decide how to plan your next trip, especially if some of these are your favorites too. Utilize rope drop or Lightning Lanes to insure that you get on everything you want to, and plan ahead. Or ride some different rides next time, the rides with shorter waits are sometimes just as fun!

Are there any other rides you think aren’t worth the wait? Let us know in the comments!