The Best and Worst Queues at Walt Disney World!
Today we are talking all about our favorite queues at Walt Disney World! Queues, lines, whatever you want to call them, they are an inevitable part of the theme park experience. So we figured what are the best ones to wait in if you have to wait and on the flip side…what are the worst? So without further ado, let’s get into it!
Magic Kingdom Queues We Like
Peter Pan’s Flight
The queue for Peter Pan’s Flight is full of SO many incredible details!
Jessica: Peter Pan’s Flight is so cool. Sometimes when I’m really missing Disney I will look up videos on YouTube and I recently watched one of someone walking through this queue. It is hands down the most unbelievably magical queue which is great because the wait is always SO long. One of the things that stands out is this interactive shadow area! They have a line of bells shadows hanging and somehow as you walk by and your shadow hits the bell’s shadow it will move them! Like what is that technology??
Tyler: When we started talking about this episode Peter Pan’s Flight was the first one that popped into my mind. But it didn’t used to be though, a few years back they closed it down for a while and renovated it and now it’s so magical! You see Tinkerbell flying around throughout the scenes, you get to go into the rooms from the Darling house and it’s so beautiful.
Pirates of the Carribbean
Tyler: Pirates of the Carribbean is one of my favorite because as you go through there are so many little vignettes to look at while you’re wandering through but what really gets me excited about it is the music that’s playing. It gets me so excited to ride this attraction! But I do feel bad for the cast members who just have to listen to that on repeat all day.
The queue area for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is so beautiful outside and so well themed inside!
Haunted Mansion
Jessica: I toggled with this one because I have a part of the queue that I hate, it’s very boring at the beginning but once you get into the graveyard it’s so interactive! It just sets the mood!
Tyler: Haunted Mansion was in my medium column because it’s the best queue and the worst queue. It would be harder to find one that is more quintessentially Disney when you’re in the stretching room, obviously that is part of the queue and it is the one thing that almost every true Disney parks fan can recite by rote. But when you’re outside it’s terrible, it’s okay in the interactive queue, it’s great in the stretching room and then it’s horrible when they try and bottleneck you into the queue to board ride vehicles.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Jess: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is one of the best queues. It does feel like it takes a little while to move when you’re standing outside but once you’re inside you just cruise, you’re getting on the ride really soon!
Tyler: This is one of my favorites. It’s so good once you get into the actual queue area, the outside queue is a little boring but it’s nice and landscaped so it’s pretty but once you get into the inside you go through the diamond mine and see all the reflections on the ceiling and stuff, it’s so cool!
Dumbo The Flying Elephant
Tyler: The idea that you can go into this queue and have an indoor playground for kids to play in while you keep your place in line is such a great, unique idea. The queue itself is nothing too special but that element makes it really cool and so smart.
Magic Kingdom Queues We Don’t Like
Astro Orbiter
Jessica: It’s AWFUL! You’re waiting outside in a basic line, there’s not much too it. But then when it’s time to get onto the ride you have to take an elevator up to it which is fine, I get it that’s just how it is…but it’s awful, it is awful. You get on the elevator and the lights are always flickering, there’s dead bugs, like we’ve only done it three or four times on seperate trips and it’s always the same experience. Then when you’re done you have to wait for the elevator to come back down..it’s just bizzare.
While Space Mountain is kind of a cool queue in parts, it is SO long and a little claustrophobic!
Tyler: This one is the WORST! It’s a great ride and I would much rather ride this than Dumbo which is similar, I think the view is better and it’s underrated but the queue is terrible!
Space Mountain
Tyler: This one is more of a medium one for me. The issue is the queue is the longest walk, it’s SO long! And while the theming is cool and it’s air conditioned which is nice, it can feel a little claustrophobic when you’re in there for a while.
“it’s a small world”
Jessica: First of all, if you want to ride this do not wait in a line. It always dips down at some point during the day even on the busiest days!This queue is outside and you’re just going back and forth with nothing to look at except people getting on the ride. You are under a canopy which is nice, you’re not in the direct hot sun but it’s still not great.
EPCOT Queues We Like
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
The level of detail in the queue for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is incredible!
Tyler: Love that queue! Love the music, the feeling as you’re walking through and see the apartment, Gusteau’s restaurant sign and everything. I love it, I don’t really have a lot to say about it except that I love it.
Jessica: There’s something so cool about the loading area of this ride, which I consider part of the queue as well, because the way the ride vehicles zip around is so neat! They use magnets I think to move things around it’s crazy to watch! Maybe it’s just computerized but it’s so cool!
Journey Into Imagination With Figment
Jessica: It’s not my favorite as in I’m dying to wait in it but I don’t hate the queue for Figment. It is so cool that they have all of these fictional scientists from Disney lore with their offices and you can hear sounds and see shadows moving behind the doors. It’s so well thought out and specific niche movies they’re doing. I just love that they thought to do that!
Tyler: I had this on my list as well because so fun with all the sounds and the jokes throughout the theming. It’s weirdly nostalgic and so fun.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Tyler: It’s got air conditioning which is nice right off the bat. But it’s a really cool concept and I don’t know that everyone realizes whats actually going on with this queue. You start out on the beach at sea level and as you go from room to room you’re sort of going down underwater, it’s such a cool concept for this ride!
EPCOT Queues We Don’t Like
Gran Fiesta Tour
Tyler: The Gran Fiesta Tour is kind of a medium one for me. There’s no real queue but that’s kind of what I like about it because it’s also not often busy and you’re walking on the ride pretty quickly. There’s just not much there queue wise, although you are fully in the Mexico pavilion and you’ve got the vibes around you so that helps.
This is one of the worst queues on property, it’s just so bland and long and hard to wait in.
Living with the Land
Tyler: There’s nothing to see, there’s nothing to do and while you can time it to catch a short wait time, sometimes you can get caught in a really long wait which is terrible.
Jessica: The Land pavilion is one of our favorite places in EPCOT but this queue is awful. You’re going back and forth with nothing to look at. There’s some quotes on the wall but that’s it.
Soarin’ Around the World
Tyler: There is so much space here and they have hardly anything here! A few years back they did include some trivia on the walls to make it a bit more interactive but it’s just so long and so boring.
Jessica: Talk about long walks, this one might beat Space Mountain! In all of Disney property this might be my least favorite line.
Hollywood Studio Queues We Like
Toy Story Mania
There are very few queues as well themed as Toy Story Mania!
Jessica: A lot of times we’ll get a Lightning Lane for this one but the queue is so fun. There is SO much to look at here with toys all around, the area with Mr Potato Head is interactive and it’s one of those queues that everytime I look around I see something I didn’t notice before.
Tyler: This one has tons to look at, it’s so fun and a few years ago they went through and updated this queue to make it even better.
Tower of Terror
Jessica: This one is kind of a medium because most of the queue is only okay but when you do finally get to the lobby area, that is one of the coolest areas! It’s got all the memorabilia from so many different Twilight Zone episodes and it’s so fun.
Tyler: Once you’re in the lobby it’s awesome and then you move to the room with the TV screen and the basement with the boiler room, it’s so good!
Tower of Terror is such a fun, kind of spooky queue!
Star Tours
Tyler: I love that this one has all the droids around and there’s a big ship you’re about to board almost as if you’re in an airport so to speak. It’s such a cool idea!
Muppet Vision 3D
Jessica: The theming for this area is so fun! The details they put in are very cool like Miss Piggy’s costumes and the jokes throughout that are so well themed for the Muppets.
Tyler: This is one of my favorite pre-shows, it is SO funny! I laugh out loud every time. If you get there early enough take a walk around the preshow area because there are so many little jokes in the theming.
Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
Tyler: This one is hard to beat because you are actually in the Millenium Falcon as you’re moving through the queue and then of course you end up in the cockpit for the ride itself.
Rise of the Resistance
Jessica: If you consider the preshow portions of this attraction as part of the queue then it is an incredible queue! It could be argued that it’s part of the ride but I personally think it’s part of the queue.
Hollywood Studio Queues We Don’t Like
Alien Swirling Saucers
While the ride is fun, the queue for Alien Swirling Saucers is not our fave!
Tyler: The songs they play in this queue area are so annoying and so bad! The queue itself is outside, while you are covered it’s still hot and not much to look at.
Slinky Dog Dash
Jessica: There really is nothing to look at here except the ride which is cool but after a while you just want to ride that ride.
Tyler: This queue is all outside which is rough and there isn’t much to look at here either. Once you get a little closer to the ride loading area you do see some interactive games and stuff which is nice.
Fantasmic
Jessica: I say this with a caveat that this is my favorite nighttime show of all time! Obviously this is not a traditional queue, you’re simply walking to get to the venue for the show and it’s a long walk but it has to be to get there. That is what it is. But beyond that my complaint is the stroller parking in this area is pretty tricky, it’s a real bottleneck situation and it’s really tough to manage.
Tyler: I agree with Jess, it is tough and always crowded and cast members separate families to try and manage traffic so only one person can go into the stroller parking but then you’re trying to reconvene with your family and it’s just a mess.
Animal Kingdom Queues We Like
Avatar Flight of Passage
Jessica: This area has so much detail! First thing that comes to mind is seeing the guy floating in the water in the lab, but there is so much more to look at and see. Plus most of this queue is either shaded or indoors which is nice too.
Tyler: There are so many different areas of this queue too so it makes it more interesting. Every ten minutes or so you’re in a different room and it feels like you’re really moving forward more than you might be.
The Expedition Everest queue is so detailed!
Expedition Everest
Jessica: It’s so fun to see the memorabilia and theming around base camp and the people who have climbed Everest and then you get into the folklore around the Yeti. You could spend so much time actually looking at that stuff!
Tyler: Every detail in this queue makes it feel so real, it’s one of my all time favorites!
It’s Tough To Be A Bug
Tyler: I love this one because you are walking through the Tree of Life roots and I think that is what is so cool. Then once you get inside the theatre set up is very cool with the parody Broadway posters and stuff but I don’t love how they keep trying to shove as many people as possible all the way down.
Animal Kingdom Queues We Don’t Like
It’s Tough To Be A Bug
Jessica: This one is on my worst list simply for the fact that I don’t like the crowding into that theatre space. But I do like the show posters and the show itself is only about 20 minutes so you’re never waiting super long but in the grand scheme of things it’s not one of my favorites.
While the queue for Its Tough To Be A Bug has some cute details, overall it’s mediocre and a little claustrophobic!
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Jessica: This queue is SO long and the line up will often be outside of the queue area because it’s so backed up. Cast members usually correct this pretty quickly though. There are some videos talking about conservation as you move through but I just hate standing in that line. It’s my least favorite.
Tyler: It’s not a terrible line but I just don’t like it. It’s mostly covered so it’s not too hot but it’s just not great. I just don’t like it.
Na’vi River Journey
Jessica: This one is tough because the ride itself is so beautiful but the queue is just awful to wait in. There’s not much to it and you are just being shuffled through the stanchions.
Tyler: It’s just a big corral where you’re moving back and forth through the stanchions and there isn’t much to look at or do.
DINOSAUR
Tyler: When you first walk in it’s cool because you’re like “Woah it’s a dinosaur!” but 45 minutes later when you’re still moving around this circle you’re like “If i see this dinosaur one more time…” it just gets old really quick. But all that is about to change supposedly as it’s rumored the ride is changing this over to Indiana Jones.
From the Citizens of Disneyville
We asked our followers over on Instagram, @disneyvillepodcast, what some of their favorite and least favorite queues are at Walt Disney World!
The theming in Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run is really unique, you’re IN the ship!
Fave Queues
Flight of Passage. That mid point bathroom is awesome!
The one my kids have the most fun in is Winnie the Pooh.
Tower of Terror! The walls are the perfect height and the misters outside are great, plus the cast members are the best.
It’s probably nostalgia talking because there is no air conditioning but Big Thunder Mountain!
Can’t not mention the Pirates line! The smell, the temp drop and the music!
Enchanted Tales with Belle, inside the cottage is so cute!
Star Wars Smugglers Run. You wait in the Falcon for your turn, enough said!
Least Fave Queues
Jungle Cruise, but I don’t really know why.
Jungle Cruise, so cramped and sweaty!
Mad Tea Party, the queue is so narrow and there is inevitably someone leaning against the chains. (it’s probably my son)
I don’t love Mickey and Minnies Runaway Railway.
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