Best Times to Ride the Busy Rides

Good Evening (a day late)!

As summer gets into full swing at the Disneyland Resort and the crowds start to multiply, it might be good to have an idea of the best times to ride the busiest rides. Some lines you can't avoid, but here are some pointers for avoiding a few of the longer ones!

(In case you missed it: read last week's post about fun things to do in the Disneyland area here!!)

Time of Day
Something very important to remember is that the closer to the middle of the day it gets, the hotter it is. If you are going to ride a busy ride and the line is mostly outdoors (Fantasyland, Cars Land, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain etc.), consider riding earlier in the morning or towards the evening when it starts to cool off again. This may not mean a shorter wait, but it does mean you won't overheat!


Riding Peter Pan's Flight at night might not get you a shorter wait time,
but it will mean not overheating in the hot Summer sun!

Magic Morning Hours
Never underestimate the power of getting to parks as early as you can! If you have Magic Morning hours, USE THEM. This will be the best times to ride rides like Peter Pan's Flight and Space Mountain. Even if you don't have Magic Morning hours, still get there as soon as the park opens and hurry straight to one of these rides. The lines are out in the sun, and you don't want to get caught in them in the middle of the day! You will also want to use Magic Mornings (or as soon as the park opens) to get your Fastpasses for rides like Radiator Springs Racers and Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout! over in California Adventure. 

Parades & Night Shows
Daytime parades are a great time to hit Fantasyland rides. Most of the little kids that typically fill the lines in Fantasyland are now busy elsewhere and the wait times usually go down a bit. 

Night shows (including Fireworks, Fantasmic!, World of Color, and night-time parades) are a perfect time to hit some big rides, especially in Frontierland, New Orleans Square, and Critter Country. The lines for rides in these areas will typically be much shorter during this time. Another plus to waiting for these big night time shows is that families with little kids often head home as soon as they are over, and the lines clear right out park-wide!


Watching Fireworks from the Finding Nemo Submarines line!

Friendly tip: We love riding Splash Mountain at night because the line is empty and you don't walk around all day soaking wet! We usually hit it as the last ride of the night so we can just head straight back to the hotel and change right into warm, dry clothes. 


Splash Mountain Night Ride!

What are your favorite times to ride busy rides? Leave us a comment below!

If you are interested in buying a copy of my Disneyland Guide, feel free to contact me at any time at enchantedpumpkinblog@gmail.com. I sell my guide for $10, or you can request a personalized one for $15 that I will customize entirely to your family’s needs!

As always, if you have any tips, tricks or questions you would like to submit to our blog feel free to send us an email at enchantedpumpkinblog@gmail.com! And don't forget to follow us by hitting "Subscribe" at the top of the page!

-Lindsay Prout

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