The parks can get busy, especially for popular attractions like Space Mountain, Mine Train and the new Frozen show at Disney or the Harry Potter attractions at Universal, for example.
But there are ways to beat the queues… most parks offer some way to improve the visitor experience for those of us that can’t abide standing in line.
DISNEY FASTPASS
Around Disney World there are now service machines where you can book your place for certain attractions without having to queue.
To help you plan ahead, you can check which attractions are covered by the scheme on the Disney site before you go. You’ll need to insert your readmission ticket into the machine and the machine will generate a ticket printed with your return time.
To make use of this service, you need to get to the park early, because it operates on a first-come, first-served basis. A limited number of FastPass tickets are available on the day for certain attractions and the most popular can run out quickly.
See a list of attractions that offer Disney FastPass service here.
DISNEY FASTPASS+
If you’ve already got your tickets for Disney, my number one tip has to be to download the FastPass+ app to your phone or tablet.
The FastPass+ app enables you to book onto rides and experiences up to 30 days before your visit. You’ll need to link your park admission tickets to your app account and add the people you’re planning with to your friends and family list. You can then reserve access to a whole range of attractions and experiences.
The app also has some other great features to help you plan your visit to Disney World and generally up the pre-trip excitement ante! So don’t wait for the 30-day mark to download it. Download the app here.
UNIVERSAL EXPRESS PASS
Universal’s queue-jumping service comes at a cost sadly, so you’ll have to decide how much it’s worth to you. If you only have limited time and would rather pay a bit more to get the most out of your visit, then it could be a good solution for you.
There are various options – decide whether you need multi-park options and either unlimited or ‘one time per ride’ passes. You can see a full list of your options and current prices here.
If you need advice or are interested in booking tickets, you can also book through Ellis Exclusive Villas – we work with a local booking agent and have secured great discounts for our guests, so please give us a call if you are interested in adding attraction tickets to your booking with us. Call us on: 321 710 8779 (USA) or: 0333 332 1411 (UK)
LEGOLAND EXPRESS PASS
The LEGOLAND theme park in Winter Haven also offers a similar way to bypass the lines and get quick access onto the ten most popular rides in the amusement park. The LEGOLAND scheme can be used once per ride and you will follow and express queue and gain priority boarding.
Like the Disney scheme, there are only a limited number of Express Pass tickets issued each day so if you want to make use of this service you need to get there early. However, unlike the Disney scheme, you will need to pay for it. You pay on the day, in the park.
You can find out more details here, including a list of which rides it is valid for.
So these are the options the amusement parks provide to help you avoid standing in line. We’d love for you to share your tips with us about what techniques you use to avoid the queues and the best times for visiting. Please share your comments below – thank you.
