The wait times at Disney World are so gross right now

It’s the week of Thanksgiving, and as you can see with the wait times, the crowds arrived early.

Thanksgiving Week

There are a few busy weeks at Disney World that come to mind. Christmas is at the top of the list, followed by the week of 4th of July, Easter, and Thanksgiving. Many schools have the entire week off, and families flock to Disney World to enjoy a nice, long vacation.

There are definitely some benefits of going during this week. For one, you can enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal at many Disney World and Orlando restaurants. Christmas decorations and festivities are in full force, and the weather is pleasant.

However, there are definitely some drawbacks of visiting this week. Like every other holiday period, things are a lot more people-y at Disney World this week. Wait times definitely prove that, and we are only one day into this busy holiday week! Let’s check wait times across the theme parks right now.

Hollywood Studios

Everyone must have chosen Hollywood Studios for their first vacation day. The wait times here are higher than the other three. First, Tower of Terror closed on Thursday, November 18 just an hour or so into the day. It just now reopened today! As a result, Guests are currently waiting in 140 minute standby line. If you are there today, be sure to grab your Lightning Lane early in the day before it sells out!

Toy Story, Rise of the Resistance, and Slinky Dog Dash follow closely behind with a 2-hour wait each. Then comes Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (90 minutes), Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (80 minutes), and Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run (80 minutes).

Even characters like Sulley, Mickey and Minnie, and Olaf have wait times of 45-55 minutes! Sheesh.

Magic Kingdom

Honestly, Magic Kingdom looks pretty normal today. The highest wait is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, unsurprisingly. Peter Pan’s Flight and Jingle Cruise both boast 70 minute standby waits at the moment.

Trailing closely behind is “it’s a small world”, Haunted Mansion, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – all at 50 to 55 minutes.

The rest of the park does not look too bad. Guests are only waiting 40 minutes or less for all other attractions and character meets. However, keep in mind this is only a few hours into the day. Wait times will increase exponentially as the day goes on.

Epcot and Animal Kingdom

Over at Epcot, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is 65 minutes while Frozen Ever After is 70 minutes. Test Track and Soarin’ come in next with 50 minute standby waits, but everything else is less.

Unsurprisingly, Avatar Flight of Passage has the highest standby wait time at Animal Kingdom – 175 minutes. That is still pretty rough even when you consider the average wait time. Every other attraction in the park has a shorter wait time.

Helpful Tips

If you are visiting the parks this week (or any other busy holiday week), we have some tips.

First, subscribe to Character Locator! For about $10/year you have access to touring strategies, crowd calendars, and more. It is an invaluable tool for before and during your Disney World vacation!

Second, take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours if you are able. Early Theme Park Entry is available for all onsite Guests while Extended Evening Hours is available exclusively for Guests staying at select resorts. Read more HERE and HERE.

Last, purchase Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes. These wait times are brutal, and being able to skip the standby line for many of these attractions will cut down on time you spend waiting in lines and reduce your stress. Expect Genie+ and ILLS to cost a bit more (supply and demand during a busy holiday week), but it can definitely be beneficial this week.

To learn more about these, read our guide.

What do you think of these wait times? Are you visiting Disney World this week? Let us know in the comments below and on Facebook.