How To Beat The Lines At Disney World's Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Waiting in line for rides and attractions at Disney World — and at any other theme park — is part of the experience. But long lines can dampen any park-goer's mood, so you try your best to avoid getting sucked into long wait times. However, some rides and attractions are just so popular that short lines or wait times seem impossible to catch. One such attraction can be found at Disney World's Magic Kingdom: the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Fantasyland.
The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride is only about three minutes long, but wait times here can be more than one hour, and have been this way since the ride's opening in 2014, according to WDW Vacation Tips. Insider says there's already at least a one-and-a-half hour wait time during the park's opening, with people lining up around the ride's back. Because of this, many park-goers are looking for ways to lessen their wait time for the attraction or to learn the best time to get in line. If you're also wondering how to beat the line at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride, read on to find out.
Pay to skip the line with Lighting Lane
There are two ways you can get on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride: one is to join the queue for the traditional standby line and the other is to skip the line. To do the latter, you'll have to be prepared to shell out some cash and purchase an individual Lightning Lane pass (formerly FastPass) for the ride. It's currently not part of the Genie+ service, but you can buy an individual Lightning Lane pass for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride whether you have the Genie+ service or not. You can only buy the pass once the park opens unless you're staying at Shades of Green, Swan and Dolphin Hotels, or any of the Disney Resorts hotels (per Disney). If you are, you can get the pass at 7 a.m. on your arrival date.
For those not staying at Disney hotels, Disney recommends checking the My Disney Experience app for the price and availability of the ride on the day of your visit to Disney World. Note that you can avail of the individual Lightning Lane pass for a maximum of two experiences per day, one at a time. However, you might want to skip the pass if you want to get the full ride experience. According to Disney Tips, if you use the pass, you'll miss out on the interactive queue, which includes a jewel sorting station.
Take advantage of early theme park entry
Early theme park entry is a Disney World service that provides daily early entry into the theme park. The service is only available to guests of Disney Resort and other select hotels, however. So if you're staying outside the theme park, then sadly you won't be able to make use of the service. In addition to being a guest at a Disney Resort or other select hotel (keep your resort ID on hand), you'll also need to have a park reservation and admission to avail of the early theme park entry service.
With the service, you'll get into the parks through a designated entrance 30 minutes before their opening time. However, among the four theme parks at Disney World, only Hollywood Studios opens at 8:30 a.m.; the rest, including Magic Kingdom, open at 9 a.m. Because of this, early theme park entry will be most beneficial if you are among the first few hundred people to get in line, according to Disney Tourist Blog, as you'll be able to get on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride and out in less than 30 minutes.
The best times to get in line
If you aren't willing to pay for an individual Lightning Lane pass or you're not staying at a Disney hotel, your best chance of beating the line at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride is to get there at certain times of the day. Don't "rope drop" or get in line when Fantasyland opens. It's simply not worth it, according to Disney Tourist Blog and WDW Vacation Tips.
Instead, get in line for the ride from around 11:30 a.m. until noon, when wait times will drop due to park-goers lining up for lunch instead of rides and attractions, according to Disney Tourist Blog. The blog believes this is the best time to join the queue, though bear in mind that it's noon, and the overflow line will be mostly outdoors. If you'll still be at the park later in the day, Disney Tourist Blog recommends waiting from two hours to the last minute before the park closes. The latter, the blog found, is one of the best times to get in line for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride, when most people are engrossed by the fireworks. Wait times were as low as seven minutes up to 15 minutes, according to the blog.