Longest Attraction Wait Times at Disney World (October 2020)

    With 3 months of park operations under our belts, and increasing crowds at Disney World, we wanted to take a look at the busiest attractions based on posted wait times.

    It’s worth noting that Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that the Walt Disney World theme parks remain capped at 25% capacity. While we’ve gone over this before, keep in mind that the “25% capacity” number is based off of each theme park’s maximum capacity – a number that could be upwards of 100,000 at Magic Kingdom or even over 100,000 at EPCOT. With that in mind, and the fact that Magic Kingdom, the busiest theme park on the planet, averages less than 60% capacity in pre-pandemic times, it’s not hard to imagine that the parks are operating at or below 25% capacity.

    With that said, there is no doubt that the theme parks are busier than they were in July. For each attraction below, we’ll post the October average, October longest wait, and earlier pandemic-era averages. Data is courtesy of thrill-data.com.

    Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway – 80 min

    • October 2020 average: 80 minutes
    • October 2019 average: N/A
    • October high: 120 minutes
    • July 2020 average: 50 minutes
    • August 2020 average: 49 minutes
    • September 2020 average: 72 minutes

    Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is not only the busiest attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (that you can wait in line for), but also boasts the highest average wait time of any attraction at Walt Disney World this month.

    Flight of Passage – 66 min

    • October 2020 average: 66 minutes
    • October 2019 average: 108 minutes
    • October high: 150 minutes
    • July 2020 average: 13 minutes
    • August 2020 average: 20 minutes
    • September 2020 average: 39 minutes

    Flight of Passage has seen a meteoric rise from the 13 minute average wait in July. While we’re still off of the 108 minute average in October 2019, guests can expect longer lines than what they may have experienced when the theme parks first reopened.

    Frozen Ever After – 68 min

    • October 2020 average: 68 minutes
    • October 2019 average: 51 minutes
    • October high: 120 minutes
    • July 2020 average: 31 minutes
    • August 2020 average: 33 minutes
    • September 2020 average: 48 minutes

    We head over to EPCOT next, and the Frozen Ever After attraction. Unfortunately for guests visiting in early November, this attraction will be closed for refurbishment for a few days. That will no doubt put some strain on other attractions, most notably Test Track, which we’ll see a little further down this list.

    Slinky Dog Dash – 66 min

    • October 2020 average: 66 minutes
    • October 2019 average: 60 minutes
    • October high: 120 minutes
    • July 2020 average: 29 minutes
    • August 2020 average: 37 minutes
    • September 2020 average: 50 minutes

    Slinky Dog Dash leads Toy Story Land, with lines that stretch back to Animation Courtyard. It also beats out Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run by over 10 minutes, on average.

    Test Track – 62 min

    • October 2020 average: 62 minutes
    • October 2019 average: 54 minutes
    • October high: 120 minutes
    • July 2020 average: 30 minutes
    • August 2020 average: 32 minutes
    • September 2020 average: 46 minutes

    As we noted earlier, Test Track will likely take quite a hit in early November when Frozen Ever After is closed for refurbishment. This is a popular first stop for guests visiting EPCOT.

    Splash Mountain – 62 min

    • October 2020 average: 62 minutes
    • October 2019 average: 37 minutes
    • October high: 115 minutes
    • July 2020 average: 29 minutes
    • August 2020 average: 47 minutes
    • September 2020 average: 47 minutes

    The clock is ticking on Splash Mountain. Earlier this year, Disney announced that Splash Mountain at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland would be reimagined as a Princess and the Frog attraction. Splash Mountain barely beats out Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as the longest average wait at Magic Kingdom this month.

    Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – 61 min

    • October 2020 average: 61 minutes
    • October 2019 average: 64 minutes
    • October high: 120 minutes
    • July 2020 average: 27 minutes
    • August 2020 average: 32 minutes
    • September 2020 average: 44 minutes

    Just behind Splash Mountain is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Fantasyland. Maybe surprisingly, both Splash Mountain and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train are averaging nearly twice as long of a posted wait as another typically popular attraction – Peter Pan’s Flight, which is only averaging 31 minutes this month.


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