Get In Line: The Best Queues at Disney World

A trip to Disney World requires waiting in line. A lot. There are lines for resort check-in, transportation, entering the parks, rides, restaurants, restrooms… you get the idea. Fortunately, many of these lines, at least for attractions, are designed to entertain you while you’re waiting. Overall, I think Disney does a great job in this area. In today’s post, I’m listing my picks for the best queues at Disney World.

First, a few ground rules. Creating a ranking like this is crazy subjective. Just because an attraction didn’t make the list, doesn’t mean the waiting area is bad. It is still Disney World after all. For this particular list I awarded positions based on: overall theming, visual entertainment and crowd management. That last category bumped a few off the list, since I’m not a fan of the “Fill in all available space!” mantra that is repeated incessantly in the waiting areas of some rides (like Pirates of the Caribbean). Nor do I like the endless zig-zagging back and forth past other guests in tight spaces (I’m looking at you Jungle Cruise!). I’m also evaluating these rankings based on the stand-by lines, rather than FastPass or Single Rider line areas, because for most attractions the views from these areas are wildly different.

Throughout my trips to Disney World there have been many times I honestly didn’t mind waiting in line. Even when it wasn’t raining. Those memories influenced this list as well.

All clear? (see what I did there?)

Here’s my list of the best queues at Disney World:

(6) Toy Story Midway Mania

One of the best queues at Disney World, in my opinion, is the one leading to Toy Story Midway Mania in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Although the outdoor portion of the line is nothing to brag about, once you enter the indoor space you’re transported into a Toy Story film. You’re transported into a toy box in a Toy Story film, to be more specific. The props throughout the space are oversized to give you the perspective of being a toy yourself. The walls, ceiling and floors are covered with favorite board games like Candy Land and Scrabble. Classic toys such as View Masters and Tinker Toys add to the effect. There are trivia questions, delivered through a giant Etch-a-Sketch, and coming attraction posters for the games you’ll play on the ride, to keep you entertained. The Toy Story sound track and carnival-like lighting add to the playful effect.

For this particular ride the theming is so well done I’m able to overlook the back-in-forth configuration of the line. This is the only attraction on my list where you’ll pass by other guests numerous times before boarding. Hopefully you’ll be entertained enough by the oversized toys and the memories they make evoke to notice too much.

 (5) Journey Under the Sea: The Voyage of the Little Mermaid

My next favorite queue at Disney World is the one leading to Journey Under the Sea: The Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Magic Kingdom. This ride opened in December 2012 as part of the transformation of Fantasyland. It’s one of my favorite lines at Disney World for its incredible theming, interactive gaming and overall attention to detail.

The outside of the Journey Under the Sea attraction looks like Prince Eric’s seaside castle, straight out of The Little Mermaid film. The beginning of the line winds through the outer walls of the castle, passing ship wrecks and multiple waterfalls. The detail throughout the space is incredible. The cement floors include sea shells. The weathered rock walls are scattered with starfish, seaside debris and a subtle nod to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction that previously occupied this space. The soundtrack supplies crashing waves and chanting sea gulls.

As you enter the indoor portion of the line, you’ll encounter Ariel’s treasures and other nautical pieces. Guests interact with little blue crabs on multiple video screens tucked throughout the space. As the crabs present their findings, guests may choose whether or not the items belong in Ariel’s room of collected treasures. The line then winds past an animatronic Scuttle, that entertains guests with his questionable knowledge of all things human. The final portion of the line continues through darkening caves with iron railings and elaborate lanterns. The line typically moves too quickly to absorb all the details, so it’s easy to find something new with each voyage.

(4) Star Tours: The Adventure Continues

We travel back to Hollywood Studios for my fourth favorite queue. The original Star Tours ride opened in 1989. Numerous updates and renovations have taken place since then, most notably in 2011 when the attraction was renamed Star Tours: The Adventure Continues. Disney added new “destinations” to the ride over the last two summers to reflect the latest Star Wars films. The company also plans to open a whole new section of the park entitled Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019, nearly 30 years after the original Star Tours first opened.

As we wait for 2019, the Stars Tours line provides a sample of Disney’s extensive Star Wars capabilities. The theme for this ride is a galactic airport of sorts, directing passengers onto Star Tours flights. The outside waiting area winds under an AT-AT walker and part of the Ewok village from Endor, complete with lush vegetation and hanging wooden walkways. Once you enter the indoor portion of the line, you’re greeted by C-3PO, R2-D2 and other numerous droids, some of which offer rotating commentary.  The space includes a continuously updating arrival and departure board, views of stacked luggage and advertisements for potential vacation destinations. There’s also a subtle live component to the line, capturing abstract images of traveling guests on video screens as they pass into the final boarding area.

There’s a lot to see in the line for Star Tours: The Adventure Continues and usually more than enough to keep you entertained. It obviously helps if you’re a Star Wars fan too.

(3) Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

A galaxy away, yet still within Hollywood Studios, is the incredible waiting area for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you probably already know I’m a huge fan of this ride. I think it’s pretty much awesome. My husband vehemently disagrees. Regardless of how you feel about rising and falling in an elevator shaft at random intervals, I’m fairly confident you’ll enjoy this ride’s waiting area. In fact, I’ve seen guests stand in line just to view the waiting area and then sneak out the final exit before entering the actual ride. Really. And it wasn’t just because they changed their minds. I’ve heard you can even book part of the space near the queue for private parties.

Why do I love it? Mostly due to its perfect theming. The Tower of Terror occupies the fictitious and long-abandoned Hollywood Tower Hotel. The detail in every area of the line is exquisite. You walk through the overgrown grounds of the building, complete with dilapidated statues, dried-up fountains and crumbling patio structures. The lobby provides a snap shot of how the hotel looked in the 1920s before that fateful night, now covered with cobwebs and dust to show its age. There’s even a AAA 13-Star Diamond award hanging on the wall to suit the theme.

After the lobby, guests enter a library, complete with a secret door and hundreds of interesting objects, including some props from past Twilight Zone episodes. Once you get closer to the loading area, you’ll enter into a maintenance space with dark slab walls, exposed piping and bursting steam. The Disney associates operating the ride commit to the theme with their sober glances and matter-of-fact boarding instructions.

Tower of Terror is easily one of the best queues at Disney World. And yet, there are still two more on my list!

(2) Expedition Everest

My second favorite place to wait in line at Disney World is the queue for Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. As the attraction name suggests, this ride simulates an explorer’s journey to the summit of Everest to seek the fabled Yeti. The attraction officially opened in 2006 and has been frightfully delighting guests ever since.

As with most of the lines at Disney World, the theming in the queue area of Expedition Everest builds guests’ anticipation for the ride that is to come. The outdoor portion of the line winds through courtyards with elaborate statues, rock walls and weather-worn flags to set the mood of a small Asian outpost.  Once inside, you walk through an expedition supply shop and into a fictitious museum. The museum displays artifacts from past explorations, exotic Asian wildlife and of course, evidence of Yeti’s existence. The last waiting area before boarding includes alternating posters promoting food and beverage for weary Everest travelers. Fake flies swirl around the illuminated signs to complete the effect.

Overall, I think the attention to detail, the interesting layout and the overall theming make the waiting area for Everest one of the best queues at Disney World.

(1) Avatar: Flight of Passage

Up until last Spring I would have said Everest was the best waiting area at Disney World. Then Pandora: World of Avatar opened in another section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The queue for Avatar: Flight of Passage is on a whole new level. Seriously. The detail and visual entertainment is stunning.

The outdoor portion of the line wraps around one of the hanging mountains in Pandora. The line provides beautiful views of waterfalls, real and not-so-real plant life and the rest of the newly opened Pandora. The indoor portion of the ride transitions into multiple scenes. The first section includes an elaborately decorated cave, complete with ceiling art, handmade wall hangings and wildlife-inspired lanterns. Once you leave the cave you pass through air lock doors and enter a forest full of illuminated flora in beautiful purples, pinks and blues. The soundtrack provides the sounds of the forest and the path winds over bridges and waterfalls to offer numerous views of the space.

As you pass by the portable lab from the movie, you enter into an updated laboratory, operated by the Pandora Conservation Institute. The packed space includes computers, scientific equipment, wind simulators and even a giant animatronic Avatar. There are jackets on the chairs and coffee mugs near the monitors to suggest the lab’s operators have just stepped out for lunch. Right outside of the lab is a bunker of sorts with a giant Avatar mural on a concrete slab wall. The adjoining wall includes a large display screen, listing the various scientists and their uniquely selected Avatars. Right past the mural you enter one of several “utilidors” which leads to the pre-boarding videos and the ride itself.

Overall, the queue for Avatar: Flight of Passage does a phenomenal job at building anticipation for the ride and adding to the overall enjoyment of the experience. It’s one of the longest lines at Disney World these days, but at least it’s a thoroughly entertaining one! If you Fast Pass this attraction, you’re likely to save a lot of time but you’ll also by-pass one of the best queues at Disney World.

So, that’s it. My list of the best queues at Disney World. What do you think? Nailed it or off-my-rocker? Let me know in the comments below!

Life, like a trip to Disney World, involves a lot of waiting. Why not look for the fun in it? Add a little magic to your world!