How to Avoid Crowds at Magic Kingdom in Disney World

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magic kingdom crowds

Credit: Inside the Magic

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida can draw crowds all-year-round. With the current pandemic, even though there is a 35% limited capacity put into place, that isn’t stopping Guests from coming to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth.

Related: The Best Time to Visit Disney World in 2021!

magic kingdom
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If you are looking to visit Magic Kingdom on a future trip, but are worried about the crowd levels, follow these tips and tricks! In this article, we are breaking down all of the areas and attractions to avoid compared to which areas are much less crowded and which attractions are better to ride!

Areas to Avoid in Magic Kingdom

There are several areas to the theme park that tend to draw more crowds than others. Here is a list of areas that if you are looking to avoid crowds, you should stay far away from.

Fantasyland Near Peter Pan’s Flight and “it’s a small world”

magic kingdom crowds
Credit: Inside the Magic Kelly C.

This area tends to really build up a crowd as it is home to two popular attractions — “it’s a small world” and Peter Pan’s Flight. It also has a pretty narrow pathway, especially with the current socially distanced queue lines forming on the outside of the attractions, making the walkway even narrower.

Liberty Square Near Haunted Mansion

magic kingdom crowds
Credit: Inside the Magic Kelly C.

Liberty Square is home to one of the most classic Disney Parks attractions in history — Haunted Mansion. Between this, the recently reopened Liberty Belle Riverboat, Tom Sawyer Island, and a connecting pathway directly to Main Street, U.S.A. (which is also home to the ever-popular Sleepy Hollow snack stand), this area of the theme park is certainly one you need to avoid.

Frontierland Near the Splash Mountain Bridge

Splash Mountain
Credit: ITM

The bridge that takes Guests from the start of Frontierland into the wild, wild west to Big Thunder Mountain and the entrance of Splash Mountain tends to get crowded. People like to line up along the bridge to watch Guests plunge into the Briar Patch on Splash Mountain, which makes this an area that tends to get built up.

Additionally, now with the social distancing put into place, the queue lines for both Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain tend to run over the bridge as well. Similar to the area of Fantasyland we previously mentioned, these queue lines make the pathways even more narrow than they were before.

Main Street, U.S.A.

magic kingdom crowds
Credit: Inside the Magic Kelly C.

This is, of course, one of the busiest spots in Magic Kingdom. Guests first stroll down Main Street, U.S.A. toward Cinderella Castle when they enter the park, as well as walk back toward the train station when they are leaving.

Home to several different shops, including The Emporium and Main Street Confectionary, as well as eateries including Starbucks and Casey’s Corner (currently closed due to the pandemic), Guests tend to be walking up and down Main Street U.S.A. all day long.

People also love to stop and take a photo with a PhotoPass photographer to capture the memory of standing right in front of Cinderella Castle. This can also cause crowds as people line up and stand in the middle of the street.

Areas to Visit at Magic Kingdom

On the other hand, there are several areas of the theme park that we find to be less crowded on a daily basis. So, if you are looking to soak up some Disney magic and take in the atmosphere without having to deal with crowds, try visiting these locations.

Tomorrowland

tomorrowland
Credit: Disney

Though this land is home to several attractions, including Tomorrowland Speedway, Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, I have found this area of the park to be pretty empty every time I visit. Personally, I think because the land is so big, and the attractions are so spread out, there is a lot of leeway and room to walk around without interfering with queue lines.

Grab an ice cream cone or a root beer float from Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies, grab a seat, and take in the atmosphere and magic surrounding you — all while avoiding crowds!

Back of Fantasyland Near Storybook Circus

storybook circus
Credit: Disney

Way in the back of Fantasyland is Storybook Circus, which used to be home to character meet and greets but is now turned into a relaxation station!

Just outside of Storybook Circus are benches galore, where you can just sit, people watch, and soak up the Florida sun. There are barely any crowds back here, unless people are trying to ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant or the Barnstormer roller coaster.

Magic Kingdom Attractions to Avoid

pirates of the caribbean
Credit: Disney

If you are looking to avoid crowds and long lines, be sure to stay away from the following Magic Kingdom rides as these tend to build up throughout the day:

Magic Kingdom Attractions to Visit

carousel of progress
Credit: Disney

As for attractions that tend to be a bit less popular, and haven’t had extremely long lines, be sure to check out the following:

epcot spaceship earth lighting
Credit: ITM

Do You Want to Visit Walt Disney World?

If you are looking to visit Disney World on your next vacation, there are some things you need to keep in mind. First, health and safety protocols have been added to the theme parks. These include social distancing markers, the requirement of a proper face covering, encouragement of Mobile Order, temporary suspension of meet and greets, parades, and fireworks, and more.

Additionally, Disney has a new Park Pass reservation system that requires those who wish to visit a Walt Disney World theme park — Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom — to have both a valid ticket and a reservation for the park they wish to visit on that day.

At this time, the Disney Park Pass system currently allows Guests to book available theme parks through January 2023, indicating that theme park reservations are not going away anytime soon, so Guests should get familiarized with the system if they are wanting to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth.

magic kingdom crowds
Credit: ITM

If you want to visit Walt Disney World on your next family vacation but need help planning, be sure to get in touch with our friends over at Academy Travel. They will be with you every step of the way when planning your magical vacation. You can get started today by clicking here!

And if you are looking to avoid crowds at other parks, check out our guides here:

Have you recently visited Magic Kingdom? What are your tips and tricks for avoiding crowds? Let us know in the comments below.

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