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Credit: Inside the MagicLast week, one of the remaining pieces of Walt Disney’s legacy at Walt Disney World Resort struggled to draw crowds. Peter Pan’s Flight, which opened two days after Magic Kingdom Park in October 1971, saw plummeting wait times during the typically busy holiday season.
Walt Disney’s original Peter Pan’s Flight opened at Disneyland Park in 1955. A technological marvel for its time, it amazed guests. Walt Disney Imagineers later created versions for Magic Kingdom Park, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris.
Last summer, Disney came head-to-head with a longstanding problem with Peter Pan’s Flight: its animatronic depictions of Indigenous people. Like Peter Pan (1953), the attraction featured outdated, stereotypical depictions of Tiger Lily, Kaw Chief, and other Native characters.
After over five decades, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort debuted all-new animatronics of Tiger Lily and her friends. Walt Disney Imagineers worked with experts to honor the art style of the original attraction while depicting Indigenous characters with respect.
Even though it’s one of the oldest rides at Magic Kingdom Park, Peter Pan’s Flight typically sees one of the highest wait times. The attraction’s “flying” effect, combined with its family-friendly nature, draws guests of all ages, especially those with little ones and guests who can’t do thrill rides.
However, Walt Disney World Resort guests recently had the rare opportunity to “walk on” to Peter Pan’s Flight. Last week, Redditor u/themouseinusall shared a screenshot of the My Disney Experience App taken during their trip to Magic Kingdom Park, showing the Fantasyland dark ride with a five-minute standby wait:
Absolutely Insane!!!
Many Disney Parks fans were shocked that Peter Pan’s Flight had such a low wait time, especially during the tail end of the busy holiday season at Walt Disney World Resort. However, others pointed out that the screenshot was taken at 11:42 p.m., 18 minutes before Magic Kingdom Park closed and after the fireworks that usually send thousands flooding out of the park.
“I mean, it was 11:42pm . . . what time was park closing?” u/millvalleygirl wrote.
Still, some Disney Parks fans appreciated the tip for avoiding crowds fleeing Magic Kingdom Park after the nightly fireworks show.
“Beats the wait time of trying to exit the park with everyone else right after fireworks,” u/jay_23 said.
What’s the lowest wait time you’ve seen for Peter Pan’s Flight? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!