The major holiday season of Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years is over, but any holiday means increased crowds at Walt Disney World. Martin Luther King Jr. Day brings people for the long weekend, as does Presidents' Day and Easter/Spring Break.
How do you survive the extra mass of people? Here are three tips:
1) Get to the parks early. If you stay at a Disney-owned hotel, you get exclusive time at one park each morning. Either head to that park and take advantage of an hour before the general public gets in. If you're not staying at a Disney hotel, go to one of the other parks at opening time. Plan a strategy that includes getting a FastPass and riding the most popular rides early. There might be a line, but it won't be nearly as long as it gets later in the day, when the rest of the crowd arrives.
2) Use FastPasses. The previous tip mentioned FastPasses, which gets you on the ride of your choice much more quickly via the FastPass line. They're free to all Walt Disney World guests, but you can only have a FastPass for one ride at a time (if the park is exceptionally busy and your return time is very late, you can get another one earlier; if this is the case, the time will be printed on your FastPass). FastPasses run out because they're limited in number, so grab your first FastPass as soon as you arrive at the park.
3) Stay late. Park hours are often extended for the holidays. People who do commando-style touring in the morning are usually exhausted by night fall, and those with young kids tend to throw in the towel early too. If you don't have the stamina to outlast them, take a midday break. Go back to your hotel, or book a late lunch or early dinner at a sit-down restaurant inside or outside of the park. Get off your feet for a while and get your second wind.
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