News Flash: Disney World Gets Crowded! There’s no way to completely avoid crowds at Disney World. There will be slow days during the off-season times of the year, but all it takes is the perfect storm of nice weather, a ticket discount, and a handful of tour groups to make you wonder where all your crowd calendar planning went terribly wrong.
Is Disney World too crowded for you? In this post, we’ll help you find places to avoid the crowds at Disney World. For each of the four theme parks, we’ll list spaces or attractions where you might find a little more breathing room. We’ll also highlight one space or route to avoid during high crowds.
We’ll provide photo galleries throughout with photos of some of the space (soon to be photos of all the spaces). Use the arrows on either side of the galleries to navigate them.
As with pretty much everything related to your Disney vacation, your experience may vary. Some of these spots spend 90% of the day empty, while others are consistently “low crowds.” And—as always—you shouldn’t expect any space in the parks on New Year’s Eve, Christmas Day, July 4, Labor Day, Memorial Day, or any other day the crowds decide to really pour in.
As a reminder, this post is not about when to escape the crowds (except for one note about Epcot). If you’re looking for that, check out our Disney World Crowd Calendar post. (You might also read more into ticketed events, which tend to have smaller crowds.)
Where to Escape Magic Kingdom Crowds
Magic Kingdom crowds are the toughest to escape because the park is the most visited theme park in the world and makes efficient use of every available inch of space. Nonetheless, there are a few spots to try when you’re searching for a peaceful moment.
The Walt Disney World Railroad Main Street Station. Particularly while the railroad is closed due to TRON construction, the Main Street Station is a really cool place to visit. Generally, there aren’t a ton of crowds midday since the front of the park is so far from the center of the action.
Town Square Theater. Town Square Theater is more of a good sitting spot than a good no-crowds spot. With two characters and a table service restaurant, there’s a good amount of foot traffic through the space. But if you want to grab a seat indoors, this can be a good spot to pop into.
Next to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. In one of the farthest corners of the park, this spot takes some getting to but also offers cool views.
The Pecos Bill Dark Room. Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn is a quick service restaurant in Frontierland. It has a ton of indoor seating, and one room designed as a nighttime scene can be a good place to “hole up” for a bit. The tables are well-spaced,
Rivers of America Boardwalk. Along Rivers of America (the body of water in Frontierland and Liberty Square) is a boardwalk. It’s often less crowded than the main pathway through the land.
Attractions
The Liberty Belle. The Liberty Square Riverboat is an attraction, and it can get crowded, but most of the time it’s a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of the park for 20 minutes. You typically won’t have to stand in line for the Liberty Bell, as people tend to just walk onto it when they see it boarding.
Tom Sawyer Island. Like the Liberty Belle, this attraction can get crowded. However, the overall density is going to be much less than the rest of the park.
PeopleMover. On busy days you’ll have see 15 minute (or more) wait times for PeopleMover, but once you’re on it you can kick back in your vehicle and relax during the leisurely tour of Tomorrowland.
Any Indoor Show. Like the other three attractions on this list, the shows can get crowded. If you’re really looking to escape, you’ll want to be one of the last people in the theater so you can carve out your own space (of course, on busy days at peak time you’ll still wind up in a full theater).
Avoid During High Crowds
The pathway from Frontierland to Fantasyland, through Liberty Square (the strip with Columbia Harbour House, Haunted Mansion, “It’s a small world,” and Peter Pan’s Flight).
Where to Escape Animal Kingdom Crowds
Animal Kingdom is my absolute park for escaping the crowds. The park has such depth and is so well-designed that many of these spots are my favorite places in Disney World.
The Rivers of Light Grandstands. The grandstands in Asia and opposite the Finding Nemo theater are often open for much of the day, long before the show itself starts seating. This is one of my favorite spots to sit in Animal Kingdom (and all of Disney World), as you can literally have a dozen people scattered across thousands of seats.
Flame Tree Barbecue Seating. During meals people will snag the best seats, but for much of the day the seating behind Flame Tree Barbecue offers serenity and wonderful views of the park.
The Pandora-Africa Boardwalk. Between the Lion King theater and Pandora is a long boardwalk. In the morning, it is used for overflow queuing for Flight of Passage, but the rest of the day it’s a (relatively) peaceful way to get between these two corners of the park. (Note when it is used for overflow queuing, you’ll usually have a Cast Member prohibiting you from using it as a walkway.)
Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama. There are two rides in Dino-Rama (though Primeval Whirl is seasonal), but the space itself tends to be pretty devoid of crowds. The downside—you’ll have to pay to play the carnival games if you want to do anything other than walk around or ride the two rides.
The Discovery Island Trail/ Garden Trail. You will run into crowds from It’s Tough To Be A Bug at some parts of the trails, but there are a set of pathways around the Tree of Life that virtually never see crowds. (You can also often meet Pocahontas down there.) We have a separate post dedicated to these trails and how to see the Tree of Life up close.
Attractions
The Zoological Trails. The Maharajah Jungle Trek and the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail are great zoological experiences and usually have lower crowds than the rest of the park.
It’s Tough To Be A Bug. Like any show, try and be one of the last people into the theater in order to grab a spot without other people around you.
Rafiki’s Planet Watch. Rafiki’s Planet Watch is a zoological area accessible only via the Wildlife Express Train from Harambe (Africa). The area tends to see low crowds because of the difficulty getting to it, but it offers a few great conservation exhibits, a petting zoo, and the Animation Academy drawing experience.
Avoid During High Crowds
Anandapour (Asia). Animal Kingdom is largely an incredibly well-designed park when it comes to handling crowds. The most common chokepoint we encounter is in Asia, particularly the Anandapour Theater (where Up! A Great Bird Adventure is shown).
Where to Escape Hollywood Studios Crowds
Hollywood Studios isn’t great for escaping crowds. The park isn’t huge, and its layout leaves few hidden gems to be found.
Echo Lake. The area around Echo Lake gets decent foot traffic, but if you go down to the lowest walkway along the lake, you can usually grab spot, stare at the lake, and forget the rest of the park around you exists. This is easily my favorite spot in the park.
The PizzeRizzo Event Room. If tacky decor and 2000s pop music aren’t your thing, stay away. Otherwise head to the second floor of PizzeRizzo, where Rizzo maintains an event space that barely ever sees use.
Grand Avenue / Muppet Vision 3D. Muppet Vision 3D is right on the edge of the Hollywood Studios crowd scene. If the park is remotely “busy” the crowds will pour in there. But on a standard day, the theater won’t be more than 60% to 70% full.
Relatedly, the Grand Avenue area outside the theater can be a good place to grab a seat for a few minutes, but you’ll also have the crowds exiting the theater and the Galaxy’s Edge crowds.
The Far Ends of Sunset Boulevard. When you get to the end of Sunset Boulevard, you can go left to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster or right to Tower of Terror. But go past the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster entrance to find a usually-spacious area outside Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy.
Go past the Tower of Terror entrance and you’ll see the Joffrey’s stand and the Tower gift shop. Neither of these spaces is really empty (or particularly enjoyable), but they can beat the rest of the park.
Avoid During High Crowds
Toy Story Land. Toy Story Land is a single pathway with three rides connected to the much larger Galaxy’s Edge, which is home to two of the newest rides at Disney World. When given the choice, take a route that avoids Toy Story Land in high crowds.
Where to Escape Epcot Crowds
All About Timing. This is my one note that is a when not a where. Epcot crowds—particularly on the World Showcase—are worst during afternoons, evenings, and weekends of Festivals. The World Showcase is paradise when it opens at 11AM any day (except maybe the first day of Festivals when bloggers, vloggers, and locals show up early) and like that scene from Game of Thrones on a Saturday night during Food & Wine Festival.
Since you can see much of Epcot in a morning, park hopper tickets are incredibly valuable if you want to miss the afternoon’s high crowd levels here, particularly on the weekends during festivals.
Pixar Short Film Festival. With loads of ongoing construction, I don’t expect the standard escapist spots in Future World to last long. We already lost the Communicore Flophouse, which was so fantastic you could sit inside, on a couch, with an outlet on New Year’s Eve!
That said, the Pixar Short Film Festival is an attraction in Future World that typically has low crowds. As with all shows, to really get your own space you’ll want to be one of the last people in the theater.
The Backs of Most World Showcase Pavilions. Even during peak festival season, you’ll often find refuge at the far back corners of the pavilions. I’m not sure why this is (well, my cynical side is sure), but people often treat the pavilions as facades—they just look at the front as they walk by. In particular, I’m a fan of Morocco, China (more the front gardens than the back), Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Any Indoor Show. China, The American Adventure, France, and Canada all have indoor shows. The Land Pavilion also has a new show, “Awesome Planet.” Even if you’re not planning to watch the show, the waiting areas outside of them can be fantastic for escaping crowds.
The Boardwalk. This one is cheating just a tad because it isn’t inside the park. But if you exit out the World Showcase entrance to the park (between UK and France), you’ll find yourself at Crescent Lake, home to three Disney hotels and the Boardwalk area. It’s worthy of this list simply because it can never get too crowded given its size, and it’s a great 20-minute loop if you have the time.
Avoid During High Crowds
The Back of the World Showcase. Chances are you’re not just going to skip the World Showcase, so this is more of a “be prepared” note. The back of the World Showcase, roughly Japan to China, can get quite congested. You’ll also notice that this area doesn’t feature any of my favorite pavilions for escaping the crowds.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.