10 Ways to Outwit the Crowds on Your Disney Vacation

6. Enjoy the Most Popular Attractions First

Unless you are highly motivated to minimize walking and backtracking, please resist the urge to just experience attractions in the order you come to them.  I would also caution you against running to your favorite ride first unless it's also one that develops a long line quickly.  I love the PeopleMover and Journey Into the Imagination, but neither accrues a long line during a typical day so they are great choices for mid-day attractions.  Read up on which attractions are the most popular in each park, and plan to see some of those first.  For the other most popular attractions, see our next tip.

7. Use FastPass+

You can resist the notion of planning out your ride experiences 30-60 days in advance (60 for resort guests, 30 for those staying off-property), but using FastPass+ is really to your advantage.  This allows your family to experience the rides, shows, and character experiences they love most with minimal wait times.  It's a no-brainer.  Used in combination with arriving early, your FastPasses are best used mid-day or late morning at the earliest, after you have ridden some other popular attractions in the earliest hours.  Once you have used your first 3 FastPasses, you can reserve more one at a time.