Magic Kingdom’s hottest journey is Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, a family-friendly curler coaster in Fantasyland based mostly on Snow White. This Walt Disney World journey information covers methods to keep away from lengthy traces and reduce the hour-plus wait occasions, overlaying the Lightning Lane, Early Entry, Prolonged Night Hours, rope drop, park closing, and extra. (Up to date March 19, 2023.)
Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare is now almost a decade previous, and its recognition hasn’t dropped a lot in any respect throughout that point. It stays the preferred journey in Magic Kingdom with a median day by day wait time above an hour on low to reasonably crowded days and triple-digit waits on busier days. Whereas TRON Lightcycle Run will undoubtedly go it in recognition, Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare may even command lengthy traces on account of its relatively-unique mixture of thrills and all ages attraction.
Over the previous a number of years, we’ve accomplished Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare extra occasions than I can depend. By no means as soon as have we bought Lightning Lane line-skipping entry, nor have we waited wherever near an hour for it within the final a number of years. (I can’t say “ever” since I’m fairly certain we did a couple of occasions when it first opened.) This journey information breaks down how, explaining your greatest and worst choices for doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare.
One factor to notice up entrance is that technique will not be static. Within the final year-plus alone, there have been quite a lot of different adjustments, together with the debuts of Early Theme Park Entry and Prolonged Night Hours for on-site resort company and the controversial Lightning Lane and Genie+ system. Then there have been different curveballs because of park hours, particular occasions in Magic Kingdom, and extra.
As with our different journey guides for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, we’ll be diligent in preserving this up to date. Make sure you examine again earlier than your journey for the newest information–or subscribe to our free Walt Disney World e mail publication for immediate updates about this and the entire different newest information, when reductions are launched, and so forth.
March 19, 2023 Replace: At the moment, Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare makes use of a conventional standby line and is Magic Kingdom’s Particular person Lightning Lane or “ILL” points of interest, which implies it’s not included within the flat-rate Genie+ service.
Walt Disney World has confirmed that Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare will stay an Particular person Lightning Lane attraction when TRON Lightcycle Run gentle opens after which formally debuts. This truly defies latest precedent, and makes Magic Kingdom the one park at Walt Disney World with two Particular person Lightning Lane points of interest.
There are doubtless a couple of causes for this. The primary is that Magic Kingdom has many extra Genie+ Lightning Lane choices–and thus extra crowd-absorbing capability–than some other park at Walt Disney World. On this regard, Magic Kingdom is extra like Disneyland–a park that additionally has 2 ILLs–than its counterparts in Florida. Merely put, Magic Kingdom doesn’t want extra added to the Genie+ journey roster to make that service good or usable–it already is!
The second is that TRON Lightcycle Run and Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare are aimed toward two completely different demographics. Despite the fact that they’re each coasters, SDMT is a family-friendly rite-of-passage attraction and TRON Lightcycle Run is aimed toward olde (and taller) thrill seekers.
One other issue is that the Particular person Lightning Lane for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare continues to be very talked-about. Though it doesn’t promote in addition to these for the highest new points of interest in every of the opposite 3 parks, it’s hardly hurting for gross sales. It wasn’t like Expedition Everest or Area Mountain earlier than these had been downgraded to the Genie+ service. It’s nonetheless potential that Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare can be moved to Genie+ after the busy summer time season or in early 2024, however there’s no motive to count on a change anytime quickly.
Normally, we’re not followers of paying further for Particular person Lightning Lanes. Our Particular person Lightning Lane Data & Suggestions put up covers the why of that and exceptions to our common rule–however Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare will not be considered one of them. We at all times do it through standby and suggest the identical for many company, until cash is not any subject.
With that stated, that is largely as a result of we normally do suggest that guests to Magic Kingdom buy the Genie+ service. This makes the remainder of the day a lot simpler, and never having to attend in lengthy traces for Peter Pan’s Flight, Jungle Cruise, the Magic Kingdom Mountain Vary, and extra is large. For recommendation on that, seek the advice of our Information to Genie+ at Walt Disney World and Lightning Lane FAQ.
Now let’s get right down to the brass tacks of doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare with minimal wait. Earlier than Magic Kingdom formally opens for the day, there’s the choice of Early Theme Park Entry, which changed morning Further Magic Hours.
Formally, Early Entry is obtainable in any respect 4 theme parks each single day and provides 30-minute entry to company staying in on-site lodges at Walt Disney World. (See our Information to Early Entry at Walt Disney World for more information & technique.)
On a traditional morning proper now, Magic Kingdom opens at 9 am, which places Early Entry at 8:30 am. Regardless of Magic Kingdom being the preferred park at Walt Disney World, it’s the park that opens newest–and at a time that doesn’t current a ‘barrier to entry’ for most individuals.
That is important, as you’ll discover Early Entry at Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios to be massively advantageous. That’s as a result of it begins earlier at these parks, and the time is an insurmountable hurdle for lots of company. In different phrases, there are way more individuals at Early Entry in Magic Kingdom than some other park.
One other noteworthy part of Early Entry at Magic Kingdom is that solely Tomorrowland and Fantasyland are open, quite than your entire park. This consolidates the (bigger) crowd to 2 lands of your entire park. It ought to go with out saying, however extra individuals and fewer rides is a recipe for bigger crowds and longer traces.
To that time, there are two “beginning factors” at Magic Kingdom the place crowds are held till Early Entry formally begins–the bridges to Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. Sometimes, there are exponentially extra company ready on the Fantasyland Bridge. Roughly 90% of these individuals are planning on doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare.
The temper can also be extra tense on the Fantasyland facet. Visitors are revving up their double-wide strollers, making ready to do some critical harm to the ankles of anybody strolling too gingerly. The dash to Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare is a excessive stakes, eat-or-be-eaten recreation.
Probably not, however the environment does really feel tense earlier than the gang begins shifting. As soon as it does, it’s extra like a sluggish trudge in a sea of humanity. Nobody is doing something even resembling working. We name it the “SDMT Shuffle.” Ironic that that is for Fantasyland, because it’s a bit nightmarish.
We strongly suggest skipping the SDMT Shuffle. For one, it’s a easy numbers recreation. If there are 5 occasions as many company heading to Fantasyland and the overwhelming majority of these individuals are racing (at sloth velocity) to Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, that leaves quite a lot of different points of interest in each lands with decrease crowds and considerably shorter waits.
Heading to Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare is uncomfortable and ugly, with everybody “competing” for the most effective spot in a line that kinds shortly and aggressively. It doesn’t set the appropriate tone for day in Magic Kingdom.
To make certain, in the event you’re at or close to the entrance of the pack–within the first few hundred individuals–your wait time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare can be brief. You possibly can doubtless be out and in in beneath half-hour, which is much better than common.
Nevertheless, you needed to stand up and arrive to Magic Kingdom super-early to “accomplish” that. So that you’ve merely shifted your wait from the precise queue to standing in a sea of individuals for 30-45 minutes ready for Early Entry to begin. Against this, it’s easy to point out up a couple of minutes earlier than Early Entry begins and knock out Peter Pan’s Flight or something in Tomorrowland with none stress and a ~5 minute wait.
One other variable is that Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare routinely has delayed openings on account of technical difficulties. Whereas the journey doesn’t endure from a lot downtime all through the day, it (and the entire mountains, for that matter) is infamous for not being able to open at first of Early Entry. Granted, that will solely occur 20% of the time or much less, so the percentages are in your favor. But it surely’s a really irritating feeling whenever you dedicate quite a lot of time to beating the gang to SDMT and get unfortunate.
Given all of that and the chance value of doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare as a substitute of brief waits elsewhere, it’s simply not value it more often than not. That is why we’re anti-Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare throughout Early Entry or at rope drop. It’s a subjectively unhealthy strategy to begin the day, dangerous, and there are good alternate options.
With that stated, there may be one exception to this rule: Magic Kingdom Early Entry on Social gathering Days. (Or actually, any day when the park opens earlier than 9 am. Proper now, that’s solely social gathering days, although.)
The rationale for that is easy, and what’s intimated above. Transferring from a 9 am opening time to eight am is big. It shrinks the pool of potential company who’re prepared and in a position to stand up early on trip. That is very true for households with young children–the core viewers for Fantasyland points of interest.
In brief, that 7:30 am begin time for Early Entry reduces the gang to such a major diploma that doing SDMT is much less of a anxious sloth-like shuffle and extra…regular. You possibly can simply be accomplished with the attraction in <20 minutes with minimal effort or lead time, and nonetheless do Peter Pan’s Flight after as a close to walk-on.
With Early Entry out of the best way, this brings us to regular park opening time or “rope drop” for everybody else. That is actually the worst time to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare. There are two causes for that.
First, the fact that the overwhelming majority of Early Entry company are doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, even those who arrive later. Because of this the road is often getting longer over the course of Early Entry. Common park opening continues to be below-peak for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare’s day by day wait time, however it isn’t too far off.
Second, and the larger motive, is as soon as once more the chance value. Racing to Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, a journey that has been open for half-hour, to hitch the again of a line that’s already fairly lengthy may prevent 5-20 minutes as in comparison with lining up at 10 am or 1 pm. But it surely’s nonetheless a foul thought.
That’s as a result of, as mentioned above, solely Fantasyland and Tomorrowland open throughout Early Entry. This implies that you may rope drop each single different land and be on the entrance of the pack–not becoming a member of a line already in progress. This implies doing Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, Large Thunder Mountain Railroad, or actually any journey on that facet of the park as a close to walk-on. That may prevent far, way more time within the grand scheme of issues.
So far, seek the advice of our 1-Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary for step-by-step technique for attraction order and beating the crowds at rope drop and all through a day within the park.
If you’d like the most effective time to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare within the first half of the day after the preliminary rush, line up round 11:30 am to midday. The posted wait time will nonetheless doubtless be above 60 minutes, however it’s usually falling at this level quite than rising. Sometimes, the posted wait time will drop within the 12 pm hour, however that’s reactionary–on account of fewer company lining up pre-lunch.
It is because the inflow of park opening company is biking out, and fewer new company are leaping into line as a result of the wait will battle with lunch. Objectively, that is the optimum time until you’re staying late–assuming no journey breakdowns.
Subjectively, we nonetheless don’t like doing Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare at this level.
Our massive hesitation is because of many of the queue being open air, and far of it in direct daylight. That is very true when the overflow line is in use–the pavement displays the sunshine and slow-cooks company. The precise queue has some shade because of a partial cover of bushes, and it additionally has followers to maintain issues cool.
However, we desire ready till later within the afternoon from a subjective perspective, when the solar is decrease within the sky. The out of doors line is way more nice then, and is downright refreshing when these followers hit you with a blast of cool air.
Sadly, the wait time between 1 pm and 6 pm doesn’t budge a lot. On common, it varies by 3 minutes throughout that complete stretch. In an precise day, the posted wait time vary can be greater–that’s the precise common smoothed out over your entire 12 months.
Attempting to pounce on a drop within the posted wait time is counter-productive, too. Walt Disney World wait occasions are reactive, and with headliner points of interest, a drop within the posted time induces extra company to leap into line. These company will then wait longer than those that lined up on the tail finish of the upper posted wait time. It’s just like the accordion impact performed out repeatedly over the course of the day.
There’s additionally the fact that almost all wait occasions are inflated at Walt Disney World, and never at all times by constant quantities. The tip result’s {that a} posted wait time of 60 minutes may need an extended precise wait than a posted wait time of 95 minutes, relying upon when within the ‘cycle’ of every somebody enters the road.
Normally, later within the day is best than the primary half for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, with precise wait occasions usually dropping within the 2 hours earlier than park closing. There are a few belongings you want to pay attention to right here, nevertheless.
First, posted wait occasions usually don’t drop a lot within the night. That doesn’t imply precise wait occasions aren’t nonetheless declining, although. Walt Disney World usually inflates posted occasions later within the day to discourage individuals from queueing up. Normally, an attraction’s precise wait time can be shortest within the final half-hour of the night time, no matter posted waits.
Which brings us to among the best occasions to do Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare at Magic Kingdom: proper because the fireworks finish.
Whereas we don’t suggest it on your first or solely viewing, Fantasyland is definitely an incredible and highly-immersive spot. Actually, that is our favourite “secret” or “low-stress” location for fireworks viewing in Magic Kingdom. It’s such as you’re within the midst of the fireworks, with bursts each in entrance of and behind you. You’ll additionally take pleasure in pyro over Beast’s Fortress above Be Our Visitor Restaurant, which is cool.
In the direction of the tip of the fireworks, we suggest shifting from the realm close to the New Fantasyland partitions to the close by Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare entrance. Disregard the posted wait time; once more, it’s reactive and only a few individuals are getting in line for the fireworks through the fireworks.
The night time once I took the above picture, the posted wait time was 50 minutes, however our wait time was between 3 and 4 minutes. Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare was a walk-on with some empty rows! We obtained very fortunate and that’s not a typical wait, however it ought to however illustrate the massive disparity between posted and precise wait occasions.
Our closing advice is the tried and true strategy for any headliner attraction: 1 minute earlier than park closing. That is just like the reverse rope drop, or ‘rope rise’ choice. (We like to think about it because the “buzzer beater” strategy.)
Walt Disney World doesn’t cease traces for points of interest till park closing, which implies you possibly can queue up proper till the clock strikes midnight (or normally in Magic Kingdom’s case, 10 pm or 11 pm). This successfully extends your day and is when the precise wait time is lowest for Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare.
Once more, it would be best to ignore the posted wait time. Not solely is it reactionary, but additionally as a result of Disney intentionally inflates wait occasions on the finish of the night time to discourage company from getting in a single final journey.
Give it some thought–when you have an 8 12 months previous that’s on the precipice of crashing, are you going to wish to endure one other hour-long wait at 10 pm? Now, what if that was truly solely a ten minute wait?! In all probability a unique reply.
We’ve accomplished the ‘buzzer-beater’ strategy to Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare dozens and dozens of occasions within the final 5 years. There have been a handful of occasions that we’ve waited 20 minutes or extra (particularly throughout peak season when the climate is heat), however the overwhelming majority of the time, our precise wait time has been between 10 and quarter-hour. (It’s been as little as 7 minutes.)
Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare is a lot simpler, constant, and extra nice at night time. It’s additionally neat to expertise the journey within the night, and see the park all lit up. It’s a particularly satisfying strategy to finish the proper day at Magic Kingdom!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Should you’ve accomplished Seven Dwarfs Mine Prepare, what’s your optimum strategy and time of day to journey? What would you suggest to Walt Disney World first-timers? Do you stick with standby or purchase an Particular person Lightning Lane for SDMT? Do you agree or disagree with any of our technique? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!