Disney in a Minute: What is a Standby Line?

The standby line is one of four different types of lines (or queues) currently in use for attractions at Walt Disney World. Contrary to what the name might suggest, it’s not a line that you stand by or next to. It’s a line you stand IN to board an attraction.

You can think of the standby line as the “regular old line”. The other types of queues used at Disney World are the Lightning Lane, Virtual Queue, and Single-Rider Line, and they have special purposes and rules. Standby is simply getting in line and waiting, and as a method of getting on a ride it has both pros and cons.

The standby line has several advantages. First, it doesn’t cost anything, unlike the Lightning Lane. Second, you can be spontaneous and get in it whenever you feel like it. That isn’t an option with Virtual Queues or, in most cases, Lightning Lanes. And lastly, you’ll get to see the whole queue and the pre-show. Some other lines skip either portions of the queue or the pre-show to get you on the ride sooner.

The most obvious disadvantage to the standby line is that at popular rides, there may be a longer wait. With longer waits comes boredom. To help pass the time, some queues have activities, atmosphere to soak up, or Easter eggs to spot. You can also minimize wait times with a good touring plan that helps manage your day.

Here’s a key thing to know about standby lines: Disney posts longer-than-actual standby wait times, for a lot of reasons. In our experience, actual wait times are often much less than the time posted – in some cases up to 60-70% less! The best way to determine actual wait times for the standby line you’d like to join is to use our Lines app. In the app, you can see how long we think you’ll really wait in line, based on our experience and that of thousands of families on the same ride.

Disney in a Minute is a series of short posts designed to help you better understand a Disney term or planning topic. Enjoy!

Do you have a Disney term that you think needs a bit more explanation? Let us know in the comments.