Wait Time Estimates Adjusted for Big Thunder Reopening

Len and team have made some adjustments to our Crowd Calendar and forecasted waits for the long-awaited return of Big Thunder Mountain in the Magic Kingdom on May 3rd.

You can find Crowd Calendar information on our website or on the TouringPlans Lines App. Everyone has access to 10 days of Crowd Calendar data and Subscribers (Liners) have access to our rolling 365-day Calendar. Liners will have access to the Big Thunder information in the graphic above, but we’re sharing it here, too.

Our team increased the expected wait times for Big Thunder by 35% to account for the anticipated crowds the week of May 3rd. Part of the reasoning behind this increase was that Disney hasn’t announced previews for this ride so everyone wanting to experience the changes will have to select Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Lightning Lane Premium Pass, or a standby wait.

Please note that a Crowd Level 9 is now a 65-minute actual wait. This is up from a 48-minute actual wait. That’s higher than 97% of the actual waits we’ve ever (prior to the refurb closure in January of 2025) seen at Big Thunder. This “new ride bump” is in place on our Crowd Calendar from May 3rd – May 31st, although we don’t expect the elevated actual waits to run that high that long.

The exception to this adjustment is the Tuesday – Thursday stretch the week before Memorial Day, when we’re expecting a Crowd Level 8 with peak waits of 55 minutes.

Are you planning to ride Big Thunder this May? Let us know how long you’d wait to ride!