Given its status as one of the world’s most popular — and most crowded — tourist destinations, Walt Disney World can often be tough for introverts.
Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
Even Disney Adults who adore the parks usually need to steer clear of, or grin and bear their way through, certain areas, queues, and attractions at each of the resort’s theme parks.
The Plaza Gardens
Located in front of Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom, the gardens are pretty much always packed with people. Early in the day, they’re the setting for hundreds to thousands of photos, while later they become one of the most densely packed areas to watch Magic Kingdom shows, parades, and nighttime spectacular fireworks.
Getting ready for the fireworks
In other words, they can be a bit of a nightmare for those who don’t like being around people. While the area is a bit tough to avoid while traversing the park, we would recommend planning to watch parades and fireworks in slightly less crowded locations.
Soarin’ Queue
When Soarin’ was built at EPCOT back in the mid-00s, the ride’s massive vehicle apparatus was built in a new show building and connected to The Land via a tunnel that serves as much of its queue. The space is a bit narrow, with part of it featuring queue lines that zig and zag at an incline, which can make an introvert feel like people are surrounding them above and below.
Soarin’ Queue
If that sounds like a nightmare, it might be worth using a Lightning Lane for the attraction. Of note, beginning with the July 22nd reopening of Test Track, Soarin’ will move from being a Tier 1 Lightning Lane to a Tier 2.
The Rise of the Resistance Interrogation Room
Over at Hollywood Studios, there’s the modern marvel that is Rise of the Resistance. The massive Star Wars experience — calling it a singular ride, honestly, sells it short — features several elements before the actual trackless dark ride portion even begins.
Rise of the Resistance
However, one of them is an interrogation room, a tight space which puts a full group of guests up close and personal with the first order before they’re “explosively” rescued by some rebels. This room can be a bit overwhelming for introverted guests. Unfortunately, there’s no way to skip passed it and still experience the attraction.
The Flight of Passage Ride Vehicle Room
The ride vehicles for Animal Kingdom’s premier attraction provide an interesting situation for introverted guests. While the room itself isn’t all that crowded, the experience of sitting on the bike-like ride vehicle and experiencing the ride’s film can be an intensely personal one for some, who can then be thrown off by realizing they shared the experience with a room full of strangers.
Flight of Passage
Over the Top Meals
There are several meals across Disney World that can be a bit… much for introverted guests. Whether it’s the “family” of waiters at Hollywood Studios’ 50’s Prime Time Café demanding guests keep their elbows off the table and clean their plates, or the servers at the Wilderness Lodge’s Whispering Canyon inundating their tables with ketchup, these experiences can be a bit sensory overload for some guests. We’d definitely recommend researching the environment of a restaurant before making a dining reservation.
50’s Prime Time Cafe
Introverted Disney adults may want to steer clear of these areas, or at least plan for them, during their next visit to the “Most Magical Place on Earth.” Stay tuned to DFB for more on Disney World planning.
The 5 Best Disney World Hotels for Introverts
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Are you an introverted Disney Adult? What areas of the resort do you avoid?
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
I’m pretty introverted, and pretty close to the most introverted of our group. The Soarin’ queue is miserable, so I don’t ride that without a lightning lane. But I’m good with the over the top meal experiences, as long as other guests are well behaved – 50s and WCC are actually two of my favorites. But rope drop, most popular fireworks viewing spots, end-of-park-day exit crowds and lines for transpo, restaurants at traditional meal times, and Disney Springs on the weekend are all things I try to avoid if possible. My people do rib me a little for my ‘crowd avoiding’ strategies at DISNEY WORLD 🤣 but they’re worth it to me. And the reality is that it makes our trips more pleasant for eveyone.
I avoid Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, because the last thing I ever want is to be chosen to participate. While we see plenty of articles about where to sit if you want to be chosen, no one ever says how to avoid being chosen, or even if it’s possible. So I just don’t go.