Fantasyland is perhaps the most popular destination in Disneyland Park, but with these expert strategies, you can avoid the longest wait times.

Sure, Main Street is magical, and the pathway between Adventureland and New Orleans Square is perhaps the most crowded spot in any Disney theme park. But there’s no denying that Disneyland’s Fantasyland draws seriously big crowds.

Home to a wealth of kid-friendly rides and classic attractions based on Disney’s most iconic animated films, everyone wants to spend time in Fantasyland. But as a result, that means guests are constantly battling hour-plus long wait times, queues filled with fidgety kids, and so many strollers it’ll make your head spin (and I’m saying that as a stroller-wielding parent myself).

Luckily, if you’re looking for ways to escape the long lines and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds in Fantasyland, I’ve got you covered. As a Disneyland expert of over 35 years and a parent who has no choice but to brave the land, these are my top tips to avoid crowds in this guest-favorite land.

Forget About Peter Pan’s Flight

I know, I know: It’s popular for a reason. But I’m here to tell you as a Disneyland expert that you should let go of your dream of riding Peter Pan’s Flight. Skip it, and you’ll be able to ride more in Fantasyland (and do more with your time in the park overall).

First and foremost, I wholeheartedly recommend skipping Peter Pan’s Flight because it’s simply not worth riding. Sure, it’s a cute ride. It’s also a classic Disney dark ride… which means it’s slow-moving and not very exciting. But the 2-minute attraction is by no means worth waiting in line for, especially with a typical wait time of 45-plus minutes. The payoff after that long wait (in a jam-packed outdoor queue, by the way) is simply not great.

Second, Peter Pan’s flight rarely sees a wait time under 30 minutes. When Disneyland opens, it’s already packed and that’s because it’s open for Early Entry three days of the week. Even if Disneyland isn’t offering Early Entry, this tends to be an attraction people rush to at rope drop, which makes the queue fill up fast.

Compared to other Fantasyland attractions, that means your odds of encountering a short wait time aren’t great. And, since Peter Pan’s Flight only draws bigger crowds throughout the day, that wait time is never going to drop if you wait.

So, I recommend setting realistic (read: low) expectations and planning to skip this one altogether. If you arrive in Fantasyland and find it has a 20-minute or less wait, get in line! But otherwise, keep walking.

Ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant First…

If Peter Pan’s Flight is Fantasyland’s most popular attraction, Dumbo the Flying Elephant is the second. This beloved ride, which was almost an opening day attraction back in 1955, is hugely popular with adults and kids alike. As a result, its wait time climbs pretty quickly after the park opens.

But here’s something I learned about Dumbo the Flying Elephant when I became a parent: The ride does see long wait times, but only after 9:00 or 10:00 AM, depending on the day of the week. While you might see the wait reach 45-plus minutes come mid-day, in the mornings it’s actually surprisingly short.

I typically rope drop Disneyland, and in the last two years I’ve only encountered a long line at Dumbo on one particularly busy Saturday morning. Otherwise, on most visits, I can stroll into Fantasyland around 9:00 AM and see a 5- to 20-minute wait for the ride. And yes, that’s even on weekends just last Saturday the wait was nonexistent before 9:30 AM.

So, if you’re hoping to beat the crowds in Fantasyland (or wait in a line that doesn’t have too many wandering, wiggly kids), I recommend heading to Dumbo first.

… And Then Ride Dumbo Again

Once you’ve experienced Dumbo the Flying Elephant, I recommend immediately doing it again. Remember, that super short or nonexistent wait time won’t stick around all day so if you loved the ride, this is your chance to do it again.

My son loves multiple spins on Dumbo, so we will typically ride it once, head over to King Arthur Carrousel (another always-short wait time first thing in the morning), and then get right back on Dumbo.

Don’t want to ride Dumbo again? This is a good time to head over to one of the less in-demand dark rides, like Snow White’s Enchanted Wish or Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. These rides will draw crowds later in the day, but they’re less popular than both Peter Pan’s Flight and Dumbo the Flying Elephant, so odds are you’ll walk right on. The same goes for Storybook Land Canal Boats the wait time will be short this early in the day.

Head to Casey Jr. Circus Train Around 9:30 AM

If you’re hoping to ride Casey Jr. Circus Train, it’s important to know it doesn’t open along with the rest of Fantasyland’s attractions. It typically takes longer to open in my experience, about an hour to an hour and a half longer. So, you won’t be able to get in the queue until 9:00 AM or later most mornings.

As a result, you’ll want to keep an eye on the ride’s activity as you travel around Fantasyland. You can easily see if it’s open or closed while riding Dumbo or the Storybook Land Canal Boats; the carousel also offers a great vantage point. If you see Cast Members on the train’s loading platform, odds are it’ll open soon.

Casey Jr. Circus Train has a low guest capacity, which means the wait can get long quickly. But, if you’re able to head over to the queue shortly after it opens, you’ll get on and off and then be able to get on with the rest of your to-do list in no time at all. (Added bonus: You’ll be able to have your pick of train cars!)

Knock Out Fantasyland’s Dark Rides After the Heavy Hitters

I mentioned them briefly above, but here’s the deal on Disneyland’s dark rides. While they are quite popular, most (with the exception of Peter Pan’s Flight, of course) tend to maintain pretty short wait times for the first two-ish hours the park is open.

So, if you’re hoping to experience Snow White, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride without standing in three lengthy lines, you can easily do so first thing in the morning. I suggest sprinkling these rides in between more popular ones, like after a round on Dumbo the Flying Elephant or a spin around King Arthur Carrousel.

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is likely to see its wait time climb faster than Snow White’s Enchanted Wish and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey. Alice in Wonderland can also fill up quickly, but it really depends on the day. And between the latter three, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is the least popular (and scariest!), so you can be pretty confident in the fact that this Disneyland dark ride won’t get too crowded in the first half of the day.

The one exception? On particularly crowded days, these Fantasyland staples can actually see their queues fill up sooner than typical. In that case, I’d weigh Dumbo against the dark rides. If you’d rather take a trip to hell with Mr. Toad, head there first instead.

Ride “it’s a small world” Last

Finally, we can’t forget about a Fantasyland staple that’s located just a bit farther away than all of the other attractions: “it’s a small world,” which tends to draw lines as long as the Matterhorn Bobsleds (which, if you’re hoping to ride, I recommend squeezing in before 10:00 AM, too!).

If “it’s a small world” isn’t a priority for you, then skip it its line can get long quickly, and as more people move deeper into Disneyland throughout the day, its wait time tends to stay pretty consistent at 30 minutes or higher. Taking a spin or two on the Mad Tea Party is often a better choice for adults who could take or leave “it’s a small world” (or kids who are looking for more of a thrill).

But if it’s a must-do for you, then I suggest wrapping up all of your “central” Fantasyland attractions behind Sleeping Beauty Castle, riding the Matterhorn Bobsleds, and then making your way to “it’s a small world.”

That’s because even if the line is somewhat long at “it’s a small world,” it does move fast. Thanks to its two loading platforms and moderate guest capacity numbers, it can shuffle a lot of people through pretty quickly. And in my experience, it’s not an attraction most guests use a Lightning Lane for first thing in the morning so you have a few hours before the queue’s flow gets disrupted by an influx of Lightning Lane entrants.

With this order of events, you should be able to navigate Fantasyland, ride your must-ride attractions, and get out of the land before crowds and lines get too overwhelming.