Which LL lines miss cool stuff?

[MerryJ]

I understand that when you use Genie+ and Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes you miss some cool stuff in the lines. It feels like it makes sense to figure out which rides to prioritize for rope drop vs which to book LL for based on which lines you actually want to see!
Can you tell me which rides at Disney World skip cool stuff? (I'm probably most worried about Batuu in Hollywood Studios as I'm a big Star Wars fan, but other stuff too!)
I was last at Disney World in 2013 or so and my daughter was a toddler and my littlest son wasn't born so there is so much new stuff for us all to see!
It feels like this list should exist somewhere else, but I can't find it!

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

The LL line for RotR bypasses a lot of caverns with some gear displayed, but I didn't think that it really missed much of anything significant. The LL line for Millennium Falcon does miss some views of the ship and workshop.

The LL line for Toy Story Mania doesn't take you past Mr. Potato Head.

At AK, the LL line for Avatar FoP bypasses several interesting scenes (including the lab), but it's debatable whether it's worth waiting hours to see those portions of the line.

I don't have personal experience with Peter Pan LL at MK, but I understand that it skips all of the things that were added to the queue (nursery with special effects, etc.).

Not a comprehensive list but, for the rides below, I found that LL did NOT miss anything important in the queue:
Slinky Dog Dash
M & M Runaway Railway
Tower of Terror
RnRC
Navi River Journey
Dinosaur
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Expedition Everest
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise
Space Mountain
Thunder Mountain RR

 

[gardenrooms]

The standby line for Peter Pan can take a really long time, but as a Peter Pan fan (OK - I'm old - Peter Pan was the first movie I ever saw) I really enjoy the queue. My family, though, would much prefer to skip the line. (So I have to be secretly happy when we go through the line.)

(Just like in DL I loved the Indy and Splash lines, but FastPass rendered those useless for everyone.)

Undercover Tourist offers some insights (thank you to them!). https://www.undercovertourist.com/blog/best-queues-disney-world/

 

[Gabby01]

I’m a Star Wars fan and I’ve been through the queues for RotR and MFSR once each. IMHO, they’re skippable (themed, but mostly just basic background ambience). Second time in the RotR queue I was just looking at my phone playing the game for that queue, and I started using the single rider line for MFSR which I preferred to seeing the queue again.

 

[wiggy500]

Most of the time you get a taste of the regular line while going through the lightning lane line. As an infrequent visitor I think you're better off focusing on skipping the lines you can and just enjoying whatever line you end up needing to wait through.

I would not go through the single rider line of Test Track as it skips a really significant part of the experience. The single rider line for Smugglers Run cuts out the introduction / preshow. I would avoid those until you've done the rides once.

It may make sense for you to do the Smugglers Run line. I did it at Disneyland at half an hour and that was enjoyable for that amount of time. You don't get to see anything extra with the Star Tours regular line, but you might get a little more time to stop and enjoy it. It's amusing. The Rise wait time is so long and you're not missing much, so I would skip that one.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I would add Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind to the list. You get a short taste of the first two rooms of the line, which I find to be charming (and informative for those who aren’t familiar with the movie plots) whereas you can take in much more of the narratives and jokes if you wait in the (regular) VQ line. I’ve done both regular line and LL line 5-6 times and I’m still not sure I’ve absorbed 100% of the regular line content.

 

[goofyernmost]

Not really helpful, but it depends on what you consider cool things.

 

[disneylover102]

I agree with the responses above but I would add in Ratatouille. The outdoor portion of the line is AWFUL and the first part of the indoor queue is boring (it’s the same red hallway like 3 times) but after that it’s pretty cool

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I understand that when you use Genie+ and Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes you miss some cool stuff in the lines. It feels like it makes sense to figure out which rides to prioritize for rope drop vs which to book LL for based on which lines you actually want to see!
Can you tell me which rides at Disney World skip cool stuff? (I'm probably most worried about Batuu in Hollywood Studios as I'm a big Star Wars fan, but other stuff too!)
I was last at Disney World in 2013 or so and my daughter was a toddler and my littlest son wasn't born so there is so much new stuff for us all to see!
It feels like this list should exist somewhere else, but I can't find it!

My general WDW philosophy is time = $.

Generally, we don't opt to pay for ILL's, unless it is very new ride, or maybe like Easter week (when the alternative is very long queue).
Conversely though, G+ is worth getting, but I generally wouldn't let the queue be a determining factor for most rides. If you can get a decent G+, use it.

In other words, the Peter Pan queue is cute, but not 2 hours cute.

One exception is Men in Black at Universal if you happen to be going there. At WDW, one exception might be the GoG queue. Last time we ride it, the queue was very slow though. If you can't get a BG, and want to ride it, then consider an ILL.

I rode EE for years before ever seeing the full queue. We always had a fast pass. And that is one of the better queues.

Mr. Potatohead is often not running these days, so I really do not suggest giving up a G+ to use the standby. Not in today's WDW.

HM queue is one of the cuter queues, but I'm not sure it is worth a long wait, and I'm not sure it is running. That one has also only been partly running since COVID. If it is open, and you end up in standby, take time to pay attention to the riddle booth. most people walk right past it.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

You miss a lot for 7 dwarfs

EE and RNR both have a lot to see in the regular line but neither are critical or a must see. Just a mention that a lot has been put in them. They aren’t boring with nothing to see

 

[cgattis]

You miss a lot for 7 dwarfs

EE and RNR both have a lot to see in the regular line but neither are critical or a must see. Just a mention that a lot has been put in them. They aren’t boring with nothing to see

I actually hadn’t thought about it, but you miss all the games in 7DMT, don’t you!? I guess if you want “lightning,” you aren’t looking to kill time playing video games! LOL

 

[cgattis]

Mr. Potatohead is often not running these days, so I really do not suggest giving up a G+ to use the standby. Not in today's WDW.

I was going to say the same thing. He was working when we went in December but that’s the first time we’d actually seen him run since they opened Toy Story Land.

 

[chicagodisfan]

In other words, the Peter Pan queue is cute, but not 2 hours cute.

You miss a lot for 7 dwarfs

I agree with both of these sentiments. I love the Peter Pan standby line but it’s only worth a half hour or so wait. We tend to get a LL if anyone wants to ride it during the day and then try to jump in the line at park closing. You don’t want a 2 hour wait but yet you don’t want to speed walk through it either. I think about a half hour wait is the sweet spot. We once were stopped in the interactive queue during a cleaning cycle during Covid when that was a thing and it was highly enjoyable being stuck there.

Likewise, we didn’t ever go through the regular queue for 7 Dwarfs until we started riding during Extended Magic Hours. We had a great times in line playing the games with our fellow riders trying to make Snow White and the dwarfs appear and cheering when the did. Again though, it’s worth no longer than a 30-45 minute wait even then.

I can’t think of any other lines that are worth the standby wait.

 

[gharter]

Agree that PP is cool, but not worth the wait.

FoP misses the entire laboratory scene which is really good.
Toy Story Mania other than Mr Potato head misses nothing.
GoTG misses the really cool displays in line, but not worth waiting if it is a long line.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Honestly the two lines we don’t want to miss are Dumbo and Winnie the Pooh lol. The others are okay but not worth the wait.

I would rather do LL for as many as I could and if my family decides they want to see a queue, I’d hop in it at the end of the day. (I don’t think Mr Potato Head runs reliably at the end of the day but I don’t find that to be a big loss!)

Single rider line for Test Track does customize a vehicle. They aren’t skipping that section anymore.

 

[Beer Me]

I have never waited in the full queue for Peter Pan (since it’s refurb years ago), Flight of Passage or 7 dwarves. I’m sure there are others but those stick out as rides with queues that people talk about.

And honestly I don’t even have a twinge of regret. I’m glad they are interesting just in case I have to wait in the full queue but if a shorter wait is an option I’m taking it every time.