When planning a Disney vacation, we all want to get the most out of our vacation time. No one wants to get there and waste the day standing in line. If you want to make sure that you and your family or friends spend more time on the rides or seeing shows rather than waiting for them, here are a couple tips to ensure just that.

I will be the first to say that I’m nowhere near a morning person. I love sleep! But who doesn’t? However, when it comes to Disney, the best thing you can do is get to the park before it even opens, in order to secure a spot in one of many lines that already fill up quick. Getting to the park before, or during park opening is great, because that is when it’s going to be the least busy. Many of the families also visiting have children who either don’t get up early or take a while to get ready, so they don’t show up until almost noon. You will be able to get all the major rides in before lunchtime, if you get there early.

Another great tip is to avoid watching the big parades or live performances scattered throughout the park. During this time, there are tons of people sitting around watching the show, which means there are less people going on rides. This makes a perfect opportunity for you to hit up some of your favorites and not have to wait as long.

If you have a smart phone, I highly recommend downloading a Disney wait-time app. This app gives you all the park’s wait-times in the palm of your hand, so you can avoid the rides that may take forever to get on. While there are many apps that will do this service for you, I suggest downloading the Diseyland app when going to Disneyland, or the My Disney Experience app if visiting Disney World, both of which are official apps created by Disney.