"it's a small world" Wait Times
We record the posted "it's a small world" wait every minute and summarize the history in 15-minute decision windows — always as typical ranges with sample sizes, never single-point guesses.
Best time to ride today Typical
"it's a small world" is typically best between 8:00 AM and 10:15 AM, when waits are around 6 minutes. Waits are typically highest between 11:45 AM and 12:45 PM.
Best windows
- 8:00 AM–10:15 AM · ~6 min
- 7:15 PM–12:00 AM · ~5 min
Skip these stretches
- 11:45 AM–12:45 PM · ~28 min
- 2:00 PM–3:00 PM · ~29 min
- 3:15 PM–4:15 PM · ~29 min
Sample: 15,838 wait checks · window Mar 23, 2026 – Jul 20, 2026 · updated Jul 21, 2026.
Today’s waits vs a typical Tuesday
Showing the typical range for a Tuesday Typical — the shaded band holds the middle half of our history (P25–P75); the amber line marks what busy days reach (P90). 15-minute windows.
View this curve as a table
| Window | Typical P25–P75 | Busy days (P90) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM | 5–5 min | 5 min |
| 8:15 AM | 5–5 min | 5 min |
| 8:30 AM | 5–5 min | 5 min |
| 8:45 AM | 5–5 min | 5 min |
| 9:00 AM | 5–5 min | 5 min |
| 9:15 AM | 5–5 min | 5 min |
| 9:30 AM | 5–5 min | 10 min |
| 9:45 AM | 5–10 min | 10 min |
| 10:00 AM | 5–15 min | 15 min |
| 10:15 AM | 5–20 min | 20 min |
| 10:30 AM | 5–20 min | 30 min |
| 10:45 AM | 5–25 min | 30 min |
| 11:00 AM | 5–25 min | 30 min |
| 11:15 AM | 5–30 min | 30 min |
| 11:30 AM | 10–30 min | 40 min |
| 11:45 AM | 10–35 min | 45 min |
| 12:00 PM | 10–40 min | 50 min |
| 12:15 PM | 10–35 min | 45 min |
| 12:30 PM | 5–40 min | 45 min |
| 12:45 PM | 5–30 min | 40 min |
| 1:00 PM | 10–35 min | 40 min |
| 1:15 PM | 10–35 min | 50 min |
| 1:30 PM | 5–35 min | 50 min |
| 1:45 PM | 5–35 min | 42 min |
| 2:00 PM | 5–35 min | 46 min |
| 2:15 PM | 5–40 min | 50 min |
| 2:30 PM | 10–45 min | 50 min |
| 2:45 PM | 10–40 min | 50 min |
| 3:00 PM | 5–31 min | 50 min |
| 3:15 PM | 10–35 min | 45 min |
| 3:30 PM | 5–40 min | 45 min |
| 3:45 PM | 5–35 min | 45 min |
| 4:00 PM | 5–35 min | 45 min |
| 4:15 PM | 5–35 min | 45 min |
| 4:30 PM | 5–35 min | 35 min |
| 4:45 PM | 5–30 min | 35 min |
| 5:00 PM | 5–30 min | 50 min |
| 5:15 PM | 5–30 min | 50 min |
| 5:30 PM | 5–34 min | 50 min |
| 5:45 PM | 5–25 min | 35 min |
| 6:00 PM | 5–25 min | 30 min |
| 6:15 PM | 5–30 min | 40 min |
| 6:30 PM | 5–30 min | 39 min |
| 6:45 PM | 5–30 min | 35 min |
| 7:00 PM | 5–25 min | 35 min |
| 7:15 PM | 5–25 min | 35 min |
| 7:30 PM | 5–15 min | 35 min |
| 7:45 PM | 5–10 min | 35 min |
| 8:00 PM | 5–10 min | 35 min |
| 8:15 PM | 5–10 min | 30 min |
| 8:30 PM | 5–10 min | 15 min |
| 8:45 PM | 5–5 min | 10 min |
| 9:00 PM | 5–15 min | 25 min |
| 9:15 PM | 5–20 min | 25 min |
| 9:30 PM | 5–12 min | 25 min |
| 9:45 PM | 5–10 min | 25 min |
| 10:00 PM | 5–10 min | 20 min |
| 10:15 PM | 5–10 min | 15 min |
| 10:30 PM | 5–10 min | 10 min |
| 10:45 PM | 5–5 min | 10 min |
| 11:00 PM | 5–5 min | 10 min |
| 11:15 PM | 5–5 min | 5 min |
| 11:30 PM | 5–5 min | 5 min |
| 11:45 PM | 5–5 min | 5 min |
Sample: 15,838 wait checks · window Mar 23, 2026 – Jul 20, 2026 · updated Jul 21, 2026.
Which day (and hour) is lightest? Typical
Typical median wait by weekday and hour — lighter cells mean shorter lines. Hours below our sample floor are left blank instead of guessed.
| Day | 8 AM | 9 AM | 10 AM | 11 AM | 12 PM | 1 PM | 2 PM | 3 PM | 4 PM | 5 PM | 6 PM | 7 PM | 8 PM | 9 PM | 10 PM | 11 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Mon | 5 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Tue • | 5 | 5 | 14 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 29 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Wed | 5 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 24 | 19 | 19 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Thu | 5 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Fri | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Sat | 5 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
5–29 min across the week · • marks today (Tuesday).
Sample: 107,479 wait checks · window Mar 23, 2026 – Jul 20, 2026 · updated Jul 21, 2026.
Month by month Typical
How "it's a small world" waits have moved across recent months (Sep 2024 – Jul 2026). The band is each month’s middle half (P25–P75); the line is its median.
View seasonality as a table
| Month | Typical P25–P75 | Median | Busy days (P90) | Wait checks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | 5–10 min | 5 min | 20 min | 13,412 |
| May 2025 | 5–25 min | 10 min | 35 min | 16,819 |
| Jun 2025 | 5–15 min | 5 min | 25 min | 26,588 |
| Jul 2025 | 5–10 min | 5 min | 25 min | 28,331 |
| Aug 2025 | 5–15 min | 5 min | 25 min | 28,098 |
| Sep 2025 | 5–10 min | 5 min | 15 min | 25,870 |
| Oct 2025 | 5–20 min | 10 min | 30 min | 24,278 |
| Feb 2026 | 5–15 min | 8 min | 25 min | 20,073 |
| Mar 2026 | 5–15 min | 10 min | 25 min | 26,537 |
| Apr 2026 | 5–20 min | 10 min | 30 min | 25,233 |
| May 2026 | 5–20 min | 10 min | 30 min | 28,614 |
| Jun 2026 | 5–10 min | 5 min | 25 min | 27,708 |
| Jul 2026 | 5–5 min | 5 min | 10 min | 18,563 |
Sample: 310,124 wait checks · updated Jul 21, 2026.
"it's a small world" records
Sample: 415,965 wait checks · updated Jul 21, 2026.
Across 17 months of observations.
Lightning Lane: buy, wait, or skip?
From Lightning Lane availability, return times and sell-outs we record every few minutes.
Typical sell-out time by crowd level Typical
| Crowd level | Typically sold out by | Days it sold out |
|---|---|---|
| Low crowds (levels 1–3) | 11:29 PM | 44 of 44 |
| Moderate crowds (levels 4–6) | 11:29 PM | 16 of 16 |
| High crowds (levels 7–10) | 11:29 PM | 17 of 17 |
Is it worth watching for a better slot? Typical
- Watching for 30 minutes typically moves your return time up 85+ minutes (top quarter of watches: 165+, best days: 280+) — a 87% chance of gaining 15+ minutes.
- Watching for 60 minutes typically moves your return time up 105+ minutes (top quarter of watches: 195+, best days: 320+) — a 93% chance of gaining 15+ minutes.
Pooled Lightning Lane drop-backs across parks · 61,264 observed drops.
Sample: 78 days observed · window Mar 23, 2026 – Jul 20, 2026 · updated Jul 21, 2026.
How often does it break down? Typical
No recurring downtime windows stood out in this period.
Sample: 108,103 status checks · 120 days observed · window Mar 23, 2026 – Jul 20, 2026 · updated Jul 21, 2026.
Plan around "it's a small world"
- See every ride at once on the Disneyland wait times board.
- Pick the lightest day first with the Disneyland crowd calendar for Jul 2026.
- Let the park planner (The Club plan) sequence "it's a small world" with the rest of your day around these curves.
- See how our predictions actually score — hit rates and biggest misses, nightly — on the prediction scorecard.
Nearby in Fantasyland
More Disneyland attraction guides
FAQ: "it's a small world" wait times
What is the best time to ride "it's a small world"?
"it's a small world" is typically best between 8:00 AM and 10:15 AM, when waits are around 6 minutes. Waits are typically highest between 11:45 AM and 12:45 PM. This reflects typical waits for a Tuesday from our minute-by-minute history — not a live forecast.
How long is the wait for "it's a small world"?
On a typical Tuesday, "it's a small world" waits mostly sit between 5 and 45 minutes (the middle half of our observations), with the busiest stretches reaching about 50 minutes.
When does "it's a small world" Lightning Lane sell out?
"it's a small world" Lightning Lane sold out on about 100% of the 78 days we tracked; on those days it was typically gone by 11:29 PM. Busier days sell out earlier.
Where does the "it's a small world" wait-time data come from?
Mickey Alerts records Disney's posted standby waits at Disneyland every minute and summarizes historical patterns in 15-minute decision windows, always as ranges with sample sizes — never single-point guesses.
Where can I see the current "it's a small world" wait?
This page shows the latest posted wait next to our model's estimate while the park is open, and the Disneyland wait-times board shows every attraction at once.
Wait times and Lightning Lane details are Mickey Alerts’ own observations and model estimates and can change minute to minute. Not affiliated with The Walt Disney Company or Disney Parks.