Is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad worth the wait?
Over the last 30 days, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's posted standby wait averaged 27 min, from 10 min around 8 AM to 34 min around 7 PM. It's worth the wait if you go around 8 AM, when it averages 10 min. The ride lasts about 4 min, so on average that's about 7 minutes in line for every minute of ride.
On a quiet day vs a busy day
| Day | Average posted wait |
|---|---|
| Quiet day (lowest quarter of days) | 18 min |
| Typical day (middle) | 23 min |
| Busy day (highest quarter of days) | 30 min |
Each day's average posted standby wait over the last 90 days (90 days with data). Pick quiet dates on the crowd calendar.
Questions
How long is the wait for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad on a busy day?
Over the last 90 days (90 days with data), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad averaged about 18 min on a quiet day, 23 min on a typical day and 30 min on a busy day (the lowest quarter, middle and highest quarter of daily averages).
Posted standby waits logged by RopeDrop from Oct 8 to Nov 7, 2026 (4,414 readings). Park-local hours. The verdict is a fixed rule over these numbers: under 20 min average = yes; a morning or other hour at 60% of the average or less (and 35 min or less) = yes, at that time; otherwise long all day.