We’re coming to you LIVE from the newly reopened Magic Kingdom!

Cinderella Castle

We’ve been making our way through the park to get a feel for what it’s like to spend a day in a reopened Disney World! And while we are keeping an eye on the wait times for the attractions in Magic Kingdom, it looks like the longest line of the day isn’t for a ride!

With the news of the upcoming reimagining of Splash Mountain, guests are flocking to the briar patch — but it isn’t the ride itself that has the longest wait!

Splash Mountain

While the wait time for the ride has hovered around 45-minutes for most of the day, the wait to purchase Splash Mountain merch is WAY longer! We saw a similar situation on Annual Passholder preview day, when the wait for Splash Mountain merch was FOUR HOURS long!

Splash Plushes

The demand has been so high that Disney has implemented a virtual queue system — guests provide their phone number and receive a text when it’s their turn to shop!

Virtual Queue Sign

Since the capacity is being strictly maintained due to social distancing guidelines, guests may still need to wait in a line when they return before they are allowed to enter.

Splash Mountain Merchandise Line

So, just how long was the line for Splash Mountain merch today? Well, we entered the virtual queue around 10:30AM, and we received a text letting us know it was our turn to shop at 1:20PM — so we were in the virtual line for just under three hours!

Splash Mountain merchandise

The text also informed us that we had an hour-long window to return, so there’s no need to hang out in Frontierland while you wait for your turn! So, to recap, we’ve seen five-minute waits for Flight of Passage and three-hour waits for Splash Mountain merchandise — reopening day in Disney World is wild!

Take a look at the “Welcome Back” merch Disney World is selling!

Are you surprised by the wait times in Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!