Complete Guide to Dumbo the Flying Elephant at Magic Kingdom

Cast your doubts aside and fly on Dumbo the Flying Elephant!

This classic opening-day attraction lets you hop aboard everybody’s favorite circus elephant as he discovers he can fly.

It will have you quoting the 1941 animated Disney film, Dumbo, “I think I will have seen everything when I see an elephant fly.”

Keep reading for our complete guide to Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

Before we get too far into it, make sure you check out our guide on the Best Rides at Magic Kingdom for information on every attraction and show at Magic Kingdom.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant Quick Facts

Location

Dumbo the Flying Elephant is located in the Storybook Circus section of Fantasyland, to the right of The Barnstormer and across from Big Top Souvenirs.

Here is the location on the map:

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How to Ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Dumbo the Flying Elephant has a Standby Line where you may be given a pager and enjoy time in an air-conditioned circus tent chocked full of fun activities for the kids. It also has a Lightning Lane. There is no Single Rider Line.

There are two Dumbo attractions here, with one serving Genie+ users and the other for guests using Standby.

The Standby entrance is on the right, while the Lightning Lane is on the left.

Eligible guests can also ride the attraction during Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.

Do I need to use Genie+ at Dumbo the Flying Elephant?

Genie+ is available at Dumbo the Flying Elephant, but it is not an early priority since Genie+ availability rarely runs out.

Be sure to check out our touring strategies for Magic Kingdom for more Genie+ advice.

Rider Switch/Child Swap

As there is no height requirement for Dumbo the Flying Elephant, this attraction does not offer Rider Switch.

Rider Switch is Disney’s system that allows guests with small children to take turns riding bigger rides, while another person/people wait with the little one.

What to Expect When You Ride

Queue

Dumbo’s queue is one of the cutest and most interactive at Magic Kingdom. It has its own play area!

The interactive play area is only part of the Standby queue. The larger play area is for kids ages 4 to 8, with the smaller area for kids ages 1 to 3.

On busier days, you may be given a buzzer and directed to wait inside the play area until your buzzer goes off notifying that you can get back in line.

For guests with little ones, you can also choose to get out of line even when pagers aren’t being handed out to play for a bit and then pop back in line.

A major perk is the tent is air-conditioned and also features seating for adults. This is great on hot days.

Once the Dumbo ride is ready for you, your pager will light up and Timothy Mouse will inform guests when it’s their time to ride.

Ride Vehicles

Ride Vehicles are recreations of the famous elephant that can fly – Dumbo! Climb inside and make sure your seatbelt is fastened. The joystick in front controls the elevation of your elephant.

Each elephant can hold up to 2 adults or 1 adult and 2 small children. Little ones must be seated on the inside of the elephant.

Accessibility Information

For those in ECVs, you must transfer to a wheelchair and then to the ride vehicle.

On the Ride

If you prefer to experience Dumbo the Flying Elephant without any spoilers, you may want to skip this part.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant allows guests to choose their own Dumbo ride vehicle (so many colors to choose from!, board the elephant, and then fly high above Fantasyland.

The ride is a hub and spoke attraction, like an aerial carousel, with the Dumbos extending from the main hub.

A joystick in the ride vehicle allows you to soar high or stay low as you enjoy a circus organ melody. If you choose to fly as high as you can go, be sure to take in all of the unique views of Magic Kingdom.

Is Dumbo the Flying Elephant Kid-Friendly?

This is the ultimate kid-friendly attraction. Little ones will love climbing aboard their Dumbo vehicle and flying above Fantasyland.

If you or little ones are scared of heights, the good news is you don’t have to go high and can stay as low as you’d like for the duration of the ride.

Strollers

Strollers are not allowed in most queues at Disney World, including for Dumbo the Flying Elephant. They can be left at the designated stroller parking area near the entrance to the Standby queue.

History

Dumbo the Flying Elephant debuted on the same day Magic Kingdom opened, October 1, 1971.

It originally consisted of 10 Dumbos flying around in a circle, although two years after the attraction opened, Timothy the Mouse was added to the center hub.

It was closed for refurbishment in 1993 to update the ride mechanism and add six more Dumbo ride vehicles to increase capacity. The whip that Timothy the Mouse was holding was also replaced with Dumbo’s “Magic Feather”.

In 1997, a new covered queue was added to the attraction in an attempt to protect guests from the sun.

In 2011, Disney announced that Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction would be moved to a new section of Fantasyland called Storybook Circus, which replaced Mickey’s Toontown Fair.

The ride closed on January 9, 2012 and a new version of Dumbo the Flying Elephant opened on March 12, 2012 in it’s new location featuring a new color scheme, a new soundtrack, and panels at the base of the attraction that depict various scenes from the movie.

On June 22, 2012, the second Dumbo carousel (the original one) opened.

In July of 2012, the new interactive Big Top Circus queue featuring pagers debuted, becoming Disney World’s first-ever non-wait line.

Other Fun Details

• Dumbo the Flying Elephant is based on the 1941 Disney animated masterpiece, Dumbo.
• There is a Dumbo ride vehicle between the two Dumbo the Flying Elephant rides for guests to take photos.

• The two Dumbo rides move in opposite directions. The ride on the left rotates clockwise, while the one on the right rotates counterclockwise.