HydroGuy's How To Avoid Long Lines Rules

[HydroGuy]

This is actually a series of rules as listed below.

Rule #1

Get to the park gates early (30 minutes early is recommended).

Who This Rule Affects

Everyone


Rule #2

Get a nearby hotel and take a break in the afternoon for several hours – and sleep.

Who This Rule Affects

Multi-day visitors or anyone staying at a hotel, and especially those going during summer when the weather is warmer.


Rule #3

Stay until the park closes (much easier to do if you follow Rule #2)

Who This Rule Affects

Everyone


Rule #4

Learn how to use FastPass

Who This Rule Affects

Everyone


Rule #5

Do not go to DLR on weekends

Who This Rule Affects

Everyone


Explanation

Most park visitors come to the parks a few hours after the parks open and leave a few hours before the parks close. The lines for rides are much shorter first in the morning and late at night.

Most DLR visitors are day visitors, which means they have to drive to DLR (often through traffic) which makes it even harder for them to get to the parks when they open. With no good place to rest during the day, they will be tired and will leave earlier. If you are a multi-day visitor, use this to your advantage and take a swim and nap break if the afternoon when the lines are longest. When the day visitors are tired and leaving, come back to the parks refreshed and stay as late as you can make it when the lines start getting shorter.

In addition, if you get to the parks early you can obtain FastPasses more efficiently and in greater quantity. See “Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season” www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132 for more information on using FastPass.

Because most DLR visitors are locals from Southern California, the parks are more crowded on weekends and especially holiday weekends than on weekdays. Avoid weekends if possible. However, if you go on a multi-day trip during off season and want to see shows, you will need to plan in weekends to see them.

Why Did I Post This Rule?

I find myself posting answers to the same question in different threads, and decided to make a list of “rules” to which I or others can quickly link in the future. In addition, the ideas behind the rule are often posted by others so I do not claim originality for the rule.

Other Resources

Use RideMax to help you minimize time waiting in lines – www.ridemax.com

Other HydroGuy Rules

HydroGuy's Fireworks Rule: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199851

HydroGuy's High Season/Off Season Tradeoff Rule: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199852

HydroGuy's How To Avoid Long Lines Rules: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199856

HydroGuy's Make Sure You Get On Your Favorite Ride Rule: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199860

HydroGuy's Hotel Rule: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862

 

[CindyH]

Hard for some of us to do #3 (stay late) with the wee ones; if my kids didn't get a good 10 hours sleep, we wouldn't be able to do #1 (get to parks early).

We try not to do #5 (avoid DLR on weekends) but in the off season, sometimes you have to in order to see/do the seasonal events (i.e. parades and such).

I like these rules, though! Got any for Legoland?

 

[Leofoenget]

Great post I printed it out for my sept 28-29 trip. I am staying across the street so going home shouldnt' be an issue except the park will close at 8pm. I hope they dotn' decided to close it earlier because of the POTC deal or getting ready for Halloween.
Do they ever close early??

 

[cmparas]

Check out the Disneyland website and see the schedule. They are really good at sticking to it. Plus it will tell you what is closed.

 

[HydroGuy]

Great post I printed it out for my sept 28-29 trip. I am staying across the street so going home shouldnt' be an issue except the park will close at 8pm. I hope they dotn' decided to close it earlier because of the POTC deal or getting ready for Halloween.
Do they ever close early??

For various reasons, yes. I believe they closed at 6PM on the day they showed the POTC 2 movie premiere, for example. I agree with cmparas that you should refer to the DLR website: See http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/calendar/monthly/monthly?name=CalendarMonthlyPage

 

[HydroGuy]

Hard for some of us to do #3 (stay late) with the wee ones; if my kids didn't get a good 10 hours sleep, we wouldn't be able to do #1 (get to parks early).

We try not to do #5 (avoid DLR on weekends) but in the off season, sometimes you have to in order to see/do the seasonal events (i.e. parades and such).

I like these rules, though! Got any for Legoland?

Of course the rules have to be adapted for your group. Someone else should write a rule for familes with small children where you memorize where all the restrooms are located.

And sorry, never been to LegoLand - but I bet the "get there early" rule will still apply.

 

[krismom]

HydroGuy, you ROCK!

 

[thmar]

Thanks!!

 

[moko]

I think all of your informational posts should be stickied to the top. I have learned SO MUCH from reading your threads the past month or so. 51 days to go and i'm feeling much less overwhelmed thanks to you.

 

[PoohBearFriends]

I have the going with small children down and I even know where all the bathrooms are. My 5 year old dtr. has a small bladder. We were in the princess shoppe and I happened upon the secret BR because we just couldn't wait. I didn't join the board till the next year and was surprised about people not knowing where it was. So I officially "know" all the BR. I actually study the map. Last year with the one by Alice closed I had to readjust my route. I threw me off a little.

Plan still works well with small children. We take the break and they can make it almost to the end of the day. Our little one falls asleep on the way out of the park. That is why it was bad news when we broke our stroller wheel last year. DH fixed it to last the rest of trip. This year we had to buy another double stroller because we have the plan down so much we can't survive without the extra gear it holds and getting 2 sleeping kids home across the street.

Ready to leave tomorrow!!!!!

 

[DevilDuckie]

Hard for some of us to do #3 (stay late) with the wee ones; if my kids didn't get a good 10 hours sleep, we wouldn't be able to do #1 (get to parks early).

And this is the reason behind one of my family's rules.

Save FantasyLand for after dark.

Because, you see, the families with tiny kids go home early. This takes a good chunk of the target audience for FantasyLand off the board. We find the lines there are much more reasonable after about 8 PM. Parties without very small children can take advantage of this.

 

[DLR29]

And this is the reason behind one of my family's rules.

Save FantasyLand for after dark.

Because, you see, the families with tiny kids go home early. This takes a good chunk of the target audience for FantasyLand off the board. We find the lines there are much more reasonable after about 8 PM. Parties without very small children can take advantage of this.

I agree. This is what we did and it worked great: See the fireworks back by Dumbo and Mad Tea Party (we actually rode MTP during the fireworks). Then a small line will form for Peter Pan and other FL dark rides. When they reopen FL after the fireworks we walked onto Dumbo and had a 5 minute wait for Peter Pan. The other FL rides were walk ons as well.

 

[952LisaR]

Thanks for posting