What do your kids do while in line?

[NDtoDL]

i probably was just expecting the worst when we were at the Mall of America and rode rides we waited an hr for a couple different rides (and they were actually really good and there isn't much to see in there)..so this should be a cake walk.

 

[Freesia123]

I'm going in July with my one year old and four year old. I am BANNING electronics the whole trip! There really is a lot to see and even most lines are interesting. It's a lost art to be patient and be in the moment

 

[Niebz]

Honestly, one of my favourite things to do at Disneyland is wait in line. We talk, joke, laugh and just spend time with each other taking in the atmosphere. We also use fast pass so that helps cut down on waits but my kids don't seem to mind the waits we do encounter. There's usually lots to look at along the way. We even (gasp) sleep in and still manage to have a wonderful time!

 

[Jkpark]

We usually aren't in long lines (use FP, hit rope drop). When we do end up in 30 minutes or longer lines - we do a lot of the things already mentioned: eat a churro, plan the rest of our day, play I Spy or what character am I (think Disney headbands without the headband), rock/paper/scissors and other hand games. Last trip was a bigger family trip and I put Lots To Do In Line Disneyland on my phone. Really great app. You go to the line you are in and it tells you things to look for or asks trivia questions relating to that ride. We only used it once or twice but it will be fun in the future. You log in names for each person and then give them credit when they get a right answer or find somthing first. There is also a scavenger hunt for each park of things to find just while you are walking around. We didn't make it that far, but maybe on another trip.

 

[Zbugz]

They play Angry Birds on my smartphone.

 

[SweetAlex]

when we went last time i brought a sheet of disney stickers. i would have my girls close their eyes or look the other way and then i would hide a sticker on myself, husband or one of the kids and they would have to find it while we moved along in the line.

What a cute idea!!

Actually, funny story. My oldest and I were excited to see Indy down to 25 minutes one day so we ran into line. Well, I guess 100 people had seen that too and before they could change the wait time indicator, it was up to almost an hour. Too late, we were already in line. Well, I grumbled the whole time and my 10 year old daughter was the one saying "It's okay mom! The ride is totally worth the wait! It will go by fast don't worry. Here, lets look for hidden Micheys". Lol... sad hey? Although my main worry was that my dh was waiting for us at the end with my youngest dd (we didn't have cell phones) and I knew he was going to be waiting a while. But still, it was funny that she was the one trying to entertain me!

 

[larina]

This thread made me smile. My immediate thought when I saw it was, "they wait." Lol. I don't allow video games at DL, I just think tgeres already plenty of stimulation. We usually play I Spy or 20 Questions or just chat with folks around us in line. We carry Disney silly bands to share, which is fun. I thought about bubbles, but I've heard they bother some people, so I don't bring them. We just try to stay cheerful and talk about what's next.

 

[DarthMole]

Lines will be longer Christmas week, but utilize FP when you can and you'll be okay.

This and get there early. We just booked up at DLH for Christmas week and plan to utilize EMH each day. We know people who were there last year and said it wasn't too bad if you plan ahead and get to the park early. They stayed the whole week and said it got bad on the 26th and really bad on the 27th. We're heading out on the 26th to hopefully avoid some of the madness.

 

[Aladora]

Our son is autistic so our situation is a little different. He gets overwhelmed by waiting in crowded places so we bring his DS with headphones so he can have a little quiet time while we wait. We try and minimize using a GAC and bringing electronics allows us to do this.

 

[cmpeter]

We never brought electronics...although mine are teens now and brought their phones when we did WDW last summer. But, they didn't use them in line all that much. We talk to each other, the folks around us, play games, look for hidden Mickey's, snack and people watch.

We were at a local amusement park awhile ago and saw a man hiding pennies along the way as he was waiting in line and then little kids later in the line finding them. So, now we pull out our spare change and hide bits long the way. We also never wait in a line that's more than 30 minutes long.

 

[larina]

Our son is autistic so our situation is a little different. He gets overwhelmed by waiting in crowded places so we bring his DS with headphones so he can have a little quiet time while we wait. We try and minimize using a GAC and bringing electronics allows us to do this.

Every family is different. I'm glad you've found a way to make the wait tolerable for your son.

 

[Malcon10t]

My daughter is also autistic. And my response was also "They wait." She probably had it a little harder as she HATED rides like Star Tours, and she would have to wait in line with everyone, then we would take the chicken exit while the other kids rode. She likes it now as an adult. I think she was 14 (maybe 15) before she rode the mountains willingly. When my kids were middle teens, I know one of the things they did in line was practice katas and worked on memorization for karate.

Disney Trivia is a great idea.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

A PP mentioned the "lots to do in line" app - it's also a book, and it's got a lot of really fun details to look for in each of the queue areas. I had the book first, then discovered the app, and we love it! I've also got both the hidden mickeys book and the app, and again, it's a huge hit for us.

I also pack a few small surprises in my bag for DS5 to discover when we're waiting - things like a small notebook and a pen or a matchbox size car can keep him occupied for a while. We also use lines as a chance to grab a quick snack or to look over our maps and talk about what we'll do next. I let DS take pictures with my camera, or we'll look through the pictures we've already taken and talk about them. Sometimes I have DS tell me about our day so far and I'll write down his thoughts so we don't forget what happened.

One other thing we do on our trips, is when DS sees something he wants to buy, I take a picture of it and a picture of the store it's in. Then later, when we're waiting in line, we'll review the pictures, and he'll decide which he likes best so far, and I delete the others. At the end of the trip, we'll have used our waiting time to make the decision about what his souvenir will be, he's had time to think about it and doesn't feel rushed, and he's happy because he knows I'm taking it seriously.

 

[Speechphi]

When we were there last kids were 3, 5, & 6. It wasn't crazy busy, we had fast passes, but we did wait for 45 minutes in some lines.

Kept them entertained with "I spy", checking out the scenery, picking out what to do next on our maps, taking LOTS of silly pictures, and seeing whose arms were strongest by holding themselves up on the railings.

 

[mamaCta]

A PP mentioned the "lots to do in line" app - it's also a book, and it's got a lot of really fun details to look for in each of the queue areas. I had the book first, then discovered the app, and we love it! I've also got both the hidden mickeys book and the app, and again, it's a huge hit for us.

I also pack a few small surprises in my bag for DS5 to discover when we're waiting - things like a small notebook and a pen or a matchbox size car can keep him occupied for a while. We also use lines as a chance to grab a quick snack or to look over our maps and talk about what we'll do next. I let DS take pictures with my camera, or we'll look through the pictures we've already taken and talk about them. Sometimes I have DS tell me about our day so far and I'll write down his thoughts so we don't forget what happened.

One other thing we do on our trips, is when DS sees something he wants to buy, I take a picture of it and a picture of the store it's in. Then later, when we're waiting in line, we'll review the pictures, and he'll decide which he likes best so far, and I delete the others. At the end of the trip, we'll have used our waiting time to make the decision about what his souvenir will be, he's had time to think about it and doesn't feel rushed, and he's happy because he knows I'm taking it seriously.

These are all wonderful ideas.

I also love the idea of the guy dropping pennies for kids to find.

 

[Shawn]

okay so maybe it won't be as bad as everyone keeps telling me..my hubby went to WDW as a kid before FP so he had horror stories of 2hr waits. And we are going week of Xmas so I know its busy..but 30 min psh..no problem.

We are going week of Christmas too. We do not use electronics at disneyland, even in lines. It is family time, it's ok to be bored a bit, but it is not really that bad, we usually talk with others in line and the time passes.

 

[rentayenta]

I have been trying to imagine my kids waiting hrs in lines..and really sounds hellish to be honest but we know to just expect it and deal with it..but to make it as pleasant as possible WHAT DO YOUR KIDS DO?

I WAS THINKING DS's with Games should occupy them but really not sure Also what kinda bags/fanny packs do you guys use?

and if this info is already somewhere..i apologize and just send me a link

We use FP and don't wait in line for hours. In lines that are longer than 15 minutes or so we play guess-the-time game. The person who comes closest to guessing the time we're to the front of the line gets to choose who rides with who. Silly but it works.

They don't bring their DSs to the parks though- one less thing for me to think about.

 

[netter7997]

We utilize the FPs a lot which help out with not waiting in long lines, but if we are fortunate enough to wait in a semi long line (won't wait more then 30 minutes for a ride), then my kids either just look around at the surroundings (mainly looking for hidden Mickey's), or they like to play on either DH or my iPhone because we both have Disney trivia apps on there. What is fun about those is that the families around us get in on the trivia too.

Wanted to add that both of my kids have their own backpacks that they put their wallets, autograph books, pens, sunglasses, and if we take ponchos, they put those in there as well (my girls are 11 and 9). DH and I also carry a backpack (we share) where we put our own things in plus any water bottles that we all have.

I would love any suggestions for trivia apps. (FYI We have Android phones.)
Thanks!

 

[PoohsFan1]

I would love any suggestions for trivia apps. (FYI We have Android phones.)
Thanks!

I have a couple (however we have an iPhone not sure if they are available for Android phones):
1) Mouse Trivia: Disney Edition....this is our favorite Disney trivia app which also gets lots of people involved in trying to answer the questions. They have random categories that pop up (i.e. movies, parks, t.v. shows, etc.).
2) Know The Mouse: Disneyland Resort Trivia....I don't personally have this app (haven't been to DLR yet so I would be bad at this one ), but since this is a DLR thread I thought I would add this one in.
3) Pixar Trivia....everything and anything about Pixar Movies.
4) Tangled Trivia....my girls both love this one because it is their favorite movie.

I also have Walt Disney World Trivia that is really good but if you haven't been to WDW before (we are vets), it may not be good (just like why I didn't get the Disneyland Trivia App yet).

 

[sas_mk]

The last time we visited DL, we played a game in line called "Would You Rather". I had an app on my phone that gave the two choices, but I made sure to be the "reader" because not every question is appropriate for a 4, 6, and 9 year old. The app is called "Would You Choose -- Free" on the iphone.

It was a lot of fun because I asked my kids WHY they would make their choice -- I think we made a lot of other guests in line giggle with some of their answers.

My kids were actually excited to play that game and would ask to play each time we found a long-ish line to stand in.