Are bubbles okay?

[jumparound]

Long lines are inevitable when going to Disneyland in the summer, so I plan to bring a few things for my son (will be 7 at the time) to do while waiting in line. I thought bubbles might be fun, but idk if ppl around me will be annoyed by them. What are your thoughts on this? Any suggestions for other things to do?

 

[Rainasunshine]

I think bubbles are okay as long as they are not pointed at someone's face or soaking their clothes. I love interacting with kids in line and bubbles too so that's why I am okay with this but you will just have to get a personal feel for the line you are in. Some people may be like me and fine with bubbles while others may feel it is too rowdy or have an allergy to soap. Just always ask before hand

Does your son like play-doh? You can bring a few little cans of it and kind of play a more 3-D version of pictionary, construct models of your favorite line, characters, or something you see. Or you guys can have races to see you "builds" one the fastest. Eye spy and the alphabet games are always fun. Little toys might be helpful too maybe if he/you likes collecting you can collect vinylmations together and use those to pass the time away in line.

It all depends on his likes and dislikes; I grew up with five younger siblings and while one thing would please one kid it would not work out for the other

 

[MommaMouseketeer]

I'd be annoyed 1) if they or someone's spit were landing on me or 2) if my toddler was standing nearby, trapped for a lengthy period of time, had great interest and was treated rudely.

If neither of the above happened, I'd think it was lovely. Some other ideas are a sketch book and pencil(s), a magna doodle or something similar you can play word and art games like pictionary or tic-tac-toe or hangman on, a bingo board with DLR sights on it you made, some of those small bday party give-aways like the silly face Wooly Willy or the little ball and maze, rubik's cube, coloring books, sticker books, a camera he can take pictures with, metal brainteaser puzzles, Chinese finger cuffs, the travel version of Guess Who... check out the dollar store and the dollar, birthday trinket, and travel sections of places like WalMart or Target for a good supply of stuff like that.

 

[lalasmama]

I would say bubbles all depend on who you are around, and where you are in the queue (sheesh, it looks funny spelled like that, but spell-check says it's right). If it's packed shoulder-to-shoulder, I would (personally) hold off on bubbles. If you are in a queue outside and around quite a few wee ones, I think bubbles are fine.

(I'll admit that as a mom of a special-needs child, I dislike bubbles. DD can't really control herself around bubbles, and will run over littler kids in an effort to pop the bubbles. She doesn't mean to do it, she just doesn't have the impulse control to stop herself.)

Other good line waiting entertainment:

-Talk about the story around the ride (ie, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, etc).
-Ask the child to tell you the story the ride is based on. (So funny to hear how they say the story went!)
-Eye Spy
-"Who came from the farthest away?" (Ask your neighbors in line where they came from. Keep track throughout your trip, and try to remember how far away people came.)
-Future ride plans.
-Letter search or shape search or color search.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I'm iffy. I wouldn't do it myself. I think it could seriously annoy certain people and you really can't control what bubbles do.

 

[jumparound]

Thanks for the input...I think I'll err on the safe side and not do bubbles. I don't want to create too much excitement for other kids and/or drive parents crazy. However I might do bubbles while waiting for a show to start before it starts to get too crowded.

I really like the idea of using play-do for 3-D pictionary! Thanks! The other suggestions were great as well and most don't require me actually bringing anything into the park to carry around which is definitely a plus. And I for sure will be checking out the dollar store...I'm all about a good deal lol.

 

[Isatricia]

We just got back (feels like yesterday but been home 10 days now) from DL with our 6 & 8 year old girls. The bubbles annoyed me around the park though I didn't encounter any in line. They sell light up bubble blowers all over the place and kids were using them all over. I don't like it when they get on my glasses or in my face and it is impossible to control where a bubble goes.

We found that the girls did not need any outside entertainment to stand in line. They did just fine. I had brought the ipods just in case and found they didn't even ask for them so I didn't carry them the rest of the trip.

 

[DharmaLou]

bubbles in general annoy me. I will have my extra iPod touch for DD in case she really needs it, but she has always been great with waiting so I doubt we will. We'll likely tell stories, ask questions, look for things (I spy) or other games that don't require toys etc.

 

[jumparound]

An ipod! Great idea! lol...can't believe I didn't think of that. I think I'll be bringing my ipod as well. It would be nice if my son stands in line nicely, but he gets bored pretty quickly, so I'd like to be prepared just in case. He doesn't get real wiggly or do anything that should bother those around me, but will incessantly complain that he's bored...hopefully the anticipation of what's to come will keep that from happening.

I know what you mean about bubble guns. We go to Sea World regularly, as we live in San Diego, and they sell bubble guns there; there are parents that will let their child run around spraying bubbles at passersby. I would never let my son purposely blow bubbles at people, but you really can't control where they go. Which is, again, making me think no to bubbles.

 

[Isatricia]

Most of the rides have lines that are interesting. Point out different things. Look for Hidden Mickeys - even if you know there aren't any there. I was amazed how many I saw created out of different things.

 

[Mugglemama]

The ONLY place in the parks where bubbles *would* bother me, is in line....because in line you don't have the choice to move away from them if you wanted to, ya know? Well...I guess it would also bother me if we were sitting down to eat, and kids were blowing bubbles close enough that they were popping near our food.

Fortunately, I've not had any problems with my 4 kids complaining of boredom in lines, but that's probably in large part due to careful planning....we avoid long lines like the plague. Are you already considering utilizing FP and early arrival strategies? For us, it probably makes the difference between a really fantastic day with no whining kids...and what would likely be a day I would give up and just leave early because I can't stand to *listen* to whining kids (LOL!!!)

The only ride we can't avoid a long line for is Toy Story Mania...and we usually skip it (but that has more to do with feeling like it's not really worth the long wait). Other than that, we almost NEVER spend more than 20 minutes in any one line, and the vast majority of the time, our waits are between 5-15 minutes. Due to that, my kids never even have a chance to be bored (and seriously, if one of mine said they were "bored" at Disneyland...I'd probably lecture them on how privileged their lives are compared to most children around the world, and then happily offer to go home early so that they could be less bored cleaning their rooms and doing yardwork, and they probably know that about me, so even if they *have* been bored while there...they've known better than to mention it to me ).

Hope your family has a fantastic time!

 

[jumparound]

LOL The last time we went to Disneyland was for my son's 6th birthday last summer, and while he didn't complain that he was bored, he did get a bit antsy. I think I would be angry as well if I heard any complaints as we took the time and money to come when we didn't have to. My son has been to Disneyland, I think, 4 times before and each time my parents have been with us. So they were there to help keep him entertained if we needed it. This will be the first time it will be just us and I'm a little nervous. However, this is or first multiple day trip (we're going fo 4 days yay!), so I will feel less pressured to hurry up and get everything done in one day, which should help the overall mood of our trip.

I'm definitely going to use FPs and be there at opening. I've been looking at different tips for how to best utilize FPs, but it's a bit overwhelming. Overall I'm really excited, probably more than my son lol,and just want to find out as much information as possible to keep the trip running smoothly.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

When we were there in October I saw more bubbles than I've ever seen in all of my trips to Disneyland. DL is selling the battery operated bubble machines that light up. CMs as well as little kids were blowing bubbles all over the place. Personally, I was a little annoyed at walking through all the bubbles. IMO, there are just too many people in confined spaces to use bubbles.

 

[jodilynnw0214]

Bubbles around the park would not bother me but in line would not be good. I have asthma really bad and if I get around to much amount and start breathingthe bubbles in I start to have asthma attacks.

 

[disneychrista]

Bubbles in lines - no. A lot of lines are in inclosed areas, with lots of people squeesed in.

Bubbles while waiting for a parade - okay. Mainly because it is outdoors and if you are sitting on the curb or whatever and blowing to the open area and not at other people.

They sell bubble "guns" in the parks, so that tells you Disneys stance on the issue.

 

[PinkBudgie]

We like to play 20Q in line. (20 Questions). It is a small round electronic device. Easy to put in a backpack or purse. You think of an object and it asks you 20 questions that you can answer yes or no to. At the end it guesses your word and most of the time it is right! We are amazed at the things it comes up with. When we first showed my brother in law he was sure there was a hidden microphone on it and that it was listening to us talk! You can read the questions outloud to the kids and let them answer, then input the answer. It is fun to try and stump it! DH and I bring it when it's just us also. That TSMM line is really long and boring!

http://www.amazon.com/Mattel-R8559-20Q-Version-3-0/dp/B0031ES9LE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335746048&sr=8-1

 

[Leshaface]

Here's a thread last month with LOTS of opinions on this subject

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2899150&highlight=bubbles

 

[jumparound]

When we first showed my brother in law he was sure there was a hidden microphone on it and that it was listening to us talk!

http://www.amazon.com/Mattel-R8559-20Q-Version-3-0/dp/B0031ES9LE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335746048&sr=8-1

That's hilarious. We have one of those and it's tons of fun. Great idea to bring it!

 

[jumparound]

Here's a thread last month with LOTS of opinions on this subject

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2899150&highlight=bubbles

Thanks. Sorry, I didn't realize this question had already been asked.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

Thanks. Sorry, I didn't realize this question had already been asked.

The thread mentioned was on the WDW forum -- so don't worry!

I would say no to bubbles in line. As other posters have said it is too close of a space.

My dd and I have played a verison of Guess Who but disney character style. One of us picks a character but doesn't say. The other asks a seris of questions: boy or girl, good or evil, and so on until we can guess who it is. My dd has come up with some tough ones including the cricket from Mulan.

Often times people around us join in the game.