Emergency Potty Breaks in line

[Janemall]

We are less than two weeks away from our trip to Disneyland! My husband and I have been many times before, but this will be our first trip with a kid.

How easy is it in ride lines to duck out for emergency potty breaks then join our party again?

Our four year old has impeccable timing for when she has to go "right this second"... even if she's just gone lol

 

[Darkbeer1]

Technically it is against the rules and consider line jumping.

Disney has designed many of its queues to prevent line jumping and places them a way it is hard to get back. (each ride is different).

Now, most folks will let you back in line, especially in the more exposed areas.

Maybe use it as a teaching moment, when you exit a queue that it is hard to get to, tell here that the entire group will need to start over from the beginning of the line.

 

[Darkbeer1]

I should add, for the large shows it can be hard to just get to a restroom. For Example, the Hyperion Theater (Frozen Show) has no restrooms inside the building, so you would have to exit the building, then walk a bit to the nearest restrooms, and then head back to the Theater. Depending on what part of the show is being performed, that might not let you into the building, or limit which door you use to re-enter during that segment.

World of Color is another one that is jam packed, and the restrooms are a bit of a walk.

 

[ParkHopper1]

While it may be a "right this moment LOL" moment for you...to me and many it is line cutting and extremely irritating. All that most people will see is you trying to cut back into line while everyone else has to wait..."but she had to go to the bathroom"...well, then then rest of the party should have waited till everyone was ready to get in line together.

I don't get to go get an ice cream and soda if I am hungry while everyone else waits in line.

Before you get in line...ask "not do have have to go but COULD you go?...if so...then go!"

 

[minnieralyks]

I have no problem with a parent and little one coming back into line and totally understand. I would rather you take him/her to the potty than having an accident in line or in the ride vehicle. That's no fun for anyone.

Others, unfortunately, may not be as understanding and may try to prevent you from meeting up with your family. Before you exit the line, try to find the nearest CM working at the ride (if there's not one close by in line, find them at the entrance/exit). Tell them the situation and they will assist you in meeting back up with your family.

Hope you have a wonderful trip! I'm sure it will be a memorable one since it will be the first with your child!

Edited to add: Also, this is also something that Guest Relations suggests to guests who have issues waiting in line. They suggest that the person with the issue stays out of line until their party is near the front of the line, then reenter the line and rejoin the group. Guest Relations CMs tell people to do this as an option, so it shouldn't be against policy.

 

[SMD]

I think you're going to find that it's an issue in a lot of the FL rides. By the time you push your way out of a line, get to the nearest restroom and back, the party members who stay behind are likely to have ridden by the time you get back. These are tight queues which are less than 2 people wide in most places, so nowhere for your party to wait and let people pass. If you've used an FP, expect to have to push all the way back through the standby queue, again, if there's time to get out and back once you've handed over and FP. Just keep in mind, the people you push past on the way out will be the same ones you encounter on the way back in. If you're lol-ing on the way out, or are even a little discourteous, it will only increase the level of negative reaction when you try to return.

For shows, I don't think they allow readmission to Hyperion. For something like Mickey and the Magical Map, I'd try sitting in the back row. Standing up to exit is one thing, but going back to sit down ruins the view a second time for everyone behind you for a few rows. Plus they perform in the aisles, so I'm not even sure what's allowed in the front section.

 

[Janemall]

Thanks everyone! We do always make sure she goes before we get into this kind of situation. Unfortunately with an extremely excited 4 year old, I can see someone forgetting then having to go "right this second" for the 100th time that day lol.

I'm thinking in fantasyland and some of the others we will be OK. I'm more nervous for the 1.5 hour wait that's suggested for the Hyperion tickets and the Aladdins oasis return for paint the night.

I will definitely look for a cast member and ask! I don't want to upset other people, but would rather not deal with an accident lol

 

[cruisehopeful]

I will definitely look for a cast member and ask! I don't want to upset other people, but would rather not deal with an accident lol

I wouldn't worry about upsetting other people. Just do what you need to do. There are times that you may need to get out of a line and you won't be able to get back to your spot. Don't worry about that, either. Just think about it as a passing stage in life and know that next time she will be older and it will be easier.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Thanks everyone! We do always make sure she goes before we get into this kind of situation. Unfortunately with an extremely excited 4 year old, I can see someone forgetting then having to go "right this second" for the 100th time that day lol.

I'm thinking in fantasyland and some of the others we will be OK. I'm more nervous for the 1.5 hour wait that's suggested for the Hyperion tickets and the Aladdins oasis return for paint the night.

I will definitely look for a cast member and ask! I don't want to upset other people, but would rather not deal with an accident lol

I can't speak for the PTN, but assuming you have other people in your group to save your spot, a quick run to the bathroom should be just fine. There should be CMs there - ask the best way to handle it.

I know at the Hyperion on Mon, they were giving people a ticket to re-enter the waiting area if they had to leave to use the bathroom. That said, short of inching your way out and back in, I'm not sure how that works. Others are correct though, that once in the theater you can't leave and return.

My suggestions is to always ask a CM. They are very helpful and will tell you the best place to rejoin your party. Don't try to go back through the line unless a CM has told you to. And make needing to leave an exception, not the rule. My oldest two are almost teenagers and there are times we pass a bathroom and I tell them everybody is trying. Being proactive really helps cuts down on the emergency trips.

 

[mom2rtk]

You'll get a lot of strong feelings here. But in reality, I have never seen an adult and small child leaving, then re-entering a line get even a second look in the parks.

 

[Janemall]

While it may be a "right this moment LOL" moment for you...to me and many it is line cutting and extremely irritating. All that most people will see is you trying to cut back into line while everyone else has to wait..."but she had to go to the bathroom"...well, then then rest of the party should have waited till everyone was ready to get in line together.

I don't get to go get an ice cream and soda if I am hungry while everyone else waits in line.

Before you get in line...ask "not do have have to go but COULD you go?...if so...then go!"

getting something to eat is ENTIRELY different than a barely 4 year old that is overly excited and can't hold their bladder and may not entirely understand when to go to the washroom.

I of course get her to go to the washroom before we get into these types of situations to avoid this happening, but you never know what can happen.

 

[Janemall]

You'll get a lot of strong feelings here. But in reality, I have never seen an adult and small child leaving, then re-entering a line get even a second look in the parks.

I have personally been on splash mountain and sat in a puddle of pee after the child that just got off couldn't hold it... trust me that was not enjoyable! I'm just trying to wrap my head around how to handle this new situation

 

[wilkeliza]

When you can talk with a CM and let them know that you have to exit for a potty emergency but want to meet back up with your family.

At Disneyland the best way to combat potty emergencies is to go before getting into any line. It doesn't always work but telling the kid you can't get into line unless you try to potty is usually enough to get them to go. I know it is a total fight at that age though but at least try. Also utilizing fastpass as much as possible.

For PTN viewing, if it is the same as WOC you can let the CM know when you exit that you are going to take the child to the potty. I remember being given a reentry pass when I needed to go to the bathroom at WOC but was in a ticketed area. I imagine PTN is the same. I believe they have been doing this with Frozen wait too. IF you need to slip out and only 1 or 2 members of the party is leaving to come right back they give you a lanyard so when you come back you aren't recounted and can rejoin your party.

I do wish Disney would do what the local Six Flags did when I was growing up. The longer queue lines had bathrooms in them so that if you did have to be in a 3 plus hour long line there were a few stops at each like hour marker. It made it much more manageable when new rides opened.
Even for an hour long wait a bathroom halfway into a queue wouldn't be a bad idea. Plus they could design it to have backstage access so the custodial crew could come in to clean from backstage with out having to mess up the queue.

 

[Drcbelle]

We had this problem at the storybook boats once. We told the cast member and once the rest of our party got to the front she just held them off and loaded those behind them until we got back and came through the exit. The CMs are pretty good at dealing with things like this.

 

[Elima2015]

We have 3 young children, so I totally hear you on the sudden "I need to go potty right now." We took our almost 4 year old twins and was sure we would have to duck out of line at some point. We lucked out and did not. A few things we tried: lots of talk about how once we are in line, we can't get out so they need to listen to their bodies and go before, when one person needed a potty break we made everyone at least try, we proactively stopped many times, and there were several times wetold them their bladders could hold it until we finished a ride and in the meantime, major attempts at distraction. I'm sure you know all of those things. And if all else fails, you have to leave the line. Nobody wants an accident (you, child, people standing near you, cast member). I would just tell the nearest CM that you have an emergency potty break and ask what to do when you return. You will have so much fun with your child!

 

[Niltiac]

I also wouldn't have any problem with someone who needed to rejoin their group after a potty emergency, and I don't think most would. Now, if it's a short, 15 minute line then it would be easier for everyone if you all just got out of line and got back in, but if you're waiting 90 minutes for RSR or IJ with a small child, I think it's reasonable to leave and rejoin. I wish they would put bathrooms in the long queues. It's true that some lines are narrow and would be difficult to do this in, but on most rides by the time you get to the narrow part of the queue it's a pretty short wait. For example, Matterhorn's "overflow" waiting area is a roped off line that would be easy to exit, and by the time you get to the narrow walkways it's probably less than a 10 minute wait. If you had to leave while your group was in the roped off line, I would just tell your group that if they get to the end of the rope line, to just let people pass them until you return.

Now I'm sure people will be upset at this, but I was once in a group where this happened with an adult (lactose intolerant and unknowingly ate something she shouldn't have shortly before getting in a long line at IJ). Now since she's an adult, she had resolved that if it was difficult/unreasonable to rejoin the group she would sit out. But when the CM at the ride entrance saw her looking at the outdoor queue trying to see where we were, the CM guessed what was happening and offered to let her wait at the entrance and rejoin us when we got to the bottom of the ramp. If the CM was willing to make that suggestion for an adult who hadn't even asked, I'm sure most would also be helpful and understanding for a small child.

 

[bumbershoot]

It once took us three days to get on jungle cruise because ds kept having to go while well into the line. We aren't comfortable leaving and coming back. Didn't help that DH is a big guy and at the time I was a big lady so actually leaving lines and getting back wasn't easy. Especially not in fantasyland.

Happened during the Casey Jr line too. We left by getting to the seating area and letting the cm know we weren't going to sit. She did tell us that we were to come back to the exit and get her attention so we could get back to be seated, but we opted not to. We got on the rode later when the line was short.

Amazingly, ds realized that these "emergencies" we're interrupting his days and started complying with our "go before the ride" rules. (The kid hated public bathrooms and would resist) (and we were going to Disney often during this time)

Oh I think that was also the trip where we waited ages for Jedi then when it was time to be chosen he stood up and got *the look* on his face. All three of us were near tears as we left quickly to run to the autopia bathroom! (I'm so glad they sign up now for Jedi)

 

[mich311e]

I have to say the Toy Story is an easy one to get back in line with your party at. I've hit the restroom while my men get in line then I meet them at the magnetic chain. (You regulars know what I'm talking about) And we noticed there is an exit gate before you go to the inside queue that would be easy to use as well.

My son left the line at Luigi's, went to the restroom at Flo's, and then came back to the backside of the queue to join us. I think there's a gate.

And Tower of Terror, when the ride is extending to the outside rope queue.

Those are the only rides that I can think of that are easy to split from your group and re-join.

 

[ashley0139]

For Frozen at the Hyperion, they will absolutely let you get out of line and back in line. They know the wait is long. If you talk to a cast member they will give you a readmission ticket and as long as one person in your party stays in the line you're good. You can do the same during the show.

 

[SMD]

I have to say the Toy Story is an easy one to get back in line with your party at. I've hit the restroom while my men get in line then I meet them at the magnetic chain. (You regulars know what I'm talking about) And we noticed there is an exit gate before you go to the inside queue that would be easy to use as well.

Why can't your whole party wait to join the line together? People are talking about a bathroom emergency in the line. Not cutting the line because someone is saving a spot.