How well do your kids wait in line for rides?

[3HappyKids]

First time visiting DL with the kids. My kids are 6, 4 and 17 months. We are visiting the end of June. Wed-Fri. I have no idea what to expect for wait time in ride lines but I am preparing for long waits since it is the summer month and since carsland will have just opened. I don't want to sound silly but what do you kids do while you wait in line? Should I pack something for them to do? Their leapsters? Can they snack in the ride lines as they wait? Are there things for them to look at and see in ride lines? My kids are well behaved. I really don't expect problems but they are kids however. Long wait times in ride lines get old after a while especially when the days wears on and they get tired. I just don't want to get to DL and think "I should have brought. . . ." Thanks for any advice!

 

[AuntieKels]

It sounds like you're right on track!

I don't have any kids but I do have experience waiting in line around other families and I've been a full time Auntie =). I think the trick to waiting in line is thinking about it like you would a road trip. What do you do when you know you'll be in the car for 45 minutes?

-everyone hits the restroom
-snacks and drinks are available
-a game, toy or book for each kiddo

The down side is, you have to carry everything with you so leapsters are GREAT but may be heavy. Also, even the best kids can get ants in their pants if they are expected to behave for extended periods of time. Hitting up the play areas after a long line is a good idea to get all the ants out before the next attraction.

You might also like to do iSpy games or find hidden mickeys. Those entertaining car games come in handy!

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[nikkislaght]

I was with a 7yr old boy that cant stand still.... a 9yr old girl that can and an 11 yr old girl that could sometimes.. lol

We had snack.... the girls had their I phones. the boy had a tic tac toe game that was mini in size and could be clipped to the bag..

they each had a fanny pack with their own stuff in it.. so I didnt have to carry ALL their stuff and they didnt have to upset the balance of my back pack..
in the fanny packs they had snacks , pen and paper , candy of course. and a small bottle of bubbles..

Now I know a LOT of people dont approve of the bubbles..
but believe me they are worth it... they also had an impact on upset kids around us...so to me I didnt care if I was getting death stares from adults with no kids.. to me they were the most important thing I made sure was in the fanny packs..


I also had a mini magna doodle and an etch a sketch that clips to the bag . These you can get from Michaels or Target in the dollar sections..

Anyway you know your kids best.. a leapster is a great idea but will get heavy after awhile.. is it worth it...

Hope you have a great time....

 

[Lavender Mom]

We went when my kids were 6 & 4 and snacks were our lifesavers in line. I bought a bunch of those little packs of cookies, cheese and crackers, etc. that we never get to eat at home. Each kid picked out one in the morning before we left for the parks to eat in line. They loved it and it was an instant boredom cure. Even though my kids are older now, I'm still planning on snacks in line for our next trip!

 

[mmlover74]

We were just there and adults and kids were having snacks in line...so that is never an issue. We played rock, paper, scissors while in line. Took pictures and I have a 6 yo. Our lines were usually 20 min. even for ST and Space Mtn.

This was the first year my son did ToT, Screamin, Space, and he loved every single one. I was so proud since hubby doesn't do well on those rides.

 

[Girimama33]

DD is pretty good about lines, but we usually go in low season. Since I only have one LO, she will use my cell phone. The Leapsters sound like a good idea. Just bring a daypack for your items in line, and I would leave changes of clothes, etc in the stroller.
Have fun!

 

[dnamertz]

Our daughter was almost 5 when we went to DL and she is very active so I thought the waiting in lines would be a problem, but it wasn't. Maybe since she was so excited to go on the rides, she was focused on being patient...I don't know. She had discovered Angry Birds shortly before the trip and I thought that would come in handy while waiting in line at DL...but we never even needed it.

There were a couple long lines over 30 minutes where she kept herself occupied. In the TSMM line she played with some small stuffed animals she had won on the Paradise Pier, and our longest wait was in line to see Mickey at his house (40 minutes) but luckily that line is full of things for kids to explore.

I would definitely be prepared with whatever things you think might keep them occupied.

 

[starshine514]

If we're going to be in a long line (usually only TSMM for us, we tour around the rest of the long lines), my best strategy is to take a snack (and the water bottles, I normally leave those in the stroller) for my girls. It actually gives us some needed downtime.

 

[MrsMears]

It seems a little weird to pacify children waiting in line by giving them food.. ?? Teaching children to cure boredom by eating and snacking teaches them to have an unhealthy relationship with food and doesn't really give them the tools to effectively deal with the boredom.

 

[Isatricia]

Hmmm....we went to DLR for the first time (for the kids anyway) in April. The girls were 6 & 8 at the time. They knew they were expected to stand in line and not annoy us or anyone else. They understood that standing in line is part of it and if they can't stand in line we might as well go home. After reading on here that people take games for their kids, I carried their Ipods (yes, I carry them and then I know they aren't left anywhere) for the lines. They NEVER asked for them and I left them in the room for the remainder of the trip. They had snacks in 2 lines only because they hadn't finished their snacks and we decided to get in line anyway - so we allowed them to finish up their snack. I told the girls to look around and look at everything there was to see.

I think a lot of it is about expectations. We expected them to stand in line and they did what was expected of them. The alternative was something they didn't want to do - leave.

 

[coaches24]

DD is 3 and the only line issues we had were she would wait till we were close to getting on the ride to decide she ha to go potty. We would ask before getting in every line but when you ask her the only answer she gives is no. If we try to take her anyway it turns into a big fit.

Otherwise she would do good. She likes to play with the chains or climb on the bars but she didnt get upset when we told her to stop. We avoided very long lines by being in the parks as early as allowed and collecting FP. We saved the shows like Disney Jr, Aladdin, muppets etc for the afternoon when the parks were busy and we took breaks after that before coming back for the evening. We couldn't get DD to nap the first 3 days but the break still did us and her good jut getting away from the crowds and chaos.

We also like to talk to her about what we should do next and give her the options between a coupld of different rides that are good to do at that time.

 

[MVBowers111]

When we went in July of 2009, one of the best things we took was a spray bottle...my son doesn't do heat very well and he and my niece had a great time misting each other. Many times as we waited in line by others with kids, the other kids would get involved in the misting as well. A couple times, it was so cute to watch my son and niece making friends with other kids and sharing the spray bottle and the parents were super nice too. If we ever go in the summer again, the spray bottle is a must!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

When my kids were little, we just played games with them in lines like peek a boo and rock paper scissors.

We also thumb wrestled and played I spy. We also used the time to talk about the ride and had some small snacks for lines because sometimes we'd be in a line and the kids would say they were hungry.

My kids were pretty good in lines.

 

[ArchOwl]

I think a good touring plan will eliminate the kind of really long lines that make kids nuts. I remember the days before FP, when you could stand in a line for hours. This was also before iPhones. Now, when I take my nieces and nephews, a combination of knowing how to order the rides and how to use FP means we hardly wait in long lines even during busy times. I try to tell them about the day I waited 3 hours for the Rocket Rods, but they don't listen.

They do very well in most lines with their Hidden Mickey book and observing the queue theme. If the line is longer (TSMM), we talk or they play games. But we don't wait in hour long lines all day. So, have a plan and a good strategy for FPs, and you won't be stuck in long lines all day.

 

[DisneytheKid]

I agree with Auntiekels. Its all about what you do to keep them entertained. I dont have kids but from what I have seen parents do, those who bring things to keep their kids busy seem to have an easier time. Have a great trip!

It sounds like you're right on track!

I don't have any kids but I do have experience waiting in line around other families and I've been a full time Auntie =). I think the trick to waiting in line is thinking about it like you would a road trip. What do you do when you know you'll be in the car for 45 minutes?

-everyone hits the restroom
-snacks and drinks are available
-a game, toy or book for each kiddo

The down side is, you have to carry everything with you so leapsters are GREAT but may be heavy. Also, even the best kids can get ants in their pants if they are expected to behave for extended periods of time. Hitting up the play areas after a long line is a good idea to get all the ants out before the next attraction.

You might also like to do iSpy games or find hidden mickeys. Those entertaining car games come in handy!

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[RuthieT]

My girls are 2 and 8 and they do/did great in the lines.. I think for the next trip we are gonna get the book that you look for different things at the current ride you are in line for to help pass the time.

 

[luvflorida]

My girls are 2 and 8 and they do/did great in the lines.. I think for the next trip we are gonna get the book that you look for different things at the current ride you are in line for to help pass the time.

Sounds like an interesting and fun book! Do you know the title, or author, of the book?

 

[BlueBayou]

It seems a little weird to pacify children waiting in line by giving them food.. ?? Teaching children to cure boredom by eating and snacking teaches them to have an unhealthy relationship with food and doesn't really give them the tools to effectively deal with the boredom.

In theory yes, but it practice I am not so sure. We have been going to Disneyland as a family since my DD11 was 6 months. We did not usually bring snacks for lines (and still really don't). But one time we met some friends for breakfast at Ariel's grotto and there was a ton of left over fruit and cheese. The other mom said we should bring it with us. It was a lifesaver when waiting in line 4 hours later. It was healthy, fresh food and not over sugary treats.

If you think about it - when you are running from ride to ride, you are not really thinking about being hungry, the excitement keeps you going. When you have to stop to wait in a long line, you may realize you haven't eaten and it is past dinner time.

 

[Davids-Coco]

We bring their iPods just in case. We revert to many other things too - ispy, grabbing a snack before getting in line, etc. But generally we try to make them use that time to talk to us and tell us what they liked and what not... it doesn't always work with a 3 and 6 yr old!

 

[mouseymommy]

Our kids are 10, 4, and 2. When we are in line we chat about our day and look at the stuff around us. We have never brought stuff in line to keep the kids occupied. They haven really gotten bored though. I have to say though, that our 2 year old is quite "spirited", and sometimes our time in line is spent making sure she is behaving.