Passing time in line.

[MRYPPNS]

We play word games. One person starts with a name, real or fiction like "Hannah Montana" then the next person has to take the first letter of the last name to come up with their name like "Michael Jordan" the next could be "Jiminy Cricket" and so on. You can pick a theme for each game too. We're had other people in line hear us and start their own game.

Another thing we do for waits in a theaters like Fantasmic is to bring little travel games...I'm not a fan of video games in lines that each kid/adult plays on their own and stop talking to each other.

 

[gls8376]

My daughter (9) brings her game boy. Sometimes she plays games on my phone. Sometimes she'll even bring a book. We were on line for Living with the Land boat ride and she was reading a book. I could see adults looking at her in awe as if she were from another planet. I was pretty proud.

My son (4) is a little harder to keep entertained. He loves pulling on and swinging the chains/ropes in the queue. I hate it. We usually have his Leapster or coloring books (Crayola Wonder). Since he can be occupied with one crayon/marker, it makes it pretty easy.

 

[funatdisney]

Sing "It's a Small World"?



Just kidding...

Yeah right! It will make my DH in a good mood!

 

[MomofCKJ]

We are fans of the ABC game too. Go around and you have to name something Disney related that start with the letter you get. Your girls are older too so they could also write postcards to their friends in line. We also have this great little handheld Disney trivia game that we got on ebay and we use that as well.

But mostly we use Tour Guide Mike so our lines aren't all that long!

Allyson

 

[funatdisney]

I would think that at 10 & 12 they'd be able to kinda keep themselves entertained. Or I guess I'm hoping at that age they can so I can look forward to not having to be a line entertainer when my two are older.

Well you keep them entertained, but on a different level. Don't dispair! At 10 and 12, the talk becomes interesting and fun! There is lot more give and take with the conversations. My DH and I have loads of fun, laughing and telling stories.
I presented this thread cuz I'm not used to lines. We go to DLR once a month, and I know how to work it even in the middle of the summer on a weekend! I just don't know WDW, and I know I will be stuck on some long lines. We have a 10 day trip planned, so I know we will run out of things to talk about eventually.

 

[funatdisney]

Wow! you guys are great!! Lots of good responses.

freepixie... I'll squeeze in "It's A Small World" in-between each round!

MomofCKJ: I like the postcard idea. Keep their writing skills up during the summer.

I just had another idea. maybe start a book that we each can take turns reading and have a book club like discussions. You know- find the meaning of life while in line for Soarin'. We have 10 days. That should be enough time to discover the mysteries of life.

 

[Invidious]

I usually play games on my phone or just chat with my party.

 

[LilGMom]

Well you keep them entertained, but on a different level. Don't dispair! At 10 and 12, the talk becomes interesting and fun! There is lot more give and take with the conversations. My DH and I have loads of fun, laughing and telling stories.

Whew! I was thinking that I was going to have to continue pulling rabbits out of my hat (aka backpack/diaper bag) until they got their driver's licenses.

 

[mars315]

In my park bag I carry around a mini Etch-A-Sketch. All ages love to play with that. I also used to carry a mini magna-doodle, but my DD's are a little old for that now. And I have a mini 2-minute crossword book, that I keep in a zip-loc bag with a pencil and a sharpener. We all take turns with that. Lastly, we also do the postcards. We buy tham at the very beginning of the trip, and I have a little bag that I keep the postcard stamps and a list I've printed off the computer of all the family and friends we want to mail the cards to. Then, if we have to wait in line, my girls can write a postcard in a minute or two, I address and stamp it and then we mail it when we can.

We always try to minimize wait times, but sometimes there is only so much you can do and you have to wait. These things also work well for waiting in lines for busses, and for the actual bus trips too. Have fun.

Michelle

 

[Anne's Family]

I have a Palm Pilot, so I have a list of rides and attractions and bits of trivia about them. The kids and I read that wherever we are.

Also, we have a little electronic "Catch Phrase" game I keep with me in WDW. They get a kick out of that one. There's also electronic Scattergories and Outburst. Each of them have junior versions as well. Bringing along a different game each day is fun and you're playing together instead of everyone looking at their DSs.

 

[funatdisney]

My DH has a palm pilot, too. I think I'll ask him to down load some games onto it. The kids will probably will have to fight him for it though. I'll make sure he down loads Mah Jong- my favorite.

 

[Anne's Family]

FYI, you can also download all the live entertainment times and all the menus to your PDA. EGuidestogo. The menus are from allears. This was invaluable when my kids were picky eaters. Didn't want to cross the park to a restuarant I wanted to go to just to find out their kids meals weren't going to work. Thank goodness they're not so picky anymore!

 

[matt314hew]

They are old enough to look for "hidden Mickey's". There is a great resource book called "Hidden Mickeys" by Steven Barrett. My kids and I have a blast looking for them on every ride.

I just bought this book for our trip there in 2 weeks. I can't wait to go through it and try to find the mickeys. I dont' think we will do the scavenger hunts, but just look up where we are and try to find them.

 

[funatdisney]

FYI, you can also download all the live entertainment times and all the menus to your PDA. EGuidestogo. The menus are from allears. This was invaluable when my kids were picky eaters. Didn't want to cross the park to a restuarant I wanted to go to just to find out their kids meals weren't going to work. Thank goodness they're not so picky anymore!

Yes I remember those days. We still have them, but I am at the point where they have to compromise their tastes or they don't eat. Just can't please everyone!

 

[funatdisney]

I just bought this book for our trip there in 2 weeks. I can't wait to go through it and try to find the mickeys. I dont' think we will do the scavenger hunts, but just look up where we are and try to find them.

Hey matt314hew, we are going in two weeks also. Will be there from the 17th to the 26th! Hey does anyone know if there are a lot of mosquitos?

 

[WickedWench]

Just get Tour Guide Mike and avoid the long lines. :>

 

[AuntTonia]

Don't know the name of the game but I played it last week end and it made time go by faster.

pick a topic then take turns naming something that goes with it. last person that can think of something wins. Person who wins gets to do the next topic. Make sure it's something with alot of answers.

Ex. Topic "candy Bar" answer- hershy,snickers,hershy w/almonds.....
Topic "Disney Rides" answer- Winnie the Poo, Splash Mountain....
Topic "Movie Actors" answer- Brad Pitt, Drew Barrymore......

 

[funatdisney]

Thank you all for your excellent responses. I have copied some of the word games onto a cheat sheet that I will carry in my purse.

I have gone to Banes N' Noble and ordered the Hidden Mickey book. It will arrive one week before I go. While at Barnes N' Noble, I have bought a pocket size book of sudoku (DD12 request) and a scratch and solve pocket book of hangman. These will also come in handy for the long plane ride.

 

[orangekid13]

We usually end up striking up conversations with people around us unless they're grumpy or have unruly children. It goes from finding out where they're from to trading tips and secrets (that's mostly a one-way thing ) about ways to make it more enjoyable (like free cups of water since we've only been in the summer) and they tend to come up with some random questions about the parks they've been wondering about or something completely unrelated and obscure