Preventing Line Boredom

[CastMemberDWA]

I was posting in another area the following suggestion, and realized that this would make a good thread.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO PERVENT LINE BOREDOM?

Here are few ideas:
1. For younger children, take the time to teach them a word game to play....like the Alphabet game where you say,
"My mother went to the store and she bought an APPLE...."
The next person repeats the phrase, lists the APPLe and says the next item that must begin with the next letter. Continue through the alphabet in this fashion.

2. Blow Bubbles....bring the small ones like they pass out at weddings.

3. My older brother and his teenage daughter and I would play the "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon" I would list a hollywood personality and he would ponder then tell me the answer of how that person was only 6 people away from Kevin Bacon based on TV or Movie Performances. That was really fun - and he was pretty darn good at it too!

This kept us entertained for hours in line one summer. Some other folks in line even joined us....

4. Have a friendly conversation with someone whom you've never met. I have met some great people just by commenting on how well behaved their kids are or noticing their sport hat/jersey etc.

Your turn folks! What do you do when having to wait in a long line?

 

[MommyPoppins]

My solution to prevent line boredom is this:

Arrive before park opening and never wait in a line! We never wait longer than 10 minutes for a ride and we ride everything we want. All the major attractions. The key to preventing line boredom is lots or pre-planning and not waiting in lines. However, if there is something that requires a 15 or 20 minute wait we like to look for "bad shoes".

 

[cleo]

Scissors/Paper/Rock. That ususally lasts about 15 minutes, then we might switch to Double Handed Scissors/Paper/Rock. (try it...it's hard!)

'I'm Thinking of an Animal (etc)' generally takes up a fair bit of time, especially as our boys are old enough for the really obscure animals (giant tree slouth comes to mind....!)

'I Spy' is always a sure bet.

Just talking. It's a great chance to get some idea of what's going on in your children's heads. Somehow, our oldest boy (now 13) opens up more (not that he's all that closed-mouthed to begin with!) when we're on vacation. I love hearing his unique views on life.

 

[loriandmatt]

in the past i have done any combo of the following things to kill line blahs:

- bring along a nice stack of cards from our Dinsey Trivial persuit game in a small ziplock. play disney trivia in line.

- hit the dollar store or toy store over the weeks leading up to your trip. pick up cheap key chain games (tic tac toe, mini video games, etch-a-sketch) they are great to kill time and can hang on the zipper of a backpack.

- gameboy!

 

[Laurabearz]

Scissors/Paper/Rock. That ususally lasts about 15 minutes, then we might switch to Double Handed Scissors/Paper/Rock. (try it...it's hard!)

I beleive the name of the game is ROCK PAPER SCISSORS... (there I feel better) Rock Paper Scissors Offical Site

Our kids love to play RPS.... we will try double handed next time!

 

[TinkGirl]

I gave my three kids a copy of the book Hidden Mickeys for Christmas. It reads like a scavenger hunt to find the mickeys in and around different attractions. We're going to keep it in the backpack and pull it out when we wait in lines. Going at the end of Jan., I'm hoping for little lines!

 

[hockey mom]

People watch. I love watching old and young when they see something for the first time.

 

[Twende]

Okay who is giving away my bubble secret?

I am known in my family as the official bubble person. I always have several bottles of bubble juice on me and everyone depends on me for the entertainment!

I have little bubbles, colorful bubbles, bubbles that taste like candy and even bubbles that get hard and you can catch them. It is so much fun to watch people interact with bubbles and try to figure out where they came from!

Disney is the perfect place for them because people who do not see me blow them think it is just all a part of the Magic!

We took a Pay Mickey this year and when we had to wait for ADR tables we would play games on him.

 

[Showe]

Am I the only crazy mother that took their Gameboys with us ? They fit perfectly in my little backpack and when a line was too long we'd get them out and they would play for a few minutes.

Otherwise, the bubbles worked for us when they were little. (age 2-5)

Also, perfect time to practice math facts with DS. (he doesn't think so, but mom does)

 

[kretsch]

Okay who is giving away my bubble secret?

I am known in my family as the official bubble person. I always have several bottles of bubble juice on me and everyone depends on me for the entertainment!

I have little bubbles, colorful bubbles, bubbles that taste like candy and even bubbles that get hard and you can catch them. It is so much fun to watch people interact with bubbles and try to figure out where they came from!

Disney is the perfect place for them because people who do not see me blow them think it is just all a part of the Magic!

We took a Pay Mickey this year and when we had to wait for ADR tables we would play games on him.

That's hilarious Twende! I would love to see some of the reactions.

 

[snowglobe girl]

I also bought the Hidden Mickey book and would try to read through sections that pertained to where I was while I waited in line.

We played an alphabet game too - but we would start with the letter A and take turns trying to name all Disney characters that started with A, then when we can't think of any more, move on to B, C, D, etc...

Also just use it as time to talk and catch up with each other or plan where we're going next or where to go eat later.

 

[CinderellaIam]

We have a Hidden Mickey contest every day.

Before we leave I stock up on small prizes from the Disney Store, the Dollar Store and DisneyDeals when they have good stuff.

Then I buy Disney Stickers. For every Hidden Mickey you find, you get a sticker. At the end of the day whoever has the most stickers gets to pick a prize.

This is a great activity because it makes everyone examine all the great details that Disney builds into the attractions.

I do have the book with me at all times to be the deciding "judge" though...you'd be surprised at what the kids will try to convince you is a Hidden Mickey...lol

Oh, I should add that our group on our August trip ranged in ages 10 - 46, and everyone got involved in this and had a great time.

 

[Sollenberger]

We say lines from movies and you have to guess the movie...we also use the bubbles for the kids

 

[loafskier]

A great time for a snack. I pack a zip lock of Cheez Its or Pretzels in my backpack-purse along with a juice box or water and we pass them around. Keeps the kids from getting that ornery-from-hunger attitude, too.

 

[Lives4Disney]

We have the hidden Mickey book, play I Spy, but have since discovered the 20 Question Ball. It is so much fun & super small & lightweight- perfect for backpack or fanny pack. It keeps my kids occupied for a long time!


Happy travels,

Lives4Disney

 

[goofie4goofy]

We have been very fortunate and have not ever waited more than 10 min for a ride (we go when the crowds are lowest).....But nomatter how long you wait on line people watching is always a #1 time passer. I have seen some of the funniest/grossest/cutest things at WDW.

 

[Schmeck]

Please do not blow soap based bubbles in line - they can irritate people's skin. They also sting when they get in someone's eyes. My daughter is very allergic (itchy, raised rash) to some brands of store-bought bubbles. If one popped on her face in line, we'd have to leave the line to deal with it. We can avoid the bubbles if it's not in line, but there's hardly any space to move sometimes in the queues.

Whatever bubbles they use in the Mermaid show are OK (so far) but the ones in the little bottles you buy at party stores have been problematic. The ones at WalMart were OK last time we had bubbles (we don't get them anymore, of course) but it's been such a hit/miss deal that we can't seem to narrow the ingredients to figure out the culprit.

So please, be courteous, and keep the bubbles put away in lines.

 

[WDWMom]

We play The Disney Game. It is a game we made up that goes like this...

We pick a theme - Characters, an attraction, movies, free for all and we go through the ABC's

A - Aladdin
B - Belle
C - Cinderella

and so on. We take turns thru the ABC's. With 5 of us we are pretty good at remembering the hard one's like X and Y.

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

We rarely have needed to wait in line, we must go at the right times of year, I guess.....but when we do, we take the time to look at the highly themed queue areas and see what details we can find that we may not have noticed before....if not, we people watch, or listen; we have helped many a newbie with Disney questions!

 

[TDC Nala]

I bring my Ipod.