Tips for long lines

[MAJ RN]

I would love to hear any tips for keeping the kids busy while waiting in long lines. Our trip is during Spring Break/Easter so I know the crowds will be big!!! Thanks for any suggestions!!


Thanks,
Melissa

 

[mmccoy]

Of course, it depends on the ages of your kids, but...

Gameboy
Puzzles magazine (crosswords, word search, etc)
Books - you move so slow in some lines, its easy to read and shuffle.

On our last trip we put together binders with trivia quizzes and factoids about the attractions. When in long lines we pulled out the binders. Not really for younger kids, but entertaining nonetheless. Sometime, people around us would join in the conversation.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Will you be traveling with kids?

Make sure you use fast pass whenever possible. It really helps and makes lines a lot shorter.

My neices like doing trivia questions. Last time they went , their mom took the cards from a Disney trivia game and the did that.

I also see a lot of people with small handheld games, and books.

Bubbles are also fun, but in some closely packed lines, may not be appropriate.

For adults, trivia is also fun, discussing the last ride you went on and people watching are always great too.

 

[Del]

we play rock, paper, scissors and we start conversations with the people near us about what their favorite ride/attraction has been thus far.

Del

 

[bubba's mom]

again, depends on ages of kids......
one thing i'll add is flashcards, travel etch a sketch and travel magna doodle.....

 

[Kallison]

Once in the long snaking RNR line I stood up in the middle and yelled - Hey anyone here from PA - raise your hand, and where are you from. People started yelling out towns and we found two families from our town. What school do you go to? etc. Then I said - ok someone else try it how about New Jersey?

My kids were mortified!!

 

[jellydisney]

My suggestion is... don't wait in long lines!! I go to Disney every year during spring break, but I never wait more than 20 minutes for ANY ride. Read the Unofficial Guide, it has great tips about when to ride each attraction. For example, Spaceship Earth gets ridiculously crowded in the morning, but if you wait until late afternoon or evening, you'll walk right on. The "biggies", like RnR, Splash, Space, etc: do whatever you can during the first hour the park opens, and get fastpass for the rest.

 

[bubba's mom]

yeah....but everyone knows you get caught in at least a line or two now and then and smaller kids need entertainment (they can only stand still and be patient with nothing to do for sooo long).......hey, we all have our plans and do our best not to get caught in lines, but, they happen.....
to KALLISON: neat idea!! i would do the same and my husband, not my son, would be embarrassed! (btw-where r u? we're reading, pa)

 

[karemore]

There's a lot of waiting at WDW, even if you get there at opening and use Fastpass.

We never waited more than 10-15 minutes for a ride, but we waited at the gate for it to open, and we waited for parades and fireworks, and concerts.....and shows.....and food.......LOL

Park maps can be good distractions. Make sure each kid has his own park map and let them write on it. You can get more to take home for souveniers.

Let them mark off where they have been and mark where they want to go,.....and ask them to find things in the park by using the map.....

Ask them questions about the different things you have done already. Kids love to talk if they think someone is interested.

What was the best ride so far, why?

What was the funniest thing we've seen so far? etc etc...

It 's great that you are planning this with the rest of the vacation planning!! I'm sure you will have a great trip.

Karen

 

[CindyAnn]

We bought the magical moments games at WDW during a New Year's vacation when the children were (I think) 6 & 9. It's a hand held game with 16 different Disney-themed games to play (Cinderella Castle, Tower of Terror, Rock N Roller Coaster, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Tough to be a Bug, Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Test Track, Dinosaur and others). Except for the Cinderella Castle game which is active when you buy it, each of the other games is activated when you walk by the associated attraction and aim the game at a designated spot. DS particularly liked the Small World game where the dolls try to attack you (apparently other people have interpreted it as the dolls trying to help you, but DS is convinced his version is right).

As much as the children enjoyed using it in longer lines, it was even more useful when we were waiting for our PSes, and they also enjoyed playing it in the car.

The cost was $19.99, I think, and it's a good idea to buy extra batteries at the time, since both of ours ran out of batteries before a week was up, and the batteries were much harder to find. They seem to only be available at WDW itself (almost every shop including resort shops) so if you don't have friends who could buy them in advance for you, you should stumble across them pretty quickly. It's a fun thing to put in a "going to Disney package" for a child. In a family with nice children one of the games might be sufficient, but let's just say I got two of them for our kids.

 

[bubba's mom]

Originally posted by CindyAnn
We bought the magical moments games at WDW.... The cost was $19.99, I think, and it's a good idea to buy extra batteries at the time...

that game sounds WAY cool!! ..great way to pass time in lines, car, etc......is it only for kids?--or can we big kids play too???

 

[CindyAnn]

LOL Bubba's Mom - Of course we big kids can play too! It's part of our responsibility as mentors and role models.

 

[DukeStreetKing]

Pretend you don't speak English and just keep cutting your way through the line until you reach the front. I've seen that work for many people.

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

We have found some fun but odd things to entertain ourselves while in lines besides numerous ones already mentioned in other posts.

We have started "sing-a-longs" while waiting in lines (and on busses). We have found that around the holidays most people are willing to participate and it adds to the holiday atmosphere when singing christmas carols. We also found that during the summer month’s people tend to not participate as much and some simply get annoyed by this (we assumed they are hot, tired, irritable and are just not in good moods in general). Try it sometime... it is quite funny and enjoyable when you find a good "singing line" and the CM's join right in and appreciate the help pacifying the guests. It can get quite loud and people throughout the area tend to become curious what is going on and come over and join in as well.

Another thing we have done to pass time is to chant out a sports team or fight song... this gets sports fans attention quickly and usually chants/conversations erupt from the front to the back as everyone likes to talk about their hometown or favorite team. We will chant, "Here we go Red Sox, Here we go..." and this is usually followed by "Here we go Yankees, Here we go..." and so on... When we first did this my nephew (then age 10) was mortified, but by the end of the trip, he would shout out a chant on his own and start up a rival chant.

 

[mmccoy]

Or, dribble water down the front of your kid's pants, and push through, muttering about the emergency potty break.

 

[gigi1313]

we play a lot of "I SPY" and include in that searches for hidden mickeys (real or imagined!)... hand games like miss mary mack... talk about what we've done, what we want to do, what the rest of our day holds (we can discuss looking forward to something for an hour! LOL!)... if we're waiting for character interaction at toontown (longest lines i have ever waited on!) we guess which ones will be there, who we hope to see, who we hope not to see, what we think they'll be wearing, etc...

we also share a lot of memories while waiting on line... what rides were there when dh first went as a kid... what my fave was then and now, and theirs from their first trip to now... plus, since i have been to wdw w/my older nieces/nephews, my kids LOVE to hear stories about how their big cousin jillian loved this when she was little or jenifer cried when she saw mickey, etc...

we also like to chat w/other guests in line... and i love the idea of doing sports chants... i'm almost afraid to share that w/my son for fear of a brawl breaking out... he's a die-hard yankee fan and i'm a mets fan! LOL!

 

[bubba's mom]

Originally posted by DukeStreetKing
Pretend you don't speak English and just keep cutting your way through the line until you reach the front. I've seen that work for many people.

and that's ME you see screaming after them!!!

 

[B'rer Karen]

Last trip one of my friends brought a pack of madlibs with her. In the morning she'd rip 4-5 out of the pack and put them in her purse. When we were in a realatively long wait they really helped pass the time. Of course we did get some strange looks when we were doubled up with laughter at some of the stories we put together.

 

[10drum]

We saw some people playing cards once, while we passed them using our fastpass.

 

[scoutsmom99]

If this game is still available does and one know where on property can you purchase this game?