I am loving all these tips! Now I'm not a CM (wish I was), but I do have some tips of my own and some reinforcement of other tips given.
1). Try to talk to the CMs in lines or just around the parks. Sometimes they're really fascinating people and sometimes they'll do something really nice for you. I remember about 10 years ago we were the first ones waiting for the riverboat at MK, so we started talking to the CM at the front of the line, Paul. Turns out that he was going to be the next captain of the boat, and he asked us to come up with him and drive it. It was really amazing and made our vacation that much more special.
2). Be kind and polite as much as you can. Disney is a stressful place and if you're yelling and screaming half the time, you will make is so much more stressful. Don't get bent out of shape just because they cut you off and made you wait for the next monorail or something (I've seen this happen and it's not pretty).
3). Sometimes, if there are a certain number of empty seats on a ride, they will call out for a party of that number from somewhere further back in the line. If you were going to request a certain spot or seat on the ride, don't take up their offer when they call out the number of people in your party. They will put you where those seats are.
4). If there is a certain seat or row on a ride car that you want, just ask politely for it. The CMs have always granted my request when I just ask politely.
5). I read before on this thread that someone said the left line is always shorter. This is not necessarily true. On some rides, people don't realize they can choose a side of the line, so they just follow the person in front of them. Pretty soon everybody is doing this and one side is much longer. You have to watch where the people are going and see which seems shorter. You can't just assume the left is. In past experiences, I have noticed that on POTC, the right side is usually much shorter.
6). I know this has been said earlier in the thread, but at QS counters and the bag check lines, there are 2 lines for each table, one for each side. Most people don't realize this and line up on one side, but the CM switches taking orders or checking bags on both sides. We can usually walk up to one side of a counter and order right away, while people on the other side wait a while.
7). At the turnstiles and QS restaurant lines, usually the lines at the very ends are shortest. Most people just walk up to the middle and wait in a line there without realizing that the end turnstiles/counters have no line at all. It's a lot like lemmings. Most people just follow the crowd.
8). At the attractions where they ask you to fill in all available space, do. You are in no way cutting the line and because most people don't listen to this, you will get in faster.
9). At shows in theaters, they make you scoot down to the end of the row. So if you wait a bit and let a few people go down a row before you, you will get a more central seat.
10). Waiting for parades/fireworks to start is boring, but necessary if you want a good spot. Send someone in your party to get snacks to bring back to your spot. Also, if this person really wants to sacrifice themselves, they can stay at the spot while everybody else rides some rides. They just have to be sure to spread backpacks/bags around to save the space. Also, if you walk up to the Hub in MK right before the fireworks, don't try to worm yourself in between groups that have been there. I have seen fights over this. If there is space, go ahead and take it, but don't stand so you're smashed into people who were already there. There have been times when I have been waiting for 2 hours for the fireworks and some group comes up 15 mins before they start and stands less than 6 inches in front of me, smashed against other people. Now I couldn't see because they were so tall and left so little buffer space in front of me to see. Nothing ruins a vacation like this, so don't ruin it for someone else. And if you're going to put a child on your shoulders for the fireworks/parade, inform the people behind you so they can stand back a bit to see over. Or if the person behind you is really short, ask to switch places with them.
11). If you have to choose between 2 rides that have relatively similar wait times, one to FP and one to wait Stand-by, look at the queue. FP the queue that is mostly outside (especially in summer) or looks more boring. For example, if you're trying to decide whether to FP Splash or Space Mountain, FP Splash because the queue is mostly outside and there are no games like Space. Now of course if one line is much longer than the other, FP that one. But now more and more rides are getting the more interactive queues that make waiting less boring. Try to FP the boring ones (Splash Mountain, BTMRR, Safari).
12). Go to WS when it opens at 11 and finish Future World later in the afternoon. The flow of people goes from Future World-WS as the day progresses. Most groups do everything in Future World before they get to WS. If you do WS when it opens, it will be almost empty. Then go back to Future World later when the crowds are moving towards WS.
13). If you get too exhausted during the day, leave the parks and go back to your resort and nap or swim or go to DTD (easier when you're at a Disney resort). Then go back to the parks later in the afternoon/evening. Sometimes when you're absolutely exhausted and miserable, it's not worth it being in the parks.
14). Water is free!!!!! You can go to any vendor or QS restaurant and get a cup of water for free and pour it into a water bottle. It tastes better than drinking fountains and is probably a lot more sanitary (thinking about those 'Grossest thing you've seen at Disney' thread horror stories
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Anyway, sorry for rambling on, but I hope these tips can help people enjoy their vacations more. I've seen most of my tips here on the boards before, so I know they work for more people than just me. Just remember the most important thing to do at Disney is have fun!!! (And eat some Dole Whip
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Yay!!
