Waiting in line ... What do you do?

[carolb3]

I've read in many places where the lines can be very long. What do you do to pass the time when you have children (4 and 6)? 1 or 2 hour waits seem so long! Or, maybe you don't go on those rides?!

 

[grinningghost]

Well, my DD is now 13, but I remember waiting in some very long lines with her when she was younger. She was always very good, except for one thing - she always ended up having to go to the bathroom right smack in the middle of the line. Thankfully, the other guests at WDW were always great about letting us cut back in after our "potty run".

Also, WDW is pretty good about having their ride lines be entertaining. There's usually stuff to look at while waiting. You don't find that at Six Flags.

 

[TreeOfLife]

I suggest encouraging them to do what I call "non-intrusive" activities. Meaning, instead of blowing bubbles on people's faces, they can play with their Gameboy, color a book, put together some legos or do anything that won't annoy others in the line.
Activity books keep the little ones busy while they're waiting as well, my children loved connecting dots and discovering images at that age.

It is just polite to think of others who may not be in the mood to participate in a family's loud or intrusive efforts to distract their kids... By this I do not mean to be rude at all, I guess I am sharing experiences in lines I wished were handled differently by some parents.

 

[Pirate Mickey]

First off...use the Fast Pass to avoid the REALLY long lines.

We have each of our kids carry their own fanny packs with simple, cheap toys in them. The best toys are those free Happy Meal toys. Even our youngest child (3 yrs) enjoys wearing the fanny pack. She can get her toys out when she wants without a lot of fuss. The older ones (8-10yrs) like to have a small pad of paper and pen to draw with.

 

[KellyJ]

Definitely use Fastpass where available... saves waiting in those long, long lines.

A couple of things we've done when necessary... play the "I Spy" game, that's a favorite with my kids... get one of the little travel Magna Doodle or Etch a Sketch for the kids to draw on... they're fairly cheap and easy to carry. My youngest daughter was fascinated with bubbles so I always carried a bottle of bubbles to blow for her. Just make sure you watch which way the wind is blowing so you don't blow them into a crowd. And my husband always grabs a coin or pack of sugar or anything that's handy and plays "guess which hand".... something very simple but holds their attention wonderfully...

Hope this gives you a few ideas!

Kelly

 

[Ti2gerrr]

KellyJ,

Your post brought back some fond childhood memories... we use to play I Spy when we were kids, standing in line with my folks 20+ years ago, long, long, before Fast Pass...

 

[dahess]

Yes, Fastpass is the way to go! Also, we sometimes will have a drink or snack, if outside wait.

 

[Melynny]

My grandaughters and I take turns "drawing and writing" with our fingers on each others hands or drawing pictures on each others backs and then other person guesses what was written or drawn. We include letters, numbers and shapes.. and building up to words or sentences. We also play an alphabet game where we have to find something that we see that goes with each letter of the alphabet in orders.. A.... B... C.... this one works great in the car too!

 

[Pirate Mickey]

Melynny, I love it.

I hope I remember your drawing idea when we go back!

 

[pintrader]

I always wear a pin trading lanyard. It is a good way to strike up a conversation with adults and kids alike. Each pin has it's own little story behind it and it passes away a great deal of time. It also helps you stumble onto other "mutual interests".

 

[Horizons16]

we tend to make fun of people... but when we arent doing that e are maybe talking about the next place for dinner or little chit chat. Something like what did you do today or something. My family splits up sometimes my sister and i and the parents.
I do the pin trading thing also.
~Steve

 

[cleo]

When DS was really small we played Scissor/Paper/Rock. As he grew older we moved on to two handed Scissor/Paper Rock (try it... it's much harder).

He also loves it when I make up Asti and Blitzie stories (two 'superhero' dogs; use any names you like) and the adventures they have. Strangely enough, at age 10 he still loves them.

Any sort of verbal game works well. Ask where they'd live if they could live anywhere in the Magic Kingdom (or any other park). Any kind of whacky question you can think of to get their little imaginations going. It's amazing what you'll discover about your children's thoughts (and your own!) when you spend the time talking...and listening.

 

[Horizons16]

Cleo i would live at splash mountain or thunder mountain...

 

[cleo]

LOL, Horizons16! I'd have to pick Kilimanjaro Safaris, with vacation homes in Spaceship Earth, Great Movie Ride, and one or two countries in Epcot.

Oops.... sorry! Back to the topic at hand!

 

[Redbeard52]

Depending on the age of your children, have them study sign language.

We did this with my nephews (ages 8 and 13) many years ago. Way before the trip, I taught them the American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet. They ran with that just fine, and then I started teaching them that there are signs for words and even phrases.

While standing in lines we would start practicing signing words and sentences. We would do a review of what they already had learned, and then I would teach them new words. You would be AMAZED at how fast any time-lengthy situation can pass.

There is a plethora of books and vidoes that pertian to sign language and it is not as hard as you may think. And kids love it!

Give it a shot!

 

[JulesMom]

Arrive at opening, use Early Entry and Fast Pass and you won't have that long of a wait.

We have been 9 times and the longest we have ever waited for a ride was 45 minutes. That was for Test Track when it first opened.

 

[jamsmom]

My DS plays Game Boy Advance. I play Tetris on Color Game Boy or have a small word search with me. Sometimes we play word games, but when we really get invoved with the Game Boys, time usually goes VERY fast. Since I can't save Tetris, I like to see what the highest score is that I can get.

 

[Pig Pen]

I'm with you! We have gone in the off-season so many times I have forgotten what it's like to wait in line! Fastpass is great and the off-season crowds the past 2 years are practically non-existent compared to years ago.

If we do have to wait in line for a short time, we generally people watch, read our maps and guidebooks (we don't have little ones anymore), and plan our next move.

I remember back in the late 70's, early 80's waiting for 1 - 2 hours to get on Space Mountain. Luckily Disney has wonderful things to look at in their queing areas. You know, some of the magic of Disney in the early years is the anticipation and awe of looking at the pre-show details. I wish I had time to leisurely view the theming in TOT. Almost makes you want to stand in line! (Well, maybe 15 minutes tops). Maybe in May?

 

[Debozo]

No offense intended....and as you can see, my family repeatedly enjoys lots of Disney entertainment.....I find the thread here that passively accepts waiting in line outside my radar screen. I really feel that for the money I pay for my family of 4, it should be a fact that we should be able to enjoy all that a park has to offer. The fastpass is a lifesaver, but not employed on enough attractions. We had to wait almost an hour for Jungle Cruise on a day that they didn't even uncover the fastpass machines. I think Disney MUST STRIVE to counteract lines. We spent $816 for our 4 day park hopper passes in January and thankfully didn't waste much time in line. Some minutes are acceptable, hours are not. Perhaps Disney is hitting the time...mostly the Magic Kingdom on Saturdays and holidays....where reservations may have to be taken...ala Discovery Cove. Any other ideas? JMHO.

 

[IvyandLace]

I would suggest getting some Disney trivia cards or Disney charade cards from their boardgames to keep you occupied while you wait...either in line or on buses! This worked out great for us when we took my nephews (age 14, 10) and niece (age 12); these games almost always have a children's deck that would be more appropriate for your "little" ones. Plus it keeps you in the Disney spirit!

IVY