Is Disney really worth all the lines?

[Ottakee]

I keep reading these threads about Disney and the long lines---1-2 hours for things. Do you really think you get your moneys worth and enjoyment out of the parks when you spend so much time waiting in lines and get to do only a few things?

 

We were to Disney in March for 14dd's Make A Wish trip and we got fast passes to all of the rides that had wait times and they even waved us over for a meet and greet with Beauty and the Beast.

 

16dd is having her Make a Wish trip Dec. 11-16 and we will get 2-3 days to explore Disney again while we are there if we wish. Both girls have very rare degnerative mitochondrial disorder.

 

I guess I just can't imagine spending that much money on tickets to stand in very long lines with smaller children. If you "do it right" can "normal" people really avoid all that waiting?

[Bluegoat]

I don't know about Disney, but my feeling is the same as yours. Friends of mine went to Italy with their kids, and said it was the best place they'd ever been for kids, people were so helpful. The even got taken out of line at the Vatican and got to ride in the Pope's elevator instead of wait with everyone else because they had children.

[southernm]

The only long lines you have to wait in are for characters. However, even the princesses and Mickey have a Fast Pass Option. If you plan well, you should be able to use FP's and not wait over 15 min for any ride. The exception is Toy Story. If you don't get to the front of the line at Rope Drop (when the park opens) the Fast Passes will usually run out within the first hour. I was there in late August and didn't wait over 20-30 min for any ride.

[edithcrawley]

The only long lines you have to wait in are for characters. However, even the princesses and Mickey have a Fast Pass Option. If you plan well, you should be able to use FP's and not wait over 15 min for any ride. The exception is Toy Story. If you don't get to the front of the line at Rope Drop (when the park opens) the Fast Passes will usually run out within the first hour. I was there in late August and didn't wait over 20-30 min for any ride.

 

:iagree:

 

I've been there during busy season in July as well as not as busy season in May. You can avoid most of the lines as long as you plan your day correctly. Either hit the big rides or get a FP for them first thing, then go around and do all the other stuff. Yes, you'll walk around more, but it is worth it when you don't spend hours in line.

[Veritaserum]

I've never been to Disney World, but we only go to Disneyland in the off times. We were there in December and only waited 10 minutes or less for most things.

[Myeightkiddies]

The wait isn't bad all the time. When we go we avoid summer (we're Florida residents and know better), holiday weekends, typical spring break days, Thanksgiving week, Christmas-Jan, etc. If you time it right some lines are only 5-15 minutes long.

[Mrs Mungo]

We went last February. The weather was a teeny bit chilly some days (and we were coming from Hawaii, so probably it felt warmer for most people), but we wore shorts or capris most days. There were only a *handful* of rides for which we waited more than 10 or 15 minutes, *most* of the rides we walked right on. We waited probably 30 minutes for the Rock n Roller Coaster, the Buzz Lightyear shooter ride, Soarin', and Tower of Terror. The drawback of going that time of year are 1) some rides are closed for refurbishing (but only a couple) and 2) shorter park hours.

Edited November 17, 2011 by Mrs Mungo

[lmrich]

I have only had to wait in one long line at Disney and that was because someone got ill on the ride and the clean up was time consuming. If you plan accordingly you will not wait more than 15 minutes and sometimes the line in which you wait is interesting to view and besides you will have some great conversations in those lines with your kids.

[JulieH]

With proper planning and research, you should never have to wait that amount of time for anything with small kids. We've been many many times in busy times of the year and never wait more than 20 minutes or so.

 

You've GOT to do your research!

 

Julie

[Mrs Mungo]

sometimes the line in which you wait is interesting to view and besides you will have some great conversations in those lines with your kids.

 

I will agree with this. Some of the rides have great scenery or things to do while you are waiting. It's amazing the thought and detail that goes into everything that Disney does. Mind-blowing logistics.

 

eta: For a logistics example, did you know that there are workers watching the park all the time? If there are a ton of people bored waiting in a character line, then they might send out an extra character to help out. If there are a bunch of people congregated in FantasyLand, then they might send out a spontaneous parade that will lead kids into TomorrowLand.

 

One of the best bet for Mickey, Minnie and Goofy photos and autographs? Outside of the Tarzan show in Camp Mickey.

Edited November 17, 2011 by Mrs Mungo

[kathymuggle]

I have been twice in April and once in October. Both April trips had longish lines, the October one did not. What a difference in how much I enjoyed the trip! Some rides were walk on, and even the big rides rarely had lines of more than 1/2 an hour. I would go to Disney in the off season again in a heartbeat. During peak time? Only if someone paid for my trip.

[abbeyej]

It depends on when you go and to some extent your strategy for touring the parks. We rarely ever wait more than 20 minutes for anything. That might mean doing certain rides at off-peak times of day. But it's very doable at the right times of year.

 

Dec 11-16 should be great -- we've gone a couple of times now in the second week of December. It's great because the schools are still in session...

 

I strongly, strongly recommend getting a copy of The Unofficial Guide to WDW -- definitely the best way to figure out how to do the park with minimal wait-times.

[catz]

For me, during busy season, not really worth it at all. Felt like fighting crowds all day and didn't get our money's worth (even though we were there on huge discount).. Off season, yes, worth it to take kids once. Even off season, it wouldn't be a favorite destination for me.

Edited November 17, 2011 by kck

[Denise in IN]

I strongly, strongly recommend getting a copy of The Unofficial Guide to WDW -- definitely the best way to figure out how to do the park with minimal wait-times.

 

I'll just strongly second this recommendation! We just spent six days at WDW at the end of October. The Unofficial Guide was a huge help. We only waited in longer lines (more than 10-15 minutes) for the few characters my kids wanted to see. Otherwise we used the Unofficial Guide touring plans, the Touring Plans app, and Fast Passes to navigate the parks. I was not about to spend hours in line with four active kids. We had a great time!

[cmarango]

FL resident here and we go to Disney about once a month, excepting weather in the upper 80s+. I will not stand in lines for more than 15 min. However, since we are there a lot we have no need to do everything in one day. I can't imagine how brutal it must be in the summer or during holidays.

 

Christina

[Mrs Mungo]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/business/media/28disney.html

 

http://blog.silive.com/goofy_about_disney/2011/04/extreme_queue_makeovers_lining_up_at_disney_parks.html

 

http://www.disunplugged.com/2011/03/16/walt-disney-worlds-haunted-mansion-previews-interactive-queue/

Edited November 17, 2011 by Mrs Mungo

[Trish]

Disney World in December is not bad, EXCEPT for the time leading right up to Christmas, and the week after. 11th to 16th might not be bad at all. But no matter when I go (we live 45 minutes away), I plan to hit the popular rides early, get fast passes for rides ASAP, and get more as soon as the timing allows. You can easily do most of the popular rides with relatively small waits with this type of planning.

 

March will probably be busy unless you're there very early in March.

[Coffeemama]

I'll just strongly second this recommendation! We just spent six days at WDW at the end of October. The Unofficial Guide was a huge help. We only waited in longer lines (more than 10-15 minutes) for the few characters my kids wanted to see. Otherwise we used the Unofficial Guide touring plans, the Touring Plans app, and Fast Passes to navigate the parks. I was not about to spend hours in line with four active kids. We had a great time!

 

The touring plans really do work well, especially during the peak times. We go every couple of years. I will say the plans work better for Magic Kingdom and Epcot than the other two parks. We could not avoid lines in MGM Studios(or whatever their calling it now). Due to the type of attractions there, lines are much harder to avoid. If you have littles, don't bother with this park.

[Night Elf]

I have never had to wait such long times as 1 to 2 hours. That would be quite frustrating indeed. I seem to recall lines moving fairly quickly. Disney seemed staffed with people who knew what they were doing, unlike some amusement parks full of teenagers who are more interested in talking with each other than waving people through lines.

 

The only thing I ever felt was not worth the money was staying in one of their ridculously priced hotels on site. The rooms were no bigger nor the beds more comfortable than a Courtyard Mariott. Thank goodness DH's company was footing the bill. It was an awards banquet so they paid for a few days for awards recipients.

[Ellie]

Absolutely.

 

Of course, we diehards usually go to Disneyland/Disney World for multiple days, and we have our strategies for cutting down on the time spent in lines. :001_smile:

 

But yes, it's absolutely worth it. Mr. Ellie and I have been to Disneyland more than 30 times. (Haven't been to Disney World yet. :001_smile:)

[homeschoolmom]

Planning is key. Use Fast Pass strategically. Study the park map and plan your attack. The longest we've ever waited was for the fairies when Pixie Hollow first opened. 1.5 hours. We did it because we're frequent visitors. Ordinarily we pass if the wait time is 30 min or more...and we still manage to ride our faves.

 

I don't find Disney lines to be any longer than other amusement parks; in fact I find their lines shorter but that might be because I know Disney best.

Edited November 17, 2011 by homeschoolmom
Typo -arrgghh!

[chepyl]

We waited in lines when I was younger; now with the fast passes, you don't need to wait as long. Be prepared for rain, and if it rains...STAY!! Most people leave, then you don't wait. We waited an hour for Tower of Terror (before fast passes) and loved it. When we got off, it started to rain...we went 3 more times without waiting at all!

 

The last time we went, we had one day, we hit 3 of the 4 parks and all the rides we wanted in that one day. (We had no kids, just 4 adults there for fun).

[momofkhm]

I keep reading these threads about Disney and the long lines---1-2 hours for things. Do you really think you get your moneys worth and enjoyment out of the parks when you spend so much time waiting in lines and get to do only a few things?

 

We were to Disney in March for 14dd's Make A Wish trip and we got fast passes to all of the rides that had wait times and they even waved us over for a meet and greet with Beauty and the Beast.

 

16dd is having her Make a Wish trip Dec. 11-16 and we will get 2-3 days to explore Disney again while we are there if we wish. Both girls have very rare degnerative mitochondrial disorder.

 

I guess I just can't imagine spending that much money on tickets to stand in very long lines with smaller children. If you "do it right" can "normal" people really avoid all that waiting?

 

Not reading the rest, but fast pass is our friend. Staying on site with the extra magic hours (or whatever they call them now) is wonderful. Going in non-busy times. And yes, we stand in line for along time for some rides.

[kokotg]

I don't find Disney lines to be any longer than other amusement parks; in fact I find there lines shorter but that might be because I know Disney best.

 

:iagree:

 

At Disney World, we almost never wait longer than 10 minutes (we go in September, which helps a lot). We went to Six Flags a couple of weeks after getting back from Disney this year and were amazed at how much worse the lines were there. We only managed to ride 4 rides in the 6 hours we were there. And then we went to Dollywood this past weekend...the lines for rides were, for the most part, pretty good, but we waited forever for stuff like the tram to the parking lot or the line to get our season pass pictures taken. Disney is nothing if not efficient.

[bellabee03]

It is completely worth it, if you go in the off season. We were just there in October and never waited longer than 20 minutes per ride. The kids got to ride every singe ride at least once, and Star Tours 5 times in one day, if that will give you an idea.

 

We were there a few years ago the week before the fourth of July, and it was crazy.

[QueenCat]

We've been at very busy times. With planning, our worst lines were about 45 minutes. And there is some kind of interesting thing happening in line, so you don't feel like you are waiting.

[dansamy]

I keep reading these threads about Disney and the long lines---1-2 hours for things. Do you really think you get your moneys worth and enjoyment out of the parks when you spend so much time waiting in lines and get to do only a few things?

 

We were to Disney in March for 14dd's Make A Wish trip and we got fast passes to all of the rides that had wait times and they even waved us over for a meet and greet with Beauty and the Beast.

 

16dd is having her Make a Wish trip Dec. 11-16 and we will get 2-3 days to explore Disney again while we are there if we wish. Both girls have very rare degnerative mitochondrial disorder.

 

I guess I just can't imagine spending that much money on tickets to stand in very long lines with smaller children. If you "do it right" can "normal" people really avoid all that waiting?

 

We're "normal" people, but we don't wait in any line over 10-15 minutes or so. We hit rope drop. We skip Extra Magic Hours. We hit the Fast Pass machines and the slow loading headliners early. We've been to Disney 5 times in four years and I have 3 trips planned for this next year. (We're DVC members.) We've even been during Star Wars Weekends during Gay Days. Hollywood Studios was packed, but we had no problems at all because I am a planning freak when it comes to WDW! :lol:

[joannqn]

We went a few years ago when DH's employer footed the bill. We used the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland and had the best experience ever the first day. The second day, DH didn't want to stick to their schedule and we only got to do a few things. Definitely consider a guide like the unofficial! I'll never go without it again.

[DianeW88]

I've never waited for more than 15 minutes for any ride at Disney. My secret? www.touringplans.com Works like magic. I promise.

[DawnM]

Go to EasyWDW.com and look at the crowd calendars.

 

We are here right now and have been here since last week (Nov. 6) The first week was rather busy with Jersey week and a holiday weekend. However, this week has been fantastic! Almost no wait at all. Some lines stated longer wait times than we actually waited as well. I think the longest we have waited this entire 2 weeks was 30 minutes for Peter Pan and DH griped about that since it isn't a favorite of his anyway. Everything else was 10-15 minutes.

 

Dawn

[ashfern]

If you go at the right time you will not have tons of people there. We've been there when it's been super crowded (Peter Pan 3 hr wait) and when it's been not crowded (Peter Pan walked right on). Before I ever went to Disney I thought it was just big hype. After taking my kids I see that it is so magical to them.

[Live2Ride]

Nope, We just go between early Sept/early Oct. It is fairly quiet then. We rode Space Mountain three times in less than 15 min one year. We did notice last year that it was a little busier, but still not terrible.

[Mary in VA]

Between the Fast Passes and http://www.tourguidemike.com we never waited more that 15 minutes for a ride. Wait, take that back, we waited over 30 minutes when we ignored Tour Guide Mike's advice. When we followed it everything went like clockwork. The key that everyone has mentioned is planning.

 

Mary

[Dmmetler]

We have gone over CHRISTMAS (yes, the busiest time of year) twice, and it was still magical and worth it-DD was 3 for the first trip and 5 for the 2nd. We do stay on site, take advantage of magic hours, do the "go to the back", and plan our meet and greets mostly via meal reservations (it's worth it to arrange the princess dining hall months in advance if you have a princess crazed girl, for example)-but honestly, it's not bad at all. We'd go early in the morning, leave about noon when it started to get crowded, go back to the hotel, nap/swim, then go back to the park at night and stay until the end of Magic Hours. And it was still great.

 

I admit, though, that one perk of losing my adjunct professor contract at the end of this semester is that I'm kind of looking forward to doing popular destinations the way homeschoolers get to do them-in the off-season! I've been on an academic schedule forever, so even though DD and DH have flexibility, I don't!

[Alicia64]

I haven't read the posts and I hope I'm not stepping on toes, but no, I don't think the lines are worth it at all. I'm not a crowds/line person.

 

For us, the answer has been to visit only in Sept/Oct or the days right before Thanksgiving -- not after.

 

Fall visits are so awesome that my boys didn't even know what lines were when they were 4 and we visited. We just kept looping around and getting back on rides.

 

Any other day isn 't really worth it for us.

 

Alley

[JFSinIL]

The key (at least for DisneyLAND), is to get there when the park opens and dash for your favorite ride - then swipe Fastpass at another favorite while you go to another ride - when you are sitting to take a break somewhere you can send Dad with all the tickets to run them through another Fast Pass machine for another ride - you just have to prioritize and time things. Some rides may have short waits if there is a big parade at the same time. Some rides you just have to stand in line. Snacks to munch and drinks to sip can make the lines seem shorter.

 

Also - allow more than one day (for D. Land) so you don't feel so rushed - and check on-line and try to go on less crowded days (MiceAge.com is a great site and has links to everythign Disney.) Check on-line, too, in advnce to see what rides may be down for maintenance or (stupid) holiday overlays (yeah, shut down a key ride like Haunted Mansion or Small World for weeks to put up then take down holiday decorations. Sure, the decorations are fun, but not at the expense of folks missing the ride if they come at the wrong time!!!

 

I might as well add, I miss how it was back when I was a kid (60's) and a trip did not have to be so gosh-darned planned! The crowds, now, are just too much.

[JulieH]

Oh and catch this!!! There are actually APPS for line waits so you can know on your smart phone what the wait is for a certain ride! They'll also tell you the fast pass return times!

 

(dads love this stuff...I met more dads that were so "into" the apps standing in line! LOL)

[Mrs Mungo]

Oh and catch this!!! There are actually APPS for line waits so you can know on your smart phone what the wait is for a certain ride! They'll also tell you the fast pass return times!

 

(dads love this stuff...I met more dads that were so "into" the apps standing in line! LOL)

 

We also downloaded the Hidden Mickey app; it was a lot of fun!

[FairyMom]

The wait isn't bad all the time. When we go we avoid summer (we're Florida residents and know better), holiday weekends, typical spring break days, Thanksgiving week, Christmas-Jan, etc. If you time it right some lines are only 5-15 minutes long.

 

:iagree:

 

Even though we aren't Florida residents, this is us, too. The best time we've been is the week after Labor Day and the week after Thanksgiving.. no longs lines sometimes not lines at all. Even Soarin' was only 10 to 15 minutes then.

[AnnaM]

I didnt read through but here are my tips for shorter lines:

 

Go in the off season

 

Utalize the FP options

 

Do the 1 hr Disney Vacations Time Share thing. They give you a FP card good for anyride, anytime. They also give you other incentives like gift Cards, child care and so on.

[hsmamainva]

I love Disney!

 

If you go at less crowded times of the year, the wait isn't long at all. We went the 1st week of February and the only ride we had to wait for was Toy Story Mania. Everything else was no more than a 10-15 minute wait.

 

We're going again the 1st week of March (3 1/2 months away!!) and expect similar low crowds.

 

Another option for your family is a GAC card (Guest Assistance Card). This is offered to families with special needs family members. Our youngest has autism and the card was a wonderful asset. It's not supposed to decrease wait times (but it depends on the crowd levels). She really loved the Seas with Nemo and Friends ride and the cast member let her go out and get back in at least 3 times in a row, but there weren't many people in line. I think the wait time was 5 minutes anyway.

 

When there is a wait, the GAC card allows you to wait in a less crowded area. For instance, Turtle Talk with Crush has most of the folks waiting in the dark. This upsets my youngest, so they had her wait in a separate well-lit room. She still had to wait. It doesn't move you to the front of the line, but it's a more pleasant experience and when we're off by ourselves, no one is staring at my daughter if she's excited and flapping her hands.

 

It's a magical place for kids and well worth the time and expense (we stay off-site, so it's pretty much the same cost as a beach vacation or anything else we might choose to do). Our youngest doesn't know we're going again in March, so we can't wait to surprise her with the news. It's one of our planned Christmas presents! :)

[DawnM]

I have an app and am at Disney right now, but I do have to say that the times are a bit off.

 

Thankfully they were off in our favor and our 50 minute wait time for Toy Story was only 15. Our 20 minute wait for Star Tours was only 4 minutes!

 

Dawn

 

Oh and catch this!!! There are actually APPS for line waits so you can know on your smart phone what the wait is for a certain ride! They'll also tell you the fast pass return times!

 

(dads love this stuff...I met more dads that were so "into" the apps standing in line! LOL)

[beaners]

 

Another option for your family is a GAC card (Guest Assistance Card). This is offered to families with special needs family members. Our youngest has autism and the card was a wonderful asset. It's not supposed to decrease wait times (but it depends on the crowd levels). She really loved the Seas with Nemo and Friends ride and the cast member let her go out and get back in at least 3 times in a row, but there weren't many people in line. I think the wait time was 5 minutes anyway.

 

When there is a wait, the GAC card allows you to wait in a less crowded area. For instance, Turtle Talk with Crush has most of the folks waiting in the dark. This upsets my youngest, so they had her wait in a separate well-lit room. She still had to wait. It doesn't move you to the front of the line, but it's a more pleasant experience and when we're off by ourselves, no one is staring at my daughter if she's excited and flapping her hands.

 

 

I'm pretty surprised to hear this. My husband's young cousin is eligible for a pass, but I'm not sure if it's his Aspergers or AD(H?)D diagnosis that he gets it for. We were talking to him about how our kids waited in line really well, and he said that they basically get to walk in like the FastPass for all the rides. I could see not being able to get into shows early though, since there is still a previous show going on.

[hsmamainva]

I'm pretty surprised to hear this. My husband's young cousin is eligible for a pass, but I'm not sure if it's his Aspergers or AD(H?)D diagnosis that he gets it for. We were talking to him about how our kids waited in line really well, and he said that they basically get to walk in like the FastPass for all the rides. I could see not being able to get into shows early though, since there is still a previous show going on.

 

Well, the way it works and the way they say that it works are two different things. If they said that it works like a fastpass then folks without disabilities would use them to avoid waiting in line, because they don't require a medical diagnosis / doctor's note, etc. to receive one.

 

What we found during our visit was that if our daughter was waiting patiently and in a good mood (which was most of the time, thankfully) then she waited like everyone else. If she was cranky or really excited - take your pick! - then they would wave us over and move us into the fastpass line, but they DO NOT want it "advertised" that this is what the GAC card is for or it would be abused.

[Ottakee]

Another option for your family is a GAC card (Guest Assistance Card). This is offered to families with special needs family members. :)

 

I don't think I mentioned it but we get a special pass that does let us in the fast pass line for rides and pretty much eliminates most wait times for us--well not more than 5-10 minutes. It is through Make A Wish and is for the entire family.

 

We also got priority seating at the shows, etc. When we went for 14dd's trip in March she was in a wheelchair part time and this time 16dd will be in the wheelchair part time---what actually happens is that they can walk, etc. but fatigue easier than other kids so we had one wheelchair and they would take turns or if both tired one would sit on the other one's lap.

 

It feels weird going ahead of other people in line (Disney was great though about whisking you away a different way so it wasn't like you were passing by everyone else in line) but on the flip side, i would stand in one line all day and never ride if we could take away our girls' special needs.