Building Anticipation, Not Stress-How to Have Fun While Waiting in Line at Walt Disney World

Waiting in line at the Disney parks can be a stressful, agonizing experience. Especially from the perspective of the children in your party! Think about the anticipation they are feeling while waiting to board their FAVORITE attraction, or even the “fear of the unknown” on a new one. No matter what, waiting is part of the Disney experience. As parents, it’s good to be prepared to entertain your kids while in line. Today I’m going to share some ideas with you about keeping your kids entertained-and your stress level down-while waiting in line.

• Screen power. While standing in a particularly long line, our boys like to play their 3DS game systems. We stow them in the backpack-which is with us at ALL times-and allow them to choose ONE game to keep in it all day. My iPhone has such apps as Pooh’s Birthday Surprise and Peter Pan, along with coloring pages for my three-year old.
• Hidden Mickeys. Mickey is ALL OVER the Disney parks. In fact, there’s a whole guide-book devoted to finding them in obscure places. Have your kids look around the attraction you’re waiting for, and in the park area around it, to find some Hidden Mickeys. How many can you find before the line moves? Keep a running record of the most Mickeys found that day and whoever finds the most gets to choose that evening’s ice cream treat.

• Bubbly Fun. We always have small bottles of bubble stowed in our touring bag. These keep our three-year old entertained-and sometimes those around us-for part of our waiting time.
• Picture It. Have you taken a lot of pictures? Spend some time in line scrolling through them and sharing them with your kids. My little one loves to look at pictures of herself! Or, have some fun taking funny face pictures to entertain yourselves in line.

• Map it Out. Our boys are obsessed with maps. Maps of ANY kind. They scour there Disney park maps, reliving the previous attractions, planning what’s next, and discovering new paths to get to our next destination. You can pick up maps and times guides as you enter each park, or order ones from Disney.com.

What do you suggest as line entertainment?

Magically Yours,

Carrie

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