What should we do while waiting in lines

I am sure that you are seeing this picture wondering why this picture is associated with the blog. Well it is simple but there is a little story that I need to tell so that you will understand.

June 2007. We had missed out on getting fastpasses to ride Soarin. this is one of my favorite rides and I didn't want to miss it. So we went in the stand by line and just decided to tough it out. And when I say tough it out, the wait time for standby was 120 minutes. You read that correctly. Over 2 hours to wait. The interactive line games had just been put in, but it was a long wait until we even got to those. So my niece decided that she was going to play a little game. We were going to see how many people would give her a high five as they walked by in the fastpass line. Lots of people ignored her but there were a ton that played along. And my whole party made a fun game out of it. We all counted and cheered as people would do it. The picture is of the girl that was the 100th person to do it. We made a big deal out of it and asked the girl to take her picture with us. It was a very memorable moment of our trip. And every time we see this picture we always talk about it. It was a ton of fun.

Sorry for the long story but it really helped the time go by very quickly. So I will now talk about the things that you can do to help the time go quickly while waiting in line. First I would like to say if at all possible get the fastpass. That will really maximize your touring. But if you get caught in line here a few things that you can do.

• Buy the portable Disney 20 questions - this helped me through a lot of lines.
• Bring the Hidden Mickey's guide book and hunt for hidden Mickeys
• Lou Mongello's Walt Disney World Trivia book.
• Look around the queue line- imagineers like to entertain all the time and they are always adding little things to see. And make sure while waiting for Jungle Cruise you listen to the radio announcements.
• Go through pictures on your camera.
• When I tour the park by myself I like to listen to my iPod (I would only do that if I was alone)

Disney has also tried to help the lines by adding more interactive queues. And they have succeeded. The one for the Pooh ride is a lot of fun. I bet you that most kids would have more fun playing in the queue than they would riding the ride. Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion are the newest additions to this field.

These are just a few ways. But I would also use this time to just sit back and talk to your family or the people you are traveling with. I have had more fun just talking to the people that I am with. Its a great way to create those memories that Walt Disney World creates for us.

Fun when not in the parks

Sometimes when you are at the parks all day you need some time to just unwind. Time to take a break from running around and just relax.

I would say the most popular option is to use the swimming pools. And let me tell you the Walt Disney Resorts have some of the best pools in the industry. And I am not just talking about the moderate or deluxe resorts. The value pools are a lot of fun even if they don't have water slides. A lot of fun can be had there. And for you adults that like to partake at least one pool at your resort will be near an outdoor bar. And there is something nice about sitting out by the pool having a drink while that is very relaxing.

One thing that I love to do with people is go into the gift shop and try on all of the hats. I have taken so many pictures of just different people that I am traveling with trying on the hats. It is always good for a laugh.

I have always had a lot of fun touring other resorts. I will take one of the busses to a resort I have never been too and just walk around. Look at the arcade, pool, store, and everything that the the resort has to offer.

A very big time waster is heading to Downtown Disney. I have spent hours walking around the Marketplace and the Westside. I could spend an hour just in the art of Disney store looking at all of the things that I wish I could afford. And if you make it there you will be able to head over to the Ghiradelli chocolate store and get some ice cream with Ghiradelli chocolate. And that is definitely not to be missed.

There are lots of paths and trails that you can always go and explore on. Or try renting a boat or a watermouse and cruise around Bay lake. That is a little more expensive but it is a good way to spend the afternoon.

The Dining Plan

It has been a long time since I have posted anything. Looking back I can see that it has almost been a month. That is ridiculous. I need to get better about posting something almost every day. So I will post again today.

I have been working on getting together some trips for people and so I decided that I would actually do a break down of the costs and see if it was really worth it to get the Disney dining plan. I hate to say this but it is really all going to depend on what you like to do on your vacation. If you like to eat then it is probably something that you will want to do. So here is the break down of what you get.

Quick Service

• 2 quick service meals (meal, dessert, and drink)
• 2 snacks
• 1 refillable mug per person
  

Dining Plus

• 1 quick service meal (meal, dessert, and drink)
• 1 sit down dinner
• 1 snack

Premium Dining Package

• 3 meals (mix and match quick service and sit down)
• 2 snacks
• 1 mug per person

So there are the plans and what you get. Looking at everything you get I figured out that if you were to order the most expensive thing for every option at all of your meals it would save you $6.97 a day for Quick Service and $6.59 a day for the dining plus. What you eat should definitely be taken into effect when you are looking at this package.

The premium package could be a really good deal if you like all of the food and only if you utilize two sit down meals a day. If you did two quick service and a sit down it would not be worth the money. But if you do the sit down meals on the premium package you will get the appetizers. And that adds to the value!

I have done the dining plan once. And it was when it first started. What I remember was it was a ton of food. I mean almost too much! But if you like to eat on your vacation that is definitely the way to do it.

Don't forget that you can use two table service meals to get one special dining. Special dining would be character meals, Hoopy Doo Revue, and Ohana. I have done that a few times and they were well worth it.

I hope that this post helps you looking at the meal plan. If you have any questions feel free to contact me and I can talk you through it.