Queue Tips with Young Children

[Claire-Bear]

Hi all

We will be taking our girls (4 and 7) in August for their first (and probably only due to cost!) trip to WDW.

They have not experienced queuing for rides, or Florida heat, before (we're in the UK).

What are your best tips for entertaining them during long queues? It's been over 10yrs since I last went, I can't remember if many queues have AC?

Thanks in advance!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Some of the queues are good fun-7 dwarfs mine train has activities to keep them amused as does WTP and possibly Peter Pan so they should be easy enough. Others have plenty to see as you move along and most are out of the heat of the sun. I always had few snacks and a bottle of water handy to pass some of the time plus a small notebook that they can use to play noughts & crosses or draw in. It’s been a while since my kids were that young but honestly they were always so excited that even a simple game is “I spy” kept them happy.
Have a great trip.

 

[Princesca]

You can buy cooling towels or neck fans to help with the heat, or misting fans.

 

[Anna131517]

Cooling towels and misting fans. Plan your days to hit the parks early, take a break, and go back at night. Use Genie+ at MK and HS if you can afford it. Know the shows and rides where you can get out of the heat - there are lists online if you Google it. Stay hydrated and if you’re overheating eat something cool and get inside. Wear hats. Rent a stroller - the heat will suck the energy out of the kids.

 

[Claire-Bear]

Thanks for the tips!

Unfortunately taking a break and going back at night isn't an option as my sister would be dropping us off on her way to work and picking us up afterwards (we're staying 40mins away from parks), but we will hunt down AC when we can!

 

[tinkerjo]

I would ride rides in the morning and do more shows in the afternoons. I feel Most the queues are air conditioned after you get inside. (If the line is too long, you may have to wait outside for a while). Eat inside for meals. Also if you can afford to get the Genie+ it helps a lot with wait times. We NEVER wait over 1/2 hour for any ride, so not a home lot of time to entertain. My kids always liked to snack, get a drink (I packed these things) while waiting. Do get a stroller for the 4yo. Just so much walking, especially in the heat.

 

[Rory607]

My kids like looking at paper park maps, so I pull those out while we’re waiting and we talk about what we’re doing next or whatever. If your family likes popcorn, get a popcorn bucket and eat popcorn in line. Obviously any snack works, but popcorn takes longer as they eat one piece at a time, lol!

We also play little games like 20 questions or a game we invented called “what’s your favorite.” One person asks what’s your favorite ————— and everyone gives their answer. We try to think more creatively than just favorite color, etc. And honestly, sometimes we let them have our phones for a bit. I know not everyone agrees, but we have educational and art-type apps they play. As long as it’s not loud or bothering others, I have no problem with it.

 

[MamaMermaid]

You can buy cooling towels or neck fans to help with the heat, or misting fans.

I'd recommend this!!

Honestly, we don't do anything special to entertain our 5 year old. We talk! Sometimes, if it's bad, he plays on one of our phones. I know some people bring tablets but it's not needed for our family. YMMV.

 

[juxtapose]

At that age, we just didn't get in queues over 30 minutes. August has lower crowds usually so you should have a lot of rides geared towards kids with shorter rides and use genie+ or lightning lanes for the longer ride lines. Then definitely hats and cooling towels and drink more water than you think you need.

 

[RoseGold]

You don't really need to be in long lines at that age. Barnstormer, Dumbo, Ariel, get a pretzel, it's all good.

Don't forget Bippidi Boutique. That's air conditioned, and wowza is it an experience at this age.

 

[loves to dive]

I'd recommend this!!

Honestly, we don't do anything special to entertain our 5 year old. We talk! Sometimes, if it's bad, he plays on one of our phones. I know some people bring tablets but it's not needed for our family. YMMV.

This. Keep in mind, my son was 5 years old 38 years ago and times and kids have changed. I think by that time maybe handheld video games had come along, I don't remember and if he had one, he wasn't allowed to take it to the theme parks. We liked to make up stories about people/places or things we saw. That man standing over there is a spy and the kids aren't really his kids but tiny spies as well. He is on a recon. mission to find a evil villain who does whatever. The people in that picture are actually..... Things like that. We could get a whole backstory and scenes going for long past waiting time. Heck, we sometimes had other people in the line join in when they heard what we were doing. Mind you, it was never anything nasty or mean and always something way off the mark and silly. We, ahem, still might do that to this day.

 

[Claire-Bear]

Thanks for the advice all!

 

[flyingenie]

I'm planning on getting Disney mad libs (there are mickey, frozen, disney princess etc themed ones) and using that to pass the time in line! The 7yo can help out the 4yo and can turn it into a funny story time!

 

[MrMouse1]

We are from the UK too, this will be our first trip to Disney!

We are thinking plenty of water and ways to shade from the sun. Hats, shades, caonpys.

 

[danceintherain]

When we were "stuck" last summer (in lines...in random airports when a plane got diverted) I came up with questions to ask my kids. For example, "if you could have a super power, which one would you have?" Then when one of my kids chose teleportation, we started listing places we would teleport to. My kids had a lot of fun with that one...

But, I also don't get in line if the posted wait is more than about 30 minutes.

 

[DVCSince99]

Freeze applesauce pouches or other food to eat in line when it's hot! We always eat snacks in line or play games ("I Spy") to pass the time.

 

[disneykins]

We always used to play "name five". We'd each have to name 5 Disney movies, characters, villains, rides, cities that begin with A, B, C, etc, countries, states, sports stars, singers, the categories were endless. This was before handheld video games (even before cell phones, lol) and no Fast Passes so lines were regularly over an hour. Some of our best memories 30 years later are of playing these games in line.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Thanks for the tips!

Unfortunately taking a break and going back at night isn't an option as my sister would be dropping us off on her way to work and picking us up afterwards (we're staying 40mins away from parks), but we will hunt down AC when we can!

If you're unable to get away from the parks in the afternoons, I would prioritize making ADR's for your lunches. This way you have a guaranteed place to get some AC, sit down, rest your feet and refuel. Also consider getting outside of the parks and checking out the nearby resorts if you want to get away from the crowds for a bit.

Definitely get some spray fans and cooling towels, they are so so helpful. Get Genie+ if there are attractions you consider must-do's (otherwise, you can just focus on the less popular attractions without worrying too much about super long lines). At 4 and 7, I'm sure your kids can tolerate some waiting, but Disney can be overwhelming for kiddos especially if they're not accustomed to the heat and you're unable to get out of the parks for a break. Genie+ might just help things go a little easier on all of you. We were there with our then less-than-two year old and 5 year old and Genie+ was a lifesaver.

 

[Claire-Bear]

Thank you, we are aiming for 3 ADR lunches out of our 6 park days. The others we will try to find AC QS (Cosmic Rays maybe? Are there any other gpod AC QS recommendations?). I'm hoping we can watch shows during the hottest parts of the afternoon too.
I've bought some spray fans and cooling towels now which hopefully will help I've also bought a UV umbrella, just for emergency shade.
We are budgeting for 2 days of Genie + (1 for MK and 1 for HS).
Thanks for the tip re popping to the resorts if we need a break

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Thank you, we are aiming for 3 ADR lunches out of our 6 park days. The others we will try to find AC QS (Cosmic Rays maybe? Are there any other gpod AC QS recommendations?). I'm hoping we can watch shows during the hottest parts of the afternoon too.
I've bought some spray fans and cooling towels now which hopefully will help I've also bought a UV umbrella, just for emergency shade.
We are budgeting for 2 days of Genie + (1 for MK and 1 for HS).
Thanks for the tip re popping to the resorts if we need a break

For quick service with AC, you could try Regal Eagle at Epcot, and for MK there are also a few options (Columbia Harbor House, Pinocchio Village Haus) as well as Gasparilla Grill at the Grand Floridian, Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary, Roaring Fork at the Wilderness Lodge - since they're outside the parks they'll be less crowded you won't likely have to fight for indoor seating. Satuli Canteen at AK has an indoor section.