Disney World Line Busters

Tired of waiting in long lines in the Florida heat? Well here are some rides to help you beat the heat and the crowds!

1. It’s a Small World. Take a relaxing ride on “the happiest cruise that ever sailed”, and listen to the little dolls sing. (Caution: Catchy tune may get caught in your head for the rest of the day!)The only time I’ve seen the ride over 10 minutes is on March Break, and if it’s raining.  Location: Magic Kingdom, Fantasyland.

2. The Three Caballeros.  Another relaxing boat ride follows the adventures of Donald Duck as he tours Mexico. I’ve always been able to walk right on this ride. Location: Epcot, World Showcase, Mexican Pavilion.

3. The Country Bear Jamboree. Singing bears in an air-conditioned theatre. Need I say more?

This is one of my favourite Disney shows! I often catch myself singing the songs,(Again, Caution: Catchy tunes ahead!) and I laugh every time I see it! There are shows every 12 minutes, and I’ve never seen the theatre full. Location: Magic Kingdom, Frontierland.

4. Muppet Vision 3D. Dr Honeydew and Beaker’s latest creation, Waldo, gets into all sorts of 3D mischief in this Muppet adventure. This is a great 13 minute show that rarely ever has a wait. Location: Hollywood Studios, not far from Star Tours.

5. The Carousel of Progress. Another one of my personal favourites, this revolving theatre takes you on a journey through time, as it follows an American family through the changes of the 1900s. From the dawn of electric lights to the invention of flat screen TVs, it really sheds light on how much progress has been made in the past century. I guarantee you will never have to wait more than 10 minutes for this attraction! Location: Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland.

These are the best line busters, but there are plenty more! All the rides I listed are good for those unexpected Florida rains, too, as they are all indoors.

Hope this helps, and enjoy your Disney vacation!

 

 

 

Crowd Control at Disney

Avoiding crowds at Walt Disney World is a very difficult task, especially for first timers. So here are a few tips to help with crowd control:

1. Time of year. Disney is going to be less crowded in January-February than June-July. (January is usually pretty cold, even for Florida. I’d go more toward February.) May is a lovely time to go! You might get to see the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, which is just stunning! The only time when Disney gets really crowded in May is during Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios. That can work in your favor too, because there’s less people at the other parks during that time.

March Break is wicked crowded! March is probably Disney’s busiest month! I’ve been to Disney twice during that time, and it was horrible! I remember being at Epcot by the Norway pavilion. The rest of my family was in the washroom, so me and my mom were going to find a bench to sit and look at the map. There wasn’t even a place to lean on a wall!! So let your kids skip school for a few days and take them some time when the parks are less crowded, it’s more enjoyable for everyone!

2. Extra Magic Hours. This works well for anyone staying on Disney property. Park is closing and all the locals or people staying off site have to leave, but Disney resort guests get to stay longer on select nights (or on site guests can go to the park in the morning before it opens to the rest of the public)! It’s way less crowded since there’s about 2/3 less people there. (The only exception to this is the Epcot World Showcase, which opens to everyone at the same time.) Another perk of staying at a Disney Resort!

3. Schedule. This is very important! The night before, sit down with a map of the park your going to spend the next day at, and plan how things are going to go. Lay out everything. This also helps make sure everyone does everything they want to do, without running around the park looking for something to do next.

4. Character Dining. Character meet and greets make for long lines and lots of people. Most characters can be found at character dining, where you can sit down, enjoy a Disney meal, and the characters come to you! You can get all the pictures and autographs that you could get at a meet and greet without the line! Except you can do it with four characters instead of one! Make reservations ahead of time.

5. Main Street USA. Moms, I know your excited  to hit the gift shops on Main Street, but there will be time for that later. As soon as the park opens, most people are going to be heading straight for the gift shops first. Get a head start on the rides. You will have time to shop later! 

Hopefully these tips will help lessen the crowds on your Disney vacation!

The Main Street Electrical Parade

The Main Street Electrical Parade is a Magic Kingdom night time parade. Everything has lights from Cinderella’s glass slipper, to Captain Hook’s hat!

There are characters and floats that you can not find anywhere’s else. For instance, Cinderella rides in her pumpkin coach, Pete and Elliot are there from the movie ‘Pete’s Dragon’ , and the caterpillar from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is there too!

You must start to line up at least an hour before hand. Main Street is the best place to sit because then you can just stand up and watch the Wishes fireworks spectacular when the parade is over.

If you haven’t had supper, send Dad over to Casey Jr’s. I highly recommend the little battered hot dogs!

The parade is definitely weather permitting, (wouldn’t want Mickey Mouse to get electrocuted!) and it is only on select nights. Check out Disney’s website ahead of time for a schedule.

The Main Street Electrical parade is so cool!!!  A definite must do!

 

 

 

 

The Festival of Fantasy Parade

The brand new Festival of Fantasy Parade recently replaced the 3 O’Clock Parade in Magic Kingdom. I was kind of disappointed when I heard this because ever since I remember it has been the 3 o’clock parade. (I still wonder what they did with all the t-shirts and mugs that said “What time is the 3 o’clock Parade?”)

However when I saw this new parade, I wasn’t nearly as disappointed. The floats are very elaborate and detailed, complete with a fire breathing dragon. All of your favourite characters are still there, and they added in Anna and Elsa.

You really need to start searching for a spot about 45 minutes before it starts.  It won’t seem long, because while your waiting is a good time to check out the gift shops near by. I prefer watching from Frontierland, somewhere along the same street as the Country Bear Jamboree, but really anywhere will provide good viewing as long as your at the front.

The parade is still at 3:00 every day (weather permitting), and it lasts about 12 minutes.

Of coarse I’ll miss the 3 o’clock parade, but the new Festival of Fantasy is a pretty good replacement in my opinion. I mean really, who doesn’t love a fire breathing dragon?

 

The Dwarf’s Mine Train

We were recently to Disney World about mid May, and while we were there, I got to ride the Dwarf’s Mine Train for the first time! (And the second…and the third… oh and the fourth time too!)

I absolutely loved it! It’s different from all the other coasters I’ve been on due to the carts swinging away from the train, which was really cool.  It’s a very tame ride. There are a couple small drops, and one larger, but still small, drop. My only complaint about it was that it was rather short.

This attraction is currently the newest ride in all of Disney World, as it is part of the New Fantasyland Expansion in Magic Kingdom. The wait time is really long. The whole time we were there it was over 45 minutes, even first thing in the morning when the lines are typically short. So Fastpass this one!

This is is a fantastic ride, and I strongly encourage you to try it, if you haven’t already. And if you have, ride it again!

 

Katie’s Top Ten in Magic Kingdom: #10 Journey of the Little Mermaid

Journey of the Little Mermaid is one of Disney’s newest attractions. Part of the Fantasyland expansion in Magic Kingdom, this ride is a must do for Little Mermaid fans of all ages!

You board your clam shell right inside Prince Eric’s castle, and from there you go through some classic scenes from the movie.

I have seen this ride have a wait time of 45 minutes, though I have also been able to walk right on. Try to aim to do this one earlier in the morning or later in the evening. The line seems to be shorter then.

This is a great ride, especially for those princess fans. Don’t miss this one!

Katie’s Top Ten in Magic Kingdom: #9 Haunted Mansion

Take a tour through a haunted house in your Doom Buggy, with a ghost as your guide! There are ghosts everywhere, totalling “999 happy haunts”. It goes backwards once, but it’s really slow and smooth. I love the illusions. Like the floating candlestick in the hallway, or  the invisible ghost playing the organ.

*Note: When you reach the banquet scene, the dishes next to the head of the table form a hidden Mickey.*

This is probably not the best ride for younger kids. If you have a fear of ghosts, zombies, haunted houses, or the dark, check out the Ol’ Christmas Shoppe across the street while the rest of your party rides it. (Don’t forget about the Parent Swap option!) The Haunted Mansion is an awesome ride. Just try not to pick up any hitchhiking ghosts along the way!!

Katie’s Top Ten in Magic Kingdom: #8 Peter Pan’s Flight

Peter Pan’s Flight is a really cool ride! It’s in Fantasyland, right across from Its A Small World.

Hop aboard your miniture pirate ship and set sail through the story of Peter Pan.  The coolest part? Your pirate ship flies!

This is an extremely popular ride, and the line gets SUPER long! So either Fastpass it, or go as soon as the park opens.

This attraction is not fast and it’s not scary, so anyone can go on it. It’s definatly worth a ride!

Katie’s Top Ten in Magic Kingdom: #7 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a really cool ride! It’s not fast or scary or anything, but that doesn’t mean it’s just for little kids.

Board your honey pot and go through the story of Winnie the Pooh and friends. The coolest part of the ride, for me, is the fact that your vehicle will move around, making you feel like your actually in the story. For instance, when you first see Tigger, your honey pot will bounce along with him.  You’ll get to go through some of the classic stories from the book, including when Pooh Bear goes off into his dream about heffulumps and woozles!

The ride’s average wait time is 30-50 minutes, but the great part about this attraction is all the games to play while you wait! This makes the time go by fast, so don’t bother fast passing this one.

This attraction is so cool! It’s definitely in my top ten!

Katie’s Top Ten in Magic Kingdom: #6 It’s a Small World

No matter your age, you need to go on It’s a Small World! It’s a classic Disney attraction and was one of the original rides when the park opened. It’s also one of the few rides that Disney has in all 5 of their theme parks.

Take a trip around the world on a relaxing boat ride. You’ll go through Asia, Hawaii, Russia, United Kingdom, Mexico, the Netherlands, Australia, Africa, and China and see all the animals and little dolls embracing their culture, all the while singing the theme song “It’s a Small World After All” in a variety of languages. Be prepared though, this catchy tune is likely to go through your head for the rest of the day!

The ride is an especially great one if you want to beat the heat (as the ride is completely indoors) or beat the lines! The only times I’ve seen the line over 10 minutes is on a holiday, or if it’s raining.

This is such a cute attraction! Don’t leave until you go on “the happiest cruise that ever sailed!”