Amusement Park Walking

As you might have guessed from the title of this blog piece, I've been on vacation--at a couple of different amusement parks.

Actually, vacation was three mini-vacations in one. And by the end of the two weeks, we were EXHAUSTED!

In my infinite wisdom, I thought it would be an ingenious idea to go to WDW (Walt Disney World) and UF (Universal Florida) immediately after school was out for the summer. Actually, the idea had its merits, considering I found out that many Florida school systems and numerous northeastern states (winter weather days) were still in classes until June.

I had forgotten to factor in the entire southern section of the country, the fact that the UK was on it's mid-term breaks, and a whole slew of South American residents were enjoying their breaks. . . oh, and those lucky, lucky kids who lived close to the big amusement parks to have their 8th-grade/senior/band trips there.

In other words, it wasn't even summer yet and everything was crowded.

Here are a few simple suggestions for going to big amusement parks.

• RESEARCH and READ about the park and the rides. If you have a young family, then your ride choice will be different than a family with grandparents or teens. Find online maps of the parks.
  
• PLAN your day--Disney allows you to make three Fast Pass reservations 60 days prior to your vacation if you stay at an on-site property (30 days for off-site hotels). Do this with the rides you definitely want to ride.
• GO EARLY. Yes, I know this is vacation, but unless you love crowds, heat and humidity, then go to the parks early as there are fewer people there. Now, this doesn't mean there aren't any people, oh, no, it will be crowded, but less crowded with less 'hangry' (hungry, angry, i.e. tired) people and kids.
• ACKNOWLEDGE that it will be crowded and you probably won't be able to do everything you want to do.
• PARADES--If you don't want to see the parades plan to be in line for a big ride because many people start camping out along the parade route 1-2 HOURS before the parade. We actually rode two Thunder Mountain rides while people were pushing for position for the Electrical Light Parade. We were heading to Pirates (there's a cut through near the edge of Liberty Square) when we stopped about three people deep and watched the parade.
• CHARACTERS--If you want to see characters, then you can Fast Pass the lines, or do a character meal. Princesses are found in EPCOT's Norway along with Cinderella's Royal Table.
• PAY ATTENTION-- I lost count of the times groups of people would randomly stop in the middle of walking to have a conversation. Take it to the edge, People! It's too crowded to be oblivious of the other guests. We all paid money for the park, be considerate of others. It's not hard. All you have to do is be conscientious.
• SMOKING--I don't smoke. My family doesn't smoke. Smoke triggers my asthma. All amusement parks have provided smoking areas. USE THEM! Quit being selfish for once in your smoking lives and think about how your smoke might effect others.
• BIG STEPS AND LITTLE ONES--I might have walked over 20,000 steps daily, but many times they weren't active steps. Nobody walks at the same pace. Some people are slow. Some groups string out effectively blocking the entire walkway. Learn to shoot the gaps. People are oblivious especially in large groups. Take a chill pill and figure out how to make it work without getting frustrated.
• NOT BATTERING RAMS--Look, I know strollers and electric scooters are big and unwieldy. The least you can do is to NOT use them as battering rams. My hubby had his Achilles tendon rammed hard enough that momentum caused the stroller to lift up in the air. It's not nice. It hurts. Learn to be patient.
• WINE--helps. After you leave the park. Enjoy an adult beverage. Just sayin'.

I've talked about all sorts of do's and don'ts with amusement park fun over the last several years. The main thing to remember, especially in the Florida summer, is to keep hydrated. You don't have to buy a bottle of water, you can just go into a food place and request a cup of water.

Chill out. Enjoy time with your loved ones. And realize that you probably won't get to see or do everything you want to see or do. Even 'off season' isn't very slow any more. Just plan to return again. . .
Because in 2016, Disney's Animal Kingdom is scheduling the opening of Avatarland. Just saying.

Wally World Tips & Tricks- Parks-- part three

Okay,  you figured out which hotel you're staying at. You've rented a car, or not. And now, you want to go to the various WDW parks. There are four parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.

Here's a map to give you an idea of how the parks are situated:

And here's a more fun looking map to show you the locations of hotels compared to the parks:

Sorry about the quality. Check the Disney site for a current map.
Each park has a particular logo or landmark.

Magic Kingdom is Cinderella's Castle
Animal Kingdom is the Tree of Life
Epcot is the Spaceship Earth sphere
Disney Hollywood Studios is Mickey's Sorcerer's Apprentice Magic Hat

Let's start with the most popular park--The Magic Kingdom

If you have wee little tykes, well, and even big tykes, they will want to go to Magic Kingdom (MK) first . . . the kingdom where all the princesses reside, many characters have special meet and greets, and my favorite--RIDES.

The biggest problem with going to the MK before any other park because every other park will be an emotional let-down. It all boils down to each visitor's expectations. None of the other parks come close to meeting a visitor's vision of all things DISNEY, except MK.

Don't get me wrong.

All the parks are wonderful and provide a very individual feel and style, but when people talk about going to Disney, they are really talking about going to the MK.

Here is a link to the 2013 map of the Magic Kingdom. If you happen to have an old map, then you need to realize Toon Town is no more and Fantasyland has expanded. The map is so large that I wasn't able to download it and have it be legible.

Familiarize yourself with this map. The more you can spend memorizing it the less time you waste trying to figure out what to do or where to go next. This map is available in the tunnel under the WDW railroad tracks and after you go through the turnstiles. The maps are also available in numerous languages . . . if you want to practice your foreign language or for those visitors from other countries.

So if you have one day or a few days to spend in WDW, the key is to be prepared and prioritize. If you purchased the Unofficial Guide to WDW, then they will give you all sorts of 'touring' plans to see it all, or almost all, of the park according to the time of year and traffic patterns.

Well, forget that!

Why?

Because of ALL those other people using those plans!

So how do you prioritize the park for your family?
How do you know what the height limit is for the rides?
How do you know if it's a wet ride/dark ride?
Which rides offer a fast pass?
What times do the characters have meet and greets, and where?
Which rides suggest possible motion sickness/neck and back issues?

How you figure it out is that you will do what I did--you will design a spread sheet. This section of a spreadsheet is from ten years ago when we went to Disney with our almost three year old.
Three years old is the magic number when they start charging for your child. The closer your kid is to three, the more fun everyone will have!

Rides  MK

Main Street USA

WDW Railroad

Adventureland

Swiss Family Treehouse--playground

Jungle Cruise                                            FP

Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Pirate of the Caribbean                        D

Enchanted Tiki Birds--show

Frontierland

Splash Mountain    D FP 40" SO WET

Big Thunder Mountain     FP  SO  40"

Country Bear Jamboree--show

Tom Sawyer Island--playground

Diamond Horseshoe Revue--show

Shootin' Arcade

WDW Railroad

Liberty Square

Hall of Presidents--show

Liberty Belle Riverboat

Haunted Mansion                       D  FP SC

Fantasyland

It's a Small World

Peter Pan's Flight                             D   FP

Mickey's PhilharMagic 3D--movie  FP

Cinderella's Golden Carrousel

Winnie the Pooh                                D  FP

Snow White's Adventures                     D

Ariel's Grotto--meet/greet--fountain

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Mad Tea Party                                          MS

Mickey's Toontown Fair

WDW Railroad

Mickey's Country House

Minnie's Country House

Hall of Fame--meet/greet--pictures

Barnstormer at Goofy's Farm

Donald's Boat--fountain/playground

Tomorrowland

Space Mountain                D  FP 44" SO

Indy Speedway                    52" to drive

Astro Orbiter                                           MS

Transit Authority

Carousel of Progress--show

Timekeeper--show, seasonal

Buzz's Space Ranger Spin            D   FP

Stitch's Great Escape    D  FP SC 40"

 Here is my color key to the definitions:

EXHIBITS

FOUNTAINS/PLAYGROUNDS

THEATER/SHOWS/FILMS

MEET/GREET CHARACTERS

D--Dark

MS--Motion Sickness

FP---Fast Pass

SO---Switching off option

SC---Scary



This spreadsheet was originally designed when my daughter was almost three and visited WDW for the first time. Many of the rides have changed, but you can see at a glance what the rides/shows offer. This information is available on the Disney website and the unofficial guide. Take the time to design your own spreadsheet.

Only you know what information is pertinent to your family's choices for fun. We're a ride family and rarely go to the shows, but if you like the shows, then you need to know that the lines form roughly 30+ minutes prior to the show.

Switching Off -- this is an option where one parent rides the ride and switches off by taking the child so the second parent can ride the ride. It's quite common for parents to do this, so don't feel bad if you have to switch off. Disney is all about making the experience 'magical' for every member of the family.

Fast Passes -- think before you get a Fast Pass.

1. Fast passes have return times. Check the time window for your return. Is it during a parade, or show, your daughter has her heart set on seeing? Do you have meal reservations on the other side of the park at this time? Will your kids be 'Disney'ed out' for the day and need to chillax at the hotel pool?
2. A specific number of fast passes are generated for a particular window of return time. Some of the popular rides (Toy Story at Disney Studios, for example) will run out of fast passes within an hour of opening their gates. Or the return time will be 8:00 PM. Will you really be at the park at that time?
3. Once you get a fast pass, you are locked from getting another fast pass until an hour before your fast pass is useable. For example: At 8:00 AM, you get a Fast Pass for Space Mountain with a return time of 2:00 PM. But you discover the line for Splash Mountain is 90 minutes long and you don't want to wait. You won't be able to get a fast pass for Splash Mountain until 1:00 PM. . . and, by then, the return times will be during the fireworks in the evening.
4. Some fast passes simply aren't worth it, mainly fast passes for shows--Mickey's Philharmagic,  or Stitch's Great Escape, for example. The auditoriums for the shows are HUGE, larger than you think when looking at the piles of people in the queuing areas. Don't fass yourself about it, and just plan to wait.
5. Some fast passes are worth it, BUT you miss the pre-ride areas for a particular ride. The new-and-improved Winnie-the-Pooh ride is one example. The pre-ride area has fun things for the little ones to play with in Rabbit's garden.
6. We've been known to get a Fast Pass for a later time AND then wait in line to ride the ride. Space Mountain is one we do this on. This gives us the opportunity to enjoy the queuing area with it's 'space invader' type games, but then we can usually turn right around and blow past everyone to ride the ride again.

*Hints & suggestions:

• Prepare your children to the fact that the characters are BIG. They might look small on TV, but they are big in person!
• Go early, leave early--whether it's for a nap or a swim in the pool. Everyone needs to decompress.
• Adults--stop at WalMart or a liquor store to buy adult beverages for your hotel room. You might want a beer at the Magic Kingdom, but you won't find any . . . unless they are serving it at the new Be Our Guest Restaurant in Fantasyland.
• Don't expect your little one's to be able to handle getting up early AND staying up late for the fireworks. Pick your poison, and plan to return to see it all when they are older
• Find a good seat early if you want to enjoy a parade. Sometimes you can walk up to a great place, but if it's the crowded time of year, budget some time to sit and chill.
• Keep hydrated. Florida is freaking hot and humid. Tempers flare when one is hot, hungry and tired.
• Don't push your kids to do something they don't want to do. If you have to, ride the ride first and then truthfully tell them what to expect.
• Even if you have older kids, don't miss out on some of the 'kiddie' rides. Peter Pan is NOT to be missed!
• Sometimes you can get on rides when everyone is waiting for the parade or fireworks. There's something about watching the fireworks while riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, or Astro Orbiter. Been there, done that!
• If you don't want to wait in line for Dumbo, then ride Aladdin's Magic Carpet or the Astro Orbiter, both are a similar type of ride.
• Space Mountain seats one visitor behind the other, NOT side-by-side. If you have back or neck issues, you might want to rethink this ride. Have a family member reconnoiter the ride before you get on. I love it, but  . . . it does jerk the crap out of you.
• Don't bother renting a stroller. Teach your kid to walk OR take an umbrella stroller.
• Some rides you might not be interested in, but take your time and wait in line. You've all heard of the It's a Small World song--yes, that particular earworm will stick with you the entire day!--but the ride is fun, colorful, and the kids love it.
• I didn't want to ride Peter Pan for the longest time since I never really liked the movie--GO ON THE RIDE! How many times do you get to ride in a flying ship??

That's it for now. I'm sure I've forgotten more than I wrote down. If you want more info then please ask me in the comments or email. I love Disney and will always talk about my experiences!

Later, Peeps!