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Disney World Without Waiting in Line
Here we are at Disney's Hollywood Studios last summer in the middle of the day. Where are all the crowds? Somewhere else!!
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You read that title correctly! It is possible! It makes me so sad when people return from a Disney World vacation and are disappointed because they spent hours waiting in line for attractions instead of enjoying themselves. It doesn’t have to be that way!
Let’s face it: even if you are visiting Disney World on a budget (see my three-part series), a Disney vacation is a major financial and emotional investment. Most likely, you’ve planned this trip for months. You may have childhood memories of your own family Disney vacations that you’re trying to replicate, or you at least have a fantasy of what a Disney trip “should be”. The bottom line: you deserve to get the most out of your Disney vacation. And it’s easy to do…if you have an itinerary and touring plans.
An itinerary is a schedule of which of Disney World’s four theme parks you plan to visit on which days. When designing your itinerary, it’s important to choose parks that will be the least crowded on each day. Daily touring plans, on the other hand, are comprised of your “must-see attractions” in each theme park, listed in order of when you plan to experience them. Attractions should be organized with the goal of minimizing wait times; certain attractions build long lines quickly and should be experienced first, while others can be visited at any time during the day. It’s important to keep in mind that touring plans are not schedules; they are just guides, and they should allow for some spontaneity (this is a vacation, after all)!
Exactly how do you develop an itinerary and daily touring plans? You have two options. First, you can do it yourself. The Internet contains countless resources that will assist you in researching and designing your own Disney vacation plans. This process is very time-consuming, however; it literally took me months to sift through all of the available resources and successfully plan our first Disney vacation. Nevertheless, if you have the time and desire to do this on your own, it can be really fun! Your second option is to hire a Disney travel specialist to design your itineraries and touring plans for you. This is a fantastic solution if you are short on time, or if you become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information, OR if planning a vacation is simply not your cup of tea. A good Disney travel professional will listen to you, learn about your family, and handcraft unique and personalized plans for you that will help you avoid the crowds as much as possible.
Many people question whether an itinerary and touring plans are truly necessary. Disney World is unlike other vacation destinations; while you definitely do not need to (nor should you) schedule every single moment of your trip, having a plan to guide you is essential to the success of your vacation. I’ll never forget a conversation that I had with a friend after we both returned from our first family Disney vacations. I’d designed an itinerary and touring plans; he had not. Our family had enjoyed a truly magical vacation; we made memories on that trip that will last a lifetime. On the other hand, my friend’s family had spent most of their time battling frustrating crowds, and he was resentful of the time and money he’d invested in his trip. Each day, we experienced every attraction on our “wish-list” (and then some) with little to no wait; we always felt like we were a few steps ahead of the crowds. Conversely, my friend complained that his family waited in countless long lines; consequently, they were only able to experience five or six attractions in an entire day. Unfortunately, since then, I have had this same conversation many times with families who visited Disney World without a plan. As a result, I have become truly passionate about helping other people make the most of their Disney vacations, and I’ve discovered over the last few years that the key to success is having a personalized itinerary and daily touring plans.
Next Week’s Post: Save Time in the Theme Parks with my Top Five Touring Tips!
Meredith McCutcheon
Disney Specialist, Ginger's Getaways
Learn more about my personalized Disney itineraries and touring plans
Find me on Facebook or on Drinking the Kool-Aid
laplateau
9:55 am on Thursday, January 17, 2013
Meredith, you are right that there are ways of not having to stand in line and forego all the other things that can be done there. We were there last year and discovered they offered a time slot "ticket" at each of the rides or attractions that allowed you to come back at a specific time and enter a special line to get on right away. We were able to experience a lot more that way without that terrible hassle of waiting an hour or more. Also, there are many publications about planning a trip there that offer a lot of very helpful hints to plan out your vacation at Disney World to enjoy it to the max.
Meredith McCutcheon
10:01 am on Thursday, January 17, 2013
I think you are referring to Disney's FASTPASS system. FASTPASS is available at some of the more popular rides, and it's a great way to stay ahead of the crowds. Many people do not realize that is is free and that everyone can use it!! Disney is tinkering with its FASTPASS system right now, however. They've introduced a FASTPASS + system where some resort guests are able to reserve time slots for attractions BEFORE they even leave home!! I agree that there are many resources out there for people who have the time and desire to plan their trips themselves; like I said in my post, it can be really fun (if you like that sort of thing). Some people, however, prefer to have a professional navigate all of the details, so it's good to know that they are available!! Thanks for your comment!
laplateau
10:08 am on Thursday, January 17, 2013
Yes...FASTPASS...I couldn't remember the name they gave it. We used it extesively and it made the experience much more pleasant!
Jessica Carreras
10:19 am on Thursday, January 17, 2013
I have to commend Disney for having a great program for kids with disabilities, too. My little sister has autism, and has a hard time dealing with standing in line. Disney has a policy that allows the family of a child with a disability to get a sort of "fast pass" of their own for every ride. Without it, my family wouldn't be able to enjoy most of the rides!
laplateau
10:43 am on Thursday, January 17, 2013
I think the Disney people run the most efficient and well run business anywhere. I was, however, a bit disappointed in the ticketing policy that only allows you to use your daily pass for just one of the parks. It used to be that one only had to purchase a daily pass and it would allow you to go from park to park using the same pass. It was great to be able to jump on the monorail and go from magic Kingdom to Epcot to etc...especially for those who had very limited time. Oh well---progress I guess?
Meredith McCutcheon
12:11 pm on Thursday, January 17, 2013
Laplateau, you actually DO have the option of adding what is called a "Park Hopper" option to your tickets! It costs about $59, BUT it's good for your entire length of stay. So, if you're staying for 7 days, that's less than $10 a day, and you are able to visit as many of the four theme parks as you wish each day. We added it to our tickets last time, and it was great! Now, for first time visitors (especially families with small children), I would actually recommend against it. Most of my first-time clients find that one park is definitely enough each day, since they want to experience all of the attractions at each park. For repeat visitors who are looking to hit only their favorite attractions in each park, Park Hopper tickets are a fantastic option! Best of all, you don't have to decide before your trip. If you find that you would like to "Park Hop", you can add that option to your tickets at any theme park ticket window OR at the front desk of any Disney resort hotel.
laplateau
12:27 pm on Thursday, January 17, 2013
Yes, I do remember having that option now that you mention it. But, we have been back many times and I just find it being a money grab by Disney. The cost of admission is high enough, as is most everything else once there, not including the costs of getting there and lodging. But, I understand you points.
Meredith McCutcheon
7:26 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
I understand where you are coming from. I just wanted to clarify for others, though, that the Park Hopper option is not new. In 2005, Disney revamped their ticket options, and this is when the Park Hopper was introduced as an optional add-on to base (one park per day) tickets, allowing guests to decline the Park Hopper option (and thus pay less for their tickets) if they chose. Even before that (from 1999-2005), if guests wanted to visit more than one park per day, they had to select a special (more expensive) ticket option. Prior to 1999, all theme park tickets did include an automatic park-hopping privilege, but it has been 15 years since "park-hopping" has been "free".
Nancy
9:03 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
We were there between Christmas and New Years this year. Yes it was crowded, we expected that, but with the park hopper, we could go different days, and utilize the fast pass for rides "we had to do". The FRUSTRATING thing, is the families who send a line keeper ahead, and they text the rest of the family when they get toward the front, and those people "cut" in the regular standy by line, pushing the rest back. Disney needs to monitor that more efficiently.
Meredith McCutcheon
7:31 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Hi Nancy. That can be very frustrating, and it IS against Disney's policy. I have found that these families do occasionally have a legitimate reason (a toddler had to visit the restroom halfway through the line, etc.), though. I'm not sure how Disney could monitor this constantly, as this often occurs outside of the Cast Member's view. Nevertheless, if it does bother you, you CAN tell a Cast Member, and the family will be asked to go to the back of the line.
Richard Happening
9:25 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Tell a Cast Member if you see anyone drinking from an EBay-purchased mug, too.
Meredith McCutcheon
10:10 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Richard, I have tried to ignore your off-topic, relentless comments about this innocuous, inconsequential issue. However, since you continue to post these comments on all of my blog posts (and on unrelated blogs to which I contribute), they have begun to detract from any legitimate conversation that readers would like to have about this (fun) topic. As a fellow citizen, I am respectfully asking you to stop. Obviously, you're going to say whatever you want, and you have that right. But I would sincerely appreciate it if you would let it go. Thank you.
Concerned Citizen
12:39 am on Saturday, January 26, 2013
Richard- I'm with Meredith, no need to comment on this wonderful travel article and disrupt things. That's called trolling and its so not cool.
Richard Happening
10:38 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
No way
Richard Happening
4:20 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013
MMC,
I once took a cross-country trip by car and utilized the same 99cent McDonald's cup 17 times over a 9-day period. I am SO proud of myself.
MRSPirateLarz
11:12 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Richard, the only thing you are accomplishing is to make yourself look extremely childish. My 10 yr has more common sense and is more polite than you. Give it a rest and stop. Please. It is annoying to all.
blackbird
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James Redd
8:20 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Some crazy guy wrote about hopping the fence on this thread. That is so illegal. Besides, Disney has one of the finest private security forces in Florida. It is a safe place because of their diligence.
Linda Greene
10:07 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
Meredith thank you so much for sharing this great information with us. My dream is to take our whole family to Disney World soon. There are 14 of us and 4 are children under 11. What time of year do you think is the best time to avoid crowds? We are probably limited to the May-September time. Or possibly a week at the end of January. I am starting to plan the trip now for 2014.
Meredith McCutcheon
10:14 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
Hi Linda! Thank you for your comment! To answer your question in detail, check out my post on the best times of year to visit Disney World: http://rochester.patch.com/blog_posts/the-best-times-of-year-to-take-a-disney-vacation. To give you a short answer, I would pick mid-September, late January, and early May (in that order). If you have to go in the summer, I would pick the very beginning of June. If you can't find the answers that you're looking for in the post I wrote about the best times to visit, please feel free to e-mail me at disneymadeeasy@yahoo.com!
Linda Greene
2:55 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
Thank you Meredith for taking the time to forward the article in the Rochester Patch. It was very helpful and had great information.
Meredith McCutcheon
4:16 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
You're very welcome, Linda!! If you discover that you could use a little help (or you would like a quote), please don't hesitate to contact me!!