Busy Season Tips

[Susan Veness]

With Easter/Spring Break coming up and the summer season following shortly after, maybe we can share some of our best tips for dealing with the Busy Season. :)

-Arrive at the parks early. You'll be up at the crack of dawn with the time change anyway, so arriving at the parks 30 minutes before opening time will put you in prime position to head to the park's 'biggies' before the crowds arrive.

-Take mid-day breaks. As hard as it is to leave the parks when you're having fun, taking a mid-day break helps readjust everyone's attitude, especially on hot days. It is almost essential for families with young children. Even if you just go back to the resort and spend an hour in the pool, getting out of the hectic pace can give everyone enough stamina to tour later in the evening.

-Water. Drink lots of it. Not soda, not beer, but water. Lots and lots of water! Dehydration is one of the main problems they treat in the local Urgent Care, and it can quickly lead to exhaustion.

-Find short cuts! Take a quick look at your park map when you arrive. There are lots of little short cuts in the parks that may not be obvious when you're rushing from attraction to attraction.

-Use Fast Pass (obviously!)

-Tour against the flow of traffic. People tend to 'follow the crowd'. You'll be several steps ahead if you head the other way!


Anyone else have a tip to share? These are somewhat obvious, so tell us the little tips you found that helped you deal with the crowds during busier times!

[gloryboy]

Get there early is the no.1 tip. we found the americans liked to eat breakfast before heading to the parks, we took fruit etc. to eat on the way there or at the park gates.
eat early as well queues seemed smaller at peak meal times. staff are less rushed and are more likely to give better service.
we also follow the quietest days guide from brits guide, this really works.

[sex kitten]

we found over the new year, that families tend to leave the parks after the first night parade or fireworks, so it sometimes works in your favour to go late afternoon and stay till the park shuts. this is good if you have older kids.
when ours were younger, we would go early to the parks, then visit a water park for 2/4 hours over lunch/early afternoon, then back to the parks late afternoon. this gave us all a much needed rest and cooled the kids off. they also didnt mind leaving the parks as we werent going home. often they would have a much need 40min nap [adults included].

[dmrevis]

One good tip is to go to the big rides during the main parades, or during the nightly fireworks/shows if possible. Obviously do this only if you dont want to see the parades etc or if you are going to one park on more than one occasion.

Yes, good idea to arrive early and take snacks with you. Like said, lots of water. Dehydration will cause headaches in early stages, headaches causes frustration, frustration causes arguments and so on. Drinking lots of water could save a major family domestic! lol

[Mr Orlando]

good tip there - keep them coming

[jacqui1965]

WELCOME BACK MR O

Jacqui

[Mr Orlando]

WELCOME BACK MR O

Jacqui


thanks its good to be back ..... not

[Susan Veness]

Do you have any Busy Season tips to add, Mr. O? :)

[TESSIE]

We Always Get To The Parks 30mins Before They Open And They Let You In Early. This Gives You A Good Hour To Do The Big Rides As The Parks Seem To Start Filling Up From 10am.

[Mr Orlando]

Do you have any Busy Season tips to add, Mr. O? :)


I thought you would never ask !!

1. Try doing the park anti-clockwise or back to front (start at th back of the park)

2. If you dont want to wait 45 minutes for a ride, try the single rider option.

** i done this at Universal Studios Hollywood on the mummy, the normal Q was 45 minutes and the single rider queue was about 30 seconds ... yes seconds** I went on here about 7 times in 15 minutes.


more to follow

[dmrevis]

yes if you decide to go single rider even with a group, just decide a place to meet after the ride just incase you get put in different cars. Usually in the gift shop at the ride exit for example.

[Mr Orlando]

or even in the single ride line if you wanna ride it again


sometimes you could even sit together

[KillerPenguin]

i do the single rider all the time - beats q'ing

[Simon Veness]

I think you must have discovered a Universal time-warp there, Mr O! The ride takes around 4 minutes a time, plus loading, unloading and walking through the queueing area; seven consecutive rides would take at least 40-50 minutes, unless you have a secret for making time stand still (in which we'd love to know it - it would be brilliant for dealing with imminient writing deadlines!).

But in all seriousness, you make a good point about single rider lines. These can also be found at Men In Black, Spider-Man, Dr Doom and the Hulk at Universal, plus Test Track, Expedition Everest and Mission: Space at Disney (and Rock n RollerCoaster in future, we believe). For single visitors, it is a real boon, and Susan and I often use it at the busier times. I think we got in Everest in less than 5 mins when the stand-by queue was more than half an hour, so it is definitely worth considering if you don't mind your group being split up.

[KillerPenguin]

maybe he was transfixed by being at universal hollywood and lost tract of the time

[Susan Veness]

Now there's an idea! Wouldn't it be cool to have an actual Time Warp ride? I'd love to see that come in where Back to the Future is now (I'm not a huge Simpsons fan, though our 14 year old is going to be thrilled with the new ride's theme).

Going against the crowds is a great tip, Mr. O. Another one along those lines is, when you visit Epcot go straight to American Adventure when World Showcase opens, then tour the back area until the crowds show up. No one heads that way first (other than the Princess Storybook Breakfast-ers).

Did anyone mention dining at off-hours yet? If not, you can sometimes get into the busier restaurants without an advanced dining reservation by eating during non-peak times (11-1 is peak for lunch, 5-7 is peak for dinner).

Speaking of food, the lunch menu is often nearly the same as the dinner menu in the theme park sit-down restaurants (especially the buffets), but it is less expensive. Plan your 'dinner' between 3-4pm for the same general selection but at lower cost.

More???

[dmrevis]

Although not strictly a park tip to avoid crowds, one thing we always did was on the first or second day go past a $ Tree (i.e dollar shop) and buy cereal bowls, then used to go to the supermarket and buy a box of cereal for breakfasts. That way you are not spending time getting ready then stopping somewhere for breakfast. You get up, eat and are ready for the parks. Saves money too over breakfast at the hotel every day (although we did sometimes have a cooked breakfast for a treat).

[karrie]

Although not strictly a park tip to avoid crowds, one thing we always did was on the first or second day go past a $ Tree (i.e dollar shop) and buy cereal bowls, then used to go to the supermarket and buy a box of cereal for breakfasts. That way you are not spending time getting ready then stopping somewhere for breakfast. You get up, eat and are ready for the parks. Saves money too over breakfast at the hotel every day (although we did sometimes have a cooked breakfast for a treat).

we did this but i was so so sick the day i had the cereal, not sure if it was the milk affecting my crohns or what but didnt bother trying it again :(

[dmrevis]

could have been. luckily i have an iron gutt and can stand anything just about!

[Mr Orlando]

Although not strictly a park tip to avoid crowds, one thing we always did was on the first or second day go past a $ Tree (i.e dollar shop) and buy cereal bowls, then used to go to the supermarket and buy a box of cereal for breakfasts. That way you are not spending time getting ready then stopping somewhere for breakfast. You get up, eat and are ready for the parks. Saves money too over breakfast at the hotel every day (although we did sometimes have a cooked breakfast for a treat).


ohh no - cant have breakie on the go

must get up early - even if its a slice of toast

[dmrevis]

so are you saying its a good or bad idea?

[Mr Orlando]

sorry i mis read the post

Yes a good idea to go shopping and get some stuff in

[Susan Veness]

If there are two showings of the night time entertainment or a parade, the second one is (usually) less busy. Spectromagic at Magic Kingdom and Fantasmic! at MGM Studios often have two showings during busier times and while they are late (11pm for Spectro, 10pm for Fantasmic), most families with younger children will have left the park by that time and it's easier to get a good spot.

[Simon Veness]

Try to sit towards the back on the right of the big Fantasmic! amphitheatre and you will be well poised to beat the big crush to get out at the end, as one of the exits is in that corner and fewer people head for it as well.