Saving TIME on your Disney Vacation: Avoiding Lines and Keeping your Sanity

Maybe we could call this the prologue to my series on Saving Money on your Disney Vacations.  After all, time is money, right?  There is nothing worse that spending a small fortune on your vacation and then standing in line for most of it.

Unfortunately, going off season does not solve this.  I have seen surprisingly long lines at Disneyland and Walt Disney World when it was suppose to be off season.  One of the biggest reasons for this is that park isn't operating at full capacity on those off season days: roller coasters aren't running as many trains or a dual track ride is only operating one track. Disney also takes some of the most popular rides down for refurbishment in the off season, so lines for the remaining attractions are longer.  So these tips can help you anytime you go to a Disney park.

Several websites and books are dedicated to this topic.  I personally love the Unofficial Guide series brought to you by the same people who produce the Touring Plans website.  But I have also read several other good guide books to Disney parks.  I am not trying to replace those, but just give you a quick over view on some tricks and tips that have worked well for my family.

Arrive Early

I can hear you now.  "I'm on vacation! Why the heck would you want to get up early?"  Because arriving at the park at least 45 minutes prior to the stated opening time will put you ahead of all the rest of the vacationers who decided to sleep in.  I have arrived at the gates of Disneyland when it was still dark outside.   More than once.  And walking on to rides that generally have a 60 minute wait is worth it to me.

Let me give you an example from our last trip to Disneyland at the end of  July last year.  With the  60th anniversary celebration in full swing, it was very crowded.  And I really, really, really wanted to ride the newly enhanced Peter Pan ride.  So on Sunday morning, we got up bright and early and got to the park about 7:10 a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. opening.  We were the second people in line at our gate.

Like most days at Disneyland, they opened the gates 15-20 minutes prior to the official park opening and but held the guests at the top of Main Street by ropes, (hence the name "rope drop.")  We were at the front of this group too.  At the official park opening time, a stampede of people headed straight for Peter Pan.  We didn't run (they ask you not) but we did walk briskly and got there somewhat near the front of the pack, but still had about a 15 minute wait for the ride.  But when I finished walking through the queue, this is what I saw behind me:

The ride literally went from 0-60 minute wait in the first two minutes the park was open.  I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't witnessed it.

So get there early and then hustle around for those first couple of hours getting on rides as fast as you can.  Sure it's a little exhausting at first, but your can slow down once the crowds start to build and start using other strategies to avoid lines.

A word about Early Entry

At Disneyland, guests who stay at one of the Disney Resorts receive early entry each day of their stay and it switches between Disneyland and California Adventure each day.  Off site guests who have a 3-day or more Park Hopper also receive one early entry during their stay, but only on designated days at Disneyland (never California Adventure).

If you are an onsite guest, take advantage of the early entry mornings at California Adventure.  It's a great time to ride Toy Story Mania as many times in a row as possible.   However, the past several times we've done the Disneyland extra hour, it has been even more crowded than a regular rope drop day.  Especially because only a small section of the park (Tomorrowland and Fantasyland) are open to guests during that hour.  And the later that the extra hour is, the more crowded it will be.  More guests will get out of bed to make a 9 a.m. early entry than a 7 a.m. early entry. 

The best plan that we have found is to start our day at rope drop at the park that doesn't have early entry.  Then you really are among the first people in the park and can take advantage of shorter lines and less crowds.  This is especially true if you don't have access to early entry at all.  I would avoid the early entry park for the first hour or two the park is open at least.

Similarly at Walt Disney World, since a larger percentage of visitors stay onsite, often crowd trends follow the parks that have extra hours that day.  So you might be wise to start at a different park.

Have a Plan

Do you remember the vulture scene from the Jungle Book?  The one where they go back and forth asking each other "what we gonna do?"  "I dunno, what cha wanna do?"  It's a classic.  And I have heard it repeated so many times on a Disney vacation.  Meanwhile, the lines are just getting longer at the attractions everyone wants to do but no one will just decide what to do.  

No you don't have to plan out every second of your vacation and be so rigid about it that you can't change it midstream.  But for sanity's sake, make some kind plan to avoid looking like the vultures.  The best way to do this is to do a little research before you go to the park. Find out from your spouse and children what rides and attractions are their top priority.  If you've never been before, visit the Disneyland or Walt Disney World website and look at everything there is to do.  If you aren't sure if a ride is going to be too scary or intense for someone in your group, head over to YouTube and do a quick search for a ride video.


Your best bet is to start with the popular rides that don't offer FastPasses.  At Disneyland, these are Peter Pan, the Matterhorn and lately Alice in Wonderland (not the tea cups but the dark ride).  Dumbo is another one that is good to do early if it's on your list.  Fortunately, these are pretty close together. If the Fantasyland rides aren't on your list, then go straight to your favorite thrill ride: Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Big Thunder Mountain, or Star Tours.  Even though these rides have FastPasses, if you goal is to ride them as many times as possible, get to them early.

At California Adventure, Toy Story Mania is the one ride that doesn't have FastPasses and frequently averages wait times over 45 minutes year round.  Other popular rides include Radiator Springs Racers (but like Peter Pan lines grows very quickly so FastPass is a better option), Tower or Terror, Soarin' and California Screamin', all of which offer FastPasses.

At Walt Disney World, FastPass+ changes things.  Focus on the popular rides for which you weren't able to get a FastPass+.  Then plug in other rides between your Fastpass+ reservations.

Don't want to come up with your own plan?  There are a few websites like Touring Plans and Ride Max that will do it for you with a paid subscription.

FastPasses

This is probably the single most effective tool to save time in the parks.  They are  essentially a reservation system for a specific time to return to go on a ride or see a show.  Everyone with a valid park ticket is eligible to use the system absolutely free.  And just to confuse things, the FastPass systems at Disneyland and Walt Disney World are completely different.

At Walt Disney World, they have FastPass+.  You reserve your ride times before you even get to the park, 60 days out for onsite guests and 30 days out for offsite guests.  In order to do so, you first must set up a My Disney Experience account on the Walt Disney World website and tie your tickets or magic bands to the account.   I think the system has it's merits, but it also really ties you down to deciding before hand where you are going to be on that day.  And while we used FastPass+ on our last trip to Walt Disney World, I feel like I still have a lot to learn about the system.

At Disneyland, FastPasses are distributed on a first come, first served basis for each ride each day when that ride is operational. To obtain a FastPass, visit the kiosks near the ride (except for Radiator Springs Racers which is near Tough to Be a Bug.)  If you aren't sure where to get a FastPass, just ask.  Insert your ticket into the machine and it will print out a ticket telling you when to return.  Be sure to get a FastPass for every member of your party who will be riding the ride.We find it easiest to have one person in our group hold all the tickets and be the FastPass runner.

Once you pull a FastPass, you cannot get another FastPass until your return time window opens up, or until two hours later, which ever comes first.  Your FastPass will say on the bottom what time you can obtain your next FastPass. However, you can only hold one FastPass for each ride at a time.  So if you pull a FastPass for Radiator Springs Racers at 9:05 with a 11:55-12:55 return time, you can pull a FastPass for another ride at 11:05, but not for Radiator Springs Racers again until 11:55.   However, if you pull a FastPass for Tower of Terror at 11:05 with a 12:30-1:30 return time.  You could pull another Fast Pass at 12:30.

Disneyland does enforce return times for FastPasses.  We have been able to use them 5 minutes before the official start time and I've heard there is a 10-15 grace period at the end, but that is totally at the discretion of the cast member.  You still might get turned away so better to be on time. However, if the ride went down during your window, you can return later in the day and use your FastPass.

If you have park hoppers, FastPass systems are disconnected from each other at the two parks.  So you could be at Disneyland and pull FastPasses for Space Mountain and then send one member of your party (with all the tickets) over to California Adventure to pull FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers.  We frequently do this. It's a lot of walking, but think of how many more delicious Disney treats you can eat from burning off all those calories!  Also, FastPasses for the nighttime spectaculars, Fantasmic and World of Color are not connected to the ride system either and should be picked up early in the day.

So what should be your FastPast priority at each park?  At Disneyland, Space Mountain should be your top priority with Star Tours, Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain being the next most popular.  At California Adventure, Radiator Springs Racers should be your top priority.   Once Soarin' reopens, it will probably be very popular for the next couple of years so it should be near the top of your list too, followed by Tower of Terror and California Screamin'. If you are there when it's warm, Grizzly River Run should jump ahead of California Screamin' in priority.


Rider Switch Pass

Those darn height requirements can make it difficult for the taller people in your party to enjoy rides.  As one of the truly most family friendly places on the planet, Disney created a solution for this with the Rider Switch pass.  Most rides with a height requirement offers this option to keep your family from having to wait in line twice.  It's also a great way for the tallish people in your group to get on the ride multiple times in a row.   You can also use Rider Switch if you have children in your party who are tall enough to ride, but just don't want to for whatever reason.

To utilize this system, bring your entire party to the entrance to the ride and tell them that you need a Rider Switch pass.  Then one adult stays with those that aren't riding, and the other adult proceeds to the line with everyone else.  Then when the group gets off the ride, the adult that waited can take two additional people back with them on the ride (at Walt Disney World, I believe it's only one additional person).  Generally you join the FastPass line with your pass but a cast member can point you in the right direction.  The other nice thing about the Rider Switch pass is they don't expire until the end of the day so you can come back at any point and use it.

If you have a largish group with multiple small children, you can combine the FastPass and Rider Switch to get your more people on the ride multiple times.  When we went with my brother's family, we had 12 people in our group including two toddlers so we got 10 FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers (no ticket for those under 3 means no FastPasses for them.  On rides with no height requirement, that doesn't matter.  They just go with your group).  We split into two groups and went to the cast member at the front with the toddlers, with each group asking for a Rider Switch pass. (If you go as one large group, they will only give you one Rider Switch Pass since it is good for three people).  Then eight people went on the ride using their FastPasses and two adults stayed behind with the toddlers.  When they returned, we still had 2 unused FastPasses, plus the Rider Switch Pass good for up to 3 people each.  So two adults stayed behind with the toddlers and everyone else got back on the ride with the ones that stayed behind the first time.
 
Single Rider Lines

Especially on the busiest days, Disney wants every seat on a ride occupied.  But parties with odd numbers make this harder.  So several of the most popular rides at Disney Parks offer a Single Rider option to keep the seats full. This is a great alternative if everyone in your group is over the age of 7.  (Disney policy states that a child under 7 must be accompanied by someone 14 or older while riding any attraction.  And yes, cast members do ask.  My smallish 10 year old constantly gets asked).

To take advantage of this, Just ask the cast member at the front of the ride for Single Rider slip and then jump in that line. Sometimes your group will still end up on the same ride vehicle, but you will not end up sitting together. Be sure to have a plan to reunite when you get off the ride.  And if you are doing it with children, it's nice if you have the option of having one adult go before everyone else and another adult as the last one so someone is always with the children.

Radiator Springs Racers is the most popular attraction for Single Riders, but other Disneyland Resort attractions include California Screamin', Goofy's Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Indiana Jones Adventure, Soarin' Over California, Matterhorn and Splash Mountain.  At Walt Disney World, only Test Track, Expedition Everest and Rockin' Roller Coaster offer this feature.

Take Breaks

No, taking breaks will not get you more time in the parks but they will help you make better use of your time in the park and save your sanity.  Once you've spent your morning running yourself raged, head back to your hotel and take a power nap or a dip in the pool or both.  It's amazing how much better your family will handle the late afternoon and evening crowds when you've taken a couple of hours away in the afternoon.

If your hotel isn't close enough to do this easily, you can do it without even leaving the park.  Take in a show where you will be off your feet and in the shade for a 30+ minutes (and maybe take a power nap).  Or you could visit one of the play areas like the Pirates Lair at Tom Sawyer Island or Redwood Creek challenge and sit on a bench and watch your children play.  The last time we went to Disneyland and didn't stay close enough for breaks, we spent a couple of hours in Downtown Disney eating lunch and just sitting and people watching.  Then we were refreshed enough to make it through to the fireworks show.

Feel the Magic

Sometimes Disney vacations feel like more work than fun.  If you start feeling like this, look around you and take in the magic.  Try to see the entire experience through the eyes of your children. If your own children aren't feeling it, look around at the others who are.  Strike up a conversation with the people in line in front of you. Take the time to truly thank a cast member.  Study the details of the park that are truly remarkable.  Get a Dole Whip and head for the Tiki Room.  Watch the fireworks and try not to cry.  (I dare you!)  These are the moments that make it worth every penny and sore feet.  I promise.  I'm crying just thinking about it.


I started this series of Disney Park posts because I have so many friends and family members constantly asking me questions about planning their Disney Vacations.  I don't mind that at all!  I love to share what I know because I want everyone to enjoy Disney the way I do.  (Or close to it anyway.)  Please let me know if you have other topics about Disney you want me to cover.  I'd love to help!

Saving Money on Your Disney Vacation Part 5: Dining

Let's make one thing perfectly clear: you will be hungry when you are at a Disney park.  I promise.  You may not be a munchy, snacky person in your normal day to day routine, but as soon as step onto Main Street USA, you might be overcome by an instant desire to eat everything in site. 

Some of it is just a natural function of your increased activity.  My all time record for steps in a day is 30k at Disneyland.  The rest is genius marketing on Disney's part.  I swear, they pipe delicious smells into the park so you are craving things you could normally pass up.  And Disney knows they have a captive audience in your children too.

And you'll pay a premium to satisfy those cravings and some how they almost always end up being extra tasty and leave you craving more.  It's almost ridiculous.  OK, not almost. You might even find yourself saying, "$4.25 for a churro?  That's a bargain!"  Yes, you can get a bigger churro at Costco for $1.  But I promise you the one at Disneyland just tastes better.  (Of course, it's been six months since I've been to Disneyland it's entirely possible those churros are $4.50 now.)

And then you should probably have a well-balanced meal at some point too.  You'll pay a premium for that as well.  So how do you save money, you ask?  Here's just a few ideas that are more geared toward Disneyland but could apply at Walt Disney World too:

Bring food with you: Yes, you do have to pass through at security check point to get into the park.  But they are NOT searching for food.  You can absolutely bring food into the parks with you.  The only restrictions are glass bottles.  We generally stock up on snack foods like the pouches of Nabisco cookies or cans of Pringles when they are on sale for $1, plus granola bars and fruit snacks and other things that are prepackaged and easy to carry.  Just some snacks to take the edge off when you are craving something sweet or salty. You could even bring your own lunch. Coolers larger than ones that would hold a six pack are not allowed in the park but according to the Disneyland website:

Guest can store coolers up to 18" wide x 25" high x 37" deep in rentable large lockers located outside the Disneyland Park Main Entrance. Lockers are not refrigerated and availability is limited.

Eat before you go to the Park: There are still a few hotels in the area that offer continental breakfast if that is your thing.  My personal opinion is they are not really worth it.  I am an impulse eater and can't pass up a doughnut or danish if they are in front of me, even if they are stale.  But I am perfectly satisfied by a bowl of cereal.  So we have started avoiding hotels with the breakfast and bringing our own cereal, milk, and fruit.  If you want a hot breakfast, there are several restaurants on Harbor across from the park that offer breakfast including a McDonalds and a Panera.  I promise you'll pay significantly less for an Egg McMuffin at Mickey D's than you will having breakfast with Mickey and Friends.

Eat one big meal a day: This worked better when our kids were small but it still sort of works now.  In general, we eat breakfast at the hotel and then a heavy snack around midday, a big meal around 3 or 4 p.m. and then another evening snack.   If we are going to a character breakfast, then we'll do it late in the morning and grab a corn dog or something smallish in the early evening. This is much more affordable than eating three sit down meals in the park.

Leave the park to eat: This definitely works better at Disneyland than Disney World.  One evening when we were at the park with my extended family, my kids were off riding Radiator Springs Racers with my cousin while I sat and ate dinner with my brother's family.  When my kids got off the ride, they told me they did not want to eat what was offered at that restaurant but wanted a hamburger.  We were pretty much done for the day so I took them to McDonalds instead.  They were happy and I saved some money.    Besides the McDonalds and Panera, there is a Mimi's, Tony Romas, IHOP, Pizza Press, Denny's and a non-chain buffet place (that I've never heard anything good about) just steps from the transportation plaza.  If you have a car, there are even more options down the road.   All will save you money over eating at he park. Also, most of the restaurants in Downtown Disney have a counter service option with decent prices.  And at Earl of Sandwich, also at Downtown Disney, nothing on the menu is over $7 and the food is good.

Share meals: Several not-to-miss dishes at Disneyland are larger than I could ever eat on my own.  Especially if an appetizer or dessert is in my plans.  For instance, we love the Monte Cristo sandwich at Cafe Orleans, but we also love the pomme frites and the beignets there.  So for our family of four, we order two Monte Cristos, an order of pomme frites and beignets and share among us.  Don't ask for a split plate because they will provide two sides and charge you extra.  Just ask for extra plates instead.  Another meal we love that can be shared is the famous fried chicken at the Plaza Inn.  Again, we order two plates of chicken and then a couple of extra side dishes and rolls to go with it.  Perfect for us. 

Check the menus before you go: several websites offer full menus of all eating establishments in the park including prices.  Touring Plans, Disboards, and All Ears are good places to start.  You can then review the menus before you even go so 1) you can pick the restaurants with food you and your family will actually like and 2) you can set a budget for the trip.  I have a confession to make.  We have never, ever eaten at The Blue Bayou or Carthay Circle, the two most iconic restaurants at Disneyland Resort  Want to know why?  Every time I look at the menus, I see nothing on them that really appeals to me and I know nothing would appeal to my kids either.  Are we missing out on an amazing dining experience?  Probably, but we have decided it isn't worth it.

Prioritize:  Yep, there is that word again.   It's OK to splurge on a big meal once or twice on your trip or even once a day if you have the budget.  Especially if you've been frugal the rest of the time.  If your children are young, take them to a character meal.  If they are a little older, try the Fantasmic or World of Color dining package.  Yes they are spendy, but you are on vacation and you deserve a splurge once in a while, again, if it's within your budget. 

Free Ice Water: When you consider it probably costs Disney about $.25 for that large soda for which it charges you nearly $4, maybe you can skip it.  However, a cup of ice water is absolutely free.  In fact, we've given up on packing water bottles around and have started to ask for cups of ice water at various snack establishments around the park instead.  

Think outside the box:  Have I mentioned how much I love churros?   But for not much more tan a single churro that you won't want to share, you can get an entire loaf of Boudin sour dough bread at the Pacific Wharf Cafe big enough for your entire group. My family loves to tear off hunks and eat it for a snack. 

Gift Cards: Don't forget the discounted gift card trick.   You can use Disney Gift Cards to pay for nearly everything at Disneyland, even food carts as long as they accept credit cards.  Then you can feel a little better about paying over $4 for a churro.

Walt Disney World Dining Plans: The conventional wisdom on Disney Dining plans has changed over the years.  When Disney first introduced these prepaid dining options at Walt Disney World, they were considered a great deal.  However, while there are still a few die-hard fans, most will admit they might not be the best value now unless you are getting them either free or discounted during a promotion.  And even then, not always. Why? Because sometimes the room only discount will save you more money.  I would suggest running the numbers for yourself and figuring out if it really is the best deal for you. When we went in January 2015, we took advantage of the Stay, Play and Dine package that included a regular dining plan consisting of one table service, one counter service and one snack credit for each of us over the five nights we stayed onsite.  I created a spread sheet before we booked to see how much money would spend on food if we weren't on the dining plan, guessing where we would eat and what we would order each day.  It came to about $600 which was approximately the difference between the Stay, Play and Dine package and the room only discount.  So for us it was worth adding the dining plan.  When I got home, I ran all the numbers and discovered we ate about $1000 worth of food that was covered by the dining plan.  Now we ate much differently on the dining plan than we would have without it: more table service meals, more soft drinks, and no meal sharing or taking into consideration the cost of a menu item before we ordered it. 

So what should you eat when you go to a Disney park?  I don't want to go into that today or this post will be WAY too long.  Of course I have my own opinions, but I would love to hear yours as well.  Post them in the comments below and I'll include them in my future post about Disney Park Food.