Marvel at the queue line
A lot of theme parks these days put a huge amount of thought into the queue lines for attractions, making them a spectacle all of their own! The main theme parks in Orlando have realised that guests hate queuing in boring ‘cattle pen’ lines and have instead created fun, interactive and most importantly air-conditioned queuing areas. Some of the best interactive ride lines include Cobra’s Curse at Busch Gardens, where you can see ancient relics and creepy snakes, and Flight of Passage at PANDORA – World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom where you’ll really become immersed in the world of Pandora (see above!).
Don’t forget, the air-conditioned queues are also a great opportunity to cool down and rest your tired legs after walking round the parks, so a line is not always a bad thing!
Play 20 Questions or Charades
If you’ve got a long wait ahead, one way to pass the time is to play 20 questions or the ‘animal, vegetable or mineral’ game. One person thinks of something and the rest of the group can ask up to 20 yes/no questions to try and guess what they’re thinking of – sometimes the old games are the best games when it comes to killing time!
If 20 questions doesn’t work for you, pull out your best moves for a game of charades – you might even make some friends in the queue in the process.
Check the theme park apps for your next move
If you’re at Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando Resort, you can check out ride times from the apps on your phone. Download the My Disney Experience app onto your phone (if you haven’t already!) and the Universal Orlando Resort app too and you can see what’s happening in these respective resorts.
This info is invaluable for checking Disney FastPass+ bookings, parade times, show times and even just spotting which attractions have short wait lines at different times of day. Make a plan for the next few hours as you wait in line.
Play games on your phone
And we don’t mean in an anti-social way at all. Games like Draw Something, Heads Up!, Sketch Party and Bloop are designed for groups to play together and are guaranteed to keep all ages entertained, no matter how long the wait. Again, you might even make some new line friends who want to join in on the fun.
Remember: try your absolute hardest not to screech in the ear of others waiting in line or you might lose some friends too!
TALK!
Theme park holidays can be hectic, so you might be glad of a little bit of time to slow down and chat to one another as you wait in line. Your favourite holiday memories so far, what you’re looking forward to that you’re yet to do, Tower of Terror vs Falcon’s Fury, Volcano Bay vs Typhoon Lagoon – there are many important topics to be discussed as you wait for your next attraction!
…Or plan ahead and avoid the lines
Of course, no one really likes queuing for rides. And, if you plan ahead a little you can avoid queuing as much as possible on an Orlando theme park holiday. The first line to avoid is the queue to buy tickets at the gate. Not only can these queues be long and hot, you’ll also end up spending much more per day on your tickets than if you pre-book in the UK before you travel… so plan ahead and go straight through with your gate ready tickets!
Secondly, you can avoid queuing at the attractions themselves with the following options of the main Orlando theme parks.
At Walt Disney World, pre-book your Disney Fast Pass+ reservation for your favourite attractions and join a much shorter queue at a designated time. This system is completely free for all customers with valid theme park admission, and you can book up to 3 attractions a day through the system, with extra FastPass+ reservation being made available once you have used up the first 3. FastPass+ reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance of travel and we 100% recommend making the most of them – particularly for the newest and most popular rides. Check out our guide for our top FastPass+ picks!
For Universal Orlando Resort you can pick up an Express Pass to skip the queues at the different attractions. The Express Pass is sold separately but it is definitely worth it if you’re pushed for time or simply just because you hate queueing!
At the SeaWorld Parks, book yourself a Quick Queue ticket to avoid the lines and enjoy unlimited queue jumps for the duration of your day at the park. Quick Queue tickets are sold on an individual park level and are valid for 1 day.
Book your Orlando theme park tickets.
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