Busy Times Ahead - Prepare for Park Closures due to Capacity



Not a Disney Crowd,
but you get the idea!

If you are traveling to Walt Disney World during peak times, particularly over Christmas and Spring Breaks be prepared for the parks to close due to capacity.
Disney World closes in stages based on crowd conditions.  On busy days, you can expect the parks, particularly Magic Kingdom to close in stages as follows:

• Stage 1 - Parking lot closures.  You can only access the parks if you use Disney Transportation.
• Stage 2 - Ticket booths closures.  No new tickets will be sold, but previously issued tickets can be used.
• Stage 3 -  Things start getting serious!  Only Disney resort guests can enter the park or those guests with an Annual Pass.
• Stage 4 - Really serious!  The park is closed to new guests.

Turnstile counters are used to monitor traffic in the park, so Disney knows exactly how many people have entered each day. You can expect the staged closures to increase through the late morning and early afternoon.  The park will also re-open in stages as crowd levels drop.  It should be noted that each stage kicks in based on a specific head count, so once the park closes, the total head count has to fall below a certain number before it will re-open.  Do not expect to be allowed in the moment you see a family the same size as yours exit.

So what does this mean to you?

• BEWARE OF DINING RESERVATIONS! If a park is closed and you have a dining reservation you will not get in!  No matter how much you beg...even if you have proof of your reservation.  Having to come up with alternate meal plans is no fun - being charged a no show fee because you failed to show up for you lunch reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table is really not fun.  If you have a dining reservations in a park that may close due to capacity, get there early and do not leave.
• CONSIDER PARK HOPPING!  If you leave a park for a mid day break and it closes in your absence, you will not be able to re-enter.  If you only have a base ticket, then you are out of luck!  If you have a park hopper you can atleast cruise over to another park. 
• GET THERE EARLY!  You won't get kicked out if you are already inside, so get there early and stay put!
• BE SMART! - The Magic Kingdom will likely close first, so if you are park hopping make that your first stop.  Animal Kingdom is the least likely to close, so let that be your stand by or afternoon park.

Characters: Let the Hunt Begin!

I am counting down the final days to my next visit to the world (the kids STILL don't know!) and realized it  is time to do a little character recon.  Part of the fun of the trip is magically stumbling upon your favorite characters as you wander through the park.  For some, the character hunt is a full time obsession!  My crew falls under the minorly obsessed.  I know that meeting Belle would be on my oldest daughter's must do list (if only she knew she was going) ;)  Tiana and Minnie are must meets for my youngest princess.

There is a lot to know about meeting the characters.  You may remember my previous posts on that topic, if you missed it or need a quick refresher here it is!
Meeting the Big Cheese: The Basics
Meeting the Big Cheese: Autographs

So now you know all about meeting the characters, the big question is where can you find your favorite friend?  Believe it or not, character meet and greets change on a monthly basis.  And while you tend to find certain characters in the same area (Let's face it, Buzz is not going to be hanging out by Big Thunder Mountain!),  Disney does change things up a bit to keep it fresh.

There is a great Disney Blogger out there, who devotes her time to keeping up with this information.  You can find her at  Unofficial Disney Character Hunting Guide.  There is a wonderful checklist of the characters for each park and where to find them.  In addtion, you can check out the attire for the characters in each park in case you want to find them looking extra spiffy! 

If you are planning on a attending a hard ticket event like the Halloween or Christmas Party be sure to scope out the "guest list" in advance.  Mickey and Minnie...work on those smiles because I think you are going to be included on our Christmas card this year!

Know Before You Go....Closures, Rehabs, and Refurbs

No matter what you call it, the result is the same.  You favorite attraction may be out of commission for your trip.  The only thing worse than finding out that you "must do" is undergoing a face lift before you leave home is finding out when head over to get in line.  If you have young children and said attraction is "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" then you may have a pint sized mutiny on your hands.

I highly recommend that you take a few minutes before you leave to read up on exactly which attractions may be closed during your stay.  And notice that I said "may".  It is not unheard of for a refurbishment to take longer than expected, so be sure to check out what may be scheduled to re-open just prior to your visit.  The good news is that you are more likely to luck out and find an attraction is open earlier than expected.  Sometimes Disney has a "soft open" after a major refurbishment (or before a major launch) to iron out any wrinkles before an official opening day.  These soft openings may be sporadic and only last for a few hours at the time, so if you see a favorite open unexpectedly, hop in line..don't double back later, as you may be out of luck.

While there are no absolute rules set in stone, there are some closures that you can predict...most of them water related.  Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park typically closes for it's annual spiff up in November and re-opens in early January.  As soon as Typhoon Lagoon re-opens, it is usually Blizzard Beach's turn.  Splash Mountain is often off line in January as is Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom.  And it is likely no surprise that most work done to resort pools is done during the winter months.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break are super busy times at Disney World.  Disney seems to really try to have as much open as possible during these times.  And while I am a total "value season" kinda girl, the downside is that you are more likely to find ride closures and buildings behind beautifully painted scrims.  For our upcoming trip, I may have found the perfect balance...the little pocket of value season between Thanksgiving and Christmas...a low crowd time nestled in between major holidays.  Too much going on around the parks and too little time to bring too much offline!

So now you know...before you go, be sure to check for closure, rehabs and refurbs.  I really like to head over to Stitch Kingdom for the latest.  They also have a great feature that will email you if a closure is announced that may affect your trip.  For warned is for armed!

The Early Bird Gets the Mouse

The most important tip that I pass on to all of my clients is the importance of being at the park prior to opening. Any Disney veteran knows it is rope drop or bust!

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may remember that I am not so much a morning person...(especially if I am on vacation!). So if I tell you that I never miss rope drop, you know I am serious about arriving early!

I originally planned this to be a pithy little column. After all, how much space does it take to tell you to set your alarm, even if you are on vacation? But the more I thought about it, I thought it might be best to illustrate my point with some hard numbers.

I consulted touringplans.com to find an "average" day (a 5 of 10 on the crowd calendar). I chose 10 attractions in Magic Kingdom and the Lines application (also by touringplans.com) to get an average wait time for those attractions. The morning I chose happened to have early Extra Magic Hours. (On a side note: touringplans.com and the Lines app are both great. I highly recommend you finish up here and go check them out. And yes - the subscription is totally worth it!)

The first hour the park was open, the combined wait for the 10 selected attractions was only 24 minutes. The second hour, the wait jumped to 56 total minutes. That extra hour in bed comes with the cost of almost twice the wait! For you extra relaxed park goers who sleep in, eat a late brunch and then head off to play around noon may want to rethink your plans. The same 10 attractions have a combined average wait time of over 163 minutes! Almost seven times longer than the early birds had.

I know many of you have picked up on the fallacy of my illustration...you cannot do 10 attractions in an hour..and the wait time incrementally increases as you go! Of, course you are correct. I am not suggesting that this is any sort of a feasible touring plan. This is just a quick snapshot of the numbers to prove that wait times stack up during the day. So get there early, people!

To make sure you arrive on time (and by on time I mean 30 minutes prior to park opening):

• Be sure to set your alarm clock. (duh!)
• Schedule a wake up call..it serves as a great back up. Let you kids answer the phone to enjoy a great character moment.
• Allow 45 minutes to an hour for transportation. Mornings are a busy time for Disney transportation, and that first bus might be full!
• Once you arrive, allow 15 minutes to get through security.
• If you are staying off property allow plenty of time for traffic, parking, taking a tram to the TTC, getting tickets if necessary, and then taking the monorail or ferry to the Magic Kingdom.

Since we have already covered the fact that I am not a morning person, I can confess that once I am safely through security I pull out my morning granola bar and wait for the train to pull into the station. I take a moment to review my touring plan (I'm coming, Dumbo!) and get ready for a great day. And you know what?....I don't miss my nice cozy bed one bit!

Disney Transportation or "How do I get there from here?"

With over 300 buses, Disney World has one of the largest private bus fleets in the world.  Every year, each bus in the fleet travels enough miles to circle the equator.  Twice.  While many lament the use of buses, Disney does an amazing job of shuttling folks about, usually with a 20 minutes or less wait between buses.  Taking a few minutes to make your self familiar with the bus service and other transportation options before you head to the world is always a good idea.  If you have any questions while you are on property, you can ask any cast member for help.

As you can probably deduce from my introduction, most resorts rely on buses to transport guests.  Once you know the basics, you will be able to navigate the bus system like a pro.  The first bus many visitors encounter is the Magical Express, a free shuttle that transports guests from the Orlando Airport to their Disney resort.  Unlike other buses at Disney World, this one requires a reservation.  Once you deplane, head to the Magical Express location, check in, hop on a bus, check in at your hotel, and hit the parks.  Don't worry about your luggage, Disney will collect it for you and deliver it to you room in a few hours.  Magical Express is one of the best deals around...check back for a more in depth post on the topic.

After you get settled in, there is likely another bus in your future.  (Yes, there are exceptions to the rule that I will cover in a minute!)  Head to your resorts bus depot and stand in the appropriate line.  As each bus pulls into the depot the destination will be clearly marked on the front of the bus.  If it is headed where you want to go, climb aboard in a in a nice orderly fashion and find a seat if you can.  Be aware you may not immediately head to your final destination.  You may have a few more stops to make at your resort or even another resort before you get where you are going.  Now I know there is much debate on this topic, but I am a healthy, able bodied, grown woman and I believe in good manners.  I will always offer to stand and let a child, parent carrying a child, elderly person, pregnant lady, sick, injured or otherwise infirm person have my seat.  Yes, the seats are first come, first served, and no, you don't have to give up your seat...it is just the polite thing to do.  Lecture over.

Disney bus system has a "Hub and Spoke" design.  The hubs include the four major theme parks, Downtown Disney, and the Ticketing and Transportation Center (TTC).  From each hub, you can travel to any Disney resort and back again.  The buses begin operations early in the morning by delivering breakfast guests to the parks.  Bus service begins 2 hours prior to park opening, so there is no excuse for you not to make the park opening!  For the stragglers and the late diners, buses continue to run 2-3 hours after the park closes.

What?  You want to eat dinner...where?  Moving between resort hotels is quite easy, it just takes a bit of planning and some extra time.  Since there is not direct transportation between hotels (unless they happen to be on the same route) you will need to first travel to a hub, and then transfer to your desired resort.  It helps to know the general areas of the hotels...you do not want to go from the Beach Club to the Contemporary via Animal Kingdom!

Disney's PhotoPass Preorder Offer

Disney's Photopass is a great way to document your family's vacation.  Disney staffs the park with photographers to take pictures of you and your family in front of the major park icons, scenic spots, character greetings, as well as some character meals and attractions.  To take advantage of the service you can simply ask a photographer to take your picture and he will give you a PhotoPass Card, which is similiar to a hotel room key.  Each time you use wish to have your picture taken, simply hand over your card and all of you photographs will be waiting for you online.  You can add multiple cards to one PhotoPass account, so if you find yourself without your card handy, you can just grab a new one and keep on touring.  Be sure to write down or photograph your card number just in case it gets permanently misplaced!

The great thing about Photopass is that the whole family can be in the picture.  I always joke to my husband that my children may look back on their childhood and think they were motherless - I am always behind the camera!  Atleast they will know I exist in photos at Disney World!  Photopass photographers have also gotten some great shots of my children with the characters that I missed entirely.  While I was juggling strollers, autograph books and my own camera, they were already busy snapping away.  Perfect!

Know Before You Go…FASTPASS

In a nut shell…

FASTPASSes are your FRIEND...they are FREE and will save you HOURS of standing in line.

Do I have your attention now?

Disney offers FASTPASSes to all of their theme park guests. FASTPASSes are essentially a “reservation” to enjoy an attraction at a future time. This hot little ticket allows you to enjoy other attractions while you are in a virtual queue for headline attraction. Properly used FASTPASSes can save park goers hours of waiting in line. There are few things you need to know…

FASTPASS Rules

There are only a few hard and fast rules when it comes to FASTPASSes:

• You will not be able to use your FASTPASS for an attraction before the stated time on the ticket.
• You will not be able to obtain another FASTPASS before the stated time on the ticket.

For planning purposes, there are a few guidelines as to when you are eligible to get a FASTPASS. In general, you can obtain your next FASTPASS 2 hours after you obtain your current FASTPASS or as soon as your current FASTPASS window opens. So, if your get your first FASTPASS of the day at 9:14 am and the return window is 9:45 – 10:45 am, you should plan on getting your next pass at 9:45. If you have a later return window, say,  11:30 – 12:30, you will not be able to obtain another pass until 11:14. There are a few exceptions to the rule, so always check the time on your ticket to be sure!

How to Get a FASTPASS

FASTPASSes are not offered for every attraction. In general, the only attractions with a FASTPASS option are those that routinely have long lines. To obtain a FASTPASS simply go to the attraction, locate the FASTPASS machine, usually off to the side of the entrance and insert your park ticket. I always enjoy the machines themselves.  Most are uniquely themed to the attraction.  If you are eligible for a pass, a ticket will be printed out for you. Take your ticket and tuck it away in a safe spot. Lost FASTPASSes cannot be replaced. Also, don’t forget to retrieve your park ticket!

FASTPASS Tips

•  There are a limited number of passes available each day, so be sure to begin collecting them as early in the day as possible.
• Due to limited availability, FASTPASSes for super headliner attractions will run out first. These attractions will also have the longest standby lines during the day. Be sure to collect passes for these attractions first.
• Skip FASTPASSes for shows.
• Skip FASTPASSES for attractions with wait times of 30 minutes or less unless you have already completed the other FASTPASS rides.
• A FASTPASS is requires for each ticketed member of a party. The ticketless tots do not need a pass.
• Note the time on the bottom of the ticket to see when you can obtain your next pass.
• THE BEST UNADVERTISED FASTPASS TIP – You will be given a return window to ride the attraction. You cannot ride the attraction before the posted time on the ticket. However, you absolutely can ride after the posted time on the ticket. If the return window happens to fall during an afternoon break, a kiddie meltdown, or a meal no worries! Just show your pass when you do get to the attraction and you will be waved through with no problems.
• Note the return time before you get a ticket! A FASTPASS will do you no good if the window opens after you are planning to leave the park! Plus, it will hinder your ability to obtain your next pass!
• Be strategic about the water rides. Hold your FASTPASSES for the wet rides for the warmest part of the day, when you are ready to leave the park for a break, or at the end of the night.
• You do not have to “cash in” your FASTPASSES in the order in which they were obtained.
• If you are a slower moving group or have young children with you, seen a “runner” to obtain FASTPASSES for the whole group. A single person can take everyone’s ticket, dash across the park, grab passes and rejoin the group much faster. While Mom is in line for Dole Whips – send Dad off for FASTPASSES!

FASTPASS Attractions
For a complete list, visit FASTPASS Attractions .

Know Before You Go...Rider Swap

If you have already read my previous post about Height Requirements you may know that some attractions may not work for the whole family. If you are already pulling the coin out of your pocket to figure out who gets to ride Space Mountain and who is stuck on the side lines then you need to read up on Disney's Rider Swap. Essentially, the Rider Swap option allows a family to ride in shifts while only waiting in line once. This allows Mom to sit out the first ride with the too-small-tot while Dad and any one else in the party rides the ride. As soon as they are finished Dad can sit out while Mom and up 2 other members in the party ride with virtually no wait! Pretty neat, huh? And how cool is it that Disney doesn't make Mom ride all by herself?!? As an added bonus, the older children or others in the party get to ride twice (once with Dad and once with Mom) while only waiting in line one time!

So...How does it work?

It is all quite easy. Approach the attraction together, including the too-small-tot. Usually there will be a cast member working as a greeter at the entrance. Tell the cast member that you would like to take advantage of the Rider Swap option. They will instruct you as to what to do next. Usually, the swap option works one of two ways:

• On FASTPASS attractions, you will be issued a special "rider exchange" that works very much like a FASTPASS. The "rider exchange" is good for up to 3 people. One parent, and the too-small-tot will then exit the attraction while the remainder of the party proceeds through the queue. When the first riders exit the ride, the waiting adult and 2 other members of the party can enter the FASTPASS queue by showing the "rider exchange" ticket.
• On non-FASTPASS attractions, you may be instructed to enter the queue together. Once you reach the loading area one parent will ride while the other stays behind. The switch is made once the first parent returns.

The Rider Swap is a great option for families with small children, but it does have a few potential pitfalls! First of all, prepare your child that he may be waiting in line, but not actually riding the attraction. Second, let him know that the group will be splitting up temporarily, but will be together again soon. Finally, be aware that sibling rivalry may be an issue. Little Johnny may be furious that Susie gets to ride twice while he is stuck on the sidelines. If you think it may be an issue have a plan in place...an special snack or even another attraction may fit the bill!

Know Before You Go....Height Requirements

There is nothing that will make little Johnny sadder than to be all set to ride Mission Space only to get into the queue and find out that his is not tall enough to ride. It is always a good idea to measure your child before you go (and subtract a half inch to cover any discrepancies) before you promise any particular attraction. You can I know that Disney has minimum height requirements for safety purposes, but that can be very hard to explain to your budding astronaut.

If no height requirement is listed, you can assume the ride is safe for your tot...even an infant.

You must be at least 32 inches to ride:
Chairlift - Blizzard Beach

You must be at least 35 inches to ride:
Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacres Farm- Magic Kingdom

You must be at least 38 inches to ride:
Kali River Rapids - Animal Kingdom
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - Animal Kingdom

You must be at least 40 inches to ride:
Stitch's Great Escape - Magic Kingdom
Splash Mountain - Magic Kingdom
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Magic Kingdom
Soarin' - Epcot
Test Track - Epcot
Wonders of Life / Body Wars - Epcot
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - Epcot
Star Tours - Epcot
Dinosaur - Epcot

You must be at least 44 inches to ride:
Space Mountain - Magic Kingdom
Mission Space - Epcot
Expedition Everest - Animal Kingdom

You must be at least 48 inches to ride:
Sum of All Thrills - Epcot (54 inches to go upside down)
Primeval Whirl - Animal Kingdom
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith - Hollywood Studios
Summit Plummet - Blizzard Beach
Downhill Double Dipper - Blizzard Beach
Humunga Kowabunga - Typhoon Lagoon
Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam - DisneyQuest

You must be at least 51 inches to ride:
CyberSpace Mountain - DisneyQuest
Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlaster - DisneyQuest

You must be at least 52 inches to ride:
Tomorrowland Indy Speedway - Magic Kingdom (to ride solo)
Bay Slide - Typhoon Lagoon

You must be at least 54 inches to ride:
Sum of All Thrills - Epcot (54 inches to go upside down; 48 to ride up right)

I absolutely do not advocate trying to sneak a child that is too small onto an attraction. There is no ride cool enough to risk your child's safety. Keep your Cowboy boots and your chunky heel shoes at home, and leave the shoe-stuffing-napkins in the restaurants...it is just not worth the risk. However, if your child is right at the height requirement and you are worried they may be turned away, here are a few things that may help that I think will not compromise safety:

• Go first thing in the morning. Did you know that you actually "shrink" as you walk around during the day? The average person shrinks about 1% due to compression of the disks in their back. If you are right on the bubble height wise, you may be "in" in the morning and "out" by evening.


• Wear newer sneakers. We all know that wearing new shoes in the theme parks is never a good idea. But a pair of sneakers that has been gently worn in still has a little extra "spring" in the step. The less compressed insole may just make the difference.

Hopefully, knowing the height requirements before you go will help your trip run a little more smoothly! And if you little guy or gal just doesn't make the cut...there is always next time!