A popular topic that comes up during your vacation while waiting in line for attractions, food and transportation are things that you and your fellow vacationeers have wasted time on.
Gotta admit that this list has evolved since the time that I worked in Walt Disney World, as certain items have gotten better while others have gotten significantly worse over the years. My goal isn’t to “show up” the hard working cast members who day-in and day-out put their best foot forward to bring magic to thousands of guests…but more to share things that can be classified as a waste of time while on vacation.
BUS TRANSPORTATION
Where should I begin with this one? There are actually three levels to this complete waste of time.
- The Wait
- The Drive
- The Arrival
Waiting for a bus at Walt Disney World is filled with guessing, looking at your watch and playing the “which bus is that?” game. It’s not fun and while on paper Disney Transportation is designed to be at max a 20-minute wait between buses. In reality there is no guarantee that you won’t be waiting at the Contemporary for a bus to Disney Springs for over 45 minutes before you give up.
The drive is usually pleasant, until you realize that there are certain routes that don’t make any sense. LIKE the 72 red lights along the dedicated bus stretch at Disney Springs…sometimes you just have to wonder;)
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MEET & GREETS WITH NO ORGANIZED LINE
This is a fun one to put because I’ve been known to search for those RARE characters that wander throughout the parks without a real “home”. This may be the stars of Country Bear Jamboree, Citizens of Main Street and DeVine in the Animal Kingdom.
Because they are not part of an official meet & greet, you’re trying to be the next one for a photo along with the mob of guests who feel the need to go up and interrupt the natural flow. Let’s be honest though, this is mostly a time waster because you lose track of how long you’ve been waiting for that pic because you were going somewhere before deciding to stand still in the middle of the street lol!
Other examples of this could be:
- Green Army Men in Toy Story Land
- StormTroopers in Star Wars Launch Bay
- Kevin from UP! in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
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NOT USING MOBILE ORDER
I may sound like a broken record on Mobile Order, but why would you stand in a line just to talk to a cast member and hand over money and then wait when you can have your own special line?
There’s no reason to waste time in lines that you don’t have to!
“FIRST ATTRACTION” SYNDROME
This is EPCOT-specific, but what’s the draw for waiting in line for Spaceship Earth first thing in the morning? It’s by far the biggest waste of time because if you wait until the afternoon or evening…it’s a walk on! The same can be said for Meeting Mickey Mouse in the Magic Kingdom, but it’s not as obvious as walking past a giant golf ball with a “5-minute wait”.
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NOT PREPARING FOR BAG CHECK & SECURITY
When you go to a theme park, it’s important to know that you will be passing through Bag Check and Security. This means that you may want to spend a little time in the morning to pre-organize your bag to make it a more streamlined process.
You should also know that if you don’t have a bag, there’s a separate line which will involve you going through security metal detectors but you won’t have to wait with everyone else.
It’s also important to know the process of going through security with a stroller. It’s all about ease of the check, so be respectful and pre-open zippers and don’t stress out when they look in your bags…it’s all part of keeping everyone safe.
What are your thoughts? Are there time wasters at Walt Disney World that are absolute torture during your vacation and think that others should know? Let me know over at the Steps to Magic Facebook Page!