Making the Most of Your Time at the Parks

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Orlando or Anaheim, there’s a set of tricks that help you spend more time enjoying the attractions, and less time in the queues. You need a game plan. You can make a detailed plan if you love details, but you can also keep it loose and relaxed. Either way, the key element of your plan should be to think as a contrarian. If the crowds are all headed in one direction, you need to do the opposite. Here are a few tips:

• Know what rides you want to do. Sound obvious? Amazingly, not everyone does it. Parktastiq lets you create a wishlist and mark rides as done. Before you go to the parks, build your wishlist.
• Start at opening time. Sure, getting up early during your vacation might not be what you had in mind, but that first hour in the park is gold. Remember the bit about being a contrarian? Beat the thronging masses by showing up at the park gate at least 20 minutes before opening time.
• Go to the back of the park first. All shops and attractions are designed to get please the eye and attract attention, so it’s natural to stop right away and gape. Resist this temptation and push to the back of the park where the crowds are thinner. You can take in the front of the park later.
• Send runners for FASTPASSes. Most of the busy rides offer this service, and Parktastiq shows which ones. Attractions with this service have a distribution spot near the queuing area. Choose an available machine and insert your admission ticket or annual pass. You get a FASTPASS that shows the time window available to you. When you come back to enjoy the attraction, go to the FASTPASS Return entrance instead of the standby queue.
• During parades, shows and fireworks, head for the attractions. For example, in Disneyland, Pirates of the Caribbean has a very short line during the Fantasmic! show.
• When a spot is just too busy, go somewhere else. If one park is just too busy, shoot over to another one. In Disneyland it’s just a short walk over to California Adventure. In Orlando, the Monorail moves between parks, and there’s a boat shuttle between some parks as well. If all of the parks are just too crowded, head to the hotel and spend some time in the pool, or grab a bite in Downtown Disney.

The Parks

Parktastiq apps cover Disneyland Resort in Anaheim and Walt Disney World in Orlando. The parks in these resorts include

Disneyland Resort

Where to park at Disneyland Resort.

• Disneyland Park — the original Disneyland, opened in July, 1955. The park offers the classic rides that have been with us for decades, but minor adjustments are always happening. Star Tours was just remade into a 3D adventure, and other updates go on throughout the park.
• California Adventure — opened in February 2001, this 55-acre (22 ha) park offers great rides and shows, and just keeps getting better with new attractions and lands.

Walt Disney World

• Magic Kingdom — the Orlando version of the original Disneyland.
• Epcot
• Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom