Heidi's Head

Last year, I had the opportunity to review a neat little book called Lots To Do In Line – Disneyland. From my review, I think you can tell that I was pretty impressed.  My only complaint about the book wasn’t really a complaint at all – rather, it was a request for a follow-up book based on Walt Disney World.  I was so pleased to hear that Meredith Lyn Pierce heard my request (and I’m sure the request of many, many others) and followed up with a Walt Disney World version of this great resource.

About the Book

NO MORE CRANKY KIDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

HERE’S A SURE WAY TO ENJOY THE MAGIC BEFORE THE RIDES

Hanging from the railing. Spinning in circles. Hopping, fidgeting, wanting a drink, wanting a snack—all the while inching ever closer to fun. Every parent who takes their child to a theme park knows the moment when their child—like Jekyll and Hyde—changes from a happy-excited kid to bored-whiney kid every time they get into another line.

Few visitors realize that Disney has gone to a lot of trouble to make its lines interesting and entertaining. Now Meredith Lyn Pierce comes to every parent’s rescue with Lots To Do In Line: Walt Disney World, a step-by-step guide that turns every ride line in the Walt Disney World theme parks into a series of games.

Challenging questions. Visual and audio treasure hunts. Kids and their grown-ups will stay happily immersed in the Disney magic as they move toward the rides. To add to the fun, players earn one point for every correct answer they pick (they’re multiple choice) and a point for every treasure they spot.

Finally, someone has put an end to Cranky Kids in Line. And as Meredith knows, smiling kids make happy parents!

Heidi Says

I don’t think that I’ve ever complained about a book published by The Intrepid Traveler, and I’ve been blessed to review many of their books!

Here are some of the things that I really like about this book:

• It’s about Walt Disney World!  I asked for it, and I got it!
• Its handy size.  This book (and it’s predecessor) are 4″x9″ – the perfect size for throwing in a backpack or purse and carrying into the parks.
• The subject.  Sure, lots of books have been written about Walt Disney World, but have you ever seen one about the LINES?
• The versatility.  I mean, at first glance you might think that this book is just for kids.  Not so!  This book is for everyone, and will make great fun for your entire family!

My middle  child tends to be very competitive (she’s done lots of research on birth order, and as it turns out, that’s a trait of middle children).  Anyway, I plan to turn this book over to her and let her  take charge of our line activities on our next Disney trip.

The book offers several different ways to “play”:

1. You can divide your family/group into teams. Your teams can be scored per line, or per day/park – whichever you choose.
2. You can compete individually. Using this method would work best for groups in which each player has their own copy of the book.
3. You can play “just for fun” and skip the competition.  This would probably be best for our family, considering the kids are such varied ages and competition may not be exactly “fair”.

The book is divided by park, and then further divided by “land”.  There are questions for each attraction.

There are “pop quizzes” scattered throughout.  These are great fun and often focus on the sign for the attraction.  Take a close look at the sign before entering the queue, then see what you remember about it as you proceed.

The questions for each attraction are given in order – so as you pass various things in the queue, the questions go along with you.

Don’t put your book away when you’re in an interactive queue!  Just because Disney provides extra fun in some queues, doesn’t mean that there isn’t even more fun to encounter and mystery to solve!

Special designation is given for attractions with FastPass lines.  Sure, you might miss some of the fun, but you can still enjoy some line fun as well.

Over the years, I have read many suggestions to take hand-held video games to keep your kids busy while waiting in long lines and I’ve often thought “what a sad commentary of our times”.  First of all, Disney does make the lines fun.  But, if you add this book to your packing list, you’ll have even more fun and you can enjoy it together AS A FAMILY!  After all, isn’t that what Disney is all about?  

Currently, you can pick up this handy little book (331 pages) over at the publisher’s website for 40% off!  At the cost of $8.97, you can’t go wrong with this purchase!