1. Pack Wisely!-There is a bag check by security guards at the entrance of every single park and lines can get pretty long. Pack as lightly as you can because this definitely alleviates time there. Bring only the basics like sun screen and personal belongings. If you must bring a bag packed with lots of snacks, try to unzip any zippers before hand so the security guards can easily check pockets and pouches. My mom and I actually found clear purses that make it very easy when going through the bag check. Security guards have always complimented them because they never even need to open our bags, they just shine a line through and can see everything!
2. Have park hoppers ready!- After bag check comes entering the park! Have each guest already hold their park hopper in their hand to speed up the process. Usually park hoppers have a different disney character on each one, so assign each family member a different character for the entire trip. Make sure everybody is familiar with the protocol of what happens: Insert your ticket arrow facing in, put your pointer finger on the finger machine, wait for the light to turn green, go through the turn style, and collect your card. If there are any issues, a cast member is there to help. Getting this process down really makes things go quickly.
Quick Tip: Assign a "carder" for the entire trip! My parents always gave me and my brothers jobs to do on our Disney trips and my brother was always the "carder". He has the exclusive and very important job of collecting all of our cards after we entered the park and handing them to my dad for safe keeping. Not only did he feel special because he had a job, but our tickets never got lost and it sped up park entrance!
3. Separate your party! - Now that my brother and I are older, we usually separate into a couple of different lines. When we were younger, my mom and me would go on one line and my brother and dad went on another line. We basically cut our time in half and we would make it a little contest to see who's line would move faster! Never let a child go on a line by his or herself but splitting up your party with adult supervision can be a great way to speed things up!
4. Bring your own strollers!- Stroller lines in the morning are long and torturous! Everybody is excited to get started and now you have to wait on a ridiculously long line to pay a fee to have a stroller that you only need to return later that night when everybody is exhausted and needs to go home. Yes carrying a stroller around can be quite a pain, but it saves lots of time and can be taken in and out of the park. You don't need to pay each day for a new stroller and you don't need to return it. I spent many years in those strollers and let me tell you, they are not that comfy!
Hope these tips make entering the park quick and painless!
