Magical or a nightmare? Disney lines with kids...

Waiting in line at Disney can be far from magical. Add children to the mix and it can be a nightmare! Here's a few ideas to help make it less painful.

* I Spy is such a fun game to play. I do this as my go to in a grocery store or driving down the road. Play it in Disney and add hidden Mickey's to the mix and kids will eat it up! Hidden Mickey's are EVERYWHERE in Disney. From your hotel room to the ride queue. So next time you're stuck in line at Disney have the family look around for hidden Mickey's. Maybe even keep a tally to see who can see the most!

*In the morning when you walk in grab a paper map. They're located at the front of every park. And if you arrive as the park opens in the morning cast members will also be handing them out. Pull the map out in the queue and have your kids show you where your are. Plan out the rest of your day and see where you need to go next. My little boy loves doing this and it's a great way to show them how to use a map!

* Take the down time in line to enjoy a snack! Disney allows you to bring in your own food and drinks so take advantage of this. Usually when things get boring kids get hungry and thirsty so take this time to fuel them and keep them ready for the day. You will need to finish your food or drink before the ride but if it's a reusable cup it won't be a problem.

*Bring a small toy/game in line with you. It doesn't need to be anything big! A little race car or airplane can help pass the time away. Mad-Libs or even a notepad to play Pictionary on can be fun. Level the game up and make it Disney themed!

*Just enjoy the queue! Disney's newer ride queues are awesome and many feature interactive things. You could have a tarantula jump at you in the Jungle Cruise line. Or mine for gems on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train queue. Watch Tinkerbell fly around the Darling nursery causing a little mischief. Or even uncover your favorite characters in a sticky situation in the 100 acre woods. But one of my and my little boys, favorite queues is in Dumbo! Your kids can play in an indoor play area while you sit back, relax and enjoy the air conditioning! They'll give you a buzzer and when it's time to ride they'll buzz you back and you'll wait in a pretty short line. My little boy loves it so much that sometimes we just go in the play area to play and we don't even get a buzzer to ride Dumbo. These examples are just the tip of the iceberg for interactive queues. They're located in every park and they're SO MUCH FUN! Sometimes the line does move fast and you really can't enjoy the queue as much as you would like. Also, if you do Lighting Lane you will bypass all of the queue fun, but you will get on the ride a lot faster!

* The last one is always one that I forget until I'm in line, SUNSCREEN! I can never remember sunscreen until we're in the queue. It's the perfect time to torture your child even more and apply sunscreen. This is not a fun thing but it is something that needs to be done since you are going to be spending a lot of time in the sun.

So moral of the story is just have fun! Enjoy all the little things around you. Disney caters to little ones so even the line queues are made for them. Just look around and immerse yourself in the MAGIC!