Group Meeting Location (if someone gets lost)
If you have more than 2 people in your group while you are visiting a theme or water park, make sure you all agree upon a meeting spot first thing in the morning (or whenever you arrive). It is very easy for your group to become separated. The larger the group, the easier it is for part of your group to get lost.
Earlier this month, I learned first hand how important a meeting spot is.
I went to Typhoon Lagoon with a few friends. There were two of us at the park first thing in the morning, waiting for a few more people to arrive. We decide to go do the Lazy River first, while we wait. There was only one inner tube available at first, so one member of our party went ahead and got one. I suggested they wait on the ledge across from the stairs (it is easier to get in the tubes at that point also). Well, they decided they would attempt to get in the tube on the stairway. It was not the most graceful entry, but it worked. Except that they started floating around the river a lot quicker than I was ready for. I thought OK, they're just up the river a little ways. I finally got a tube at this point and begin floating around the river, looking for them. Well, I manage to get all the way around the river, with no luck. I ended up having to just stand on the bridge above the lazy river and look at each person going by to find them.
I finally found them, right after my other friends showed up. It took about 50 minutes to find them. After this, we picked a beach chair as the meeting spot, which we used a little later in the day to check in with our group leaders.
This is a good example of why you should have a meeting point. We just kept going around in circles trying to meet up. Having a meeting point would have saved a lot of valuable park time. It is very difficult to find someone at the water park, especially!
Make sure the meeting spot is not too vague (like by a trashcan or waterfountain, as there are thousands of each on Disney property). Some good meeting spots (from experience) are:
Magic Kingdom:
-Outside security checkpoint on bench near monorail
-In front of huge Mickey flowerbed (in front of train station, on turnstile side)
-Near the flag pole
-In front of City Hall
EPCOT:
-Near the wait time sign (near Innoventions and the large fountain show)
-Near flowerbed that is next to Spaceship Earth (as you are going to the park exit and have just passed innoventions)
MGM:
-Near large Mickey at park entrance
-Under the Sorcerer hat
-Near Fantasmic entrance & sign (outside of Fantasmic queue, near TOT entrance)
Animal Kingdom:
-Outside security checkpoint (near Rainforest café sign)
-Near the wait time sign (near Island Mercantile)
Typhoon Lagoon:
-Donut shop (near lockers and restrooms, at front of park)
-A beach chair (very convenient, then you don’t have to go all the way back to the lockers to get things).
If you have more than 2 people in your group while you are visiting a theme or water park, make sure you all agree upon a meeting spot first thing in the morning (or whenever you arrive). It is very easy for your group to become separated. The larger the group, the easier it is for part of your group to get lost.
Earlier this month, I learned first hand how important a meeting spot is.
I went to Typhoon Lagoon with a few friends. There were two of us at the park first thing in the morning, waiting for a few more people to arrive. We decide to go do the Lazy River first, while we wait. There was only one inner tube available at first, so one member of our party went ahead and got one. I suggested they wait on the ledge across from the stairs (it is easier to get in the tubes at that point also). Well, they decided they would attempt to get in the tube on the stairway. It was not the most graceful entry, but it worked. Except that they started floating around the river a lot quicker than I was ready for. I thought OK, they're just up the river a little ways. I finally got a tube at this point and begin floating around the river, looking for them. Well, I manage to get all the way around the river, with no luck. I ended up having to just stand on the bridge above the lazy river and look at each person going by to find them.
I finally found them, right after my other friends showed up. It took about 50 minutes to find them. After this, we picked a beach chair as the meeting spot, which we used a little later in the day to check in with our group leaders.
This is a good example of why you should have a meeting point. We just kept going around in circles trying to meet up. Having a meeting point would have saved a lot of valuable park time. It is very difficult to find someone at the water park, especially!
Make sure the meeting spot is not too vague (like by a trashcan or waterfountain, as there are thousands of each on Disney property). Some good meeting spots (from experience) are:
Magic Kingdom:
-Outside security checkpoint on bench near monorail
-In front of huge Mickey flowerbed (in front of train station, on turnstile side)
-Near the flag pole
-In front of City Hall
EPCOT:
-Near the wait time sign (near Innoventions and the large fountain show)
-Near flowerbed that is next to Spaceship Earth (as you are going to the park exit and have just passed innoventions)
MGM:
-Near large Mickey at park entrance
-Under the Sorcerer hat
-Near Fantasmic entrance & sign (outside of Fantasmic queue, near TOT entrance)
Animal Kingdom:
-Outside security checkpoint (near Rainforest café sign)
-Near the wait time sign (near Island Mercantile)
Typhoon Lagoon:
-Donut shop (near lockers and restrooms, at front of park)
-A beach chair (very convenient, then you don’t have to go all the way back to the lockers to get things).