So today I’m gonna talk about actually riding the Flying Dutchman Welcome Back thing without losing your mind waiting all day. Seriously, I’ve seen the lines snaking forever, gave up twice before actually figuring this out last weekend. Here’s exactly how it went down.
Step 1: Obsessing Over the Crowd Thing
Okay, first thing Saturday morning, way too early like 8 AM, I grabbed my coffee and just straight up refreshed the crowd estimate thingie on my phone non-stop. Like, every minute. Last time, I trusted the ‘Moderate’ label and got wrecked – line was almost 2 hours long! Nope. Not doing that again.
Kept refreshing. Saw it flip from ‘Low’ to ‘Moderate’ around 8:45 AM. Figured ‘Low’ is the golden ticket for this monster coaster. Made a mental note: gotta arrive before it even says ‘Low’, basically when the place just opens.
Step 2: Walking In Like I Owned The Place (Early!)
Got there Sunday when the gates opened, 9 AM sharp. Didn’t stop for pictures, didn’t grab a snack. Pure mission mode. Headed straight back, past the main drag, towards the giant fake pirate ship area. Saw maybe ten people walking the same path. That felt good.
Step 3: The Short Walk Was Key
Because I hauled butt back there early, the entrance line? Almost non-existent. Maybe a dozen people ahead of me. Walked right through the turnstiles, down the dock, and hopped onto a boat in maybe 7 minutes flat. I was kinda shocked it worked.
Step 4: Actually Riding & Feeling Like a Genius
Slipped into the middle row seat, pulled the bar down, and we were off. The drops, the splash, all that fun stuff hit different when you didn’t just stand baking in the sun for an hour beforehand. Got soaked, laughed my head off, walked off the boat feeling way too smug.
Looked back towards the entrance as I was walking away? That little trickle of people I saw coming in was already turning into a proper mob snaking around the ropes. Felt like I pulled a legit fast one.
What Actually Worked & What Didn’t
- Arriving super early with the opening crowd: Worked. Like magic. Do this.
- Relying on the crowd estimate later in the day: Nope. Still fool’s gold by 10 AM. Useless.
- Bringing snacks for the line: Didn’t even need ’em, line was so short. Bonus!
- Assuming a weekday would be easier: Tried that Wednesday last month. Still packed out by 10:30 AM. Sunday morning was actually better for me.
So yeah. Forget trying to time it perfect later. Just show up stupid early when they unlock the gates, powerwalk to the back, and ride it before most folks have even had their second coffee. Easy win. Finally.