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Too many boats.
- Thread starter FettFan
- Start date
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
I really don't think that it would change anything. They are still going to need to release the boats from load at about the same time intervals and they will still bunch up but not as many. The time that is made up there will be lost waiting in the queue waiting for a boat. If I have to wait, I'd prefer sitting down within the ride then standing there waiting to get on one.
BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
Empty boats are better than full boats. 
Empty boats are better than full boats.
Molly Brown would disagree with you.
Eh. I think I'd rather wait three boats away from the unload rather than the 12-13 that regularly pile up at Small World.
RandomPrincess
Keep Moving Forward
Wait in the boat or wait in the line, either way you are waiting.
jloucks
Well-Known Member
I really got to know the singing (quacking) ducks at the end of Small World since we spend so much time log jammed up there. ...the way they turn there little heads and open and close their beaks to the mind numbing toon. Adorable.
MarkTwain
Well-Known Member
Fun notes about boat rides:
The spacing between boats is called the "dispatch interval" and is carefully timed, sending boats as frequently as possible while still allowing spiels/effects to reset and fully play.
Yes, the dispatch interval does change with how many boats are on the flume. The ride's computer keeps track of how many boats are out, and tells the cast members the resulting dispatch interval before they can send the next boat. More boats on the flume, quicker (and closer) dispatch interval.
The boat count DEFINITELY has an impact on capacity. More boats = noticeably less wait time; if some boats break down or have to be taken backstage, you notice that too, unfortunately.
It is considered part of a good ride operation to adjust the boat number as necessary. When wait times die down, it's good form to take boats back to prevent (as mentioned) boat-bumping at the end of the ride, and to minimize the chance of guests seeing another boat's show scene.
Some parks/attractions do this better than others. Many managers prefer not to mess with the boat count because it might involve slowing the ride or taking cast off other jobs. I've witnessed this process at both coasts and Disneyland seems to do this MUCH better. When I saw Disneyland discretely taking boats off the flume at their version of Pirates, it was almost flawless, done very discretely (almost completely in the dark) and with almost no noticeable change to the ride speed. Much better than I could imagine at WDW.
I'm not sure what the difference is at WDW and why problems like those at Small World and Pirates exist. It's disappointing though; regardless of how you feel about wait time, it's very poor show if it can be prevented, in my opinion. The pirates in the jail scene aren't in nearly good enough condition to hold up to several minutes of scrutiny, as they consistently are under these days (again, ride Disneyland's to see what the scene should actually look like).
It could be any number of technical issues, but it's also entirely possible it's just the result of managers seeking to optimize efficiency and capacity (especially in this FP+) era at the expense of show.
Show should trump efficiency.
The spacing between boats is called the "dispatch interval" and is carefully timed, sending boats as frequently as possible while still allowing spiels/effects to reset and fully play.
Yes, the dispatch interval does change with how many boats are on the flume. The ride's computer keeps track of how many boats are out, and tells the cast members the resulting dispatch interval before they can send the next boat. More boats on the flume, quicker (and closer) dispatch interval.
The boat count DEFINITELY has an impact on capacity. More boats = noticeably less wait time; if some boats break down or have to be taken backstage, you notice that too, unfortunately.
It is considered part of a good ride operation to adjust the boat number as necessary. When wait times die down, it's good form to take boats back to prevent (as mentioned) boat-bumping at the end of the ride, and to minimize the chance of guests seeing another boat's show scene.
Some parks/attractions do this better than others. Many managers prefer not to mess with the boat count because it might involve slowing the ride or taking cast off other jobs. I've witnessed this process at both coasts and Disneyland seems to do this MUCH better. When I saw Disneyland discretely taking boats off the flume at their version of Pirates, it was almost flawless, done very discretely (almost completely in the dark) and with almost no noticeable change to the ride speed. Much better than I could imagine at WDW.
I'm not sure what the difference is at WDW and why problems like those at Small World and Pirates exist. It's disappointing though; regardless of how you feel about wait time, it's very poor show if it can be prevented, in my opinion. The pirates in the jail scene aren't in nearly good enough condition to hold up to several minutes of scrutiny, as they consistently are under these days (again, ride Disneyland's to see what the scene should actually look like).
It could be any number of technical issues, but it's also entirely possible it's just the result of managers seeking to optimize efficiency and capacity (especially in this FP+) era at the expense of show.
Show should trump efficiency.
Last edited:
Clamman73
Well-Known Member
Is there a manager for each ride that determines the amount of boats, or someone who roams and has a say? I'm a little naive to the hierarchy within the Park...
bingie
Well-Known Member
Yes. Here's is a little bit on the hierarchy:
Each park has a VP that is in charge of the park and reports to Jim MacPhee
Under the VP is a General Manager for each organizational unit of the park.
-GM of Merchandise
-GM of Park Operations (Attractions)
-GM of Entertainment Operations
-GM of Food and Beverage
Under each GM are area managers for that organizational unit. The area manager's area may cover just one land or a combination of lands. For example, in Epcot Operations there is an area manager for Future World West, East and World Showcase. Merchandise and F&B have area managers covering the same areas.
Under each GM area Guest Service Managers (GSMs) that manage the area's attractions. Usually the GM for the area will assign each GSM a homeroom location or group of cast members that are their responsibility. In the WSC operations, each attraction has a GSM home-room manager.
Under each GSM are area hourly coordinators which are usually assigned to one attraction or multiple smaller attractions. In larger areas like Frontierland, each E-Ticket could have it's own coordinator. In the WSC, we sometimes only had one for the entire WSC attractions.
Then we have the hourly cast members.
As an Example in Epcot
- VP - Sam Lau
- GM Operations - Emilo Fabico
- Area Manager WSC Attractions - Julian Dacosta
- Guest Service Managers (all WSC attractions)
- Co-Ordinators (all WSC attractions)
- Front Line Cast Members
- Co-Ordinators (all WSC attractions)
- Guest Service Managers (all WSC attractions)
- Area Manager WSC Attractions - Julian Dacosta
- GM Operations - Emilo Fabico
Since the forecast determine how many cast will be working at an attraction, it also determines how many vehicles/theatres/mickey's will be in use that day.
If the forecast is proven incorrect on the day, cast members can be sent home or allowed to ER (early-release) and boats/theatres removed from the track/closed or, cast members can be extended or re-deployed to the location and additional capacity can be added.
The same holds true for quick serve. Less crowds = less lines open and less burgers in the warming bin.
It would be the decision of the coordinators or the GSMs to alter labor and extend/release a cast member through CDS. It is also their decision to change capacity on the attraction. In the past, the front entrance operations would send out the current park count to the GSMs who would make their labor decisions on this number. Obviously, this affects the wait times as well. Back in the days with the paper fast-passes, we would login to the fastpass computer and adjust the availability if necessary.
SnarkyMonkey
Well-Known Member
Meh. I would rather wait less time in the queue and wait longer to exit. You get to sit down.
I assume they do this, as others have said, to keep wait times lower.
I assume they do this, as others have said, to keep wait times lower.
raven
Well-Known Member
...In a dark tunnel?
Less wait time because more guests are trapped inside the ride waiting to get off! Small World, Splash, and mexico have almost always had this problem. I just noticed Pirates recently was longer than it usually is and we were stopped all the way back in the burning city scene....and this was during slow season!
Honestly, you wonder if they do that on purpose. Wait time is lower so more people are attracted to get in line. But then once you board you are stuck on the ride longer than expected.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
What of reservations made months in advance? Is tardiness forgiven when Disney's operational choices create the delays?
Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
There only needs to be enough boats on the track to ensure the load/unload zone never receives a delay between the one boat dispatching and the next arriving. Putting any more than that does not actually add any capacity.
The amount of boats on a track when they end up stacking before the unload is probably the maximum the ride can handle, and the only way stacking would not occur is if every single load and unload had no delay whatsoever, which will never, ever happen.
The amount of boats on a track when they end up stacking before the unload is probably the maximum the ride can handle, and the only way stacking would not occur is if every single load and unload had no delay whatsoever, which will never, ever happen.
Clamman73
Well-Known Member
Person in front of me had their own little Epcot, and so did I...a nice way to listen to the Land.