Before the Fast Pass era...

[Spike-in-Berlin]

20-25 minutes was about all that I could ever take - and I'm so spoiled now, I'm not sure I'd wait that long any more. There's just so much to do that does not require such a long wait. (I think I made a few exceptions for totally new attractions).

Absolutely true, I'm spoiled too. The last trip had a longest waiting time from about 20 minutes at TSM and we had FP! The average wait during our last trip was 10 minutes and half of the time the rides were mere walk-ons.
In 1982 my longest wait (as a KID) was about an hour for 20.000 Leagues and at most rides like JC and PotC at least 30 minutes, sometimes 40 min.
Even in 1991, my last trip before the era of Fastpass I had some waits of more than 30 minutes. Today I couldn't accept any waiting time beyond 30 minutes, with the exception of brand new rides, just like you. I would wait 2 h for a Fire Mountain Ride and if it would be the only possibility left to do it I would also wait more than an hour for the upcoming Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride.

 

[The Mom]

I have been going to WDW for over 30 years. I've gone during peak season and I've gone when the park is empty. I've been there on July 4th and I've been there on New Years Eve. I can remember pre-FastPass.I've probably crossed the turnstiles for MK over 70 times (it's my best guess). I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've entered MK and not gone on Space Mountain.

Except for the Future World attractions the first 3 or 4 summers EPCOT Center was open and Splash Mountain the first 3 or 4 summers it was open, I have never spent more than 2 hours waiting in line for any one attraction. Not in 1979, not in 1984, not in 1993 and not two years ago.

When are/were you people visiting WDW that 2-3 hour waits are/were common?

July 1985.

 

[Edeyore]

I remember going in 99 and waiting over an hour for my first ride on Splash Mountain..I honestly don't mind waiting in long lines for certain rides. I think waiting in line is part of the fun sometimes! I'm probably of the minority on this answer.

I think you are right. It can be fun sometimes. I had a long wait for BTM in 1998 with my sons. A gentleman just a spot or two in front of us was doing magic tricks. He wasn't a cast member, he was just doing a number of slight of hand tricks over and over. He was very good and everybody got a kick out of it. I also know there are times when the person a spot or two in front of you is a parent with an overtired, out of control, whining child who has just had enough and 40 minutes of screaming from both the parent and the child can make the wait seem so much longer.

 

[Krack]

July 1985.

For what attractions?

 

[jakeman]

July 1985.

Summer 1989 and Summer 1992 for week long trips (can't recall the actual days) and sporadically throughout the 90s.

Oh and my experience with KSR pre-FP comes from daily operations in Summer of 1999. As I said, waits over 100 minutes were common until mid-afternoon for KSR. So given that I was there daily for that attraction, I feel pretty confident in that data sample I have.

 

[The Mom]

It was 25 years ago!

I don't remember all of the details - it was a pretty awful trip so I made an effort to forget them. :lol: I just remember going back and forth between both sides of Future World, hoping to find a shorter line, and then just deciding that there was no way we were going to avoid a long line (if we wanted to ride anything) and s__________g it up and just standing in a 90 minute line because it didn't seem as bad as others.

I wasn't a child, whose time perception might be have been different - I was older than half of the posters on this board.

As I mentioned elsewhere, if that had been my first trip, I never would have returned.

I also remember going back to check lines frequently on other trips, but that trip was the worst.

I would rather back track with a FP, knowing that I can get on the ride within a more reasonable time, than to keep back tracking, knowing that the line might still be too long.

Do I remember any 4 hour waits? No. Do I remember a lot of 2 and even 3 hour waits? Yes. For all I know, they didn't even post anything longer than 3 hours back then.

But I also noticed that there isn't a real slow season anymore - just not quite as busy, so I haven't been lately.

 

[The Mom]

Summer 1989 and Summer 1992 for week long trips (can't recall the actual days) and sporadically throughout the 90s.

Oh and my experience with KSR pre-FP comes from daily operations in Summer of 1999. As I said, waits over 100 minutes were common until mid-afternoon for KSR. So given that I was there daily for that attraction, I feel pretty confident in that data sample I have.

KSR?

 

[Krack]

It was 25 years ago!

I don't remember all of the details - it was a pretty awful trip so I made an effort to forget them. :lol: I just remember going back and forth between both sides of Future World, hoping to find a shorter line, and then just deciding that there was no way we were going to avoid a long line (if we wanted to ride anything) and s__________g it up and just standing in a 90 minute line because it didn't seem as bad as others.

I wasn't a child, whose time perception might be have been different - I was older than half of the posters on this board.

As I mentioned elsewhere, if that had been my first trip, I never would have returned.

I also remember going back to check lines frequently on other trips, but that trip was the worst.

I would rather back track with a FP, knowing that I can get on the ride within a more reasonable time, than to keep back tracking, knowing that the line might still be too long.

Do I remember any 4 hour waits? No. Do I remember a lot of 2 and even 3 hour waits? Yes. For all I know, they didn't even post anything longer than 3 hours back then.

But I also noticed that there isn't a real slow season anymore - just not quite as busy, so I haven't been lately.

Oh, I believe you - I said as much in my first post; the Future World lines in the first 3 or 4 years the park was open were unreal. The longest line I've ever been in at WDW was for the World of Motion in the Summer of 1983 (at least 3 hours). Except for Splash Moutain, I've never experienced anything like that in the MK (or DHS, or DL), though.

 

[Jeff456]

I remember going in 99 and waiting over an hour for my first ride on Splash Mountain..I honestly don't mind waiting in long lines for certain rides. I think waiting in line is part of the fun sometimes! I'm probably of the minority on this answer.

I know what you mean about waiting in line being part of the fun, it builds anticipation, definitely makes the ride itself more enjoyable if you have been anticipating it for a bit rather than just walking straight on. Given the choice of waiting or walking straight on though, I'll walk straight on!

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

KSR?

Yeah, I'm wondering about that one, too.

 

[jakeman]

KSR?

Yeah, I'm wondering about that one, too.

Sorry about that.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

 

[cynic710]

my longest wait was 2 hours for splash mountain, and yet, i didnt get that frustrated. instinctively, the inner impatience came out in me and i started wondering if i was going to make all intended attractions, and ive come to learn that even without the fastpass it typically works itself out. in all the times ive visited i have yet to sacrafice riding any one attraction due to time constraints.

then again, i plan my trips to be around the dead time of early november..

either way, waiting in line for a disney attraction is not the worst thing i can think of doing

 

[xdan0920]

Waited 2+ hours for Everest when it first opened up and the Yeti was still in A mode. The wait was for sure long, but with that new queue and everything to look at and read, it was not too bad. The the Coaster really delivered as well. Now, the Yeti is in disco mode, and the novelty of the forwards backwards forwards has worn off, I would never wait in a line like that again.

 

[Sarabell]

We saw the Stand By line for Soarin' at over 4 hours on New Years Eve 2008 - and thats with Fast pass :hammer:

Wow! that's just ridiculous! although when there was no fastpass there were 2 lines constantly moving. i used to go around thanksgiving and never waited longer than 30 minutes for anything.

 

[Master Yoda]

Wow! that's just ridiculous! although when there was no fastpass there were 2 lines constantly moving. i used to go around thanksgiving and never waited longer than 30 minutes for anything.

If I am not mistaken Soarin at WDW has never existed without fastpass with the exception of initial previews.

 

[Edeyore]

Wow! that's just ridiculous! although when there was no fastpass there were 2 lines constantly moving. i used to go around thanksgiving and never waited longer than 30 minutes for anything.

I agree with you on the ridiculous part. I love WDW and almost all of the rides and attractions, but I cannot even imagine anything being worth standing in line for 4 hours to see. When it gets to that point do something else.

 

[Vernonpush]

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=4541114&postcount=158