Interactive Queue Etiquette

[Figaro928]

With all the new interactive queues (HM, 7DMT, TLM) what is the best way to deal with using the games? Obviously, it would be rude to expect guests behind you to wait and not pass you. We're on the same page with that one, right? Ever experience another guest that actually made others wait?

Especially with kids, do you wave other guests in front of you or do you use it only as long as the moving line allows? Just curious on others' thoughts on the matter.

 

[Figaro928]

Oh and I realize most on this forum completely skip the interactive stuff. In that case, what would you find acceptable from other guests?

 

[doctornick]

As long as the queue in front never empties (i.e. everyone is loaded onto a ride), then waiting at an interactive game does not increase the total wait time for a ride. It's just psychological seeing the gap in the line form, but everyone can "catch up" once you move past the interactive element.

I don't think there's clear appropriate etiquette. I would argue that unless the person playing the game says "you can pass" to people behind, that the appropriate thing is to wait in the order you are in and not pass someone.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I find interactive queues very stressful.

My instinct is to wait for somebody to finish his game and move along again. But this results in, firstly, everybody passing me by, and secondly, me inadvertedly bothering the persons playing because they are now obliged to communicate to me in one form or other that they are not in line.

 

[IWantMyMagicBand]

I'm a horrible parent, I don't let my kids play with them and we just move straight past. There are "boredom lifters" at Alton Towers and Chessington in the UK and my kids always always always fight over who plays with it. So we don't. My one exception is Winnie the Pooh as it is a detour and not a queue holder. I let the kids play whilst I queue conventionally. If a gap starts to form in front of the person playing my kids usually point it out and I'll say " we need to wait for these people to finish before we can move" and it usually works. What I can't stand though is being in a kiddie queue and a group of teenagers start playing. Then I replace "people" with "children" in my sentence and that usually gets them moving through embarrassment lol.

 

[Horizons1]

Walk around those who are playing. You're in line for a ride, not a game.

 

[Tom]

We will bypass anyone stopping for more than a few seconds to interact with a prop or play a game.

In the HM extended queue, those props are momentary forms of entertainment, and people don't typically linger. So, in that instance, we'll just stand back and wait for them to advance, or wait for our turn to mess with the same prop.

But in queues like Space Mountain, Big Thunder, Pooh and others with distractions that cause longer visits, we'll bypass the guests if the line ahead of them is moving forward steadily. If all we'd do is close the gap (i.e. the next guests are still only a few steps ahead of them and not moving), we'll wait.

This is my personal belief on what's fair. And I believe that those playing the games reserve the privilege to step back into the queue at any point, since they're obviously not cutting in line.

 

[Upanova]

Which queues are interactive again? HM yes, but I did not know about Pooh and Space.

 

[Mad Stitch]

As long as the queue in front never empties (i.e. everyone is loaded onto a ride), then waiting at an interactive game does not increase the total wait time for a ride. It's just psychological seeing the gap in the line form, but everyone can "catch up" once you move past the interactive element.

I don't think there's clear appropriate etiquette. I would argue that unless the person playing the game says "you can pass" to people behind, that the appropriate thing is to wait in the order you are in and not pass someone.

I disagree. By your logic it is then ok to play the game and make everyone behind wait until the line empties up to the load point. Then everyone moves up and technically did not increase the wait time. If someone did that then I'd consider them incredibly rude and pass them if they like it or not.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I'm passing the game players. If they want to stop and take the time to play, why should I be held up ? If I was to stop and play I'd expect others behind me to pass by and continue on. As long as I am game playing I consider myself no longer actively in line. By the way... some game players take forever at a spot and no one else gets a chance to play.

 

[Kuzcotopia]

Walk around those who are playing. You're in line for a ride, not a game.

That according the official Queensbury rules of standing in line. It's pretty much the undisputed Bible of WDW.

This rule comes from book 3, chapter twelve.

Do not question the book.

 

[psukardi]

If you're not holding me up, do whatever you want. If there's a gap of a foot or 5 feet between you and the next group of people it doesn't matter, the number of people is the same

 

[mikeh]

Which queues are interactive again? HM yes, but I did not know about Pooh and Space.

Space, Pooh, SDMT, Journey of the Little Mermaid, HM, Big Thunder, and Dumbo has a play area. Peter Pan rumored. (This is just in Magic Kingdom)

 

[Tom Morrow]

Walk around those who are playing. You're in line for a ride, not a game.

But you should only do this if the queue is empty for a while in front of them. If this only moves you up a few feet, then you accomplished nothing.

For Space Mountain, the games are only a minute or so, and when they finish, everyone moves forward, and waiting for the game to finish should not make you wait any extra time.

 

[eeyoremum]

I remember a day when they didn't need to add a game to the lines. You stood and talked/bonded with your family...I think I am getting old.

 

[Horizons1]

But you should only do this if the queue is empty for a while in front of them. If this only moves you up a few feet, then you accomplished nothing.

For Space Mountain, the games are only a minute or so, and when they finish, everyone moves forward, and waiting for the game to finish should not make you wait any extra time.

It puts me a few feet closer than them. I've accomplished cutting my wait time. Like I said, ya'll can play these dumb games, I'm going on the ride.

 

[Kuzcotopia]

It puts me a few feet closer than them. I've accomplished cutting my wait time. Like I said, ya'll can play these dumb games, I'm going on the ride.

Not sure how that's different than line jumping, but since you won't get caught. . . Who's going to stop you?

 

[Tom Morrow]

It puts me a few feet closer than them. I've accomplished cutting my wait time. Like I said, ya'll can play these dumb games, I'm going on the ride.

If all you did was move a few feet closer, but there's still tons of people between you and the ride, then you did nothing but cut in line and annoy people who were just trying to have fun with the things that are there to have fun with.

It's understandable if they're there for a long time, or if the end of the actual queue is way ahead of them, but if the line is just slowly moving along and you pass someone who stops for a moment to play, you're just being rude.

 

[minsmk]

I'm a horrible parent, I don't let my kids play with them and we just move straight past. There are "boredom lifters" at Alton Towers and Chessington in the UK and my kids always always always fight over who plays with it. So we don't. My one exception is Winnie the Pooh as it is a detour and not a queue holder. I let the kids play whilst I queue conventionally. If a gap starts to form in front of the person playing my kids usually point it out and I'll say " we need to wait for these people to finish before we can move" and it usually works. What I can't stand though is being in a kiddie queue and a group of teenagers start playing. Then I replace "people" with "children" in my sentence and that usually gets them moving through embarrassment lol.

Not to stir anything up, but that's pretty rude. I mean some teens just want to have fun and if they have someone waiting in line for them then it's fine. I have seen adults and 20 somethings pushing ahead of me after they finish playing with things at SDMT..

It's best to just keep quiet, that's what I do. Also don't blame them for wanting to have fun. At least they aren't looking up videos on their phone or not talking. I think that's better than "Being annoying."

 

[neoshinok]