PHOTOS - Inside the interactive indoor queue set to open in July at Dumbo

[coolbeans14]

I am going to guess the pager thing is like the Q-bot system at Legoland Windsor. If so, then this is a good idea.

young families won't want to take kids away, and so will stay here where I imagine there's probably a drinks stand, maybe popcorn, that sort of thing.

older families will walk off, but ultimately will probably stay in fantasyland and tommorowland. they'll go on some other rides, or maybe go get a meal, then go back over to Dumbo, and hang around for a few minutes before their turn.

This system basically means there is still a chance for Disney to make money out of you, while you queue. It's ingenious actually. all they need is a server to give out the times, a charging machine to store the pagers in, and a timer on the actual pager.

also, this appears to be inside the tent section, my question is what about the green building at the back? perhaps this play area is a lot bigger than we can see. perhaps its more than just a play area????

 

[autigger]

. In this time of a terrible global economy, I am extremely impressed with the level of effort and spending that Disney has been exhibiting on a global scale. .

What are you talking about?

Disney parks are recording record attendance numbers with ever increasing ticket prices (phenomonal increase over the last eight years). Despite this, the Orlando parks suffer from decreased mantainence and precious few new attractions. When Disney charges more and more and delivers less and less, people will be upset.

Personally, I don’t complain, I just vote with my wallet. My family has not been to WDW since 2010 and we are going this year either.

 

[MichWolv]

Or you know, I can spend my time bonding with my child instead of sitting there watching them have fun. I believe someone somewhere once designed a park to do away with those types of things...:zipit:

Sure the air conditioning is nice. But I can sit inside the air conditioning at my McDonald's and watch them play. We don't go to WDW for that.:wave:

So you're actually saying, I think, that you would prefer spending 30 minutes standing in a switchback queue themed as...a switchback queue, then spending that 30 minutes inside a colorful playground where you could walk, sit, and maybe play with your kids? If you so like the idea of just standing next to your kids while in line rather than watching them play, couldn't you just pick a spot in the new area and stand there for 30 minutes with your kids?

 

[lazyboy97o]

I truly believe Walt would approve of this. It's the epitome of his reason for building DL. Everyone in the entire family is having fun, together, in a safe environment.

The same way he was having fun siting on the bench at Griffith Park. Watching your kids have fun in a safe environment is the exact opposite of the point of the Griffith Park story. A place where the little ones go off to play in an area designated for them to play while the parents sit back and enjoy the action vicariously is not the entire family fun, it is the same sort of childish entertainment that be had many other places.

 

[lazyboy97o]

So you're actually saying, I think, that you would prefer spending 30 minutes standing in a switchback queue themed as...a switchback queue, then spending that 30 minutes inside a colorful playground where you could walk, sit, and maybe play with your kids? If you so like the idea of just standing next to your kids while in line rather than watching them play, couldn't you just pick a spot in the new area and stand there for 30 minutes with your kids?

Why does this silly notion keep getting tossed out? Nobody is saying that a switchback queue is better. What is being said is that Disney was once about more than just appealing to kids and an interactive queue, if that is to be the route, should actually involve a wider audience than little kids.

 

[Tom]

I am going to guess the pager thing is like the Q-bot system at Legoland Windsor. If so, then this is a good idea.

young families won't want to take kids away, and so will stay here where I imagine there's probably a drinks stand, maybe popcorn, that sort of thing.

older families will walk off, but ultimately will probably stay in fantasyland and tommorowland. they'll go on some other rides, or maybe go get a meal, then go back over to Dumbo, and hang around for a few minutes before their turn.

This system basically means there is still a chance for Disney to make money out of you, while you queue. It's ingenious actually. all they need is a server to give out the times, a charging machine to store the pagers in, and a timer on the actual pager.

also, this appears to be inside the tent section, my question is what about the green building at the back? perhaps this play area is a lot bigger than we can see. perhaps its more than just a play area????

Seems like the intent is to have you waiting far to little to have time to sell you anything. And since they don't allow food/drink on the rides, I don't foresee them selling food and drink within the queue.

As for the back portion of the Dumbo show building. Perhaps a mechanical room and/or another CM break room?

 

[Enchantâmes]

It looks great.....especially in the eyes of a 5-year-old, who won't be JUDGING it while he's running around and enjoying some activity instead of being herded toward slaughter like the rest of the queues on property.



I truly believe Walt would approve of this. It's the epitome of his reason for building DL. Everyone in the entire family is having fun, together, in a safe environment.



You would really bond with your children more as you shuffle through the cattle call type queues on property than you could if you were able to just sit down in the corner of a big air conditioned room (like waiting for Hall of Presidents or American Adventure) while you wait? There's no requirement to play games. You can just plop down and enjoy the AC.....and have some less stressful bonding.



See, you get it! But again, you are the target audience, so you would!

 

[MichWolv]

The same way he was having fun siting on the bench at Griffith Park. Watching your kids have fun in a safe environment is the exact opposite of the point of the Griffith Park story. A place where the little ones go off to play in an area designated for them to play while the parents sit back and enjoy the action vicariously is not the entire family fun, it is the same sort of childish entertainment that be had many other places.

I think we're confusing the subject here. The queueless queue, or whatever we're calling this stuff, isn't the attraction itself. The attraction is the Dumbo ride, as it always was. We're talking about replacing a switchback queue with (at worst) a playground. I'm confident that when Walt was talking about things the whole family can do together, he wasn't talking about standing in a line as being the thing he wanted to do with his kids. It was the ride itself. Now, as far as I'm concerned, Dumbo doesn't achieve that goal in the first place (I find it lame, but my kids like it), but eliminating the queue in favor of a playground certainly doesn't make it worse -- it makes it better, because instead of waiting in a queue for 30 minutes so my kids can spin around in an elephant, I can play with them for 30 minutes.

 

[coolbeans14]

Seems like the intent is to have you waiting far to little to have time to sell you anything. And since they don't allow food/drink on the rides, I don't foresee them selling food and drink within the queue.

As for the back portion of the Dumbo show building. Perhaps a mechanical room and/or another CM break room?

Oh, forgot about that, probably a break room.

Still, when the queue for the old dumbo was 120 mins, thats going to in theory be a 60 minute queue now. enough time for them to try and sell you stuff.

 

[MichWolv]

Why does this silly notion keep getting tossed out? Nobody is saying that a switchback queue is better. What is being said is that Disney was once about more than just appealing to kids and an interactive queue, if that is to be the route, should actually involve a wider audience than little kids.

Well, because I'm a silly person, I guess.

On no, wait...I know exactly why. We are talking about replacing a queue with a playground. You are objecting to that. I prefer the playground.

Would I rather the queue had been replaced with something else? Maybe, depending upon what the something else is. But as it happens, it's being replaced with a playground. An improvement in my book, but not in yours, it seems.

 

[hokielutz]

Does the # of Dumbo cars on the new spinners = the same number as the original attraction?

 

[AmongMadPeople]

I read the article before seeing this discussion, and actually went back to the pictures to see what I had missed that made so many people react like that. From what small glimpse we get from these pictures, I think the atmosphere looks engaging and well designed for its intended purpose. I'm delighted by the apparent lack of video screens and non-imaginative play.

Can't wait to borrow our friends' kid so I have an excuse to try it out

 

[Enchantâmes]

 

[Lucky]

What is being said is that Disney was once about more than just appealing to kids and an interactive queue, if that is to be the route, should actually involve a wider audience than little kids.

Dumbo is a little kids' ride. Always has been. Always will be.

I'm not a little kid. Dumbo isn't my sort of ride. But Disney isn't just about me. As a mature adult, I'll just have to figure out how to deal with that.

 

[Vader2112]

It looks great.....especially in the eyes of a 5-year-old, who won't be JUDGING it while he's running around and enjoying some activity instead of being herded toward slaughter like the rest of the queues on property.



I truly believe Walt would approve of this. It's the epitome of his reason for building DL. Everyone in the entire family is having fun, together, in a safe environment.



You would really bond with your children more as you shuffle through the cattle call type queues on property than you could if you were able to just sit down in the corner of a big air conditioned room (like waiting for Hall of Presidents or American Adventure) while you wait? There's no requirement to play games. You can just plop down and enjoy the AC.....and have some less stressful bonding.



See, you get it! But again, you are the target audience, so you would!

BRAVO!!!! :sohappy:

 

[Tom]

Does the # of Dumbo cars on the new spinners = the same number as the original attraction?

Yes

 

[TestTrack Dummy]

Judging by the amount of whiny toddles on here id say the queue looks great. :ROFLOL:

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

I'm definitely intrigued by this new concept, and I'm looking forward to checking it out for sure.

For what it's worth, some of my favorite memories from my first trip in 1986 (I was 6) were of waiting in lines, talking to my parents about what we were going to do next. I don't have a problem with waiting in line at all, and I don't necessary understand why we're conditioning kids to be stimulated 100% of the time. That being said, I have very fond memories of playing on the old playground in the Disney Marketplace, and I can appreciate some of these areas popping up for kids to burn off some energy.

I'm concerned, though, about the latest barrage of people condemning others' opinions. This is a discussion forum, and people here often disagree (imagine that! ). Just because other members disagree with you, do you really think that their opinions are "wrong?" Seriously...

 

[NewfieFan]

Yes, sitting in a queue waiting while my kids have fun without me and listening to the wailing of other brats around me. That sounds like one of the best queues in WDW.

Ok, so for those of you that don't like this queue or feel it doesn't engage the whole family... what would you want!?!

I don't get, I really don't! We have a way better queue than before (it's not even worth comparing the two) and folks are complaining. So you say the look is cheap - want kind of look would you want for a themed queue area in Dumbo? So you say it doesn't include the whole family - want kind of interactive queue would entertain all ages?

I really don't see how Disney could have done a better job with this one. It took an iconic kids ride that was way too short with a painfully slow line in the blazing heat... and gave us double capacity while adding more fun for kids, taking us out of the heat, and making it look pretty to boot! What's the problem, again!?! :shrug:

 

[jayhawkmickey]

The comments about how lame the new fantasyland was when there were just a few pictures of foundations and raw steel work remind me of this thread. There have been two pictures posted and not very detailed ones at that. Are people attacking this concept based on the design or on the idea, because the design is unknown and the idea seems preferable to a switchback line, especially one outside. I'm reserving judgement untill I'm informed about the design but AC makes this line 99 percent better than the old one any day.