I was at Epcot with my kids on Aug.4...the line for TT was up to 60 mins and then a few hours later it was up to 95 mins. So we decided to get a fastpass and come back later. When we came back to use our fastpass...the fastpass line seemed longer than stand by line. While we were in line the ride broke down so we waited 30 mins to get into the briefing room. From there waited another 15 mins to get on the ride its self. Is there a problem with this ride since it always seems like the wait times are always 45 mins or better. It seems to me that they just rehabed the ride not to long ago. Does anyone else have this problem?
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Test Track lines..What's up
- Thread starter mickeyman65
- Start date
Brian_B
Member
Breakdowns are inevitable, and from what I understand are sometimes due to either CM error or a guest taking too long to exit the ride, etc - the ride has many failsafe systems and there are a lot of factors that could add up to it shutting off (Of course I was never a CM there, but I don't think I'm wrong on this one). Also I've found that the time posted electronically is usually an overcompensation and the actual wait is FAR shorter than the digital forcast outside the ride (generally I've found this to be true for all rides).
-Brian
ps. Did world of motion ever close because it was raining outside?!? HUH!??!? :lol:
-Brian
ps. Did world of motion ever close because it was raining outside?!? HUH!??!? :lol:
goofyguy
Member
I can't speak for everyday at Test Track, but it just so happens I was doing data collection there on the 4th. What happened that day was that Test Track shut down for 40 minutes due to an electrical storm in the area. The majority of people in the Fastpass line opted to leave and were given new passes that would allow them to return later in the day. So when Test Track opened back up, the Fastpass line was overrun by all the people who would normally have used their passes during that 40 minute window. For the rest of the day the cast members were doing their best to burn through the Fastpass line, but that put the Standby line at a virtual standstill. (I was only monitoring the front of the line, but from what I understand, Standby hit a 2 hour wait time that day.)
Now the rest of what I have to say is just speculation on my part. I think there are two major problems that cause such horrible wait times at Test Track. The first is that the attraction has such slow load times. There are six people per car and, I believe, four load stations. So you only get 24 people in each load cycle. If anything happens to slow that down (Grandma forgets to buckle her seatbelt or the previous riders forget that they have to get out of the car) it has a ripple effect on the whole line.
If the line backs up even a little, then the people can't get out of the briefing room. If there is even one person in front of the exit to the briefing room, the doors can't shut and this means they can't open the doors on the other side to start the next preshow. Therefore, the line stops.
The other problem is Fastpass. Without Fastpass there would be just one line that, while slow, would at least have steady progress toward the ride. (I'm ignoring the Singles line here since it doesn't really play into the discussion.) The wait time would quite probably be more accurate as well. With Test Track's frequent shut downs (due to weather or mechanical problems) you wouldn't have an unexpected number of Fastpass returns. And even it the line did reach 2 hour wait times, I think people tolerate that better if they are actually steadly moving forward as opposed to standing the the same spot for 30 to 40 minutes at a time.
That's my take on things.
Now the rest of what I have to say is just speculation on my part. I think there are two major problems that cause such horrible wait times at Test Track. The first is that the attraction has such slow load times. There are six people per car and, I believe, four load stations. So you only get 24 people in each load cycle. If anything happens to slow that down (Grandma forgets to buckle her seatbelt or the previous riders forget that they have to get out of the car) it has a ripple effect on the whole line.
If the line backs up even a little, then the people can't get out of the briefing room. If there is even one person in front of the exit to the briefing room, the doors can't shut and this means they can't open the doors on the other side to start the next preshow. Therefore, the line stops.
The other problem is Fastpass. Without Fastpass there would be just one line that, while slow, would at least have steady progress toward the ride. (I'm ignoring the Singles line here since it doesn't really play into the discussion.) The wait time would quite probably be more accurate as well. With Test Track's frequent shut downs (due to weather or mechanical problems) you wouldn't have an unexpected number of Fastpass returns. And even it the line did reach 2 hour wait times, I think people tolerate that better if they are actually steadly moving forward as opposed to standing the the same spot for 30 to 40 minutes at a time.
That's my take on things.
joel_maxwell
Permanent Resident of EPCOT
that is why i dont care for fastpass. you see the wait time, you get into line, then all the fastpass holders show up and the line goes from 30 to 60 in under 4.5 seconds. lol
but really, that is frustrating.
but really, that is frustrating.
rainfully
Well-Known Member
me too! but last time i was at mk, almost every stand-by line we stood in was around 20+ minutes longer than the time that was posted. and i was with someone who had never been to disney before... and i kept telling him that it's not how it usually is... i swear!Brian_B said:
RnRJoe6114
Member
Mickeyman what time was your fastpass for? Because the same thing happened to me that same day. And i didn't get a return later fastpass like i did when this happened a couple years ago.
Miss Bell
New Member
I know a couple of years ago, a CM told me that the computer that runs the thing overloads and shuts the whole thing down. Don't know how accurate that is or not--have read a lot of posts about the loading/unloading causing the problem.
I thought it was better this year than year past--though I thought it was strange that I could always get on MS when I wanted, but still only got to ride TT once, because of the wait time, or the distant time of the fastpass.
I thought it was better this year than year past--though I thought it was strange that I could always get on MS when I wanted, but still only got to ride TT once, because of the wait time, or the distant time of the fastpass.
MissM
Well-Known Member
Even in perfect situations, the fastpass line for TT is one of the worst in WDW. The wait is never any less then the regular line. I've seen it snake out the building before. It's like what's the point? I already waited an hour and a half to even get in the fastpass line, then, I wait another 30-45 minutes in the line. Ugh. It's so frustrating.
I love the ride but man, I almost never get to ride it because the line situation is so bad. (and they always run out of fastpasses before noon it seems)
-m
I love the ride but man, I almost never get to ride it because the line situation is so bad. (and they always run out of fastpasses before noon it seems)
-m
dxwwf3
Well-Known Member
aimster said:
The SRL here is starting to get more crowded each year I go. Back when Singles went to the left side of the building, the wait were much less than they are now. This trip (early June) I probably rode TT about 5 times using the SRL and I averaged waiting 15-30 minutes for each ride. Now the Mission Space SRL usually never has much of a wait, but the ride itself never had more of a 30 minute wait any day we were there.
But one day at Test Track there was one time that the outside said the Standby line was 120 minutes and yet there was not a single person in the line. I walked at of the SRL line and walked into the standby line and got on much quicker than the other people in the SRL :lol:. After that they changed the waiting time to 30 minutes and the line was all the way outside by the time I got off the ride and got back around.
Wckd Queen
New Member
Last visit, they had run out of fastpass's by 11:30am for the day. We wound up waiting about an hour and a half, about half of which was outside. It was like 32 degrees that day so we huddled together for warmth :lol: This is why we always make TT our first stop at Epcot.
Maybe Kenan or Jonnie can shed more light for us on the technical aspect of TT and why a ride that goes so fast on the track (when it's actually going :lol: ) moves so slowly in the lines :wave:
Maybe Kenan or Jonnie can shed more light for us on the technical aspect of TT and why a ride that goes so fast on the track (when it's actually going :lol: ) moves so slowly in the lines :wave:
My fastpass time was for 6:50 to 7:50...and we got the fastpass at 2pm. We got there at 7:10 and finally go the ride at 7:55. I remember while in line when they said the ride was down..three men came in and did something and 25 mins later they left and the line started moving again. The thing that gets me about the fastpass...you could get a fastpass at 2pm and the fastpass time is for 7 or 8 that nite..to me that seems like a hell of a wait.RnRJoe6114 said:
KUNZEWORLD
New Member
Count me in as another one who greatly dislikes fastpass. I have gone twice in october and walked on the ride. We have never even used fastpass!
surfsupdon
Well-Known Member
Test Track, and mor eimpotantly its line, is one big ole mess. Management has to do soemthing better. And even if they cannot speed up the line, they must organize the area better. Maybe even eliminate FP altogether, so at least you would be constantly moving. I get so annoyed there, its so Six Flags.
KUNZEWORLD
New Member
I think if the rides were designed for fast pass from the start it wouldn't be so bad, but just adding it on to a ride disturbs ther regular line too much and makes it a big mess