wait....its not so bad (to stand in line)

[englanddg]

Fastpass has created this notion at WDW that waiting in line for more than 20 minutes for anything is dreadful and awful. It doesn't have to be. Even so, I hate when people insist that 40-60 minutes is too long to wait. Have you ever been to a Six Flags? You will often wait that long for most rides. I also think that its funny that people will wait 2 hours to board a plane, wait 30 minutes to check in, wait 20 minutes for the bus, but refuse to wait in line for what you're even going there for in the first place.

40 - 60 minutes for a ride wait for a regular who's ridden the ride many times may be too much.

Heck, even my kid is starting to get to the age where she gauges wait to experience. But, for something she REALLY wants to do, she'll wait it out. Just like days of old.

I'd skip Small World if it had a 40 - 60 minute wait, but 15 - 20 was fine. However, I'd easily wait 60 minutes for Haunted Mansion without batting an eye.

But, I see your point. With FP, instead of slowing down, the game became "run all over and avoid the lines!"

I wonder, all those cross park hikes and time spent waiting for your window to open up...if any actual "wait time" was any shorter...I mean, granted, it was shorter in the queue, but...was it really shorter?

 

[Tom Morrow]

Well, true. Its understandable for regulars and those who have ridden it many times. But if you rarely get to ride, or its your first time, just suck it up and wait if you have to.

 

[copcarguyp71]

I love waiting in the queue for a lot of rides ToT, Splash Mountain, BTMRR, Under the Sea (best part of the ride), POTC, EE, Star Tours are all winners in my mind.

But...I have to say that RnR makes my head want to explode with rage when you get into the room where Disney has posters of their "invented" music acts...

 

[Yert3]

Fastpass has created this notion at WDW that waiting in line for more than 20 minutes for anything is dreadful and awful. It doesn't have to be. Even so, I hate when people insist that 40-60 minutes is too long to wait. Have you ever been to a Six Flags? You will often wait that long for most rides. I also think that its funny that people will wait 2 hours to board a plane, wait 30 minutes to check in, wait 20 minutes for the bus, but refuse to wait in line for what you're even going there for in the first place.

I just wish Fastpass would go away. A cast memeber told me a few days ago that it more than quadruples the standby wait. I knew it made standby by a lot longer, but I didn't know it made it THAT much longer.

 

[WondersOfLife]

I'll stick with being within the small group of no patience. I just don't see the point of waiting 15 minutes for a 2 minute ride .-.

HOORAH FOR FASTPASS

 

[Tom Morrow]

I just wish Fastpass would go away. A cast memeber told me a few days ago that it more than quadruples the standby wait. I knew it made standby by a lot longer, but I didn't know it made it THAT much longer.

Quadruple is a bit high but yes, Fastpass causes the standby lines to be longer than they would be if Fastpass didn't exist. And before anyone says "no it doesn't because everyone would be in the standby line anyway and the wait would be the same, that is wrong and I will explain why if needed!

 

[James Clifton]

In line can be....interesting.A number of yrs.ago i was in line at WDW for the Thunder Mountain ride.about 5 18yr.old young ladies were rt.behind me....asked if I was alone...said yep! They said....no lady( I had split with one....SHE didn't want to go to WDW)! Welllll...."not anymore"...YOU,are with us! 5 beautiful young ladies....& me......did WDW up right!! Will never forget it.....never laughed soooo much in my life!
Jim

 

[MarkTwain]

I just wish Fastpass would go away. A cast memeber told me a few days ago that it more than quadruples the standby wait. I knew it made standby by a lot longer, but I didn't know it made it THAT much longer.

Quadruple is a bit high but yes, Fastpass causes the standby lines to be longer than they would be if Fastpass didn't exist. And before anyone says "no it doesn't because everyone would be in the standby line anyway and the wait would be the same, that is wrong and I will explain why if needed!

I'd say quadruple is about accurate, actually. Cast members assigned to "merge" control (bringing the two separate queues for FastPass and standby back into a single queue for boarding) typically must keep a 4:1 ratio on average days. In other words, 4 guests from FastPass must be loaded for every 1 from standby, although it's usually something more like 20 from standby for every 80 from FastPass. This is the reason for why in standby queues in popular rides, it feels like you move consistently in line 2 or so minutes and then stop and wait for 10.

At least this was the policy in pre-FP+ days; I can't imagine Disney's lessened the ratio any. On very busy days, Disney's policy was to make the ratio even higher in FastPass's favor, giving out twice (or more) as many FastPasses, and then telling CMs to load with a 1:8 or even 1:10 ratio. That drives the standby wait times to the ridiculously high numbers you see on busier days (even if there aren't THAT many more people in line).

 

[Goofyernmost]

Quadruple is a bit high but yes, Fastpass causes the standby lines to be longer than they would be if Fastpass didn't exist. And before anyone says "no it doesn't because everyone would be in the standby line anyway and the wait would be the same, that is wrong and I will explain why if needed!

No need for me at least. That argument has been thrown out there so many times it has grown wings. It is not a matter of how many are in line, it is about ones position in that line. There may be the same number of people in line with or without FP, but many of the FP people will be behind you and not necessarily ahead of you. Their wait is longer, but, not yours if you are ahead of them.

 

[Victor Kelly]

It isn't just meeting people, it is enjoying the elaborate theming of the attractions lines.

 

[Tom Morrow]

No need for me at least. That argument has been thrown out there so many times it has grown wings. It is not a matter of how many are in line, it is about ones position in that line. There may be the same number of people in line with or without FP, but many of the FP people will be behind you and not necessarily ahead of you. Their wait is longer, but, not yours if you are ahead of them.

Trying to keep this as short as possible, basically with a Fastpass queue and a standby queue, when you queue up in the standby queue, more people get to ride before you than could even physically be possible if there was only one line.

Let's say an attraction's standby queue is full. If that was the *only* line, when you queue up, there is a set number of people that will get to ride before you. With a Fastpass queue that up to 80-90% of the ride's capacity gets devoted to, that means you have everyone that is physically ahead of you in the standby queue, and however many more that will also ride ahead of you entering through the Fastpass queue.

 

[gooftroop5]

In a world where everything is so fast-paced and hurry, hurry it is actually nice to slow down a bit and wait in the ride queues. Theming at WDW is so great that slowing down to be fully emersed is what we like so much about WDW. I love the time with my kids as well. Every time we are driving to Disney my daughter says, "mom do remember that one time we waited forever to ride Peter Pan? We had the best time in line!" I think we waited 45-50 minutes.

That being said, as much as I love waiting I also love fast pass. .

A good mix of waiting and fast pass makes for a great trip IMHO.

 

[WEDisney]

I agree. The lines add a lot to the experience. When you fast pass tower of terror you miss out on all the nuances of the queue. It is amazing the details in the queues not to mention the time you get to share with people you are there with. Time that often has zero distractions.

 

[Glasgow]

I spend so much time in daily traffic that Disney lines are child's play for me. Thanks for the reminder, OP

 

[DManRightHere]

Some of my most favorite memories this last week were from waiting in line...I met the best and the worst people. Thank you young man teenager from Alabama who kept calling me ma'am ( I'm from Seattle and never hear it). I sat for an hour chatting with a mom and daughter who explained her child's allergies to food and the deadly dangers. Most of all I spent hours talking to my sixteen year old daughter. Thank you God for inspiring me to toss our smart phones two months ago. I won't mention the scary moms I met in line. I'm a family therapist....shoulda brought my business cards.

Can we hear reiterations of the worst people people you met in line?

 

[Csmith041177]

This is a great thread. Depending upon how long the wait is, you can really enjoy the fantastic queue, build up anticiation for the ride, and spend some quality time with family and others.

And from an Alabama guy, I hope y'all all have a great trip!