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

[amyfiddle]

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.

 

[Mista C]

Sometimes waiting in line is not a bad experience at all... when we were there a couple of weeks ago waiting in line at Princess Fairytale Hall, my 6 year old daughter made a friend in line behind us and they talked and played the entire 20 minutes that we waited, and my wife and I chatted with the mom as well... sometimes talking to people is not all that bad!

 

[AngryEyes]

We always have fun in line together. Now, there have been times when, for example, Test Track broke down and we were in line much longer than expected...yeah, then the magic goes away for a little while.

 

[Lord_Vader]

Lines are the best places to interact with other guests, we have met people from around the world who are always ready and willing to talk about home and their homes/culture.

 

[DMut]

This is weird...I was just starting to put together a post on a similar topic last night. I was trying put a finger on why my trips over the last 5 or so years just don't live up to my memories from childhood into my twenties. Most of my recent trips have come during off peak times where the parks weren't too full to begin with, but when you add in Fast Pass, I rarely waited on lines. IT jsut didn't feel the same.

I remember LOVING ToT because of the attention to detail. It wasn't just a ride, but also the back story and all the little things you see, especially when you reach the lobby. On The Great Movie Ride, I remember waiting in line and inspecting every piece of movie history, then coming around the corner to see the old film trailers playing. Even later on, waiting on line for EE, looking at all the detailed stuff, it made the wait go quick, and really added to the whole experience. The queue on Star Tours, and the anticipation.

I'm not saying that I enjoy waiting on lines, or that fast pass isn't a great way to get more in. I am saying there is a trade-off. Would I wait 3 hours to meet Anna and Elsa? Of course not. But do I think a 15-20 wait on ToT trumps just walking on through the queue and right into the study? I think so.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

We got in line for Radiator Springs Racers at DL last month and I think the wait said maybe 45 minutes or so? We were with @sweetpee_1993 and her family and had the best time! We were telling jokes and laughing and the time flew right by. It's one of my favorite memories from our DLR trip and it didn't involve a ride, a show or even a parade.. it involved waiting in line!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

A necessary evil, and not something I'd place on my choose to do list.

 

[AngryEyes]

But do I think a 15-20 wait on ToT trumps just walking on through the queue and right into the study? I think so.

I agree completely. In addition to having a little time to absorb the queue, we've decided that it's nice to have a buffer. It allows you to kind of relive the experience you just had and then transition to the anticipation of the experience you're about to have. I don't need an hour of this, but 15 minutes is nice.

We've had offseason weekdays at Disneyland where we just pounded rides with no wait all day and while that's certainly awesome, I don't think it allows you to really internalize your experiences. It's like watching a double feature. It's fun in some ways, but I swear, I've darned near forgotten the first movie by the time we finish the second.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We got in line for Radiator Springs Racers at DL last month and I think the wait said maybe 45 minutes or so? We were with @sweetpee_1993 and her family and had the best time! We were telling jokes and laughing and the time flew right by. It's one of my favorite memories from our DLR trip and it didn't involve a ride, a show or even a parade.. it involved waiting in line!

Awwww...we y'all, too.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

I agree completely. In addition to having a little time to absorb the queue, we've decided that it's nice to have a buffer. It allows you to kind of relive the experience you just had and then transition to the anticipation of the experience you're about to have. I don't need an hour of this, but 15 minutes is nice.

We've had offseason weekdays at Disneyland where we just pounded rides with no wait all day and while that's certainly awesome, I don't think it allows you to really internalize your experiences. It's like watching a double feature. It's fun in some ways, but I swear, I've darned near forgotten the first movie by the time we finish the second.

I do agree with you this! Some of the queues are neat (Tower, GMR, Star Tours, EE, etc..) and it builds up the anticipation for the ride. I know that my sister and I both get kind of bummed out when we can't see the whole film loop before the GMR. While I know it's the same movies that have been on the loop since it opened, we love watching it.

Waiting a little bit at least also gives me time to take some pictures. I feel bad stopping if there is no line (or just a short, quick moving line) to take photos and hold people up behind me.

 

[DinoInstitute]

Sometimes waiting in line can be fun or make some memorable moments.
Theres always a lot to look at and/or take pictures of.
Sometimes its fun, but I really get annoyed if its not moving...which is why I hate waiting for shows!!!

 

[Gig 'Em Mickey]

Someone passed gas under the canopy for Peter Pan last trip. It was very humid that day and no wind. It just hung there and there was no escape.

Other than that most of the new ride queues are interesting and give you a good conversation starter. my son loves the mission space queue the best.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I started to go to WDW long before FP ever existed. I have to agree, it was all part of the theme park experience back then. Sort of a right of passage. It was also tedious and exciting all at the same time. No one likes to just stand in a line, but, the queue's were designed to help you anticipate the ride and since there were no frequent stops because a herd of FP's were "cutting" in front of you. The wait was much more tolerable. You pretty much kept moving and when you got to the front of the line, you were next.

I met and spoke with many people. Found out where they were from, how many times they had been to WDW. What they thought of the experience and also joked about standing in line. You know what though, it was never in anger. We all knew what to expect and made the best of it. That and absorbing the ambiance of most of the queue's made it all worthwhile. That is why so many of us went there again and again. So many think that FP enhanced their visit. I think it may have made more rides accessible in a day, but, in my opinion, did nothing to really enhance it. Back then you didn't go with a stop watch and a list of how many things you were going to see in a day. You went for the overall experience. The race track mentality of touring now I think takes more away from the experience then it adds.

 

[katins7]

I've always said I'd rather stand in line at WDW than do almost anything anywhere else.

 

[DashboardCowMan]

This is weird...I was just starting to put together a post on a similar topic last night. I was trying put a finger on why my trips over the last 5 or so years just don't live up to my memories from childhood into my twenties. Most of my recent trips have come during off peak times where the parks weren't too full to begin with, but when you add in Fast Pass, I rarely waited on lines. IT jsut didn't feel the same.

I remember LOVING ToT because of the attention to detail. It wasn't just a ride, but also the back story and all the little things you see, especially when you reach the lobby. On The Great Movie Ride, I remember waiting in line and inspecting every piece of movie history, then coming around the corner to see the old film trailers playing. Even later on, waiting on line for EE, looking at all the detailed stuff, it made the wait go quick, and really added to the whole experience. The queue on Star Tours, and the anticipation.

I'm not saying that I enjoy waiting on lines, or that fast pass isn't a great way to get more in. I am saying there is a trade-off. Would I wait 3 hours to meet Anna and Elsa? Of course not. But do I think a 15-20 wait on ToT trumps just walking on through the queue and right into the study? I think so.

We have actually let people go ahead of us because we were looking at the details in some of the queues.

 

[Britt]

I am the WORST at waiting in lines!! If the line is moving, I'm ok....but it stops moving and I can feel my nerves start fraying. I am not a patient person and I do my very best not to let it show.

But I absolutely HATE waiting!! Plus it hurts my feet! Walking....I can do that all day, but just standing? My feet kill me!

 

[bethymouse]

I liked waiting in lines when they were less than an hour, but now the 90 minute plus lines are just too much!

 

[seahawk7]

I've always said I'd rather stand in line at WDW than do almost anything anywhere else.

that is a perfect answer to our friends who go to the Disney parks only to come back and complain about everything.

 

[englanddg]

I started to go to WDW long before FP ever existed. I have to agree, it was all part of the theme park experience back then. Sort of a right of passage. It was also tedious and exciting all at the same time. No one likes to just stand in a line, but, the queue's were designed to help you anticipate the ride and since there were no frequent stops because a herd of FP's were "cutting" in front of you. The wait was much more tolerable. You pretty much kept moving and when you got to the front of the line, you were next.

I met and spoke with many people. Found out where they were from, how many times they had been to WDW. What they thought of the experience and also joked about standing in line. You know what though, it was never in anger. We all knew what to expect and made the best of it. That and absorbing the ambiance of most of the queue's made it all worthwhile. That is why so many of us went there again and again. So many think that FP enhanced their visit. I think it may have made more rides accessible in a day, but, in my opinion, did nothing to really enhance it. Back then you didn't go with a stop watch and a list of how many things you were going to see in a day. You went for the overall experience. The race track mentality of touring now I think takes more away from the experience then it adds.

I think you hit the nail on the head.

The only thing I'll add is that...good things come with a wait, sometimes. I remember how much I cherished and absorbed every moment of the ride, and what a treat it would be when I'd find rides I could do over and over again with little wait...because that was RARE back then (not that it's all that common now, but, I remember doing Horizons and Figgy and Spaceship Earth and Pirates sometimes over and over again and thinking it was the coolest thing in the world)...

I remember how, after waiting nearly a "whole hour" for 20k Leagues, how awesome it was to FINALLY get on the submarine, and how much longer and more special each ride felt.

I do think, there is certainly some benefit to slowing it down, taking it in, and yes...waiting in line. <grin>

Also, some others have mentioned favorite memories. Some of my favorite memories were of me waiting with my grandfather or me waiting with my daughter in line. He used to play little games with me on a notepad he'd carry, and I do the same (or paddy cake or thumb war or slaps) with my daughter. Tradition passed on!

 

[Tom Morrow]

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.