Originally Posted By oc_dean If all the temporary queues set up for yesterday's Grand Opening are to be used throughout the summer and beyond ... Let me give you all a heads up on what to expect for the wait times for each section of queue .. which stretches into Fantasyland. This is "OC Dean's" SUBMARINE VOYAGE 'Lord of the Rings' queue journey story: I made my mad walk up through Main St. as the fireworks show was just beginning ..... And by the time I entered ... it was 9:40 ... and began my wait right at the foot into the former MOTOR BOAT CRUISE landing. (Part 3) The way they got the old dock set up ... it's a 4-way switch-back. And they dispatch groups of people into the next section of queue. I finally left this leg of the journey at 10:31. Just over 50 minutes. Next is a little tiny leg infront of a Matterhorn planter (Part #2). I breazed through it quickly .. and was ushered immediately into the MOST INTIMIDATING of sections (Part 3). The area that use to be the FANTASYLAND AUTOPIA Queue. Other known today as a Smoking Only section. This section was not quite as bad as the Motor Boat Cruise landing .. because there was always movement throughout this massive section of switch-backs. I left this section which took a little more than an hour at 11:40pm, and entered what I consider section number 4 ... which is rounding the lagoon. For a breazy 7 minutes or less .... I felt I entered "normal" queue space .. because in the old days ... the sub's wait often led around this edge of the lagoon. With beautiful views of the lagoon .. and the colored spot lots shining from the bottom up to light up the show under water. And at 11:48 .... I entered section number 5 which was a bit of a blobbed triangle shaped section against the north side of the Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant. Like the section of queue at the former Fantasyland Autopia queuea area ... it moves. This queue section eventually meanders its way into the east side of the main entrance .. until finally entering just underneath the front sign ... at about 12:40am. I thought I was going to be entering the final stretch of queue at this point .. but I got an interesting suprise. What use to be a series of switchbacks in the actual station/directly beneath the Monorail loading platform .... They reconfigured this entire area .. and is now a huge dispatching load area. So once you get past the main sign .. You're there! And you are fairly immediately ushered into your sub .. and I got in precisely at 12:42am. There was one guy there ... Seemed to be making sure loading/unloading was running smoothly. His name was Matt. I wonder if he's an imagineer who worked on the ride. (??) Anyway ..... I was thrilled be on the subs. It's been 10 whopping years! We left dock at 12:48 ... and I was thrilled to see how well it was all conceived!! GREAT SHOW! And as reported ... the ride is about 15 minutes. The ride ended at 1:03am. Couple things ......... Everybody seemed to be well adjusted folks ... Everyone friendly ... as we all snaked through this Lord of the Rings journey of various queue sections. I bet most of them were AP holders .... Knowing to expect the long wait .. with no griping .. no complainin'! No nothin'!! It's like ... Just shut up .. grin it .. bare it! The wait will be worth it! ;-) The other thing since I jumped in line at 9:40am ... as I made my way into the FANTASYLAND AUTOPIA former queue area ... Fantasia Gardens was empty. The further I went along .... the emptier .. and emptier those sections became. So .... if the summer is going to be anything similar .... If you can stay up .. and want to avoid those first 2 massive queue sections ........ get in line like a half hour before closing. In order to avoid it! So ... if you come ... and the line begins at a full Fantasia Gardens area ... count on a 3 hour wait from that point.
Originally Posted By oc_dean pardon a little typo ... at the beginning I wrote "part 3" for the first leg of the queue. I meant to say "part 1". sorry
Originally Posted By oc_dean .. darn ... I'm full of typos. You meander your way into the WEST side of the main entrance. (not the east - duh!)
Originally Posted By oc_dean Pardon a FEW of typos .. I'm still groggy and need another cup of coffee! OICH!
Originally Posted By familyguy Could be a 2 to 3 minute ride. Not too bad. So you think the ride was done extremely well? You didn't seem to have any complaints about the ride itself.
Originally Posted By oc_dean ^^^^ I should post my thoughts in another topic where someone said something about an anti-climatic ending ... which I agree with. The ride sort of ends off in a "huh?" moment. (Kind of abrupt). And there was one area in complete darkness in the caverns while Dory and Marlin were speaking. Probably just a technical problem that can be fixed.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Thanks for the descriptive queue report, oc dean! On that "huh?" moment at the end... I sure hope it's not as bad as the one in "Snow White."
Originally Posted By oc_dean No. Not as bad. But I didn't find it to be that "WOW!" finish. I think if they finished off with an updated sea serpant or mermaids .. or perhaps something else with that 'OH, WOW' feeling ... It would have been nice.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice That's good... And maybe there's room to add something if they get enough of the same feedback.
Originally Posted By oc_dean And just for the sake of clarity ..... Now that the actual station is no longer a full switch-back like it use to be ... ... the formal queue takes place WEST of the main sign above. All in that planter section leading around the south edge of lagoon. It's not a heck of a lot of space. So therefore .......... I mentioned something of a triangle shaped area of switch-backs on the immediate north edge of the Monorail beam along Matterhorn Way .......... I think this is going to be a permanent queue area. It's going to impede a little bit on people passing through the north/west corrider of TL leading up Matterhorn Way ... But there's not much else they can do. Which I also beleive ... the smoking section where the Fantasyland Autopia queue use to be ... will be no longer. Subs are going to need this area when the line is more than 60 minutes. And the Fantasia Gardens area? When the line does extend into a third hour .. which it most likely will this summer ........ don't count on that area to rest. After sitting through that wait last night ....... it seems the way it's all set up ......... The queue section west of the sign is going to be worth one hour. The Fantasyland smoking area ... one hour. And the Fantasia Gardens .. another hour. It was kind of wierd how all three queueing areas were worth almost one exact hour a piece.
Originally Posted By oc_dean And I have to say ........ I'M SO HAPPY THERE'S NO FASTPASS AT ALL!! It would make the "stand by" EASILY SIX HOURS!! They could NEVER do FastPass!! Never! It would make things so much worse!
Originally Posted By oc_dean I looked for queue times ... They had a few signs up in selected spots .... but no times posted. I'm sure they will soon ... now that they are getting real-time waits.
Originally Posted By gadzuux I got lucky. I was in the parks on friday the 8th and they were having a 'preview'. The queue began in OCD's triangle area - wedged between TLT and the lagoon. We could watch the jedi training thing while in line. They maintained an open area between the queue and the lagoon as an exit alley for the monorail platform, with a uniformed CM ensuring that no one attempted to join the queue from the lagoon side. Our wait was exactly fifty minutes, and I too was suprised when we entered that last leg that's actually under the monorail platform. These are the chutes that corral groups of 20 guests that are "on deck" and waiting for next boarding. Like dean, I was expecting another grueling forty minutes or so in switchbacks under the platform. And no - where we entered the queue there was no 'approx wait time' sign - but in fairness this was an unofficial soft opening, and there was a CM announcing that they "could" close the attraction at any time. There was very little attempt to create a themed queue area - a couple of faux rock planters at the entrance area of the attraction itself, but nothing significant. Since the imagineers had to know that this attraction will always have a long line, it's a bit surprising that there was no consideration for it - just the standard chain and pole switchbacks. What's also a bit strange is that no accomodation for exiting passengers from the monorail was made. The monorail platform was extensively redesigned for the reopening of the subs, but no consideration was apparently given for the conflict between the exit ramp and the queue for the subs. As a result, the queue must 'float' out in midspace instead of being flush up against the lagoon. As a result the only guests that get an unobstructed view of the lagoon and the buoy and the gulls are the guests disembarking from the monorail platform, and even they get shooed along and are not permitted to linger. Honestly, I was expecting more - both from the ride itself and the design and accomodation of the queue.
Originally Posted By jmuboy I understand the space issue. But I'm amazed this ride did not have a permanent queue area built for it.
Originally Posted By oc_dean Yeah! They really didn't. The west half of the entrance area, without impeding into walk ways .. makes up for maybe about 15-20 minutes max of queue space ... now that the actual station is no longer considered "queue" space. You know what they really need to do? Drain what's left of the Motor Boat Cruise area ... and create an extensive queue area .. that follows the same track path of the former Motor Boats. If anyone has noticed throughout the construction procress .. and if you currently look down from the Monorail circling the "Spaghetti Bowl" of tracks in the area ......... They permanently dammed off the water way leading under the Autopia overpasses .. and is now this lightly landscaped area. As long as there's no new ride planned for this area for the next few years ... I see the perfect opportunity to use this lower grade area as queue space for the subs. It's out of the way of guests areas. It's nice landscaping surrounding you. The way it would work ... is have the main front entrance stear you left along Matterhorn way ... create an over or underpass to get around any Autopia lane. Take people into that lower graded area .. and take them on a circle leading into the Motor Boat Cruise landing area/Fantasia Gardens .. and then back down Matterhorn Way .. where it would be dual paths. Just wide enough to go north and south. May sound like a crazy idea ........ But when you realize the station is no longer queue space (when it use to be!)..... and the small planter section on the west end of the main entrance worth maybe 20 minutes of queue space ..... GEEZ ... seems crazy they didn't consider any permanent queue area that can hold at least 60 minutes worth of queue space.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I think .... like the issue of Fantasmic! back in the early 90s .. where (after the fact) they HAD to terrace the area to create viewable areas to see the show ......... They have to deal with the issue of no real dedicated, permanent queue area. The temporary nature of the metal chain switchbacks between Coke Terrac/Matterhorn Way ... Smoking area .. Fantasia Gardens are not going to do the trick for a ride that will be around for another 40 years like the first Sub ride. I think the entire former track area of the Motor Boat Cruise is the PERFECT solution!
Originally Posted By ChurroMonster There's nothing crazy about your idea. That is absolutely what should have been done with the Subs queue. Shame on them for not thinking of that.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I'm just thinking out in my head ... how that lower graded section where the Motor Boats use to pass directly under the Autopa tracks could be useful. There's already a concrete floor running down there. It's just recovered now with a thin layer of dirt and some light landscaping. Put in some railing. If they don't want to go past the dam area that leads to Fantasia Gardens .. fine. They just have to devise a way to get people iether under or over the Autopia lanes rounding the north edge of the lagoon.
