Originally Posted By phruby Getting back on topic, why does a omnimover like the Little Mermaid need a interactive queue? If the ride is operating correctly, people shouldn't wait in line long enough to play the games. At the DCA version, I never wait more than five minutes even on a crowded day because the line just moves quickly.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 True. In fact the day I rode the queue slowed down the loading process as people stopped to look and play. Basically stopping the line for no reason
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Question: Are the interactive crabs in the part of the queue for stand by? FP wasn't operational during the preview, so it made sense the game stopped the line.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Getting back on topic, why does a omnimover like the Little Mermaid need a interactive queue? If the ride is operating correctly, people shouldn't wait in line long enough to play the games.>> Because there is an obsession at the moment with interactive queues. The irony is that Tim Delaney pitched a raft of new queue concepts (driven by his dislike for the Soarin' queue at Epcot) and was ignored. Now it seems every queue line needs it. High throughput attractions don't need interactive queues - it is Attractions 101.
Originally Posted By Manfried High throughput attractions don't need interactive queues - it is Attractions 101. I agree leemac. Unfortunately I don't think the current WDI management remember their lessons from Attractions 101, or failed the class all together.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 Since WDW seems intent on adding FastPass+ to every attraction, and we all know how FastPass brings the Stand-By queue to a screeching halt, I would guess that's why they're adding these interactive queues everywhere. They know that once FastPass is installed, no ride will have a Stand-By queue that moves at a quick pace.
Originally Posted By tashajilek I think the interactive queue was a great idea for Spacemountain. Dl's SM really could use something like that.
Originally Posted By DlandDug It seems likely that the queue for Mermaid in the MK will be more crowded than the one in DCA. Yes, it's a pretty major people eater, but in Florida it's the first really new big thing in a while. And there's a pent-up demand for an Ariel attraction. And the MK FL doesn't have all that many dark rides. So... the elaborate queue is needed, I think.
Originally Posted By leemac <<They know that once FastPass is installed, no ride will have a Stand-By queue that moves at a quick pace.>> Even high capacity attractions that use FP (like Splash) have reasonably quick moving standby lines - although it can be sporadic even for those with RTC over 2,000 per hour. The problem with these interactive games is that they aren't synchronised to the movement of the line - so it will cause bottlenecks in certain spots and most likely will cause bunching of guests which isn't effective line management. Personally I think that the scope of gameplay needs to be enlarged to make these games work - it is best to utilize smartphone technology to do that. Enlarging the field of play would help to keep the lines moving. Sometimes these interactive elements can only be enjoyed by one person at a time which is very limiting. I'd be intrigued to watch the social etiquette of guests - do they wait patiently or push through? I suspect you'd get a different answer in MK to DL.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<Personally I think that the scope of gameplay needs to be enlarged to make these games work>> I know this will never happen, but instead of adding all these expensive games and FastPass technology everywhere, why not just dump the whole stupid concept and go back to creating attractions with high throughput? Is it really that horrible to have to wait in line for an attraction? I'd rather they spent all this money on new attractions...
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Is it really that horrible to have to wait in line for an attraction?>> Yes, it is. Especially for a family with several young children.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<Yet people with lots of kids did it for decades including myself.>> Exactly. Think of it as a chance to teach your kids patience - something sorely lacking from today's "everything-now" crazed world!
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<Yet people with lots of kids did it for decades including myself.>> So did I. But the main difference between then and now is the cost of admission and reduced ride availability. On average, Disney theme park guests today ride fewer attractions over the course of one day than they did several decades ago. And the cost of admission is a greater percentage of a household's entertainment budget than several decades ago. (Remember, this is WDW, where the percentage of regular ticket media is 3 to 1 over AP media.) So... guests who end up standing in long line after long line for a handful of rides, with absolutely nothing to do in those lines but talk or play with their smartphones, are apparently more inclined to view the experience negatively, and possibly the overall visit negatively. And the kids without smartphones or gameboys view their queue experiences even more negatively than their parents. Interactive queues seem to be a way to address these negative experiences with long lines. I have no idea if they work, but I understand the reasoning behind the attempt.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 I just did a quick add up in my head to see if there is indeed a large reduced ride capacity in the MK. Every building in Tomorrowland is currently being used. Skyway is gone In Fantasyland we lost 20k and Snow White but gained Little Mermaid and eventually the Mine Train. Liberty Square remains the same minus Mike Fink Keel Boats. Frontierland lost Diamond Horseshoe if you consider that an attraction. Adventureland picked up Magic Carpet. At least from my quick look it is a wash. Or did I miss something?
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Yet people with lots of kids did it for decades including myself." That's a pretty flimsy argument if you're trying to say that Disney doesn't need to address long boring waits in line simply because that's the way it's always been. I read somewhere that waiting in line has been at the top of the list of guest complaints since DL opened. Folks here who know me are well aware that I have little patience for it and will gladly skip an attraction if the wait is more than 15 to 20 minutes. I passed up Splash Mountain and GRR on my last visit to DLR because the lines were just too damn long. Honestly, I'd rather just sit on a bench than wait in long line for a ride I've experience 50 times already.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "In Fantasyland we lost 20k and Snow White but gained Little Mermaid and eventually the Mine Train." To be fair the three new meet & greets weren't in the old Fantasyland, but there were a couple (2?) in Mickey's Birthdayland, or whatever they called it when it was transformed into Storybook Circus.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<That's a pretty flimsy argument if you're trying to say that Disney doesn't need to address long boring waits in line simply because that's the way it's always been.>> I don't think Disney shouldn't try and reduce the wait time for it's guests, or make waits more entertaining. But there are ways to do that other than FastPass - like adding additional rides to the park without raising the number of people allowed in at one time. More rides = more people spread around the park = shorter waits. Of course, the most popular attractions will still probably draw a crowd and have a wait, so maybe that's a good location for the elaborately themed queues. Either way, none of this is going to happen. Disney is obviously committed to the FastPass concept and isn't going to ditch it anytime soon.
Originally Posted By sjhym333 Actually it is a pretty good argument. If you don't like to stand in lines then you probably either shouldn't go or plan visits during the slowest times. Standing on line comes with the territory. Lines haven't changed over the years. Just peoples lack of patience. I find it interesting that FP was supposed to alleviate the long line issues but since Disney is investing heavily in queue games, it mustn't be doing what Disney had planned.
