75 mins for HM!?!?!? Time to fire current Disney parks MGMT

[maxiesmom]

Actually, a busy park *IS* a bad thing. Customers don't like it, and it gives negative stories.

What is NOT a bad thing, is selling lots of admission tickets.

So if you can sell a lot of tickets, but people don't stay as long...it's a double win.

No it isn't. They want people to stay in the parks, and buy lots of food and tee shirts and popcorn. A busy park is a good park. If it was so bad it turned people away, you wouldn't still see crowds on Christmas, or the 4th of July, or on Easter year after year after year.

 

[MouseMomx2]

I have been going since 1973 and with the old FP system, we NEVER waited more than 20 min even in stand-by lines and we have been to WDW every month of the year. If we end up with 75 minutes on our upcoming trip, we'll skip those attractions and won't renew our AP.

I have been going since '71 and have visited in March twice ('02 and '06). Both times we saw waits at the HM (and Small World, Jungle Cruise, Pirates) in the 60-75 minute range. The crowds during Spring Break weeks can be close to what they are during the Christmas'/New Year's holiday weeks. This is nothing new.

 

[iheartpeterpan]

just which line that is in the picture. The rope area to the left looks almost empty, isn't that the standby area? Is it the FP+ entrance that has the line?

and for what its worth, we used FP+ in December with no issues.

The roped off area to the left is the standby line, and has a looping queue. The line with the red circle around it is the FP line. However, the holdup is all those people getting past the first set of Mickey Heads, and once past that you walk pretty much straight to the stretching room.

Last week (Spring Break week) we rode HM standby at least 3 times and never waited more than 25 minutes. I know that you can pop in and find a ridiculous wait in the middle of the afternoon on busy days, but if you plan well you can ride what you want without super long waits, even on insanely crowded days. (POTC was the same, you could find a 70 minute wait if you looked, but we never waited more than 15-20 minutes in standby).

If they are closing a parking lot for capacity, you are not at a 7-8 crowd level. You are at a 10. The parks have been really busy these last couple of weeks.

And I would never consider HM a 3rd tier attraction. It is a multiple time must-do for my family.

There is a lot I do not like about how they have implemented FP+, but I seriously doubt anyone will get fired over it. The parks are busy and making money.

 

[Bullseye]

What day was this?

I find it kind of hard to believe Animal Kingdom is ever a "10"... unless every other park is a 10, too. And I can't quite believe it's ever the busiest park of the four, either. That place is a ghost town two hours before close! And it closes early.

What would draw everyone to Animal Kingdom, over the other parks? Some kind of special event? Certainly, it couldn't have been the nighttime entertainment!

(I say with all affection for Animal Kingdom - it's one of my favourite parks! But most people don't seem to share my regard for it, or else they consider it a half-day park.)

..................Free Soup Day

 

[sunkissed4]

I have been going since 1973 and with the old FP system, we NEVER waited more than 20 min even in stand-by lines and we have been to WDW every month of the year. If we end up with 75 minutes on our upcoming trip, we'll skip those attractions and won't renew our AP.

Ditto! The stand-by lines for Pirates, HM, and Small World have been obnoxiously long since the FP+ takeover. It's not just spring break. We go every other Sunday and by 11 a.m. they're usually at least 30+ minutes.

Early March I had to tell my 4 year old he couldn't ride HM again after we used a FP+ on it because the stand-by was almost to Columbia Harbor House. We go all times of the year, busy and slow, and the recent lines are not matching up with crowds.

This will be our last year of APs.

 

[Son of Gadsden]

The construction company I work in management for has a booked schedule for the next two months.

Should I worry about being fired?!

 

[ucfknight]

I think it's fair to characterize Haunted Mansion as a second or third tier ride. (which was my original quote)

IMO:

Top tier: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road, Peter Pan
Second Tier: Winnie the Pooh, It's a Small World, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid
Third Tier: Haunted Mansion, Indianapolis Speedway, Dumbo, Philharmagic

Did you just put one of Disney's most iconic and well themed attractions into the same category as a carnival style aerial carousel ride?

 

[Son of Gadsden]

Did you just put one of Disney's most iconic and well themed attractions into the same category as a carnival style aerial carousel ride?

Yeah, I gotta disagree there. Pirates and HM are in the same tier, I would say. It's one of the better dark rides in WDW. It at least deserves to be considered with the other dark rides.

I guess everyone's got an opinion, though.

 

[raven69david]

I have been going to Disneyworld since 1977 There have always been very long lines during spring break, Easter, 4th of July and Christmas.

75 minutes is nothing new for Spring break. Actually it isn't bad!

Exactly. If you go during a holiday and think you're going to get short wait times, that's YOUR bad. I went 3/4-3/11 and the wait times for HM were 25 minutes at noon and less than 15 minutes towards the evening. TSM was at 45 and I considered that a treat. Knowing what to expect realistically once you arrive (including the time of year you visit) will help you from being let down and disappointed during your visit. I FP+ all of my rides and use MDE to make updates on the fly in case I want to change attractions. Being armed with knowledge and experience will get you through your visit with great results.

 

[Magpie]

I am just writing what I saw on Touring Plans. It was this past Tuesday I believe but, it could have been Wednesday.
No, according to TP not every other park that day was a "10"... according to their data AK was the only park that was a "10" that day. I do believe however that some of them were 9's.

You can believe what you want but, I am writing what TP had in their "how we did" section above the crowd calendar.

Okay, well, that's reason for me not to trust anything Touring Plans writes.

The idea that Animal Kingdom is going to be a "10" on some random middle-of-the-week day in a presumably high crowd time, with nothing to draw people there (the Lion King isn't even showing!), and with an early close (at absolute most, 9pm, with all the trails and the safari closing at 5 or 6pm), and with every other park less crowded, and no extra magic hours (couldn't have had EMH, because Josh never recommends EMH parks)... I'd have to see Disney's own official end-of-day numbers to believe it.

The only possible explanation I can imagine is that maybe TP defines "10" differently for each park. So a "10" at AK is considerably fewer people than a "10" at Magic Kingdom. But even that's a stretch.

..................Free Soup Day

 

[pktbMouse]

I may be just as obsessed with Disney, but I'm living here now, so I don't complain...and even if I wasn't, even IF I was spending in the thousands to get here, I'd be thanking my lucky STARS that I was fortunate enough to be standing in those hour-long lines instead of being at home. Or, worse, starving/homeless/otherwise unfortunate. Get some perspective, dudes.


Yes but like you say..your not the one spending over $8000 on a 5 day vacation like us so your point is moot perhaps if you were you would have a different perspective

 

[disneyfantotheend]

I think I go to a different WDW than most of you do. Being you all claim that 75 minute waits for Haunted Mansion is the norm. Never realized there were two of them.

 

[Son of Gadsden]

I think I go to a different WDW than most of you do. Being you all claim that 75 minute waits for Haunted Mansion is the norm. Never realized there were two of them.

Do you go at peak times?

Because it is like a different WDW during Easter/Spring Break than it is during off season times.

 

[PaulaVonSchweetz]

You can't possibly think that there wouldn't be long lines during the height of spring break.
Seems pretty legit to me.
Maybe don't go on a crowd level 8 day.
I'm just sayin.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

You can't possibly think that there wouldn't be long lines during the height of spring break.
Seems pretty legit to me.
Maybe don't go on a crowd level 8 day.
I'm just sayin.

I have been on a level 9 day numerous times, never did HM get that bad.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

The construction company I work in management for has a booked schedule for the next two months.

Should I worry about being fired?!

Depending on the region you live and if you are in new home builds then you very well may be fired. There are a great deal of regional housing bubbles in Florida, DC, California, Phoenix, and Vegas. Two months is not a very significant amount of time. Just saying.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

If anything, it's YOU HARDLINERS that are driving the newbies away with your constant moaning. Go on the Dis Unplugged board--there's a lovely, well thought-out post from a Disney newbie who literally almost cancelled her trip because all of the negativity from y'all with your first-world 'waaaaaah, I can't go to Disney and NOT WAIT IN LINE!' posts.

I may be just as obsessed with Disney, but I'm living here now, so I don't complain...and even if I wasn't, even IF I was spending in the thousands to get here, I'd be thanking my lucky STARS that I was fortunate enough to be standing in those hour-long lines instead of being at home. Or, worse, starving/homeless/otherwise unfortunate. Get some perspective, dudes.

Really? You think that newbies to park will consider 75 mins waiting for HM an enjoyable experience?

Your argument proclaiming waiting in Disney lines is better than being "starving/homeless/otherwise unfortunate" is a straw man full of logical fallacies. Not worth addressing.

 

[999DoomBuggies]

Ditto! The stand-by lines for Pirates, HM, and Small World have been obnoxiously long since the FP+ takeover. It's not just spring break. We go every other Sunday and by 11 a.m. they're usually at least 30+ minutes.

Early March I had to tell my 4 year old he couldn't ride HM again after we used a FP+ on it because the stand-by was almost to Columbia Harbor House. We go all times of the year, busy and slow, and the recent lines are not matching up with crowds.

This will be our last year of APs.

According to a number of posters in this thread, fast pass has had minimal if any negative impact and that those of us who have gone often enough in recent times have no idea what we're talking about.

 

[Texas Crude]

According to a number of posters in this thread, fast pass has had minimal if any negative impact and that those of us who have gone often enough in recent times have no idea what we're talking about.

Look, it's just a simple math game. Ride capacity under FP+ is the exact same as under FP-. What that means is that in the end, the same number of rides are being ridden, unless the new system has somehow caused splash mountain to start sending out empty logs while 2,000 people watch from the line.

If the HM line is longer, that means more people are trying to ride it and fewer people are trying to ride something else. If attendance is unchanged and capacity is unchanged, it's just a matter of which line they're standing in.

 

[surferdave]

Your argument proclaiming waiting in Disney lines is better than being "starving/homeless/otherwise unfortunate" is a straw man full of logical fallacies. Not worth addressing.

It's a very popular one here. I begin to wonder how many people are sitting in staff meetings explaining away their own performance gaps by dismissing them as First World Problems.