Disappointed in Deceiving Stand By Wait Times...

[elaine amj]

It's tough and I tend to just hope for the best. One trip in Dec 2014, I tried to use easyWDW's "actual wait times" instead of the posted wait times. both times we waited as long as the posted wait times said instead of the shorter times estimated by WDW.

Oh well, I figure it won't hurt me to wait in a long line or two (even though I'm all about maximizing and optimizing!)

 

[gtpoohbear]

I haven't noticed it at WDW as much, though I haven't been in over a year. At DL earlier this year it was ridiculous though. Most of the times posted were severe UNDERestimations. 10 minute wait usually meant 25, 15 minute wait meant 45, etc. Surely they can do better than that!

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

Oh man, I am That Annoying Person in a group who, when someone else says "oh man, this line says X" whips out her phone and is all "NUH-UH, Lines app says..." and maybe (ok definitely) my family wanted to deck me but now they all have the Lines app on their phones, too, so I win.

...sorry, I am still enjoying my triumph. Anyway! I've been in queues where the line drops precipitously after I jump in and queues where the wait time is longer than posted. A lot of the time it seems to be related to things going on elsewhere: parades, fireworks, poor timing (on my part) after a show lets out. Some things are automated but many aspects of this process probably still rely on good ol' CM effort, so discrepancies are going to happen.

 

[nilla]

You are the first person I've ever heard complain about an actual wait time being less than the posted wait time.

I could be wrong, but I think they pad the wait times, because it's better to have people be pleasantly surprised by a shorter-than-advertised wait time than outraged by a longer-than-advertised time.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I tried to use easyWDW's "actual wait times" instead of the posted wait times. both times we waited as long as the posted wait times said instead of the shorter times estimated by WDW.

Keep in mind that Josh's wait times are a feed from Disney wait times, so they should be the same. For the most part, they are useful to the degree that you can look at Disney's wait times from a location other than at the actual ride/attraction. Another choice would be MDE.

http://www.easywdw.com/easy/wait-times/

 

[danceteachermom]

So in the end you guys got on the rides much faster then actually posted. That's a great thing. I wouldn't take time out of my wonderful trip to get on a message board to post about it but that's just me. I'd wait till I'm home and just enjoy my vacation.

Sometimes the human eye is better than wait time post boards.[/QUOTE

Replies like yours drive me nuts. My point was not that I wanted to wait longer...I was glad the actual wait times were less. My point was they are purposefully deceiving to manipulate crowds. If I was a new visitor checking the boards, this would be helpful which is why I posted it. Seriously, if I had not chatted with the lovely family behind us and told them the wait was probably much less than posted, they would have skipped it. Their two young kids would not have gotten to experience it. The DIS is about helping others plan a great vacation.

Do not worry about me posting while on vacation. As I SAID we are having a great time. Sitting poolside now at our resort and thought I would post to help others out. Because that is what the DIS is for me... A great source of info and tips. You could just scroll on by Instead of commenting. You are rude.

 

[elaine amj]

Keep in mind that Josh's wait times are a feed from Disney wait times, so they should be the same. For the most part, they are useful to the degree that you can look at Disney's wait times from a location other than at the actual ride/attraction. Another choice would be MDE.

http://www.easywdw.com/easy/wait-times/

Back then, he had two columns - one for posted wait times and one for actual wait times. I gave it a shot but after a couple of "fails", I just stuck with Disney's posted wait times. All in all, it all still worked out. And I still love his advice

 

[rwdavis2]

Josh on easywdw regularly posts photos of lines and tells you that this line is really x minutes long from here.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Back then, he had two columns - one for posted wait times and one for actual wait times. I gave it a shot but after a couple of "fails", I just stuck with Disney's posted wait times. All in all, it all still worked out. And I still love his advice

Yes, I remember that. I wonder why he stopped that, it was good. And yes, his advice is priceless.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

You are the first person I've ever heard complain about an actual wait time being less than the posted wait time.

I could be wrong, but I think they pad the wait times, because it's better to have people be pleasantly surprised by a shorter-than-advertised wait time than outraged by a longer-than-advertised time.

I don't think the OP is complaining, I think it's a question of "Why?" Especially now that darn near every guest is wearing an RFID tracking device, Disney could track wait times with expert precision. Yet the times are so often way off. It almost makes me think there's a purposeful reason. We already know that since Legacy FP, Disney has tried to keep people out of the lines so we would instead be shopping and eating. One could argue that by inflating the wait times, this discourages people from getting in standby lines and instead encourages them to book ride appointments using FP+. And now that you're not standing in line, you can go check out the nearest gift shop or snack cart.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I'm pretty sure HM and TOT never post wait times of zero even if there is no line...their default wait time is 13 minutes. Don't think that number is a coincidence either.

 

[Magpie]

I don't think the OP is complaining, I think it's a question of "Why?" Especially now that darn near every guest is wearing an RFID tracking device, Disney could track wait times with expert precision. Yet the times are so often way off. It almost makes me think there's a purposeful reason. We already know that since Legacy FP, Disney has tried to keep people out of the lines so we would instead be shopping and eating. One could argue that by inflating the wait times, this discourages people from getting in standby lines and instead encourages them to book ride appointments using FP+. And now that you're not standing in line, you can go check out the nearest gift shop or snack cart.

"Disappointed", "deceived", "dishonesty", "hurts the guests who don't know better", "rant over"...

This sounds like complaining to me. YMMV, of course!

 

[Mitzicat]

I didn't read through all the comments, but I have always been under the impression that the wait time is X number of minutes from that point. If you join the line at the wait time sign, your wait will be X number of minutes. If you join the line much closer to the ride start than the wait time sign your wait will be shorter.

We use the same concept at work. Give them the worst case scenario of when something will be ready. In order to deliver the service/item you must either meet that time or come in lower. Customers are usually happy when the time comes in lower. I personally am happy when I don't have to wait 105 mins for a ride. It feels like I am winning a mini lottery.

 

[Love Tink]

I didn't read through all the comments, but I have always been under the impression that the wait time is X number of minutes from that point. If you join the line at the wait time sign, your wait will be X number of minutes. If you join the line much closer to the ride start than the wait time sign your wait will be shorter.

That is how it works at some theme parks (Six Flags, etc.) where they have signs posted throughout the queue. It is not how it works at Disney.

 

[nilla]

Especially now that darn near every guest is wearing an RFID tracking device, Disney could track wait times with expert precision.

Not really. All it tells you is that is what the wait was previously. For example, if I get in line at 11:00 and reach the ride at 11:45, that means there was a 45-minute wait at 11:00. But now, it's 11:45, so that wait may not be the same, and my experience may be irrelevant.

There are also issues like accommodating guests with physical limitations, etc, that can affect wait times. It's not an exact science.

 

[katmatry]

I was in HS the Monday after Easter, posted wait time for Toy Story as 180 and the FP line was crazy long. We had a FP so we got on line, it moved quickly. I was surprised when we got into the building to see that the regular line was really short. I assumed that since the wait was 180 minutes they probably only let a couple of people on every 1/2 hour. Now I'm not so sure about that, now I think they post that wait time to hopefully deter people from getting into line and therefore turning the ride into a FP only ride. They know how many riders they can accommodate in an hour, they know how many FP they have scheduled for that hour so they post a wait time that basically says "if you don't have FP forget it" and most people do.

 

[theyoungs07]

Has anyone ever listened to someone complain that they'll never go to WDW again because of the huge wait times? I sure have, and most of the time it's the POSTED wait times...they don't bother if it says 60/90/120 minutes, neither do I but that's because I visit every 18 mos or so. It is deceptive and many people won't get in the line when it is that long. I liken this to someone who posts their house for sale at 40% more than it is valued at...many people won't even look at it because they're attached to a certain price point. BUT, they could have afforded it. Obviously in home buying/selling similar situations happen, but the difference in WDW is that those people have already PAID for the service and you are telling them that using that service will be more painful than it will actually be.

I'm with OP. I know too many people who won't go back because of those posted wait times...and good luck telling someone that their 120 minute posted time will probably only be 40 minutes. The first time I tell someone that, I'd probably be wrong...

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

My only explanation would be - and I'm def. not sticking up for Disney - is that your friend caught the ride between a very busy time and a new time measurement.

Disney measures the wait time by giving a random guest a red card. Once the guest gets up to the loading dock, they hand the CM the guest and it's logged how long that guest waited. They then change the time.

Let's say there was a 105 minutes. Maybe the person entering a few people after your friends was handed the card. Your friends went on, followed by the card holder and the time was then changed.

Just a theory..

On a side note, as a PP mentioned - we always do the eye test. Then again, we're return visitors, but usually we can look at a ride and say "no way is it that long..."

 

[Jennasis]

Oh man, I am That Annoying Person in a group who, when someone else says "oh man, this line says X" whips out her phone and is all "NUH-UH, Lines app says..." and maybe (ok definitely) my family wanted to deck me but now they all have the Lines app on their phones, too, so I win.

...sorry, I am still enjoying my triumph. Anyway! I've been in queues where the line drops precipitously after I jump in and queues where the wait time is longer than posted. A lot of the time it seems to be related to things going on elsewhere: parades, fireworks, poor timing (on my part) after a show lets out. Some things are automated but many aspects of this process probably still rely on good ol' CM effort, so discrepancies are going to happen.

Me too! My husband and I live and die by the lines app when we're at the park. I tried to convince my sister to use the app on her trip during Christmas and she was extremely defiant. Insisting that Disney's wait times are always accurate otherwise "why would they give her that red card to time the line with??"

we are regular contributors to the line timing portion of the lines appp. Usually on every line we go on. And the wait is always less than the posted wait.

 

[AllieBoo]

I have noticed this on our last couple of trips. I have seen this on BTMRR and Splash to a degree, but for some reason, TSMM tends to be one where wait times are way over inflated, especially at night. I have kind of learned based on where the line ends, about how much the actual wait will be, so we use this to our advantage.