Flight of Passage: Actual Wait Times

[JLeeLovesDisney]

My husband and I booked a last minute trip for the end of August and weren't able to secure the coveted FofP fastness. Booooooo. Anyway, I've been checking everyday to see what the wait time are for this ride to see what we can expect. I'm seeing wait times from 90 minutes all the way 245 minutes today!

My question is, for those that have experienced Pandora already, are the posted times super accurate? Or do the cast members fib a little and raise the posted wait times to keep the lines shorter throughout the day? TIA

 

[Disney_and_Wine]

If you want "super accurate", check past results (not predicted results) on Touring Plans. Those are actual, real, wait times entered by actual guests. Also, Josh at easywdw has chart(s) showing his almost daily observations.

 

[JLeeLovesDisney]

If you want "super accurate", check past results (not predicted results) on Touring Plans. Those are actual, real, wait times entered by actual guests. Also, Josh at easywdw has chart(s) showing his almost daily observations.

I actually was asking if the posted times are accurate for those in line. Like if it says 120 minutes, do you ACTUALLY wait only 60 minutes? I know cast members have done this before, so it's possible.

 

[Disney_and_Wine]

I actually was asking if the posted times are accurate for those in line. Like if it says 120 minutes, do you ACTUALLY wait only 60 minutes? I know cast members have done this before, so it's possible.

There really are too many variables because the line is constantly changing in size and the wait times as posted by the CMs doesn't change fast enough to keep pace.

 

[DOOM1001]

I've done the ride standby three times,I think the first two times the wait time was listed at 140 minutes,I waited 1:50 and 2:10.My last ride the wait time said 160 minutes and I waited 2:05.Every time I've gone has been in the evening,7-9pm and each time the wait was less than the posted wait,not by much but less,the last time had the biggest difference,about 35 minutes less.

 

[heidijanesmith]

I waited standby line x1. The posted wait time was 90min, we waited about 100min. We talked to some other people around us and they said they waited about the same time as posted.

It was a long line, we have never waited this long for any ride prior to FOP. It was worth it to wait in line once, the queue is awesome.

 

[Disney_and_Wine]

The "posted wait time" system is based on guests going through the line while wearing red card lanyards. The information gathered from that system then gets translated into observational estimates. ("When the line backs up to this garbage can, it is usually in the XXX minute range.") Inasmuch as the Pandora rides are fairly new, the CMs are just now getting a handle on what the external markers mean in terms of translating to time. But all in all, the red card system yields accurate results and Disney has no real reason to fudge the results. There is nothing to be gained by reporting 190 minutes if the wait is really 60. All that does is discourage people from joining the line which in turn sends them home without riding the ride which in turn causes them to have a negative reaction to their trip. Conversely, posting a 60 minute wait when the actual wait time is 190 minutes does the opposite. It encourages people to get in the line which in turn causes them to kill over three hours in line which in turn causes them to ruin their entire schedule for the day which in turn causes them to leave with a negative reaction to their trip. Bottom line...conspiracy theories about "cooked" wait times always exist, but there is no basis for them. Disney tries to be as accurate as it can be and has no incentive to lie. (With the possible exception of the very end of the day where they might very well want to discourage people from jumping in line 30 minutes before the park's stated closing time and therefore might exaggerate the wait times as being longer than they actually are hoping that guests won't shoot for that "one last ride" and will go home instead.)

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

So, what I want to know is, should I bother going at rope drop or will it still be a madhouse? I don't mind skipping it & trying next year. I just don't want to wait 2 hours, and I'm a Passholder so I doubt I'll be able to get a fastpass for it since they're booking up so fast with folks staying on site.

 

[christmasmagic]

So, what I want to know is, should I bother going at rope drop or will it still be a madhouse? I don't mind skipping it & trying next year. I just don't want to wait 2 hours, and I'm a Passholder so I doubt I'll be able to get a fastpass for it since they're booking up so fast with folks staying on site.

I was literally going to post the same thing.

 

[Christy702]

I went for rope drop twice, and rode once in the evening during EMH. When we went during EMH, the time was posted at 90 minutes I think. We waited just over an hour. That next morning we came for morning EMH at rope drop and were kind of in the middle of the herd. Not sure what the posted time was but we waited an hour. A couple days later we did rope drop again with no EMH. We got there an hour before park opening and expected to only wait 45-60 mins. Halfway through the queue we came to a standstill and they came over the speaker and said they were having technical difficulties and the ride was only running at half capacity, so our wait time ended up being over 3 hours. I would suggest just getting there at least an hour before the park opens and hopefully your wait would be less than an hour.

 

[mtemm]

If you are willing to get there early for rope drop, early enough to be toward the front, you will be on/off quick enough most likely without having to wait in a long line after park opens. I don't think the lines are going to die down a year from now. It's a pretty cool ride!

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

The "posted wait time" system is based on guests going through the line while wearing red card lanyards. The information gathered from that system then gets translated into observational estimates. ("When the line backs up to this garbage can, it is usually in the XXX minute range.") Inasmuch as the Pandora rides are fairly new, the CMs are just now getting a handle on what the external markers mean in terms of translating to time. But all in all, the red card system yields accurate results and Disney has no real reason to fudge the results. There is nothing to be gained by reporting 190 minutes if the wait is really 60. All that does is discourage people from joining the line which in turn sends them home without riding the ride which in turn causes them to have a negative reaction to their trip. Conversely, posting a 60 minute wait when the actual wait time is 190 minutes does the opposite. It encourages people to get in the line which in turn causes them to kill over three hours in line which in turn causes them to ruin their entire schedule for the day which in turn causes them to leave with a negative reaction to their trip. Bottom line...conspiracy theories about "cooked" wait times always exist, but there is no basis for them. Disney tries to be as accurate as it can be and has no incentive to lie. (With the possible exception of the very end of the day where they might very well want to discourage people from jumping in line 30 minutes before the park's stated closing time and therefore might exaggerate the wait times as being longer than they actually are hoping that guests won't shoot for that "one last ride" and will go home instead.)

Disney definitely inflates the wait times during the last hour or so of operation, with the hope that guests will use that time at the end of the day to hit the gift shops one more time before leaving the park. It is not unusual to see the posted wait 4 times the actual wait time. They use a technique known as "line stacking" to give the appearance that lines are longer than they actually are.

 

[brookmey]

My husband's boss is there right now and he rode FOP yesterday. Said he waited for 75 minutes and posted wait time was 90.

 

[JLeeLovesDisney]

I've done the ride standby three times,I think the first two times the wait time was listed at 140 minutes,I waited 1:50 and 2:10.My last ride the wait time said 160 minutes and I waited 2:05.Every time I've gone has been in the evening,7-9pm and each time the wait was less than the posted wait,not by much but less,the last time had the biggest difference,about 35 minutes less.

Thanks for the info! Just trying to plan my days and spend the least amount of time possible in line!

 

[JLeeLovesDisney]

My husband's boss is there right now and he rode FOP yesterday. Said he waited for 75 minutes and posted wait time was 90.

So a little shorter but not much. Good to know!

 

[JLeeLovesDisney]

I went for rope drop twice, and rode once in the evening during EMH. When we went during EMH, the time was posted at 90 minutes I think. We waited just over an hour. That next morning we came for morning EMH at rope drop and were kind of in the middle of the herd. Not sure what the posted time was but we waited an hour. A couple days later we did rope drop again with no EMH. We got there an hour before park opening and expected to only wait 45-60 mins. Halfway through the queue we came to a standstill and they came over the speaker and said they were having technical difficulties and the ride was only running at half capacity, so our wait time ended up being over 3 hours. I would suggest just getting there at least an hour before the park opens and hopefully your wait would be less than an hour.

I know that the posted line waits are just a guide so I'll just have to bear the long waits!

 

[Imamom2]

I've been watching wait times, too. We will be there in September and I'm hoping to get on line after RoL and/or do rope drop. FPs were gone but I keep checking MDE just in case. Others have posted some luck with getting an FP on short notice.

 

[BK2014]

It was worth it to wait in line once, the queue is awesome.

What was it about the queue that makes it worth the wait? And do you miss that aspect of the queue if you use the fastpass line?

 

[Allie B]

To answer your question about actual wait time or fibbing. I have not been on FOP yet but waited on standby twice when FEA was new. It seemed we did not wait the actual 90 minutes posted but more like 60-70 minutes each time.
Hope this holds true for pandora rides!

 

[Allie B]

What was it about the queue that makes it worth the wait? And do you miss that aspect of the queue if you use the fastpass line?

I'm interested to know as well.
Is it like with Peter Pan?