Getting in a queue line right before closing at a park.

DWeav

Mouseketeer
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Apr 13, 2016
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Am I right that I've read that at no matter what park you are at, as long as you enter a queue line for a ride before official closing, you'll get to ride that ride?

For instance, if Magic Kingdom closes at 11 PM, and I get in line for Space Mountain or 7 Dwarfs at 10:50 PM, I'll be able to ride no matter what time I finally get to the front of the line? I'm guessing they just close the lines at closing time?

Thanks!
 
10 minutes may be cutting it close I have seen CM close off lines earlier than that leading up to park close
 
Yes, they will let you ride, but sometimes lines do close a tad before park close. I think 10 minutes is usually fine, unless its a character meet. If you are in the line though you get to ride.
 

Am I right that I've read that at no matter what park you are at, as long as you enter a queue line for a ride before official closing, you'll get to ride that ride?

For instance, if Magic Kingdom closes at 11 PM, and I get in line for Space Mountain or 7 Dwarfs at 10:50 PM, I'll be able to ride no matter what time I finally get to the front of the line? I'm guessing they just close the lines at closing time?

Thanks!
Yes, but keep in mind, if you get in line, then the ride goes down, you aren't going to be able to wait until the ride is back up.

I'm thinking about things like weather or the ride breaking down.
 
there can be exceptions like multi-hour waits where the line will close much earlier than a few minutes or closing time.. my best guess is it's timed to clear the ride within 1 hour of closing time.
 
This is a trick that works almost at any amusement or theme park. If you get in line right (like RIGHT at closing) it will usually give you the shortest wait. And I am sorry if they want to close a queue prior to closing time then they better put a sign out at the entrance or notify guests in some way. Otherwise Six Flags has Disney beat on Customer service in this department.

Jennifer
 
Note also that Disney has been known to make the line appear longer than it really is by holding guests up at a certain point.

You may, for instance, see a line out the front door at Space Mt and be discouraged from getting in that line. That's exactly how management wants you to respond. If you get in the line, you may find that most of the queue once inside the building is empty. (Then again, it might actually be full - no way to know for certain.)
 
Am I right that I've read that at no matter what park you are at, as long as you enter a queue line for a ride before official closing, you'll get to ride that ride?

For instance, if Magic Kingdom closes at 11 PM, and I get in line for Space Mountain or 7 Dwarfs at 10:50 PM, I'll be able to ride no matter what time I finally get to the front of the line? I'm guessing they just close the lines at closing time?

Thanks!
Last year we got into the Seven Dwarfs line shortly before midnight (which was closing time), and were in line about 30 minutes before riding it- well past closing time. If you're in the queue, you get to ride.

I'm not sure exactly when they close the queue to new people, though.
 
You sound like one of those customers who expects to enter a store right before closing and be allowed to shop for as long as you like.

You couldn't be more wrong about me, pretty much have never done that and would never for the same reasons we probably agree on. Disney is responsible for managing their hours and their employees time. If they want to close earlier fine, but they better tell me when that time is.
 
You couldn't be more wrong about me, pretty much have never done that and would never for the same reasons we probably agree on. Disney is responsible for managing their hours and their employees time. If they want to close earlier fine, but they better tell me when that time is.
This, exactly. Close the line if you don't want anyone in line.
 
A few weeks ago MK had Extra Magic until 2AM. We got in line for Seven Dwarfs at 1:30 AM and got off the ride at 1:55 and got back in line at 1:58 got to ride it.

We did an evening EMH at MK a few weeks ago as well. Got in line for 7DMT @ 1:30 and we were off at 1:52. The standby line was closed at that time -- completely barricaded off and the CM's telling people the ride was closed for the night. So don't count on everything being open until the minute the park closes. If you really want to ride something at the end of the night, I'd get in line 10-15 minutes before official closing time.


Note also that Disney has been known to make the line appear longer than it really is by holding guests up at a certain point.

You may, for instance, see a line out the front door at Space Mt and be discouraged from getting in that line. That's exactly how management wants you to respond. If you get in the line, you may find that most of the queue once inside the building is empty. (Then again, it might actually be full - no way to know for certain.)

We experienced something similar at Space Mountain. We went to get in line at 1:00 a.m. The standby wait was posted as 45 minutes. You could see a few people in the queue just around the corner from the entrance. A group of people in front of us asked the CM at the entrance if that wait time was accurate. The CM insisted that it was -- that it was *not* exaggerated and that it would be *at least* a 45 minute wait (she was pretty stern about it, too). The group was very disappointed and decided to go do other rides with shorter lines. We still got in the line because I was confident the wait would not be 45 minutes. As we walked into the building, the line moved dramatically --- apparently someone had stopped for some reason and caused the line to back up and look like it was much longer than it was. In reality, there was a group of about 12-15 people stopped near the entrance and then a HUGE gap between them and the people in front of them. Once they started moving we actually were able to walk all the way up to the FP/Standby merge point before stopping. From the time we walked past the CM at the entrance to the time we walked out of the gift shop was 20 minutes. Part of me wondered if the group that stopped was a bunch of CM's who were trying to help out their fellow CMs by making it look like the line was really long to discourage people from getting in line and increasing the chances that the Space Mountain CMs would get out of work a little closer to 2:00 a.m. than if they didn't make the line look long.
 
You couldn't be more wrong about me, pretty much have never done that and would never for the same reasons we probably agree on. Disney is responsible for managing their hours and their employees time. If they want to close earlier fine, but they better tell me when that time is.
My first thought is to ask you what your "or what" would be if they don't tell you the time.

On the basis of a 7 day base ticket and assuming the park is open 8:00 am to 10:0pm. If they closed the line 10 minutes early the financial impact to you is $0.67, 67 cents. So what would you want for that 67 cents? They haven't ripped you off in any way cause you've had 13 hrs and 50 minutes to enjoy the park.

For me, if I'm cutting it that close its my problem for not planning better and I've had lots of opportunity to get to the rides. Besides, I still get all the enjoyment of walking out enjoying the sights and checking on the shops which is worth a lot more than 67 cents. And likely not all attractions have closed early so do something else.

Still trying to figure out what the "or else" is.
 
Actually, if the park CLOSES at 11 pm, they could point to the exit and kindly tell you, sorry. We're now closed. Have a Magical Day!

For some reason they don't. They instead choose to bait me into riding their stuff by keeping the entrances open.
 



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