Line Stacking

[SoarinSC]

Noticed this a lot too on Space Mountain this week...morning, afternoon, and evenings. Glad I read this thread because I had no clue why they'd leave such huge gaps in the last corridor before the turn to the loading area.

 

[cjparker0110]

CMs should know the accurate time. That said, when I worked at Busch Gardens we were always encouraged to overestimate just a slight bit (maybe 10-15 minutes) to allow for any little surprises. i.e.: disabled guests boarding, adding/removing a train from the track, someone who just couldn't handle their lunch. Also, people who wait in a line that is shorter than they are told are generally happier than those who wait in a line that is longer than they were told.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I haven't used it in a while so I don't know how many users are active in the parks these days, but the user-reported wait times in the Lines app used to be quite helpful for more accurate times.

The user reported apps are ok but pretty underutilized. There aren't many guests in the parks interested in updating them late at night either.

The posted wait times are a very effective deterrent and do help funnel unknowing guests towards the gates and/or gift shops late in the evening.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Last time we went we rode TSMM in the last 5 minutes of park closing but I know the stand-by time was listed as way more than that. No one was in line at all in fact we practically ran through the queue just to keep up with the few people in front of us.

Only got to ride it once but we honestly put that ride in the couldn't ride due to wait times list and happened to pass by it and saw no people in line and jumped at the chance. Throughout the day both days that we ended up there the wait time was a solid 75 minutes. Now we know it wasn't ALWAYS 75 minutes but with all the little children in line we just didn't have the patience to stand in the line for an extended period of time hoping it was more like 45-60 minutes.

I totally believed they over-inflated the times on several big named attractions and saw it for what it was: crowd control.

I know it frustrates people when they've been standing in the heat (at least most times of the year), it's likely rained on their trip they've walked a bunch already and just want to be in a line that moves so they get more and more frustrated at having to stand in one spot in a seemingly unmoving queue and then all of a sudden they are moving and they wonder why they hadn't been the whole time. Tends to make matters worse if the queue line ends up outside in the elements or doesn't have ac or heat (for those times when it's a bit cooler in FL).

Thanks for putting a name to what we've seen

 

[JZCubed]

I just read about this in the Unofficial Guide from 2001. I knew it has been going on for years but never realized that there is a name for it.

""Often, would be riders are held in line outside the entrance until all those previously in line have ridden, thus emptying the attraction. The appearance from the outside is that the line is enormous when, in fact, the only people waiting are those visible. This crowd control technique, known as "stacking," discourages visitors from getting in line. Stacking is used at several Disney rides and attractions during the hour before closing to ensure that the ride will be able to close on schedule."

TSMM is probably the worst offender of this. We can often ride 4 times during the final hour of operation just because the line looks so darn long.

This can sometimes be done for reason not cited:

-- When the CM's change the ropes to make a longer/shorter queue.

-- When a ride is being changed from just one side to two, or vice versa.