Longer Wait Times - True or False?

[racefans44]

I have been reading all the FP+ comments and keeping an open mind until my upcoming trip. I was wondering about whether the wait times are getting longer for traditionally short-wait time attractions. I have been checking the wait times on MDE and it seems like Jungle Cruise (for example) is having long wait times lately. I just checked and the wait time for JC is 75 minutes, it's a Tuesday morning before noon. It is getting close to some people's spring break though. I'm not trying to bash FP+, I'm just trying to figure out my strategy for my upcoming trip (rope drop, when to FP, etc).
Are these wait times typical for this time of year, is this FP+ related, or is something else going on?
Thanks for any insights you may have.

 

[KittyKat1978]

I would think rides like POTC & IASW would have longer lines as you can't go right or left anymore as one side is for FP+

It Mardi Gras today.

 

[LilyWDW]

Unknown. No one has a large enough sample (outside of Disney themselves) to be able to make an accurate (and supported) conclusion.

 

[stinkpickle]

I didn't notice any significant differences from the previous year, except for the occasional backup at the FP+ return line. The posted wait times seemed to swing widely and more frequently, though.

 

[sunkissed4]

We pop over to MK almost every weekend and are always there at rope drop. I've noticed Small World and Pirates having much longer standby lines. It depends on when you normally travel and what you consider a long wait, but 30 minutes for either of those rides before 11 a.m. is ridiculous to me.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Unknown. No one has a large enough sample (outside of Disney themselves) to be able to make an accurate (and supported) conclusion.

I agree, but will add that our experience was that lines were the length that we would normally have expected on all rides while we were in WDW in January.

 

[JimmyV]

I can tell you what we observed, which is different from being able to reach a conclusion. What we witnessed was a whole new way of merging the SB and FP lines. The number of FP people let in to rides that have always had FPs was far greater than ever before. Often times, the CM would hold up the SB line for 10-15 solid minutes while FP people streamed in. Logic tells me that this has to make the SB line take longer than before, but I cannot tell you if what we witnessed was a few clueless CMs or a whole changeover in the way things are being done.

As for rides that didn't used to have FP at all (like PoTC), the very fact that there is half of the queue dedicated to FP people means that the SB line is longer in length and longer in time. For example, let's say that in the stretch of an hour, 2,000 people want to ride that ride. You were the 1500th person to get in line that hour. The only people who were in front of you were #s 1-1499. Now, with a FP line at that ride, let's say that #s 1-1299 get in front of you in the SB line. No change there. And #s 1300-1499 are now in the FP line. They were ahead of you before and are ahead of you now. Still no change. But now let's take #s 1501-1599 who used to be behind you and shift them over into the FP line. They now get ahead of you. So you are now the 1600th person to board as opposed to the 1500th person to board. The same number of people will board in an hour, but the FP system takes all of the people who used to be in front of you and keeps them in front of you, and takes a certain number of people who used to be behind you and places them in front of you. Obviously, if you are #2000, then nothing changes, because there were 1999 people ahead of you to start and there remain 1999 ahead of you. They have simply shuffled their order. But if you are not at the very end, then the FP system (old or new) will move people who used to be behind you and place them in front of you. There is nothing to be done about this. You either buy into the system or you hate the system and FP- or FP+ has nothing to do with it.

 

[racefans44]

I would think rides like POTC & IASW would have longer lines as you can't go right or left anymore as one side is for FP+

It Mardi Gras today.

That is an idea. Thanks for all the food for thought. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out.