Peter Pan's Flight wait times

[Todd_H]

I uploaded this picture of Peter Pan's Flight to flickr this morning with the question asking for opinions of why the wait times seem to be consistently long for it. I'll ask the same question here (just curious as I can't seem to put my finger on any logical reason). Other dark rides don't seem to rack up this level of wait times (well, except for Winnie the Pooh which does come close).

Interested in your thoughts... what continues to be the big draw to Peter Pan's Flight? Could it be mostly nostalgia?



^^If you click the image, you'll see the flickr discussion as well as some other dark ride shots from Peter Pan's Flight.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

It is one of my favorites rides in the park. DL doesn't have fastpasses and you could easily wait an hour on busy days. It is one of the slower loading and unloading rides as well, so it doesn't move people very fast, which is why the wait is longer.

 

[MonoManBlue]

Petey is a slow loading ride.....a lot of people ride it because of its iconic status as well as its overall theme, and just the way its presented, which in turn, makes for hellaciously long lines!

 

[Pakey]

Peter Pan is one of my favorite rides; I remember riding it at DL back in the early 60's on my first visit.

I did like that the one at Disneyland Paris seated more people (each "boat" had 2 bench seats for a total of 6 people) so that line moved a bit faster.

 

[ars0525]

for me & my mom--it's Tinkerbell & the trip to Neverland!!

Although we only ride Peter Pan really late at night during EMH so the line is really do-able. When we walk by during the day I can't believe the lines of people!

 

[shyjade]

Interested in your thoughts... what continues to be the big draw to Peter Pan's Flight? Could it be mostly nostalgia?

For me, absolutely!

 

[Eric in TX]

For me it's all about nostalgia and sentimentality. As a 10 year old, it was one of the first rides I ever went on in WDW, and the level of detail easily surpassed anything I had ever been on at carnivals or the boardwalk.

Almost 30 years later, it's still one of my most favorite rides. Although I do make of point of only riding it early/late or with a FP. Those hour-long waits are brutal!

 

[damo]

We were there last week and with the back end of the queue having no overhead fans or air movement, it was brutal.

 

[troynkasey]

Peter Pan is a ride that caters to boys and girls, so I think there is that aspect. The movie is a classic and I think the ride is very well done as far as telling the story with good detail. It's also a ride that everyone can ride. All these factors along with the fact that they can't add more ride vehicles like they could on Splash Mountain to account for high ride volume times means it is what it is and you're going to have longer waits if it's popular.

 

[miztressuz]

I know many talk of the nostalgia, but in my clan it's the little kids that want to go on. I actually never rode it until '09 when my nephew insisted. (he also got me on Small World again even though I vowed 'once is enough in a lifetime'. little kids are so dam persuasive ) Besides them liking the movie, I think they like the 'flying in a pirate ship' idea. I don't know a kid that at some point or another did NOT want to fly for real and this kinda gives them that (without jumping off the roof with a cape )

 

[gumbo1009]

1) Nostalgia
2) The "flight" --> the other "dark rides" as you call them don't have the same setup (feet dangling, riding over and winding thru the attraction)
3) The "look" --> the colors are just so rich and the colors glow in the dark
4) Little touches, like the cars moving thru London traffic

I LOVE this ride. To me, it's the one ride I must go on at the MK - it most reminds me of my first trip to Disney, back in the 70s...

 

[DebbieB]

It is one of my favorites rides in the park. DL doesn't have fastpasses and you could easily wait an hour on busy days. It is one of the slower loading and unloading rides as well, so it doesn't move people very fast, which is why the wait is longer.

Disneyland is even slower loading because the cars actually stop to allow each person on, rather than the belt that WDW has.

I was at DL last month and we were on Main Street for rope drop, probably about 1/2 way back. We headed for PP first and it was already a 20 minute wait, we were outside the building.

 

[erocrobro]

I have boys, so for use it is all about the pirates! Although, we only do it with a fastpass!

 

[KatieCollette]

I love this ride It's one of the few I really remember riding during my childhood. It was also my DH and DS's first ride in WDW, so we make it a point to do that ride first every trip!

 

[mom2rtk]

Well, it's because we all have to ride it over and over trying to get a photo as nice as the one you posted! Nice job.

For us it's quintessential Disney, charming and nostalgic. We wouldn't consider a trip complete without it. But I must say I love that WDW has fastpass. That frustrates me to no end at DLR.

 

[AnthonyJPreston]

.

 

[newdeal]

When i was a little boy this was my favourite ride. I loved the feeling of flying over london in the ships. I still love the ride and am sure many others feel the same way hence the long lines. It may be a slow loader but there are many slow loaders that dont rack up the waits like pan does (also there are very few boy themed rides in fantasy land)

 

[bluejasmine]

I love it, wish it was a bit longer ride since the wait is so long but this is one you defanitely FP!

 

[tigeramy75]

This is the ride I remember most vividly from my first trip (age 11). I just loved it and it felt so magical to me as a kid. I especially remember Tiger Lily watching your pirate ship as you fly past. Now that I am older, Peter Pan is hands down my sons' favorite movie, and there is nothing like seeing it through their eyes. It is always the last ride we do before leaving WDW. We FP it multiple times on each trip!