Posted Wait Times Accuracy

ssgtravel

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 2, 2011
Messages
175
The wait times listed on the Genie Tip Board, in almost all cases are higher (sometimes significantly) than those shown on TP (which are supposed to be reported by feet on the ground). Would be very helpful to hear folks' actual experiences in the parks lately.
 
I don't have exact times for examples, but last week Tip Board/posted times overstated compared to actual wait times. TouringPlans seemed to understate the times.
 
Line wait time reports are always at the very least lagging actual times by at least as long as the wait time is. I've never understood this constant battle over who is doing what with wait times. If someone reports their wait time was 1 hour, that report is now 1 hour out of date since that person got on line 1 hour prior to reporting it and won't take into account how many people got on line during that hour. Everyone - wait times are a mix of data and guessing based on trends. I would not be surprised if Disney takes a somewhat more conservative approach to interpreting it's data based on trends as well as the actual wait times (better to slighter underpromise and overdeliver) but overall they're both approximately accurate based on the best available data they have.
 

I find they are mostly overinflated. The biggest example for me was Runaway Railway a few weeks ago, 35 minute posted wait and there was no line at all even after the merge point. Other ride lines are often 2/3 of the posted wait, sometimes less.
 
My experience has generally been the same but there are always one or two rides where the wait time is higher that posted. I suspect that Disney is aware and would rather have most people pleasantly surprised and not constantly complaining.
 
I agree with Yoshi. We were at all 4 parks (multiple times) over the course of a week in late September, and I don't remember ever waiting as long as the "posted" wait times. They ran approximately 2/3 - 3/4 of the posted time. We did however run into a couple of ride breakdowns. I think it happened 3 times - and each time we were near the loading area ("Fast passes" issued each time).
 
Line wait time reports are always at the very least lagging actual times by at least as long as the wait time is. I've never understood this constant battle over who is doing what with wait times. If someone reports their wait time was 1 hour, that report is now 1 hour out of date since that person got on line 1 hour prior to reporting it and won't take into account how many people got on line during that hour. Everyone - wait times are a mix of data and guessing based on trends. I would not be surprised if Disney takes a somewhat more conservative approach to interpreting it's data based on trends as well as the actual wait times (better to slighter underpromise and overdeliver) but overall they're both approximately accurate based on the best available data they have.
Totally get that. What I'm more curious about is if it says 60 minutes on MDE/entrance sign what was someones actual wait time. Looking for more "personal" feedback on if the signs were accurate or were they inflated. Dont care so much about what site said what, just curious on what "actual people" have found.
 
Totally get that. What I'm more curious about is if it says 60 minutes on MDE/entrance sign what was someones actual wait time. Looking for more "personal" feedback on if the signs were accurate or were they inflated. Don't care so much about what site said what, just curious on what "actual people" have found.
The problem is when someone enters when it says 60 minutes whether it was longer or shorter for that person tells you nothing about what they're likely to be like later. Generally - the consensus is that actual wait times are a little lower than what is posted (especially as you get very close to closing when you see large drop offs in the number of people entering the lines generally compared to the prior hour). And that is to be expected assuming that Disney builds a little wiggle room into their projected wait time to take into account the many things that could happen to cause the wait to rise a bit. So if the ride continues to operate at full capacity and you didn't see a random huge influx of people at the same time you will have a lower wait. But there are ride breakdowns, and wheelchairs, and large groups, etc. that can throw everything off.
So I'd say having read this board for about 20 years and my own personal experience, I'd say you'll find about a bit more than half will they usually find the wait times a little less than what is posted. I'd say another 30+% of the time they're pretty darn accurate within 10 minutes either way. And then there will be those times that are longer. And often when the wait is longer, you'll find that when you get off the ride it will show a more accurate wait time - but the data just hadn't caught up by the time you entered the line. So you could get on line when it says 20 minutes and 2 minutes after you enter it jumps to 50 as the data makes it way in. Those are the unfortunate situations.
 
The problem is when someone enters when it says 60 minutes whether it was longer or shorter for that person tells you nothing about what they're likely to be like later. Generally - the consensus is that actual wait times are a little lower than what is posted (especially as you get very close to closing when you see large drop offs in the number of people entering the lines generally compared to the prior hour). And that is to be expected assuming that Disney builds a little wiggle room into their projected wait time to take into account the many things that could happen to cause the wait to rise a bit. So if the ride continues to operate at full capacity and you didn't see a random huge influx of people at the same time you will have a lower wait. But there are ride breakdowns, and wheelchairs, and large groups, etc. that can throw everything off.
So I'd say having read this board for about 20 years and my own personal experience, I'd say you'll find about a bit more than half will they usually find the wait times a little less than what is posted. I'd say another 30+% of the time they're pretty darn accurate within 10 minutes either way. And then there will be those times that are longer. And often when the wait is longer, you'll find that when you get off the ride it will show a more accurate wait time - but the data just hadn't caught up by the time you entered the line. So you could get on line when it says 20 minutes and 2 minutes after you enter it jumps to 50 as the data makes it way in. Those are the unfortunate situations.
Totally agree! Fingers crossed for "somewhat" manageable lines next week (yikes). If not, then we will sit and eat churros and dole whips and watch the hoards of people. At least we will be at Disney! Thank you and have a nice day!
 
I went to DHS, Epcot, and MK last week with genie+ each day and did ILL for RotR, Remy, Space Mt and 7DMT. We didn’t have to wait standby for many rides but we did a few. The tip board est wait times were accurate for the most part.. max of 5 minutes longer than what we waited. My advice is to plan on waiting whatever they say the wait time is, if it’s less.. yay!
 
I was at the parks last week and I would say during the day the posted times for E-ticket rides were pretty close. We waited standby for Test Track, Space Mountain, Flight of Passage and MMRR and all were within 5 minutes of the posted times which were all between 35 and 45 minutes. Posted times for rides with continuous loading always seemed overstated like Buzz, Haunted Mansion, Under the Sea, as well as Pirates. At the end of the day wait times are still grossly overstated. We got in line for Seven Dwarves Mine Train at the end of the night and the posted wait was 60 minutes. We waited about 15.
 
We were there in October. I posted over 30 ride times over the week to Touring Plans line app. Almost every ride time was about half or less of what was posted. has it changed? No clue, but doubtful.
 
I was at Epcot today and felt like the wait times were pretty accurate, it seemed like the Genie Tip board was more accurate then the posted time on the ride (for some rides)….i did lightening lanes for a few. Test track I did stand by lane-and they time was super off! Sign said 40 minutes. And it was closer to 65 minutes by the time we got into the room…..
 
The waits times are still horrifically inaccurate.

The major point Disney kept pounding their chests about with Genie and Genie+ was all the data they collected allowing them to accurately display wait times, and to maximize the experience of the average day guest.

From our trip last week here are some of the highlights that were woefully wrong.

Pirates 45 minutes - Reality 6 minutes
Haunted Mansion 35 minutes - Reality 9 minutes
Flight of Passage 85 minutes - Reality 40 minutes
Rise of the Resistance 105 minutes - Reality 35 minutes
Big Thunder 10 minutes - Reality 25 minutes
People Mover 5 minutes - Reality 15 minutes
It's A Small World 25 minutes - Reality 15 minutes
 
Wait times vary from accurate to about double the real wait time in my experience.
 
I'll say that in our recent trip (Oct 27-Nov 5), the wait times posted were usually 10-15 higher than what we actually experienced -- and I think it's just as stated before, Disney trying to be conservative -- if you get in a line thinking it's 35 and it only takes 15 or 20, then you're generally very pleased with the houtcome.

However.... I also got in the stand-by line for Peter Pan on Nov 4 when it suggested a wait time of 40 minutes, and it was 80 before we got on the ride -- and there was no breakdown. (There was, however, a huge number of folks in the Lightning Lane, so the standby unpaid masses were left to wait).
 
In our experience, they're always overestimated by at least ten minutes.
The only time we ever waited the actual posted time was when we to AK for Christmas Day and FOP was posted at 180 minutes. We waited about 185 because it went down for about twenty minutes. That was back in 2019. During our trip in September of this year, everything was overestimated by 20 minutes, but it was also a slow time of year.
 
The wait times listed on the Genie Tip Board, in almost all cases are higher (sometimes significantly) than those shown on TP (which are supposed to be reported by feet on the ground). Would be very helpful to hear folks' actual experiences in the parks lately.

Ok I've racked my brain and can't figure out what TP is and now I have to know. :confused3:rotfl:
 







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