Posted wait times

[Isabelle12345]

do you usually find the waiting times more reliable on MDE or lines app from TP?
I hate waiting and sometimes there is a discrepancy of 10-30 min between both and I am not sure which one is better?
This weekend there was a posted wait time of 60 min on the peoplemover and lines app said 0min !?!?

 

[KenHutch]

I find neither to be that good and I will provide you with an example. Last June was our latest trip and at AK we had a fast pass for FoP. Well the younger girl wanted to ride it a second time so after dinner at Boma we went back to the park to try again. The app said the wait was 120 min. When we got there the sign said 90 min+. It took 45 minutes.

 

[Klayfish]

We find the TP crowd sourced app to be far more accurate. It can be wacky at times because it's based on user input...and sometimes people apparently don't use it properly. I won't throw stones in glass houses, I've made a mistake on it once or twice myself. However, generally it's fairly close.

MDE tends to err on the side of caution. If it's posted as 20 minutes, it's likely to be around 15. I guess the reason for that is because if they post 20 and it's actually 21, someone will pitch a fit. At the end of the night, they keep the posted wait time far higher than reality to discourage people from getting in line.

Neither are precise, it's not an exact science. Really, I think they're both fairly good, especially if you learn how to speak the MDE language (i.e. pick up on trends/patterns). However, TP is a bit more accurate.

 

[Darklord77]

MDE tends to err on the side of caution. If it's posted as 20 minutes, it's likely to be around 15.

You would think this would be the case. However, over the last two years I have experienced many times where MDE grossly underestimates times. Got into line for Space Mtn with a posted 40 min wait one afternoon. 75 min later we were walking off the ride. That's just one example. I now go by the theory if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

 

[Klayfish]

You would think this would be the case. However, over the last two years I have experienced many times where MDE grossly underestimates times. Got into line for Space Mtn with a posted 40 min wait one afternoon. 75 min later we were walking off the ride. That's just one example. I now go by the theory if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

That's definitely not our experience. However, I will say that we never get in a line if it's posted anywhere as being more than a 20-25 minute wait...that's what FP+ is for.

Certainly, goofy things can happen....when you're 20 minutes into a 40 minute posted wait time and the ride goes down, or a lot of guests needing special assistance, etc...

 

[monkyby87]

We find the TP crowd sourced app to be far more accurate. It can be wacky at times because it's based on user input...and sometimes people apparently don't use it properly. I won't throw stones in glass houses, I've made a mistake on it once or twice myself. However, generally it's fairly close.

MDE tends to err on the side of caution. If it's posted as 20 minutes, it's likely to be around 15. I guess the reason for that is because if they post 20 and it's actually 21, someone will pitch a fit. At the end of the night, they keep the posted wait time far higher than reality to discourage people from getting in line.

Neither are precise, it's not an exact science. Really, I think they're both fairly good, especially if you learn how to speak the MDE language (i.e. pick up on trends/patterns). However, TP is a bit more accurate.

Indeed, the TP wait times are what real people are actually experiencing. With the MDE, you might experience higher wait times as an effort by Disney to reduce crowds or spread the crowds around. There's a bit of conspiracy theory in that thought, but it is indeed true, especially at night when they want to discourage people from lining up at the last minute. I generally trust MDE, but I also accept the wait may be a bit more or less than that. Also, MDE may not pick up on sudden ride changes as quickly. If a ride suddenly goes down for a few minutes and things get backed up, MDE may not pick that up right away. So generally I would trust TP more.

 

[Gehrig1B]

I trust the Lines app more than MDE. Although anything can happen while in line, we have found the Touring Plans app more reliable... as Klayfish, we never get in a standby line over 20 minutes either so maybe my experience is skewed a bit.