Ride Wait Times???

[plove53]

I was just in WDW last week and was thinking about the wait times… I think Disney over estimates the wait time… So if it says 30 min you are waiting ~15 min… I like this thinking.

I also went to Universal while I was down that way and they seem to be the opposite.

Does anyone know if this is true???

-phil

 

[Artoo]

I think that they try to estimate the wait times from the moment you walk into the queue (i.e.: it is a 30-minute wait from the entrance of the queue to the actual ride).
I was in WDW last week and also noticed that the lines were a lot shorter than they said they would be. Who knows?

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

The wait times are accurate from the last time they sent the paddle through. Depending upon how long ago that was, they can be somewhat less than accurate.

 

[bradk]

it really depends.. there's quite a few reasons for it. ultimately, CMs are responsible for manually changing the standby times in most cases and the easiest example is that they forget to.

sometimes wait times are overestimated though or lines are stacked when they need to spread crowds out amongst multiple attractions. there's a real reason why space mountain is on the opposite side of the park than splash mountain for example.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

To paraphrase Barbossa...

The Wait Times are more guidelines than actual rules.

 

[ZoZo]

The wait times are accurate from the last time they sent the paddle through. Depending upon how long ago that was, they can be somewhat less than accurate.

I find them to be pretty accurate, give or take a few minutes. As this poster says, they send a "red card" through with guests periodically. I did this a few times - the CMs give it to you as you enter the line, and you hand it to the last cast member you see before boarding the attraction. They scan the cards electronically, and the stand-by times are updated automatically.

You just never know - I had a FP for RnR last Saturday evening, and waited over 30 minutes in the FP line!!! Have never waited so long with a FP before. Should have jumped in the single rider line instead - it went much faster. Ah, well, it was still fun!

 

[LMO429]

I was just in WDW last week and was thinking about the wait times… I think Disney over estimates the wait time… So if it says 30 min you are waiting ~15 min… I like this thinking.

I also went to Universal while I was down that way and they seem to be the opposite.

Does anyone know if this is true???

-phil

We found it to be the case when we were there in late oct and early May. The ride post time would say 30 minutes and it would only be 10 to 15 wait. If an attraction said 20 minutes or less it was virtually a walk on.

Anything that said 50 minutes or more we fast passed.

 

[Pugsley]

You just never know - I had a FP for RnR last Saturday evening, and waited over 30 minutes in the FP line!!! Have never waited so long with a FP before. Should have jumped in the single rider line instead - it went much faster. Ah, well, it was still fun!

RnR has a single rider line????

 

[DisLUV]

I have been there in some of the slower times of the year and I have seen a wait time of 15 min and it is a walk-on. I told the CM "that was a short 15 min" and more than once I have had the CM say it is so slow we forget to change the wait time. I have also had a CM tell me, about a 60 min wait, that was 10 min, "We have that up to keep people away"! Before you start blasting the CM was kidding and he told me that the wait had just been 60 min earlier and they sent a red card in the line but it never made it to the last CM< (SOMEONE STOLE IT). So I told him I had been in line 10 min and he changed the wait time. I don't know why I told that story but it was funny in my head!

 

[Brian_WDW74]

RnR has a single rider line????

Why yes. It does.

 

[Timmy Boy]

Yea, the Flik cards are sometimes good. Those are the red cards ther Cast Members give out.

Over at Universal, it's just a matter of the Lead, or one of the attendants to go look at the line, and change the wait time manually. Usually posting a little over the real wait, to accomodate the wait if the Express line is long.

Yea, sometimes the Flik is good. However, if it's a walk on, the wait is going to post that. Then the line will back up, and they'll send a Flik card through. It then takes longer to get that Flik card through, so the line will keep backing up.

Iv'e been to Rock n Roller Coaster, and I've seen it posted at an 80, and it be a walk on. I've also seen it posted at 20, and the line coming out the door.