Still overestimating wait times?

[Davey Jones II]

For a very long time, Disney has been posting inflated wait time estimates in their parks. I'm just wondering if they're still doing so? Lately, I've been reading posts by people who say that the posted wait time was X but their actual wait was X+. It happened to us a couple times on our trip last October, notably on KS, in which the posted time was 35 min. but we actually waited over an hour, in an interminable switchback queue. Was that just an anomaly?

 

[mousehockey37]

There's any number of things that can happen that can make a queue line go faster or go slower. Most notably if you have someone that needs to have a ride completely stopped for them to transfer from an ECV or wheelchair to get into a ride vehicle. If this person(s) is far enough ahead of you in line, you may wait for them to go from ECV to ride AND then from ride back to ECV.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We found them to be inflated at RD this week. Navi was listed as 20 mins and I timed it as 8 and Space had just ticked up to 35 before we got in line and I timed that one at 20. There was a huge amount of bouncing around on times at TT and Soarin at RD. TT went from 25 to 45 to 60 in the space of a few minutes and 10 mins later it was back down to 20. Soarin ramped up to 65 by 9:30 and then dropped from there to 15 mins. I think that was a capacity issue though. I'm pretty sure they opened the 3rd theater. Even then, we got in line when it said 35 and I think we waited maybe 20 or 25 mins (I didn't time it though so take they with a grain of salt).

 

[Elle23]

In December, Spaceship Earth has a posted wait time of 45 minutes. We waited 5 minutes.

 

[epcotobsessed]

I have almost never had a wait time be less than the posted time (unless the posted wait time is 5 minutes, which I often think is the minimum they will list, and we have walked right on the ride), but have had several experiences of waiting longer than the posted time. The ride we've had the worst luck on for this is Soarin', with wait times often twice (or longer) the posted time.

 

[Miffy]

Last night around 9:30 the posted wait time for Na'vi was 40 minutes. The ride was a walk-on.

 

[Tink1017]

I had the same experience with Na’vi in April. It was close to the end of the night and it said 40 minutes but was a walk on.

 

[AngiTN]

Well, yeah. They've been doing it since wait times began. I don't ever see them changing it.
I mean, people rarely complain when you see a wait time of 30 min but only wait 5 but if you see a wait time of 10 and wait 30, heads would roll. So it only benefits them, never hurts them, to inflate wait times.

This is one of the main reasons we pay for a membership to Touring Plans. They show both MDE registered wait times and user reported wait times.

 

[rteetz]

It depends. I’ve seen them accurate and inaccurate. As other posters have said things can happen that change the wait times after you enter at a posted time.

 

[SpaceMtnGirl]

This past week we got in line just before park close for FOP. Posted wait time was 105 minutes. I asked the cast member at the front if the wait time posted was accurate and she stated that it was. We were on and off in 60 minutes.

 

[Baduist]

On a very busy week (Easter), my family reported waiting about 75% of the estimated time for almost every ride.

We’re talking about ~240mins estimated for Pandora rides (I wouldn’t even go with those wait times)

 

[Farro]

I never really looked, but o the wait times signs mean "from this point" it's 60 minutes or whatever? Because you may walk well past that point until you get to the actual line.

 

[gharter]

I've seen both. Many times the posted times are close. Other times, I suspect the wait times on popular rides are inflated to spread the crowd out to different attractions.

 

[AngiTN]

I never really looked, but o the wait times signs mean "from this point" it's 60 minutes or whatever? Because you may walk well past that point until you get to the actual line.

No. That is not how they work at Disney (except for the few that state that exactly)

At Disney they be them on the time from the moment you are given a red card till it's turned in. That's not a perfect system. It's impossible to determine how many guests can enter between cards. It's just a guess

At close it's even worse because it's based on FP guests too but remember, they stop coming in at close so then the stand by line moved much faster. The wait time does not get updated again though

 

[Simba's Mom]

For a very long time, Disney has been posting inflated wait time estimates in their parks. I'm just wondering if they're still doing so? Lately, I've been reading posts by people who say that the posted wait time was X but their actual wait was X+. It happened to us a couple times on our trip last October, notably on KS, in which the posted time was 35 min. but we actually waited over an hour, in an interminable switchback queue. Was that just an anomaly?

Well, specifically regarding KS, I've seen animals decide to wander into the road, then hold up everything for long periods of time. The jeeps can't do anything to disrupt the animals. I remember being on a jeep once when a giraffe wandered in front of us, then stood there oblivious to us (or maybe deliberately taunting us), munching away on leaves while every jeep backed up (fortunately we were first and got great views). On other rides, lately I've been in the stand-by line, watching the CMs let more and more people through in the FP+ line. They really don't want those FP+ lines to back up. So if all the FP+ people show up at once, your wait time in the stand-by line could be pretty long. Ours ended up about 20 minutes longer than posted.

 

[wannabee]

2 weeks ago, about 30 mins before closing seven dwarves listed a 60min wait time. I decided that it was probably inflated so we got in line. I timed it at 12 mins.

 

[AngiTN]

Well, specifically regarding KS, I've seen animals decide to wander into the road, then hold up everything for long periods of time. The jeeps can't do anything to disrupt the animals. I remember being on a jeep once when a giraffe wandered in front of us, then stood there oblivious to us (or maybe deliberately taunting us), munching away on leaves while every jeep backed up (fortunately we were first and got great views). On other rides, lately I've been in the stand-by line, watching the CMs let more and more people through in the FP+ line. They really don't want those FP+ lines to back up. So if all the FP+ people show up at once, your wait time in the stand-by line could be pretty long. Ours ended up about 20 minutes longer than posted.

We had a rhino do that and he was taunting the vehicle. They finally sent one of the handlers over in a Jeep to lead him off with a load of feed

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

This is one of the main reasons we pay for a membership to Touring Plans. They show both MDE registered wait times and user reported wait times.

Those Touring Plans wait times are only good if users actually report the waits on a regular basis.

Quite often, they have no reported wait times and only have the Disney posted waits to go by.

Let’s say the posted wait at 7D about a half hour before close is 80 minutes but the actual wait is only 10. Are you going to post the actual time on TP so that others know about it, or are you going to keep that info to yourself and hurry around and get in line again.

 

[AngiTN]

Those Touring Plans wait times are only good if users actually report the waits on a regular basis.

Quite often, they have no reported wait times and only have the Disney posted waits to go by.

Let’s say the posted wait at 7D about a half hour before close is 80 minutes but the actual wait is only 10. Are you going to post the actual time on TP so that others know about it, or are you going to keep that info to yourself and hurry around and get in line again.

Post the wait time.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Post the wait time.

Fortunately, not many will post the actual wait time which is why late night touring can be so efficient. The posted waits late in the evening are greatly exaggerated but not many guests know it.