Visually estimating wait times?

[js]

My mom and I were at Disney from January 1-8.
We are AP and DVC.

The parks were crowded.

We walked on Soarin with LL.
Came off of Soarin and the line said 50 minutes.
However, when I looked up the ramp, I didn't see anyone. I said let's just try again, we really
weren't doing anything. We walked right on. Right up to the first CM who tells you which way
to walk (left, right, straight).

 

[gharter]

I remember passing up 7DMT when we saw the line spilling outside. So we were actually making a mistake?

That's the issue with rides that have multiple switchbacks inside. There is no way to know if they are using some, all or none until you are in line.

 

[gharter]

My mom and I were at Disney from January 1-8.
We are AP and DVC.

The parks were crowded.

We walked on Soarin with LL.
Came off of Soarin and the line said 50 minutes.
However, when I looked up the ramp, I didn't see anyone. I said let's just try again, we really
weren't doing anything. We walked right on. Right up to the first CM who tells you which way
to walk (left, right, straight).

We've had that happen several times and love it when we guess correctly.

 

[DavidNYC]

Doesn't work at all because there is zero way to know why you're seeing a physical backup since there are many reasons and what switchbacks are open or closed.

 

[Orsino]

Back in the day, wait times were a fixed sign that said something like “20 minute wait from this point.”
Of course that was before fastpass and digital signage. Still, I think standby line length is a very good indicator of wait time and should be used more than it is. We have entered queues and bailed after we could see more of the line. Keep that option too. Some of the older rides are the worst. They were intentionally built with different queue rooms that you can’t see and don’t even realize exist until you wind up in them. I remember my dad and sister complaining about that in the 80’s.
Bad signs:
PP queue outside before the indoor part; also be suspicious if there is NO standby queue visible around the merge on PP. I think this happens when they are slammed by LL and are devoting nearly all capacity to LL and keeping standby inside.
Rise queue switchbacks at entrance of Batuu in use.
Good signs:
No outside queue for MMRR

 

[Davey Jones II]

That's the issue with rides that have multiple switchbacks inside. There is no way to know if they are using some, all or none until you are in line.

So you can get in line just long enough to see how it looks inside, then back off and leave the line...right? Edit: I see that Orsino mentioned that option above. What does PP stand for?

Maybe you can go up to the entrance, without being in the outdoor queue, and just take a look inside?

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I remember passing up 7DMT when we saw the line spilling outside. So we were actually making a mistake?

It’s always best to wait for the end of the evening for 7D. We’ve ridden it several times over the years and our longest wait ever was 20 minutes during opening week in 2014.

It’s hard to gauge the length of the line as the landscaping tends to hide some of the waiting areas. Also, the number of trains in service has an impact.