What happened to Pirates?

[over50visits]

We have probably ridden this ride a hundred times over many, many years. Never....never did we see an outside lobby filled with a line. I'm not sure I ever remember the line even spilling outside the entrance, maybe close to it once in a while.

Now...on our last visit, the line was out in the entrance lobby, and they had set up ropes anticipating a long line snaking back and forth outside.

What has happened? What is different? This was always a reliable ride (along with Small World, Riverboat, Carousel of Progress, and People Mover, and often Haunted Mansion) that we knew we could walk up to and get on within a few minutes, no matter how crowded the park.

Now it appears the ride has a fast pass!?!? What has happened?

 

[magicbob]

FP+ happened.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We've seen it that way as often as we have walked on.

Pre-FP+ if that matters.

Just depends on how you hit it.

 

[JanaDee]

FP+ happened to Pirates.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Yes, the spill out during moderate times is a result of FP+. One queue is now dedicated to FP+. However, the line will not take as long as you might think because the FP+ queue is empty almost up to the loading gates, and the CMs let stand by riders go into the FP+ queue upstream.

When I have seen lines out the door before, both queues were filled to capacity and the wait was horrible.

 

[kmc]

Oh boy! I can see it now, everything is going to be blamed on fp+ no matter the issue for the next year or so. I haven't been to disney for 6 years but can assure you I have seen long lines for pirates, haunted mansion, and small world at various times. it really depends on how you hit it. Each and every time I would comment wow this is usually a walk on, but like I said our last trip was October and we encountered this. Then later in the day they were walk ons, sometimes its just bad timing.

 

[ariel326]

meh, the line was out in the lobbey but luckily it moved fast. I think we waited maybe 20 minutes. Not to bad.

 

[over50visits]

Yes, the spill out during moderate times is a result of FP+. One queue is not dedicated to FP+. However, the line will not take as long as you might think because the FP+ queue is empty almost up to the loading gates, and the CMs let stand by riders go into the FP+ queue upstream.

When I have seen lines out the door before, both queues were filled to capacity and the wait was horrible.

Before they had a FP line for Pirates, we encountered lines near the entrance from time to time. But the wait times were never horrible (10 minutes is my tolerance level for feeling I had to "wait"). Maybe I should have gone on Christmas day, but never were the lines bad. Adding a FP line might make the single line longer, but since that single standby line feeds both boat docks at the end the wait time should not be any longer, of course. So why in the world do they need a fast pass line for a ride that in our experience has always been a short wait time? Is the new FP+ system creating a false demand...by offering the pass, Disney is herding more people to that ride?

Ahhhh.....wonder if a byproduct of the new crowd control is previously accessible rides will not be crowded.

 

[magicbob]

Oh boy! I can see it now, everything is going to be blamed on fp+ no matter the issue for the next year or so. I haven't been to disney for 6 years but can assure you I have seen long lines for pirates, haunted mansion, and small world at various times. it really depends on how you hit it. Each and every time I would comment wow this is usually a walk on, but like I said our last trip was October and we encountered this. Then later in the day they were walk ons, sometimes its just bad timing.

Yup... Long lines at Casey's are because people have FP+ reservations for their hot dog.

meh, the line was out in the lobbey but luckily it moved fast. I think we waited maybe 20 minutes. Not to bad.

A 20-minute wait for FP is not moving fast.

Before they had a FP line for Pirates, we encountered lines near the entrance from time to time. But the wait times were never horrible (10 minutes is my tolerance level for feeling I had to "wait"). Maybe I should have gone on Christmas day, but never were the lines bad. Adding a FP line might make the single line longer, but since that single standby line feeds both boat docks at the end the wait time should not be any longer, of course. So why in the world do they need a fast pass line for a ride that in our experience has always been a short wait time? Is the new FP+ system creating a false demand...by offering the pass, Disney is herding more people to that ride?

Ahhhh.....wonder if a byproduct of the new crowd control is previously accessible rides will not be crowded.

Yes.

 

[OKW Lover]

I will not jump on the "FP+ happened" bandwagon before I know just when the OP was there. It could be that they were there on a very busy day.

 

[bcrook]

Before they had a FP line for Pirates, we encountered lines near the entrance from time to time. But the wait times were never horrible (10 minutes is my tolerance level for feeling I had to "wait"). Maybe I should have gone on Christmas day, but never were the lines bad. Adding a FP line might make the single line longer, but since that single standby line feeds both boat docks at the end the wait time should not be any longer, of course. So why in the world do they need a fast pass line for a ride that in our experience has always been a short wait time? Is the new FP+ system creating a false demand...by offering the pass, Disney is herding more people to that ride?

Ahhhh.....wonder if a byproduct of the new crowd control is previously accessible rides will not be crowded.

This is definitely part of the stated Disney plan. The goal of fastpass now is to get every person in the park to be locked in to three rides so they won't wander off. As the demand for FP increases, the value goes up, and people won't waste those special perks.

Some suggest that the headliner standby lines will decrease as POTC line increases.

But, I am not sure that is the case. I think the real byproduct might be a higher percentage of guests are getting into lines. Disney says that only about 50% of their guests used fastpass. Now everyone is being given 3 special FP+, they are booked, so people are trying not to waste them. I would guess these people who would not normally ride are happy with the minor rides - driving up those lines like POTC, while the normal thrill seekers are still flocking towards the headliners.

I can't even imagine how this mine train is going to work. The age of booking months in advance will be ushered in with that ride.

 

[over50visits]

Ahhhh.....wonder if a byproduct of the new crowd control is previously accessible rides will not be crowded.

I meant "will now be crowded"

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I meant "will now be crowded"

Ride lines will only be longer, overall, if more people enter the parks or if rides are down or ride capacity is reduced. It is simple math. In order for the "lesser" rides to have longer lines, the "greater" rides have to have shorter lines. FP+ isn't changing the capacity of the rides, or the number of guests in the parks.

Now, the queues will be managed differently because of FP+ (Pirates is a great example). But, overall, the standby lines + FP+ lines combined will have no more people in them now than before.

 

[mcraige]

We've seen it that way as often as we have walked on.

Pre-FP+ if that matters.

Just depends on how you hit it.

Agreed. I, too, have seen long lines in the FP days -- even waited over 45 minutes one time. Other times, I walked around a bit, went back, and the line was down to 10 minutes.

 

[bcrook]

Ride lines will only be longer, overall, if more people enter the parks or if rides are down or ride capacity is reduced. It is simple math. In order for the "lesser" rides to have longer lines, the "greater" rides have to have shorter lines. FP+ isn't changing the capacity of the rides, or the number of guests in the parks.

Now, the queues will be managed differently because of FP+ (Pirates is a great example). But, overall, the standby lines + FP+ lines combined will have no more people in them now than before.

Or a higher percentage of people in the parks get in lines. Which is what I think is happening. That is tied to the explicit goal of getting people locked in to the park. Therefore all lines can go up, not down.

 

[wendybeth75]

Oh boy! I can see it now, everything is going to be blamed on fp+ no matter the issue for the next year or so.

I was thinking the same thing as I read some of the responses!!! I have witnessed POTC with a line. We have had to wait 20 minutes before for this one. While FP+ may change the queue line a bit, I can't see it having a MAJOR impact on this ride as MK will have so many other non-headliner rides to choose from.

 

[larryz]

Oh boy! I can see it now, everything is going to be blamed on fp+ no matter the issue for the next year or so.

Actually, I'm still blaming the decline in food quality on Free Dining.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Or a higher percentage of people in the parks get in lines. Which is what I think is happening. That is tied to the explicit goal of getting people locked in to the park. Therefore all lines can go up, not down.

You lost me. You think that Disney wants fewer people walking around (where they spend money), and more people standing in lines (where they can't spend money, even if they wish to do so)?

Disney doesn't want anyone in line - ever. If they could, they would shut down every ride and make every park like DTD. Once they get their money at the gates, Disney starts losing money as guests ride the rides.

ETA - It is my belief that Disney wants to more evenly distribute guests throughout the parks to encourage more spending and allow Disney management to more easily plan and manage park resources.

 

[larryz]

You lost me. You think that Disney wants fewer people walking around (where they spend money), and more people standing in lines (where they can't spend money, even if they wish to do so)?

Disney doesn't want anyone in line - ever. If they could, they would shut down every ride and make every park like DTD. Once they get their money at the gates, Disney starts losing money as guests ride the rides.

The modern extension of Walt's vision -- "A place where families can go and empty their wallets together."

 

[BuckeyeBama]

The modern extension of Walt's vision -- "A place where families can go and empty their wallets together."

Love WDW, but I am not a sucker. Walt Disney was a business man first, second and third. He went into this business to make money, not to make people happy. The fact that he was able to do both is fantastic, but the former was his goal. And this is now a business with a more focused goal and not an ounce of sentimentality.