What is the standby line and how does it work

[bbmickey]

TGM says to use isometimes. I dont understand itt

 

[Stacerita]

If im not mistaken, the standby line is the regular line. As opposed to the fast pass line or the single rider line. Correct me if im wrong.

 

[eeyoreiscool]

That is correct. The standby line is for anyone without fastpasses. They also have single rider lines that you can go on if you don't mind being split up from your party.

 

[SueM in MN]

The standby line is the regular line where you wait to go on the ride. There will be an approximate wait time posted at the entrance to the standby line.

Keep in mind that the posted time is how long you would wait if the end of the line was at the sign. So, if you see the sign, but can't see any people waiting, your wait will be shorter. If the line extends a long way past the sign outside the ride, you will wait the amount of time on the sign plus however long it took you in linne to get to that point.

The reason you should sometimes use it (instead of Fastpass) is that the standby line is sometimes short. This is especially common for shows or rides that load in "batches". People see a line and think of people going in one by one. They don't realize that once the attraction loads, all the people for those kind of attractions will be going in all at once. Also, some people get so tied up in the idea of needing Fastpass for everything that they don't look at the standby line at all. One of the things we've seen quite a few times is CMs standing trying to get people to come into an attraction and being totally ignored. We've seen it several times at Bug's Life and several at Indiana Jones, where people could have walked right in and sat down, but got Fastpasses and then were discussing how they could "waste" (actually the word they used) time until their Fastpass time came.

 

[peter11435]

Keep in mind that the posted time is how long you would wait if the end of the line was at the sign. So, if you see the sign, but can't see any people waiting, your wait will be shorter. If the line extends a long way past the sign outside the ride, you will wait the amount of time on the sign plus however long it took you in linne to get to that point.

Im sorry but that is no longer true. It used to be that the signs did mean "xx minutes from this point." However that changed years ago. While the wait times are not always accurate they are meant to represent the total amount of time you will spend in line. Regardless of whether the line is beyond the sign or not. By your explanation the wait time listed on the signs would always be the same.

 

[SueM in MN]

Im sorry but that is no longer true. It used to be that the signs did mean "xx minutes from this point." However that changed years ago. While the wait times are not always accurate they are meant to represent the total amount of time you will spend in line. Regardless of whether the line is beyond the sign or not. By your explanation the wait time listed on the signs would always be the same.

How I explained it was how CMs were explaining it to people they were trying to convince to get in line on our last trip in March, but I didn't explain it very well.
The situation I was thinking of (and where what I said fits) was when the end of the line is close to the sign. If the line extends outside the ride past the line, the wait time is from the sign. That's what I have heard CMs tell people on trips last year in July, last Christmas and Spring break this year. So, I'm sure that hasn't changed.
If there is a bit of space, but you can see the end of the line, the wait will be about what the sign says, but should be a bit shorter because you are starting out closer to the boarding area. That's the situation I was talking about where the wait will be less than what is posted. It happens specifically on the shows or "batch" load rides. If you are waiting for the next show (like Bug's Life), they don't change the sign to indicate the wait until the next show (which could be starting in 5 minutes from the time you entered the line), they usually keep the sign at 15 minutes or whatever is the show time.

The thing I didn't explain well is when the wait is very short. If the sign says 5 minutes and you are entering the line at that time, your wait should be about 5 minutes. You are entering the line at that point - you don't see people ahead of you, so you are the end of the line. That's what I meant. For some things at certain times (like the Safari or Spaceship Earth, late in the afternoon), the posted time may be 5 minutes - which means that you are basically walking right in.

 

[peter11435]

How I explained it was how CMs were explaining it to people they were trying to convince to get in line on our last trip in March, but I didn't explain it very well.
The situation I was thinking of (and where what I said fits) was when the end of the line is close to the sign. If the line extends outside the ride past the line, the wait time is from the sign. That's what I have heard CMs tell people on trips last year in July, last Christmas and Spring break this year. So, I'm sure that hasn't changed.
If there is a bit of space, but you can see the end of the line, the wait will be about what the sign says, but should be a bit shorter because you are starting out closer to the boarding area. That's the situation I was talking about where the wait will be less than what is posted. It happens specifically on the shows or "batch" load rides. If you are waiting for the next show (like Bug's Life), they don't change the sign to indicate the wait until the next show (which could be starting in 5 minutes from the time you entered the line), they usually keep the sign at 15 minutes or whatever is the show time.

The thing I didn't explain well is when the wait is very short. If the sign says 5 minutes and you are entering the line at that time, your wait should be about 5 minutes. You are entering the line at that point - you don't see people ahead of you, so you are the end of the line. That's what I meant. For some things at certain times (like the Safari or Spaceship Earth, late in the afternoon), the posted time may be 5 minutes - which means that you are basically walking right in.

If the line extends past the sign then you will wait longer than the posted time, as the CM's give out the FLIK cards (to measure guest wait times) at the sign. However the line not reaching the sign does not directly mean you will wait less than the posted time.