Do you prefer stop-and-go or slow, continuous moving queues?

[johnd331]

Last weekend I made a quick visit to DLP. Saturday was really a busy day with queues filled to the top. At peak, BTM featured a solid 120 min queue and even POTC had a queue up until the very entrance. A ride on The Temple of Doom took us about 120 min too, but primarily because the attraction broke down (yet again) while we were queuing. Standing in line is something you need to account for, personally, I don’t mind a reasonable queue, but extremely long queues can be a very frustrating experience and ruin your day.

So, back to my original question: Do you prefer the stop-and-go kind of queues or the slowly, but more continuously moving queues?

Personally, I really prefer the continuous moving queues. We queued about 60 minutes for POTC, but the queue kept moving ahead, slowly but steadily, it almost never stopped. Once inside, you had enough time to watch the most beautiful queue in the whole of Disneyland Paris. So, the whole queuing experience was actually quite great and didn’t feel like an hour, it was more like a slow walk. Of course, attractions like POTC have the inherent advantage of being extremely fast loaders with a continuous flow of vehicles, but this could, maybe, also be implemented at other rides by creating buffer zones at the end of the ride or using existing buffer zones more efficiently.

While there is plenty to look at in the BTM queue, the experience here is different. Ever since the introduction of Fast Pass, the queue seems to creep ahead in slow intervals. We also queued about 60 minutes for BTM (around 21h, with an indicated 70 min waiting time), but the waiting experience was worse, I guess primarily because of the feeling that the queue isn’t moving ahead.

Once you enter the meandering of BTM, the queue splits in two. You need to choose your side. Before the introduction of Fast Pass, both queues went down the stairs into the station. Now one side is for Fast Pass and the other for the normal queue. I guess the whole experience would be better if they would, instead of a double queue, rearrange the queue in a single, narrow queue. Although the length of the queue would almost double, the inherent advantage is that you move faster trough the queue after each new train. Such an adaptation would be a real low cost investment and would probably improve the experience of the thousands upon thousands of people standing in line here every day.

[pussinboots]

I don't really mind any of the queues inside the Disneyland Park. Of course the man-eaters reign, particularly Pirates, where the queue is almost as enjoyable as the ride, but even Casey Jr I'll gladly wait for. Peter Pan's Flight can be bewilderingly slow, but that mostly feels that way because the ride itself is so short in comparison. Big Thunder Mountain's queue can be a test for the impatient, but compared to any other roller coaster in a non-Disney park, it moves swiftly. And it's a nice place to be. Just bring lunch...

Now the Studios are a different matter. Crush is, in a word, unbearable. And the pens in front of Armageddon, Cinemagique and Animagique... Of course, the major thing here is atmosphere. There isn't any. (Compare the "pen" that is the Riverboat Landing and decide where you'd rather be.) And by the time you've reached the nice part of the Crush queue, you're probably catatonic.

[johnd331]

Big Thunder Mountain's queue can be a test for the impatient, but compared to any other roller coaster in a non-Disney park, it moves swiftly. And it's a nice place to be.

Yes, but it lacks the constant forward motion of rides like POTC, Indy and Phantom Manor running smoothly with two lifts. I guess it could easily be fixed by getting rid of this split queue, because it adds nothing but confusion: First splitting the visitor flow into two seperate flows (causing confusion amongst many groups of people that split themselves along the two queues) and then bringing them together without any warning at the end.

Just bring lunch...

May I gently remind you that eating inside the queue is not allowed?

Crush is, in a word, unbearable.

I don't know if this is a new policy, but the queue at Crush was a total mess last Sunday. First of all, the queue besides the showbuilding was partially closed off. People were dosed into the queue in groups in a very slow rate, causing a massive buildup of the queue in front of the attraction, they even went out of locations to place poles. Lot's of people asking cast members if the ride was still open and why they had to wait for more than 20 minutes without moving a centimeter.

And the pens in front of Armageddon, Cinemagique and Animagique... Of course, the major thing here is atmosphere. There isn't any. (Compare the "pen" that is the Riverboat Landing and decide where you'd rather be.)

Yes, fully agree. But at least you can avoid most of the "pens" if you time your visit to Animagique or Cinemagique accordingly. Most times, I can walk right into the theatre and choose a seat.

But, don't forget the queue of Rock 'n Rollercoaster, on the outside that's also nothing more than a pen with some steel fences in it. The only upside to it is that this queue moves rather fast.

Ah, and of course that amazing, wickedly over complicated and total uglyness of a queue leading to the equally "good looking" Studio Tram Tour station...

And by the time you've reached the nice part of the Crush queue, you're probably catatonic.

Actually, I don't like any part of the (official) queue of Crush... The part besides the showbuilding has nothing going except a few signs and paintings. The video-loop at the entry of the showbuilding just looks cheap and starts to annoy after the third repetition.

The station of the building is equally boring and badly themed, especially if you look at the ceiling. No magic to be found there, no carefully hidden spotlights or airconditioning. The only thing going on there (besides cast members working hard to keep the never-ending flow of passengers in motion) are the two seagulls screaming "Mine?!" in random order and yet again, an annoying, overly loud audio loop.

[pussinboots]

Just bring lunch...
May I gently remind you that eating inside the queue is not allowed?

I'm not going to be anywhere for more than an hour without a cup of coffee and something sweet.

[Anthony]

I wish some visitors would spot the difference between a continuous queue and one that stops and starts. I still often seem to be stalked around the parks by people intent on standing as close behind me in the queue as possible, perhaps thinking that if they move ahead as far as physically possible they'll somehow board the ride quicker.

It's a good point that queues at the likes of Big Thunder and Peter Pan feel a lot longer because Fastpass causes you to move less quickly through the line. They seem to have addressed this slightly where Fastpass was installed from the start, such as Laser Blast, but at places like Tower of Terror it can have the effect that you spend ages waiting in the dull outdoor area only to zip right through the beautiful lobby in a matter of seconds.

[andrewuk]

The worst pen has to be Stitch Live!

[Elwell2009]

why is that you know your only waiting 20mins if your language is next and at least you get a screen and sound to look at

[Aurora1]

Basically, I would prefer a walk on   But that dosn`t happen to often. That`s why we like EMH...
But I like continous lines better, it gives me the feeling it is moving faster then it actually is.
Aurora1 :pumpkin:

[DutchBrit]

Basically, I would prefer a walk on   But that dosn`t happen to often. That`s why we like EMH...
But I like continous lines better, it gives me the feeling it is moving faster then it actually is.
Aurora1 :pumpkin:

Surely this is a bit of a no-brainer. Is there anyone at all who prefers to stand in a stationary queue? I can't imagine that anyone likes shuffle forward-wait-shuffle forwards over a (very) slow walk.

And no queues at all is better. I don't care how pretty the cattle pens have been made!

[Patrick89]

What do I prefer?I think it depends on the attraction. If you have sophisticated queues like PotC, Phantom Manor or just enough to look at (like the Riverboat "queue" with the great Frontierland atmosphere - maybe a bad example, because waiting times are pretty short, but I hope you know what I mean...) waiting times don't seem too long.

I agree with you that in the Studios, we have many very ugly queues where waiting can ruin the riding experience in advance. I still remember telling every friend with whom I've been in a German park that you mustn't expect queues simply consisting of steel fences at DLP. Unfortunately, they began to use them in the Studios...What a pity, because the pre-ride experiences was something making Disneyland so special. And now, as already stated above, there is not even the attempt to hide headlamps etc... For me, for example PotC or PM begins right after entering the queue, which isn't possible at Crushs Coaster etc...

[_Natalie_x]

Continuous moving !!! That way I always feel like I'm making progress. If theyre stop and go and we stop for a while, I start wondering what's going on and if the rides broke.. Hahaahaha. Continuous is definitely better.