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News Wait Times Hit 3-Hour as Presidents' Day and Mardi Gras Collide at Disney World

Sirwalterraleigh

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Disstevefan1 said:
The creation of LLMP, ILL and LLPP systems has broken things things so badly and is why we see these huge waits.

We see LLPP SELLING OUT (at about $350 each) IN THE MIDDLE OF January!!!

The thing is, the more broken the system is, the more money Disney makes!!!!
Click to expand...
That’s a symptom more than the disease
Gringrinngghost said:
But I hear nothing but swooning with Universal's system which is infinitely worse.
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It’s way better for those that have it…but just as awful if you don’t
 
MickeyLuv'r

MickeyLuv'r

Well-Known Member
Chi84 said:
I’ve been to the parties, extra hours, etc. and I don’t remember a significant wait at Space Mountain, probably because of the limited number of people allowed at those events.
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I do.

Specifically at SM and the late-night extended hours for onsite guests currently being offered:
1. long waits for SM are common at the start of the 2hour window.
2. Posted waits and actual waits often differ.
3. LLMP and LLPP have a big impact on posted wait times when a ride re-opens after being down due to a backlog of people holding LLpasses. Parkgoers who are eligible for the event are (sometimes?) able to use a LL after-hours if the ride was down. Perhaps it is at CM's discretion?

4. SM with a temporary posted 3-hour wait, doesn't = the entire park is busy. I just saw this myself. MK was quiet, but due to a ride closure, SM had a high posted wait.

5. SM + weather (too cold/hot, or rainy) = longer waits for indoor attractions.

6. Fireworks/parades. A surge of people head to rides when the fireworks end.

All of the above also holds true for other popular rides, like GoG, Remy, and ToT.

MK is currently operating at a reduced overall capacity with BTMRR, Buzz, and RoA closed.
 
Chi84

Chi84

Premium Member
MickeyLuv'r said:
I do.

Specifically at SM and the late-night extended hours for onsite guests currently being offered:
1. long waits for SM are common at the start of the 2hour window.
2. Posted waits and actual waits often differ.
3. LLMP and LLPP have a big impact on posted wait times when a ride re-opens after being down due to a backlog of people holding LLpasses. Parkgoers who are eligible for the event are (sometimes?) able to use a LL after-hours if the ride was down. Perhaps it is at CM's discretion?

4. SM with a temporary posted 3-hour wait, doesn't = the entire park is busy. I just saw this myself. MK was quiet, but due to a ride closure, SM had a high posted wait.

5. SM + weather (too cold/hot, or rainy) = longer waits for indoor attractions.

6. Fireworks/parades. A surge of people head to rides when the fireworks end.

All of the above also holds true for other popular rides, like GoG, Remy, and ToT.

MK is currently operating at a reduced overall capacity with BTMRR, Buzz, and RoA closed.
Click to expand...
Most of the things you mentioned aren’t particular to limited capacity events.
 
Chi84

Chi84

Premium Member
MickeyLuv'r said:
huh?

You said you don't remember seeing long lines at after-hours events. I gave a list of examples of why long wait surges are common during extra hours.

A few weeks ago, SM specifically had a long queue during EE while the rest of the park was quiet.
Click to expand...
How long?
 
MickeyLuv'r

MickeyLuv'r

Well-Known Member
Chi84 said:
How long?
Click to expand...
Sadly, the one thing missing from my notes was the SM posted wait that night. It was closed earlier in the day, and they were letting people use (expired) LL if they also qualified for EEH. I was able to bypass the wait for SM using my LL, but the standby queue was long, and moving slowly/full due to people with LL being admitted to Omega side. Omega was reserved for LL, even though it was after park close. The inside standby queue was backed up most of the way to the ride entrance. I think it was posted 60, and it looked 60.

After SM, TRON had a posted 30 at 10pm, but wait was just 20min (from entrance all the way to launch).

Before SM the wait for 7D was SO low that it was posted as 7minutes (for the Seven dwarves), but was actually walk-on. That was at 9:12pm. It took at least 4min to walk the length of the queue, but we were off at 9:23pm.

So if I just said, the wait for SM was 60minutes, that would be incomplete. For that matter, if I only said 7D was walk-on that night, that would also be incomplete. I think SM was popular that night because it had been down most of the day, and it was COLD, so people wanted to be indoors.

A few days earlier though....
Epcot was a different story. TT was posted 40min at 8:45pm. Used LL and we were off TT in 19min.
GoG was down, at 9:10pm, so walked back to re-ride TT using SR. It was still posted as 40, amid a surge of people entering the queue at 9:15pm when fireworks ended and bonus surge w/ GoG down. SR for TT took us from 9:20-9:45pm.

Got in line for GoG just after 9:45pm and posted wait was 55min, though it had just reopened. Our actual wait was about 30min to boarding. When we got off around 10:20. Posted wait for GoG was 60 min.

If we had not used SR, the wait for TT would have been much longer. It likely would have taken us the full 2 hours to do just two rides.

Hard to say if the 60minutes posted wait for GoG at 10:20pm that night was accurate.

That's one more problem with trusting any posted wait. Often, they are inaccurate.

I should add, it was pretty cold that night as well, so the prospect of trudging all the way to Remy and back again was unappealing.

As it happens, a few days later, weather again made Epcot a bit crazy. Mexico pavilion was PACKED due to rain. Waited about 20 for the ride, queue was backed up all the way to the lobby and snaked through the pavilion. In Norway, FEA was down but reopened just as we arrived. FEA wait was only15min.

On the other hand, post-ride the gift shop was jam packed! There was a long line to buy Helly Hanson hoodies!

The park was also quite busy that day because of the Arts Festival, but the crowds were mostly at the food and art booths. Many of the food booths had very long lines.

So that day as well, citing the wait for just one attraction would have also been a very incomplete picture. By the time we got off the Mexico ride, the queue surge was over. People just flocked there because of the downpour, but also the park was fairly full of festival-goers.
 
Chi84

Chi84

Premium Member
MickeyLuv'r said:
Sadly, the one thing missing from my notes was the SM posted wait that night. It was closed earlier in the day, and they were letting people use (expired) LL if they also qualified for EEH. I was able to bypass the wait for SM using my LL, but the standby queue was long, and moving slowly/full due to people with LL being admitted to Omega side. Omega was reserved for LL, even though it was after park close. The inside standby queue was backed up most of the way to the ride entrance. I think it was posted 60, and it looked 60.

After SM, TRON had a posted 30 at 10pm, but wait was just 20min (from entrance all the way to launch).

Before SM the wait for 7D was SO low that it was posted as 7minutes (for the Seven dwarves), but was actually walk-on. That was at 9:12pm. It took at least 4min to walk the length of the queue, but we were off at 9:23pm.

So if I just said, the wait for SM was 60minutes, that would be incomplete. For that matter, if I only said 7D was walk-on that night, that would also be incomplete. I think SM was popular that night because it had been down most of the day, and it was COLD, so people wanted to be indoors.

A few days earlier though....
Epcot was a different story. TT was posted 40min at 8:45pm. Used LL and we were off TT in 19min.
GoG was down, at 9:10pm, so walked back to re-ride TT using SR. It was still posted as 40, amid a surge of people entering the queue at 9:15pm when fireworks ended and bonus surge w/ GoG down. SR for TT took us from 9:20-9:45pm.

Got in line for GoG just after 9:45pm and posted wait was 55min, though it had just reopened. Our actual wait was about 30min to boarding. When we got off around 10:20. Posted wait for GoG was 60 min.

If we had not used SR, the wait for TT would have been much longer. It likely would have taken us the full 2 hours to do just two rides.

Hard to say if the 60minutes posted wait for GoG at 10:20pm that night was accurate.

That's one more problem with trusting any posted wait. Often, they are inaccurate.

I should add, it was pretty cold that night as well, so the prospect of trudging all the way to Remy and back again was unappealing.

As it happens, a few days later, weather again made Epcot a bit crazy. Mexico pavilion was PACKED due to rain. Waited about 20 for the ride, queue was backed up all the way to the lobby and snaked through the pavilion. In Norway, FEA was down but reopened just as we arrived. FEA wait was only15min.

On the other hand, post-ride the gift shop was jam packed! There was a long line to buy Helly Hanson hoodies!

The park was also quite busy that day because of the Arts Festival, but the crowds were mostly at the food and art booths. Many of the food booths had very long lines.

So that day as well, citing the wait for just one attraction would have also been a very incomplete picture. By the time we got off the Mexico ride, the queue surge was over. People just flocked there because of the downpour, but also the park was fairly full of festival-goers.
Click to expand...
The only reason I asked is that someone suggested they only run one side of Space Mountain at after hours events.

My question was whether only one side was running when the waits were significant enough to warrant two.
 
G

gorillaball

Well-Known Member
MickeyLuv'r said:
I do.

Specifically at SM and the late-night extended hours for onsite guests currently being offered:
1. long waits for SM are common at the start of the 2hour window.
2. Posted waits and actual waits often differ.
3. LLMP and LLPP have a big impact on posted wait times when a ride re-opens after being down due to a backlog of people holding LLpasses. Parkgoers who are eligible for the event are (sometimes?) able to use a LL after-hours if the ride was down. Perhaps it is at CM's discretion?

4. SM with a temporary posted 3-hour wait, doesn't = the entire park is busy. I just saw this myself. MK was quiet, but due to a ride closure, SM had a high posted wait.

5. SM + weather (too cold/hot, or rainy) = longer waits for indoor attractions.

6. Fireworks/parades. A surge of people head to rides when the fireworks end.

All of the above also holds true for other popular rides, like GoG, Remy, and ToT.

MK is currently operating at a reduced overall capacity with BTMRR, Buzz, and RoA closed.
Click to expand...
Reduced capacity because RoA is closed 🤣
 
D

doctornick

Well-Known Member
Just an FYI, but Tuesday - in addition to being Mardi Gras - was also Lunar New Year and the schools in our area in the Northeast were off for that. Our public schools also have off for things like Eid and Diwali (in addition to Jewish holidays like Yom Kippur/Rosh Hashanah which have been on the calendar longer). That might have had as much or more impact on the number of visitors as things being closed for Mardi Gras.

Edit: I see that @MickeyLuv'r already mentioned Lunar New Year
 
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N

natatomic

Well-Known Member


Thought this was an interesting watch. I mean, I know this isn't a slow week, so it's only tangently related. But I thought I'd share it anyway.

(If it's been shared before on the forum, I apologize).
 

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