Walt Disney World has made adjustments to its official web sites for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion to verify {that a} standby line is coming for Tiana’s Bayou Journey and TRON Lightcycle Run. This shares particulars plus commentary in regards to the digital queues and once they’ll hopefully be gone for good.
First, we have now to emphasize that that is not an official announcement by Walt Disney World. It’s data gleaned from an replace to the points of interest lists for the aforementioned arduous ticket occasions. It is a important distinction as a result of Disney has already modified this information like 4 totally different occasions this 12 months.
The identical factor has occurred in previous years. Followers wish to look to the arduous ticket occasion pages as indicators of what’s to come back, however the ‘ancillary information’ that doesn’t pertain to the events themselves is notoriously unreliable. Different particulars are sometimes a snapshot in time, or compiled with assumptions based mostly on previous precedent.
The latest instance of this got here this 12 months when Tiana’s Bayou Journey was on the checklist for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion when that was first launched. That was most likely as a result of somebody throughout the firm made the very logical assumption that it could be open for MNSSHP since Splash Mountain was and on condition that TBA had a gap date earlier than Occasion Season began. It was a great assumption!
However TBA was pulled from the checklist (presumably) as a result of it had not but been confirmed internally. Then it was re-added as soon as it was. A little bit of pointless whiplash that most likely might’ve been prevented if one hand knew what the opposite was doing and that was correctly communicated earlier than the official checklist was posted.
Anyway, now each Tiana’s Bayou Journey and TRON Lightcycle Run are on the journey rosters for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion together with a parenthetical subsequent to them that claims “standby line supplied.” Moreover, the verbiage about digital queues has been dropped from the web page.
Regardless of all the above about these lists being unreliable, that is too purposeful and proactive of a change to merely be an assumption or a mistake. Not like earlier than, this virtually definitely is correct…except one thing adjustments between at times. However just about every little thing is topic to vary, in order that alone isn’t worthy of an asterisk.
Tiana’s Bayou Journey and TRON Lightcycle Run are additionally each on the journey rosters for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion, and there’s additionally nothing about digital queues for that, both. Nevertheless, the “standby line supplied” parenthetical isn’t current there for no matter purpose. It’s doubtless that this wasn’t deliberate–I can’t think about a situation the place Walt Disney World would proactively plan to drop the digital queue for MNSSHP however not MVMCP. It’s protected to imagine standby traces are the intent for each.
As a reminder, Tiana’s Bayou Journey is utilizing a digital queue for its preliminary opening interval. Visitors can request to hitch the digital queue through the My Disney Expertise app at one among two occasions: 7 a.m. or 1 p.m. Whereas a standby queue won’t be accessible in the course of the attraction’s preliminary opening days, Walt Disney World expects to open a standby line quickly after the attraction’s opening.
That’s what Walt Disney World mentioned when first asserting the opening date and particulars for Tiana’s Bayou Journey again in Might. Disney’s language on the time strongly prompt Tiana’s Bayou Journey wouldn’t have a digital queue for almost so long as another journey at Walt Disney World.
In fact, that was additionally earlier than the journey bumped into reliability points, however fortunately, that seems to be bettering. There’s been much less every day downtime over the course of the final week, to the purpose that Tiana’s Bayou Journey is now roughly common–with underneath an hour per day. That might simply be a fortunate streak, but when not and Tiana’s Bayou Journey continues to function extra easily, the digital queue could possibly be retired any day now.
There’s normally a number of days between announcement and implementation; what I might see is an announcement throughout the subsequent two days, to take impact July 15, 2024. I actually assume it’s coming that quickly…but it surely could possibly be a matter of wishful pondering, as I’ve additionally been anticipating Cosmic Rewind to drop its VQ for over a 12 months, and but, right here we’re.
Frankly, I don’t see why the identical couldn’t occur with TRON Lightcycle Run or Cosmic Rewind. Each of these points of interest are over a 12 months previous at this level, and the afternoon digital queue entry time for every attraction often has availability (besides throughout peak season) for minutes and even hours after it opens.
It’s arduous to see any purpose why TRON Lightcycle Run nonetheless “wants” a digital queue so lengthy after its preliminary launch season. The attraction has loads of queue area, and it’s not just like the digital queue is getting used to maintain wait occasions down–due to how aggressive they’re in calling boarding teams, there line remains to be routinely over an hour lengthy.
Cosmic Rewind is a little bit of a special beast since there may be much less bodily queue area, however they put in overflow exterior (full with umbrellas!) final summer season, and it’s simply been sitting there since. It stopped “needing” a digital queue just a few months after it debuted, so again round late Summer season 2022.
In our view, digital queues are visitor unfriendly and will solely be used when completely crucial. As Walt Disney World has made steps to simplify and enhance the visitor expertise, eliminating the remaining VQs at TRON Lightcycle Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind looks like an apparent next-step.
And I say all of this as somebody who selfishly likes digital queues as a result of they provide me (and different educated, frequent friends) a bonus over the typical guests. However I additionally acknowledge that what’s good for me isn’t at all times good for the park-going public.
The factor is that journey capability is a zero-sum sport. If the digital queue is filling up with a bunch of APs and locals who would skip a triple-digit standby wait, these spots are coming on the expense of another person. The losers on this situation are doubtless disproportionately first-timers and different low-knowledge or technology-averse friends.
Whereas these folks typically are oblivious to digital queues or are unsuccessful at becoming a member of, lots of them are in a position or extra inclined to attend in an extended standby line. The balking level is larger for them–they’ve by no means executed the journey, so their tolerance for traces or threshold for ready is larger than the typical AP who skips any standby line that’s over half-hour.
First-timers or rare guests are the very demographics that, for my part whilst a biased and self-interested AP, Walt Disney World must be favoring. It’s higher for the sake of visitor satisfaction and creating new followers to make issues simpler for these folks, and eradicating one layer of friction.
That is doubly true relating to newer points of interest which might be the main focus of selling campaigns. There are individuals who have booked journeys after seeing advertisements for Cosmic Rewind or TRON Lightcycle Run…who haven’t been in a position to journey as a result of they failed on the digital queue, or didn’t perceive how one can ‘play’ within the first place. Or possibly these are simply the rides they actually, actually need to expertise time and again–through which case, they need to have the ability to take action in the event that they’re keen to endure a number of 100+ minute waits. That must be their selection!
As most of us have complained in regards to the quantity of display screen time and overreliance on know-how in visiting Walt Disney World, we must always likewise proceed to help the retirement of digital queues. They might profit us on a person stage, however total and in combination, they’re a adverse for the visitor expertise–and one which results in extra complaints and alternatives for disappointment that has no potential decision. Digital queues add one more pointless layer of friction and make issues overwhelming and intimidating for inexperienced and older friends.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on the digital queue or standby standing of Tiana’s Bayou Journey, TRON Lightcycle Run or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind going ahead? Would you wish to see these points of interest proceed providing digital queues or not? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
