Walt Disney World has made modifications to its official web sites for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Celebration and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration to substantiate {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’ve got to emphasize that that is not an official announcement by Walt Disney World. It’s info gleaned from an replace to the points of interest lists for the aforementioned laborious ticket occasions. It is a vital distinction as a result of Disney has already modified this data like 4 completely different instances this 12 months.
The identical factor has occurred in previous years. Followers prefer to look to the laborious ticket occasion pages as indicators of what’s to come back, however the ‘ancillary data’ 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 record for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Celebration when that was first launched. That was in all probability as a result of somebody throughout the firm made the very logical assumption that it might be open for MNSSHP since Splash Mountain was and on condition that TBA had a gap date earlier than Celebration Season began. It was assumption!
However TBA was pulled from the record (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 in all probability may’ve been averted if one hand knew what the opposite was doing and that was correctly communicated earlier than the official record was posted.
Anyway, now each Tiana’s Bayou Journey and TRON Lightcycle Run are on the trip rosters for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Celebration 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 nearly definitely is correct…except one thing modifications between at times. However just about the whole lot 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 trip rosters for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration, and there’s additionally nothing about digital queues for that, both. Nevertheless, the “standby line supplied” parenthetical just isn’t current there for no matter motive. It’s seemingly that this wasn’t deliberate–I can’t think about a state of affairs 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 considered one of two instances: 7 a.m. or 1 p.m. Whereas a standby queue is not going to be obtainable 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 stated when first asserting the opening date and particulars for Tiana’s Bayou Journey again in Might. Disney’s language on the time strongly advised Tiana’s Bayou Journey wouldn’t have a digital queue for almost so long as every other trip at Walt Disney World.
After all, that was additionally earlier than the trip bumped into reliability points, however fortunately, that seems to be enhancing. There’s been much less day by 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 may very well be retired any day now.
There’s normally just a few days between announcement and implementation; what I may see is an announcement throughout the subsequent two days, to take impact July 15, 2024. I actually suppose it’s coming that quickly…but it surely may very well be a matter of wishful considering, 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 continuously has availability (besides throughout peak season) for minutes and even hours after it opens.
It’s laborious to see any motive 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 instances 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 unique beast since there’s much less bodily queue area, however they put in overflow outdoors (full with umbrellas!) final summer time, and it’s simply been sitting there since. It stopped “needing” a digital queue only some months after it debuted, so again round late Summer time 2022.
In our view, digital queues are visitor unfriendly and may solely be used when completely mandatory. 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 visitors) a bonus over the common guests. However I additionally acknowledge that what’s good for me just isn’t at all times good for the park-going public.
The factor is that trip 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 state of affairs are seemingly disproportionately first-timers and different low-knowledge or technology-averse visitors.
Whereas these individuals 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 a protracted standby line. The balking level is larger for them–they’ve by no means accomplished the trip, so their tolerance for traces or threshold for ready is larger than the common AP who skips any standby line that’s over half-hour.
First-timers or rare guests are the very demographics that, in my view at the same time as a biased and self-interested AP, Walt Disney World ought to be favoring. It’s higher for the sake of visitor satisfaction and creating new followers to make issues simpler for these individuals, and eradicating one layer of friction.
That is doubly true in terms of newer points of interest which can 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 capable of trip as a result of they failed on the digital queue, or didn’t perceive tips on how to ‘play’ within the first place. Or perhaps these are simply the rides they actually, actually wish to expertise again and again–during which case, they need to have the opportunity to take action in the event that they’re prepared to endure a number of 100+ minute waits. That ought to be their alternative!
As most of us have complained in regards to the quantity of display screen time and overreliance on expertise in visiting Walt Disney World, we must always likewise proceed to help the retirement of digital queues. They could profit us on a person degree, however total and in mixture, 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 yet one more pointless layer of friction and make issues overwhelming and intimidating for inexperienced and older visitors.
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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 prefer to see these points of interest proceed providing digital queues or not? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
