Nov 7 - Ratatouille - Don’t bother

[Betsyp]

The guy who was loading the ride said it went down for a bit..and then they got slammed. Of course also Boyz 2 Men doesn’t help. It wasn’t 5 minutes like he said, and while I like it, it was NOT worth the wait. Now I dot l or if I’ll be able to get back to Epcot due to weathet

 

[Betsyp]

That just posted now, but it was from earlier. I don’t think any ride, no matter how good, is worth that kind of wait.

Fortunately, we had a last after that. Holy cow, Guardians was awesome - and very intense. It’s incredibly important to not eat right before, lol - no, I didn’t, but even so, it’s not for the faint of heart.

Then we did Frozen ride, which I LOVED !!!!

Then Test Trak, which I adore - it was awesome doing it at night.

After that, we went to MK, which was all decorated in Christmasy stuff and lit up - it was just beautiful. MK honestly got me all emotional, I just love it so. It’s pure joy, and truly magical.

We then did the Peoplemover, Big Thunder Mountain and POTC…not bad, right before dinner at LTT (we’re waiting). The fireworks were wonderful.

I wore good Sketchers today - and still my feet are a mess; they ache badly, and I’m guessing I have a few blisters. No amount of walking pre-trip can prepare you for the walking and waiting that you’ll do at WDW. I may have to rent one of those scooters - I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to walk tomorrow, lol

 

[DebbieB]

I was looking at MK wait times today. Splash 80 min, space 55, Pirates 70. But the Genie+ still had times available and not far away. My bet was they were really selling Genie+. Wonder what the LL return times were.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I was looking at MK wait times today. Splash 80 min, space 55, Pirates 70. But the Genie+ still had times available and not far away. My bet was they were really selling Genie+. Wonder what the LL return times were.

It would be great to get some reports on if the line times were actually accurate or if they were goosing them to sell more G+

 

[gorkt]

I used to go this week every few years and by 2019 it had become so crowded it was unbelievable. It used to be low to moderate. In 2019, I had a night in MK that I felt was dangerously crowded, as in there was a trampling hazard.

 

[Betsyp]

It would be great to get some reports on if the line times were actually accurate or if they were goosing them to sell more G+

When I went on Soarin this morning (due to bus delay, I missed Early Entry), there was a 45 minute wait. I asked if it was actually 45 minutes, and the cast member said it was probably shorter. It definitely was shorter...plus, the line moved. I did it again after I did the boat ride and had a bite to eat....the wait then was 60 minutes, but again, I think it was actually less, and the line moved. Ratatouille never loved, at all; I suspect it’s always a slow mover

MK at night...around 7pm, There was a 40 minute wait on Small World...we had no wait on Pirates or Big Thunder

 

[fireflyer]

EPCOT and basically all of the parks, are absolutely mental these last two days. Insane amounts of people. The park reservation system is clearly not to maintain crowd control. Laughable!

The park reservation system is meant for controlling the ratio of people of each “spend class” who are allowed into the parks each day. It is not meant as a full-park quantity control… despite how Disney frames it to the customer.

 

[fireflyer]

According to MDE both Rise and Rockin Roller Coaster are down and Slinky has an almost 3 hour wait. Ratatouille now has a 140 minute wait. Jersey week plus the Wine and Dine marathon weekend make this week absolutely nuts.

So sorry for that experience… it mirrors ours 6 months ago. The optimist in me was hoping Disney may’ve solved all the ride maintenance backlog since then. It makes me wonder if they are even concerned about the increase in breakdowns compared to pre-Covid?

 

[fireflyer]

…that ride ain't worth it. They need a beer cart roaming around for that long a wait.

That’s Disney’s single-most-overlooked opportunity in the parks right now: marketing to line-standers (hostages). I suspect Disney plans to ease into that, AFTER longer line-waits become normalized in guests’ minds.

If Disney started offering sales in the lines right now, visitors would connect it to Disney purposefully keeping the lines longer to yield more sales. But after years pass and people accept long lines as the “new normal”, Disney can introduce items like food and merchandise into the queue. People will view it as an improvement because it offers a distraction to their long wait.

 

[mom2rtk]

That’s Disney’s single-most-overlooked opportunity in the parks right now: marketing to line-standers (hostages). I suspect Disney plans to ease into that, AFTER longer line-waits become normalized in guests’ minds.

If Disney started offering sales in the lines right now, visitors would connect it to Disney purposefully keeping the lines longer to yield more sales. But after years pass and people accept long lines as the “new normal”, Disney can introduce items like food and merchandise into the queue. People will view it as an improvement because it offers a distraction to their long wait.

They got a lot of blow back after selling water to people in a long line after being stuck on the monorail for an extended time. It's a dicey proposition sometimes.

 

[fireflyer]

It would be great to get some reports on if the line times were actually accurate or if they were goosing them to sell more G+

There are other wait-trackers for the theme parks, made by private companies. The one I’ve used before is called “Lines”, if I remember correctly. I can’t remember if it’s free or if it came w/ my $15/yr Touring Plans subscription (well worth $15 for their line-minimizing schedule-planning!)

Anyway, wait times in the Lines app are derived from actual park-goers who record once when they enter the line, and again when they reach the front.

It is known that Disney fudges the wait-times to control crowd movement. One example is the end of the night when Disney reports 50 min-wait at 7 Dwarfs, to encourage people to exit the park rather than entering the queue… despite the true wait being only ~10 minutes.

 

[fireflyer]

They got a lot of blow back after selling water to people in a long line after being stuck on the monorail for an extended time. It's a dicey proposition sometimes.

Interesting, yeah, that blowback makes sense… because water is required to stay ALIVE.

Conversely, pretzel bites with cheese dip is NOT. Yet a parent stuck in a line may certainly be willing to pay $5 for a small cup of bites, or a shooter of cold Dole-Whip, to keep her child from fussing. Honestly, I refuse to pay $14 for a pretzel at a stand — but I could be suckered into buying a few pretzel bites at $5, probably six different times throughout the day, LOL.

See how much Disney is losing by not exploiting my weak spot? I do bring my own snacks to save money. But I can’t bring something warm, and I can’t bring something cold. Many times in line I would’ve killed for a little bit of pretzel with warm dipping cheese.

Disney just chose the wrong item. Sell desirable options, not life-essential water.

 

[mom2rtk]

Interesting, yeah, that blowback makes sense… because water is required to stay ALIVE.

Conversely, pretzel bites with cheese dip is NOT. Yet a parent stuck in a line may certainly be willing to pay $5 for a small cup of bites, or a shooter of cold Dole-Whip, to keep her child from fussing. Honestly, I refuse to pay $14 for a pretzel at a stand — but I could be suckered into buying a few pretzel bites at $5, probably six different times throughout the day, LOL.

See how much Disney is losing by not exploiting my weak spot? I do bring my own snacks to save money. But I can’t bring something warm, and I can’t bring something cold. Many times in line I would’ve killed for a little bit of pretzel with warm dipping cheese.

Disney just chose the wrong item. Sell desirable options, not life-essential water.

Yeah, I'm kind of surprised today's Disney isn't doing this. It would have been to cheeky for Disney of even 10 years ago, too carnival like. But today when all bets are off? I'm kind of shocked.

Of course, then they have to be prepared for people accusing them of slowing lines down to increase sales, which I wouldn't put above them either. I mean it would also have the side benefit of making G+ more appealing.

 

[Smugpugmug]

So sorry for that experience… it mirrors ours 6 months ago. The optimist in me was hoping Disney may’ve solved all the ride maintenance backlog since then. It makes me wonder if they are even concerned about the increase in breakdowns compared to pre-Covid?

Oh I wasn't at the parks - I was just looking at MDE from home when I saw the crazy wait times. I saw Flight of Passage around 150-160 at some point during the day too. I think it's a combination of ride maintenance, Genie+/ILL and how busy it is around this time due to Jersey Week, the Marathon weekend and many kids having off this week.

 

[RoseGold]

Not WDW but I went to Universal the month Escape from Gringotts opened and I remember there being a beer/soda cart in the middle of that horrendously long line. At the time I thought it was funny but now I think it's genius lol

There's a good spot for it too at Remy in the outside snaking mess, so it would be mostly outside anyway. You're outside for most of the line, when it is long.

 

[supersnoop]

It was also a RunDisney weekend. I'm sure it was packed.

 

[gharter]

that's crazy. The most we've waited was 60 minutes and that was too long. I enjoy the ride, but would never wait 3 hours. Not sure I've been on any ride anywhere that is worth a 3 hour wait.

 

[Betsyp]

That’s Disney’s single-most-overlooked opportunity in the parks right now: marketing to line-standers (hostages). I suspect Disney plans to ease into that, AFTER longer line-waits become normalized in guests’ minds.

If Disney started offering sales in the lines right now, visitors would connect it to Disney purposefully keeping the lines longer to yield more sales. But after years pass and people accept long lines as the “new normal”, Disney can introduce items like food and merchandise into the queue. People will view it as an improvement because it offers a distraction to their long wait.

I told Someone in line that they should have offered people who wanted to leave a pass for a later time. I missed getting a chance to explore the pavilions because right after we had to rush to GoG

 

[gharter]

That’s Disney’s single-most-overlooked opportunity in the parks right now:

Actually, I thought they really missed it by not having a gift shop as you exit the ride. There are so many great choices for merchandise from Remy. By the ride its only the small kiosk. Even the store in EPCOT, doesn't have a lot of Remy stuff.

 

[liquid17]

The park reservation system is meant for controlling the ratio of people of each “spend class” who are allowed into the parks each day. It is not meant as a full-park quantity control… despite how Disney frames it to the customer.

Could you define/explain "spend class" or give me an idea on how to search for an explanation or discussion? Tx.