Is there a Change to jump on FOP just before the park closes?

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Isn’t there a chance they will close the line down a half hour or so prior to park close if it is really long? I know they did that some last summer because the employees didn’t want to be there for two hours past park close.

Although many seem to be reporting they got in line just before park close, I would think you risk not being to ride if you wait too long.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Isn’t there a chance they will close the line down a half hour or so prior to park close if it is really long? I know they did that some last summer because the employees didn’t want to be there for two hours past park close.

Although many seem to be reporting they got in line just before park close, I would think you risk not being to ride if you wait too long.

They did that at FoP the first few weeks it was open so that there wouldn’t be a long standby line when evening EMH started. Now, you can get in line right up until closing time every night.

Disney has other procedures in place to shorten the line and make sure the staff gets out at a reasonable time. The most common is simply inflating the posted wait time, which discourages most late night guests. The posted time can often be 4 times the actual wait.

Another good one is line stacking, where they close large portions of the inside queue area, causing the line to spill outside of the attraction and appear much longer than it really is.

Knowing these tricks will allow you much shorter waits than even early in the morning.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I read a trip report where they tried to get in line about five minutes before closing and the cast members wouldn't let them on. It was just last month.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I read a trip report where they tried to get in line about five minutes before closing and the cast members wouldn't let them on. It was just last month.

Maybe it was broke down. When up and running, you can get in line for any attraction right up until closing time.

The only exceptions are attraction that advertise as closing early like Tom Sawyers Island.

 

[Magpie]

That is very good to hear. It sounds like FoP is similar to the other Disney headliners with short waits in the evening.

What was the posted wait time?

I think the previous poster was talking about the Navi River Journey? I haven't heard of anyone being able to ride FoP twice in half an hour, even at close.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I think the previous poster was talking about the Navi River Journey? I haven't heard of anyone being able to ride FoP twice in half an hour, even at close.

I don’t see River Journey referenced anywhere in this thread. From what I’ve read, that one drops down to a walk-on towards closing time so it would be very easy to ride multiple times in a half hour.

 

[Magpie]

I don’t see River Journey referenced anywhere in this thread. From what I’ve read, that one drops down to a walk-on towards closing time so it would be very easy to ride multiple times in a half hour.

The previous poster was responding to me. I said I'd ridden Navi twice just before close.

Me: "We even rode Navi twice in a row, one night when it was raining."

Davy Jones II: "So did we. We rode twice in the last half hour before park close."

If anyone has actually ridden FoP twice just before close, that'd be great news! But I don't think we're even close to having that happen yet. Navi has always had much shorter lines.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

The previous poster was responding to me. I said I'd ridden Navi twice just before close.

Me: "We even rode Navi twice in a row, one night when it was raining."

Davy Jones II: "So did we. We rode twice in the last half hour before park close."

If anyone has actually ridden FoP twice just before close, that'd be great news! But I don't think we're even close to having that happen yet. Navi has always had much shorter lines.

I see that now. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Here’s a post claiming that if could be ridden twice in an hour but that’s not good enough for me. Our goal this June is to get it twice in 45 minutes. The best chance will be on a day that had an EMH morning after most of the early risers leave.

We got in line at 11pm with park closing at 12pm. The wait time was posted as 125 minutes. We were off by midnight and could have got in line again.

I believe that Klayfish mentioned several weeks ago that they got on and off in about 40 minutes during the last hour of operation but didn’t go for the reride before they closed.

 

[Rich M]

They did that at FoP the first few weeks it was open so that there wouldn’t be a long standby line when evening EMH started. Now, you can get in line right up until closing time every night.

Disney has other procedures in place to shorten the line and make sure the staff gets out at a reasonable time. The most common is simply inflating the posted wait time, which discourages most late night guests. The posted time can often be 4 times the actual wait.

Another good one is line stacking, where they close large portions of the inside queue area, causing the line to spill outside of the attraction and appear much longer than it really is.

Knowing these tricks will allow you much shorter waits than even early in the morning.

If you had no other park plans for that evening then I couldn't see why people would care about the wait time at the end. I just wouldn't want to waste my entire day waiting and missing everything but if that was my last stop for the day I wouldn't care as much. I might try to do this on my arrival night from the west coast. I usually end up staying up late that night because of the time difference anyway.

 

[drbrjb01]

We did it a month ago and waited about 45 minutes when the wait time was listed at 150 minutes. I think we got in line 10 minutes before park close.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

If you had no other park plans for that evening then I couldn't see why people would care about the wait time at the end. I just wouldn't want to waste my entire day waiting and missing everything but if that was my last stop for the day I wouldn't care as much. I might try to do this on my arrival night from the west coast. I usually end up staying up late that night because of the time difference anyway.

Disney’s goal at night is to steer guests away from the attractions and toward the gift shops then exits by closing time. The processes they have in place work very well to meet this goal.

Most guests will just shake their heads and walk away when they see an hour or more posted wait time late in the evening. Often, the real wait is 10-15 minutes or less. When in doubt just ask the gate attendant. They do know the true wait time.

 

[mindeola]

You will definitely wait an hour. But, the line is continuously moving so It does not feel too terrible. We get in line about 5 minutes till closing.

Two weeks ago the posted wait was three hours. Both times we got in line the CM pointed out that it was a three hour wait. Both times we waited right at an hour. In January, it was a three hour posted wait when we got in line about 45 minutes before park close. We waited about an hour and fifteen that time.

 

[Davey Jones II]

That is very good to hear. It sounds like FoP is similar to the other Disney headliners with short waits in the evening.

What was the posted wait time?

Sorry, I was referring to Na'vi River Journey, not FOP. Although you will get much shorter than usual waits for both when you get in line just before closing.

 

[Claudia1]

We got in line tonight at 9:22 and the posted stand by time was 180 minutes. We were boarding by 10:50 and thru the gift shop by 11:10. We arrived right before the ROL wave.

We had planned to jump in line around 10:45 but got there much earlier than expected.

 

[emgilmartin]

Hi ! I wanted to ask if there is a way to jump on FOP shortly before the Park closes?

Saw on another thread they've started closing this line a half hour before the park closes, so don't wait until the LAST minute.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Saw on another thread they've started closing this line a half hour before the park closes, so don't wait until the LAST minute.

This is definitely not the norm. I wonder if they had an after hours private event that evening and wanted the area cleared out by closing time.