Is Upgrading a line queue actually an upgrade to a ride?
Upgrading a line queue.
I do not believe upgrading a line queue makes a difference on the attraction. Yes it is nice to have an interactive Queue, but if the ride itself does not change, it will not bring in any new vacationers. The local’s will come out right away to see a new queue.
So my question up for discussion will be – Is a queue change really an upgrade or just a change?
From Chad H
Posted September 21, 2012 at 6:10 PM
Generally no, but it depends how clever you are with it I suppose. If you can disguise a queue as a really good pre show, it can become an amazing experience
From Ryan Spann
Posted September 21, 2012 at 10:31 PM
Yes upgrading a queue I believe can change the entire experience of a ride. Something to point and look at definitely passes time waiting as well.
From AJ Hummel
Posted September 21, 2012 at 11:19 PM
No, not really. It may make the wait in line more enjoyable, but it can't count as an upgrade to the attraction unless it helps to draw visitors. I highly doubt most rides will draw people to the park, or even be significantly more popular among normal visitors just because the queue got upgraded.
From chris cona
Posted September 22, 2012 at 7:32 AM
I guess if they put like air condition and an interactive queue then it's ok but it doesn't make anyone go to the park just to see the queue.
Pre-shows, definitely. Line, not so much. A pre-show can set the floor for the ride. Think about it this way. Haunted Mansion minus Next Gen Que=one of the best attractions in the park. Haunted Mansion minus ghost host pre-show=good, but not a classic.
I don't think they upgrade the queue to bring in new visitors. Walt Disney World(who I assume is the main park your topic is directed at) doesn't really build things to bring in new visitors. They have plenty of visitors already coming. They mainly want to keep the people who come on Disney property to stay on property as long as possible; And they want the visitor to enjoy the visit enough to come back. In an effort to keep people coming back, they focus a lot on guest complaints. Sooo...They upgrade the queues to deal with the number one guest complaint: wait times.
The thing is, Disney has always had long wait times. When the whole theme park thing was new to people, no one probably complained much about the wait. They were amazed by the attractions they experienced after the long waits. The attractions are still pretty good, but not as amazing as they were 20-40 years ago. Now people get off the ride and think.. "I waited an hour for that?" Then they go by guest relations or they get their survey and they complain that the wait times are too long. In my opinion what this person is really saying is "the attractions are not worth the waits". And unless you are a visionary like Walter Elias Disney was, it's much easier to slap a game into the queue to occupy folks than it is to build a new attraction that people don't mind waiting for.
I agree with you that changing the queue doesn't make that big of a difference if the ride at the end of the wait isn't all that special. If the ride is great, the queue enhancements make the whole thing even better.
From David L.
Posted September 22, 2012 at 3:07 PM
It really depends on the line. Like stated above, parts of the Haunted Mansion queue really make the whole attraction more amazing than the ride by itself. Many other rides do this to a lesser degree (Forbidden Journey, Pirates, Mummy, Dr Doom, Everest, Kali). If a queue is well themed and sets up a story or setting for the ride, then it does help the ride be more fun. After all, what would attractions like Star Tours, the Forbidden Journey, Tower of Terror, and Expedition Everest be without their queues?
From Tony Duda
Posted September 22, 2012 at 7:55 PM
I look at it as a way for the park to reduce aggravation levels, not as a way to increase attendance. Less aggravation means more patron satisfaction which will result in more money spent and more return visits. Face it, the parks are getting so crowded that anything to help calm the people, the better for the park profits.
We are forgetting the Dumbo queue. That brings more people to the ride. Trust, I work there and now the ride sometimes is secondary to the queue.
From Dominick D
Posted September 26, 2012 at 8:38 AM
Nomination for TOTW:
Skipper Adam: Dunbo (that was a Dumbo typo!)(Its been fixed, sorry Mike)
On a serious note, interactive queues just adds to the ride. BTMR's new queue will have more of a backstory, so I'm interested in that.
From O T
Posted September 27, 2012 at 2:31 AM
Interactive que screems: o.m.g. we have 3 disfuctional parks. Most guest keep on comming to MK and we don't have enough attractions they like so the ones they like we install an interactive que because they are bored watching at the details we put in the haunted mansion and we also install fastpass plus at less desired rides to force people to go there some parts of the day when that place is even deader than the ghosts of the mansion.
When you are bored at one of the most fun parks in the world, go play with your phone. Let Disney buils more fun and high capacity rides that guessts love to ride. Problem solved.
I guess you haven't noticed, but the interactive queues are in addition to some major expansions in progress now and coming ones. There is also a difference between dysfunctional and needing some love, which it seems like the love is on the books.
The interactive queues aren't solving a symptom of a "dysfunctional" park. They are a logical step in the era of media interaction and a step of themed immersion. Universal doesn't need such things because there are never much lines at their rides anyway,
As for Fastpass+, yes, in part it's true that it is a system to encourage the distribution of crowds, but by allowing people not to stand in line all day at the major attractions. How it works now, a guest who fits in an average of 8.3 rides a day at MK has a good day. With the new Fastpass system, the more people who use it, the more people can ride and the estimate is an average of 10 plus rides, which is far more impressive than it sounds.
Some attractions were built with interactive and of course they help the attraction. If not by creating mood or at least minimizing frustration making you more receptive.
While Winnie the Pooh or Haunted Mansion are what is normally exampled.
Universals' Mummy, Forbidden Journey and others have interactive elements
That accent the attraction
This discussion has been archived, and is not accepting additional responses.
