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Ride Availability/Operations 2022-25

Hid said:
Because on rides like Th13teen, Wickerman and Monorail can make a big difference on 3 or more compared to 2
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But if a queue is advertised as 40 minuites, then it should be around 40 minuites should it not?

In that regard, it doesn't matter how many trains are on the ride, if it is a 40 minute queue, it is a 40 minute queue.

The queue times are not estimated on the assumption that a ride is running at full capacity. They are based on the current throughput from the current capacity and trains on the ride at any given time. This is why the information about how many trains a ride is running is irrelevant in the context of giving queue times. If that makes sense.
 
DistortAMG said:
But if a queue is advertised as 40 minuites, then it should be around 40 minuites should it not?

In that regard, it doesn't matter how many trains are on the ride, if it is a 40 minute queue, it is a 40 minute queue.

The queue times are not estimated on the assumption that a ride is running at full capacity. They are based on the current throughput from the current capacity and trains on the ride at any given time. This is why the information about how many trains a ride is running is irrelevant in the context of giving queue times. If that makes sense.
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However this does make a big difference when it comes to guest experience in my opinion. A 60 min queue on 3 trains on Wicker will feel like less as the queue will be consistently moving at good speed. However, on 2 trains the queue will be a slower mover and be a more frustrating experience for guests. If I need to wait an hour for a ride then the faster it moves the shorter it will feel. I don’t think I’d wait that long if it was a slower moving queue as it would be unbearable
 
Ethan said:
However this does make a big difference when it comes to guest experience in my opinion. A 60 min queue on 3 trains on Wicker will feel like less as the queue will be consistently moving at good speed. However, on 2 trains the queue will be a slower mover and be a more frustrating experience for guests. If I need to wait an hour for a ride then the faster it moves the shorter it will feel. I don’t think I’d wait that long if it was a slower moving queue as it would be unbearable
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I never once doubted that. That was nothing to do with the argument that was being made however.
 
DistortAMG said:
I never once doubted that. That was nothing to do with the argument that was being made however.
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I know it wasn’t part of the argument but I do think it is a consideration in the conversation you’ve been having. Yes like you’ve pointed out a 40 min queue is a 40 min queue, however I think letting people know how many trains something is in may actually make people re consider their choices as a 40 min queue may not sound that bad until you see that ride is on 1 train
 
Ethan said:
I know it wasn’t part of the argument but I do think it is a consideration in the conversation you’ve been having. Yes like you’ve pointed out a 40 min queue is a 40 min queue, however I think letting people know how many trains something is in may actually make people re consider their choices as a 40 min queue may not sound that bad until you see that ride is on 1 train
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Very true, but outside of the die-hard enthusiasts, I do not think that most of the general public even care about that, to be honest. A 40-minute queue is a 40-minute queue. They will and do plan their day for the most part based on that time factor. Not based on the fact of if the queue is going to be moving fast or not.

I have worked in parks and spent a lot of time in them with friends, friends of friends, and family. I have never once seen them care about the number of trains, just the time.
 
DistortAMG said:
Very true, but outside of the die-hard enthusiasts, I do not think that most of the general public even care about that, to be honest. A 40-minute queue is a 40-minute queue. They will and do plan their day for the most part based on that time factor. Not based on the fact of if the queue is going to be moving fast or not.

I have worked in parks and spent a lot of time in them with friends, friends of friends, and family. I have never once seen them care about the number of trains, just the time.
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To be honest, I think the majority of die-hard enthusiasts also don't care. It is a minority of the minority for whom this is information of interest.
 
It'd only really be useful to those of us who think we know better and that the queue is much shorter than advertised, only to find out that the ride is on reduced capacity and the posted queue time is in fact correct after we've already committed to joining it.

That said, I have seen physical signs at Walibi Holland showing the number of trains in operation at ride entrances. I think they also have signs that show queue time from that point for either one or two trains.
 
djtruefitt said:
I think back in the day it was far easier to guess queue times anyway. We just had one queue and probably a couple of disabled guests using the exit during the day.

Now you’ve got fastrack and endless RAP to add to the main queue.
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That begs the question: Is the RAP queue's affect on the main queue taken in to account in the advertised time?
 
DiogoJ42 said:
That begs the question: Is the RAP queue's affect on the main queue taken in to account in the advertised time?
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I imagine so, but you get times when the RAP queue is massive, and if hosts decide to just clear it than of course that will affect the main queue time, and probably not taken into account by the op when setting the queue time.

Same applies to FT if there’s a big FT queue.
 
djtruefitt said:
I imagine so, but you get times when the RAP queue is massive, and if hosts decide to just clear it than of course that will affect the main queue time, and probably not taken into account by the op when setting the queue time.

Same applies to FT if there’s a big FT queue.
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So it is the operator that sets the queue time then? I have always wondered about the exact process, to be fair. I suppose there is no one else who could do it, as the operator usually has visibility of the ride and queue.

Then there is the fact that some parks, Disney especially, over- or underinflate queue times to manage guest flow around the park, a very important step to prevent overcrowding on busy days. That surely would need some sort of central management too.
 
djtruefitt said:
I imagine so, but you get times when the RAP queue is massive, and if hosts decide to just clear it than of course that will affect the main queue time, and probably not taken into account by the op when setting the queue time.

Same applies to FT if there’s a big FT queue.
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Clearing the RAP queue is quite rare and generally pre-dates the capacity system. Perhaps still an issue at AT or TP who can't manage/close the queues digitally if people happen to organically swarm on one ride.

It's also only viable on certain rides depending on the merge point. An example would be Vampire at Chessington where i used to see an entire train be filled with RAP to clear the queue. However if the ride is running on 2 trains then in reality even this is only adding several minutes to the overall queue time so wouldn't be anything meaningful to take into account.
 
DistortAMG said:
Then there is the fact that some parks, Disney especially, over- or underinflate queue times to manage guest flow around the park, a very important step to prevent overcrowding on busy days. That surely would need some sort of central management too.
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Reminds me of some of the busier tube stations: the directional signs have light up arrows to point people in different directions depending on the time of day. Go to Bank, for example, in rush hour, and they will send you on a ten minute diversion through a vast, three dimensional corkscrew of tunnels, only for you to find yourself fifteen feet away from where you started.

Naturally, a regular commuter is wise to this and ignores such insanity.

I don't care what their computer models say, such deception is downright wrong.
 
DistortAMG said:
So it is the operator that sets the queue time then? I have always wondered about the exact process, to be fair. I suppose there is no one else who could do it, as the operator usually has visibility of the ride and queue.
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Yes the operator sets it. It’s as simple as they enter a number on a tablet type screen, and they have a map to guide how long the wait time is for where the queue ends
 
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