Islander said:
mikeroller said:
Phantasialands system might look the part but the small font and hard to read screen isn't helping anyone.
I have to say, on my two visits I haven't found that to be a problem at all. Certainly the screens are anything but hard to read - they're very clear, with a large number displaying the queue time, and a scrolling news feed at the bottom. I'd definitely cite Phantasialand's system as the best I've personally seen.
I have to agree with this. Not only are the screens very easy to read, the system is clean and informative. No fancy animations. No sudden moving around on the screen. Just a list of rides in themed areas with a number next to them. It works a treat. Without a doubt the best system for distributing queueline information I have come across
Personally I think the main LED displays at Towers can sometimes actually be quite hard to read. Firstly they seem to have a very narrow field of viewing, whereby unless you're standing almost in front of it you can struggle to read what it says. Second, the glass/perspex fronting to the screens can really reflect the sunlight when it hits them, making them very challenging to read sometimes.
At Phantasialand all the screens are sheltered to some degree to reduce how much light hits them, and the screens are so efficient that there really isn't any need to clamour around them. A quick glance and you're ready to move on. None of this standing around and waiting for the attraction you want to be displayed!
Obviously the camera doesn't pick the detail up too well thanks to the polarising lens
Screen 1
Screen 2
And then there is another smaller display in the middle used to show promotional videos and alike.
The whole beauty of the system is that it's so simple and basic to look at, but it just works!
Another useful feature they have with it is at the ride entrances, where they operate a colour coding system (Apparently, directly relational to a ride's throughput and popularity!) which shows how the current queue is. So green for short queue, and red for a long queue, etc.
However, it was on a PL forum (I can't remember which) which said about how well managed the whole system actually is. The park account for popularity and throughputs, so for example 15 minutes for Black Mamba may be green, as for that ride it's not too bad. Whereas, 15 minutes for say Wolke's Luftpost may be red, as it's a long queue for such a ride. Sort of like at Towers, 45 minutes is a long time for RMT, but 45 minutes for Air is fairly standard.
Towers' system works in a fashion, but it's far from perfect. For starters they need to look into getting more attractions on the system! From what I gather the system can only handle so many, which is why Sub-Terra came on and Hex disappeared. It needs a complete overhaul behind the scenes to help it bring more information to guests more efficiently and with greater accuracy if you ask me.
