Subsonic Radio

What elements of a queue make it more tolerable?

Theming: drawing you into the experience away from reality
Hidden Stuff: Mickey's, fun facts (pirates playing chess), etc
Straight line: seeing the goal
Switch Backs: winding through space
Hidden Lines: turning corners into more unseen queue
Interactive stuff: Animatronics, games (Soarin's new queue)
Pre-Preshow: not the preshow but like Dinosaur where Bill Nye talks to the queue line
Ride Previews: seeing parts of the ride go by apart from the load area
Lean Rails
Ropes
Anything else I've missed

I personally like switchbacks with a pre-preshow or interactive stuff. I don't care if the line moves constantly or in spurts. I totally prefer rails to lean against. My favorite thing is when you can see portions of the ride kind of like Rockin' Roller coaster's launch or Thunder Mountain's overview. Theming is kind of expected, but if the line is one that moves pretty quickly or I can walk through leisurely, I love making the line part of the ride. The new Nemo ride, with the Beach, the waves crashing, the underwater effects; that's pretty good.

Theming is a big key to me but the one thing I like the most is the inside lines. (Soarin', RnR) those types.

I think theming and music are the most important, but I agree that seeing the ride while waiting is cool.

Stuff that makes it good to me is theming (I love going through the standby line on Everest), hidden stuff and interactive and/or informative stuff (like Soarin' and/or Bill Nye). I detest! switchbacks. If it looks like I'm getting close, I hate seeing a whole nother room of cattle queues (i.e., BTMR).

Theaming is great, but also having a covered queue, perferability in a climate controled environment. Sometimes the heat and humitity in Florida can be rough.

Has to be the theme work and the ability to keep you entertained while you wait. Muppets, Star Tours, ToT, Test Track, Everest, etc. are great examples. They make it so you don't really realize just how long you've been there and that's important on a lot of front. Covered/indoor lines also help for summer guests.

BTM and RnR have really good queues at the end loading areas but the huge holding areas where everyone is heeded around is, to me, poor design. It saves space but it is like amusement parks everywhere and you expect better here.

Air conditioning...

casrin wrote:Air conditioning...

I'm gonna have to agree with you on this one! And in addition to that, theming is critical. Straight lines are nice too since seeing the goal makes things much easier.

Air conditioning is a blessing, especially in summer. Music is essential too, it has to be a good, and fitting, soundtrack. BTMR, Test Track, and Soarin' are all good examples of music done right. I couldn't really hear Space Mountain though, and I would have liked to. I also agree with an above comment about the switchbacks, I know its for crowd control but its also really really frustrating to have to keep going through room after room of stupid metal railing. I usually feel like I'm trapped in some crazed psychiatric experience and I keep expecting a big red button at the end that will dispense a treat for me.

Think for me its a combination of themeing music and air conditioning

If the queue can distract you from the fact that you are waiting in line for a while.. it has served its purpose. Disney is the best at doing this.


Rich

Theming & Hidden Mickeys make it easier, when the kids are with me....Beer Carts would be a blessing as well......LOL!

I don't know if they've since done this to any Disney queues, but over at Universal, I always loved the feel of the pathway in ET. It was softer than standing on concrete or carpeting; a little squishy which was nice for tired feet. Kind of like what cashier's have at the supermarket.

That made the Universal queue experience all the better. Has that sort of "terrain" shown up at Disney anywhere?

That made the Universal queue experience all the better. Has that sort of "terrain" shown up at Disney anywhere?

I wanna say yes, but i really dont remember where...the ride name escapes me right now. I could be wrong.

Most of what people have said I agree with already. Theming, AC/Shade, music are musts. The kind of queues that I really can't stand are the ones that keep you in the same room for too long. I don't mind winind ones like PotC but when you're winding through the same room over and over again like Buzz, it gets boring. even just splitting up a line like Buzz into multiple rooms would probably help out.

(ET is my favorite queue of all time, I love that forest! )

The best line to me are always the indoor lines like Soarin, and lines with lean rails.