Toy Story Mania should definitely be better than it is! The load area sells that you’re in Andy’s room so much better than the rest of the queue. I would like to see them carry that idea to the other portions of the queue.
From my experience the winning move is to get a late start and stay until closing - Toy Story land lines get manageable when most of the kiddos have tuckered out for the day.
Honestly the entire Andy Backyard expansion is a crime. It looks so slapdash and the absolute lack of shade for a *children's* area is ridiculous.
The rides are fine, and I love the BBQ place. But the characters deserve actual meet and greet spots and the guests should have shade. They could have transplanted sections of the old Honey I shrunk the Kids play place even!!
Worst: anything with a chaotic merge (guardians, haunted mansion, etc) I hate it. I wish they would hire more cast members to help direct people and discourage the running and pushing
That pre show is the problem. The room is simply too big, or rather there’s too many people being put in there. Disney really should have had multiple show rooms that run staggered to accommodate this. I know they were working with what they had available but it’s so bad and will probably never change.
Had a couple in the line that were coaching their kids on where to go through each room and how to do it quickly. This resulted in shoving my kid out of the way for them to move. They ended up being quite a bit in front of us but due to how the line separates we ended up passing them to get in the car line. My wife made it be known their aggressiveness still resulted them being behind us as we passed them lol
I wish I had read up more on the Haunted Mansion merge prior to visiting. I almost had a panic attack because the CM kept yelling at everyone to "squeeze together!" and I could barely move because of how crowded it got at one point.
That one popped into my head too! Another Joh Rohde classic, only think I don’t like are the guests jumping up and ringing the bells. But the fake yeti museum near the end of the queue is beyond impressive.
We rope dropped AK almost 10 years ago, and walked right onto Everest. Rode it probably 6 times in a row with zero wait. Wasn't the best idea with only coffee in my system, but I love that ride so I didn't mind lol.
**BEST**
Expedition Everest. I'll ask people walk past me just so I can take in the details.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is right up there, too.
Smuggler's Run and Rise of the Resistance both kind of blur where the queue ends and where the ride begins, but they're both pretty great for their own reasons.
**WORST**
Peter Pan's Flight... you want endless switchbacks, minimal theme, and a line that's way too long? Yeah, come here. EDIT: u/alexman420 is correct, it's been a few years since I've been in the PPF queue in MK. I stand corrected.
I agree that Soarin' isn't their best work. EDIT: except for the music. The music is awesome.
I love Everest’s as well! Minus the bells people paw at like cats, but the museum at the end especially is awesome. Everything just feels so authentic.
I was going to mention ToT but it would be half the length of the entire post with how great the queue is. The ghostly music, the cobwebs, ornate details, and my favorite part: all the references to classic episodes of the TV show. It’s a magnum opus queue for sure.
Something about RoR I love is the benches built into the queue! With all the ride’s downtime, it helps to have a place to park and wait it out.
Classic Fantasyland in general is the king of switchbacks. Peter Pan, Teacups, Small World, I get the space for a fancy queue is limited in a lot of these footprints but it doesn’t make it any less obvious!
Not OP, but they're definitely wrong about the minimal theming. Even compared to some or the nearby queues, it's got a lot more going on.
Plus it has Shadow Play! Which is easily one of the coolest effects around property. Granted, it's cooler to me for the fact that they had to make a system to keep track of whether or not Tink is in the shadows or playing in the room so she isn't in both at the same time.
It just sucks when the group in front of you decides that they want to hang out for a while at the Shadow Play part, while the rest of the line moves forward considerably, then you have to decide if you're going to be That Person who holds up everything to do SP or continue walking past it....
Potc will always be my favorite que, it really makes you feel like you went somewhere, and sets the mood perfectly.
It's also always nice and cold on a hot day.
My favorites are tower of terror, everest and haunted mansion. My least is the first half of rise f the resistance. You are just out in the open getting blasted by the sun. Time moves so slow there.
Worst: I would spend A LOT of extra money to bypass the entire Guardians line. The pre-show was cool one time, but the Terry Crews scene and inevitable “alcoholics” response + the crowd stampede just makes it so miserable.
Best: Pirates for the smell, soundtrack, and AC.
Yeah, I agree. I don’t care what people wanna shout during a preshow, but the whole thing just goes on for too long. And then there’s a second one. And then a third one.
I said this when I was there two weeks ago! At least make it an option if I buy an ILL.
Anything to stay away from the human stampede yelling “DAY DRINKERS” and then cackling loudly at their own perceived hilarity
Cosmic rewind is awesome with the exception of rude people who trample you when it goes back from showroom to queue.
Soaring is just a long hallway until you finally line up outside the showroom.
I blame the imagineers as much as the people rushing to get back in line, it’s the worst of those “ok now make a line again” systems that Disney seems so fond of. They cram as many people in that pre show as possible. Haunted Mansion, Rise of the Resistance, Mickie and Minnie’s, and Dinosaur all do this off the top of my head but their pre shows are so much smaller that it’s not nearly as big of a problem.
When I worked in Fantasyland we had a lot of upper management from Japan and China coming through to look at our attractions (grown serious faced men in ties and suits being handed parts at enchanted tales with belle was *hilarious* but they embraced it)
They loved the then-newly refurbed Peter Pan queue, and were shocked at the state of the actual ride. A lot was said about how old and dated it looked.
But to do any real updates to the ride they'd have to get into the structure of the building, and that would require them to update the entire building which includes philharmagic, bippity bippity, etc. due to asbestos.
Peter Pan is my favorite ride. Any changes to it would be devastating for me (except figuring out how to get more people through the darn thing and not have to stop the attraction to load someone needing assistance).
That's one of the areas people don't talk about too often that they (usually) do so great with. We hit the local park (a six flags) here and there, and that's where we often realize the biggest difference. Six Flags is just endless switchback after switchback, between simple corals, either in the hot sun, or possibly shaded but just barely. It's brutal. Nothing inside, nothing to look at, no theming.
It really is part of the “Disney Difference,” how thorough theming can be. Although I will say, after a recent trip to Universal in both Hollywood and Florida, their queues are giving Disney a run for their money. Mario Kart is probably my favorite queue on Earth, but then you also have Gringott’s and Forbidden Journey which are next level. And the Secret Life of Pets legitimately feels like an apartment tour, such a unique queue! Even some of their stinkers like Fast and Furious Supercharged and Jimmy Fallon have good or great queues. Here’s hoping Epic Universe has more of the same when it comes to Universal’s recent successes with queues!
Yes, Universal is the exception to the rule - they have great lines and theming too in general. They'd have to - people wouldn't go there if it wasn't great, with Disney right next door. Lots of "local" theme parks don't have that concern. There's not much in the way of them in my area, so the Six Flags near me doesn't have to really do much other than put up some thrill rides in the middle of a sea of pavement, charge $50 for a gross burger, and call it a day.
I understand that all too well, Six Flags St Louis was in my back yard growing up and I can honestly say it’s the same exact park today as it was 20 years ago minus dome copy/paste flat rides and unjustified price increases.
Gotta say I thought that universal was cleaner and had more/better food options than MK. I also appreciated the single rider option when available and the parent swap - although my kids are grown.
Disney does Rider Swap for parents with young children who can't ride rides, and while the only ride I know of that has a true Single Rider line is Smugglers Run, in almost every queue that I was in it was inevitable that a cast member would be walking down asking if there were any single or double riders in line so they could fill up carts. As for more food options I didn't really check that, but it's hard to believe with how many restaurants that Magic Kingdom has. My family has a lot of plant-based eaters and we were able to find different things at every restaurant that sounded good and wasn't just "Here's a salad we can take the cheese off of." which seemed to be a lot of Universals Plant-Based options "Here's the regular version, but we took the ground beef out I guess".
Expedition Everest also has single rider queue, and I do love the rider swap and how easy it is to utilize by just getting with the cast member.
I feel like some other rides should incorporate single rider lines, like Space Mountain and Big Thunder.
I've only been to Disney once when I was 6, but I still remember how fun the shadow play in the Peter Pan line was! My parents say that we waited in that line for almost 2 hours but I just remember how much fun I had making the shadow bells ring and how cool the Darling childrens' nursery was. I wasn't quite big enough for some of the cooler queues back then, but I've watched a *lot* of youtube and I think Everest is going to be my favorite on my trip this summer. That or Tower of Terror! I'm really excited about that ride too.
I really like the queue for Moana. I just wish I could figure out where the ride starts…
Just kidding. EPCOT and AK have my favorite queues. Cosmic Rewind and Ratatouille are my favorites. I also really like the mini version of Arrendelle from the Frozen queue. Everest has such incredible detail and Flight of Passage is pretty cool as you go through the lab.
Star Tours has a very underrated queue. Great Endor props on the outside, then lots of droids/droid parts that fit in with the ride concept. Also has by far the funniest animatronic on property.
I love the pre show! I think the Great Movie Ride’s original queue was awesome, having real movie props was a perfect choice. I have to say though, after visiting Disneyland and riding their Runaway Railway, they have the superior queue! Building it from the ground up rather than having to retrofit to the Chinese theater allowed some really great design choices.
As a former Little Mermaid cast member, it makes me happy to see that you like the queue! (Have you seen the murals about Eric's family in the expanded indoor queue?! It shows that they slew the leviathan than is the skeleton to Ursula's lair)
Of course, the meet and greet queue is terrible - the waterfall makes it loud and there's no AC. Bleh.
Yes I have to ride it when I visit to pay respect to the queue! I’ve never noticed that detail before though, I’m going to have to take a trip back just to see it! Did you enjoy working on Little Mermaid? It seems more chill than operations for some others in MK.
It's in a part of the queue you might have to ask about, because it's roped off unless the queue is over 90-120 minutes long. I never had a problem letting people into it cause it's in the AC (so it should be open regardless when it's hot so less of the queue is outside!!) , but I dunno if that changed...
I worked circus and all of the forest, and heard plenty of stories from elsewhere. Due to it being an omnimover, operation for Mermaid was pretty chill. The clamshells move regardless so our hourly capacity is mostly determined by the guests. (Ariel's grotto, the meet and greet - totally different story.) And the wheelchair accessible shells are so much easier to use than other cars (Pooh's hunny pot, I loathe thee.)
It also has one of the nicer break rooms for only that attraction with an attached bathroom so that was nice. And it was an easy way to get my steps in ("how many miles do you do a day" me: anywhere from four to eight miles. "seriously?!" Me: yep.)
Flight of Passage is my favorite, although there are a lot. Just so varied, from the outdoor areas (still shaded and coolish) to the indoor more sci-fi areas that are beautifully themed.
How has no one said Jungle Cruise for worst line?!?
It is the thinnest little line that just zig zags. And as soon as you think it’s done, you go behind a wall to DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN.
Maybe I’m biased because we must have been at a time where every Genie+ person had to of gone there, because that wait was excruciating!!
This is how I ended up waiting two hours for Jungle Cruise once (actually Jingle Cruise.) Pirates had gone down and everybody used their pass for JC. Every time I thought about getting out of line it just seemed like “ oh, it can’t be that much longer!”
Tron was the worst for me. Even with virtual queue, that was way too long of a wait in boring rooms with repetitive safety videos. Not what I’d expect at Disney at all.
I actually really like the safari queue. It feels like you’re getting immersed in the natural setting before you’re even on the truck. It’s not exactly entertaining, but it is a pleasant setting and a nice exception to how overstimulating it is in the rest of the parks.
For me Tower of Terror is one of the best. I love the theming and ambient music of the grounds. Really sets the tone of the ride. Then when you enter the lobby it gets even better, it looks exactly as you’d expect.
Next time you walk through, read a guide on the easter eggs that reference the original show! There are so many details scattered throughout both the queue, and the ride!
Best: Haunted Mansion, Rise Of The Resistance, Flight Of Passage. The amount of atmospheric story telling and easter eggs is perfect
Worst: Peoplemover, it's situated in the shadow of a building so all they did is chainlink switchbacks then an escalator to the load station.
Alien Swirling Saucers, first half is uncovered leaving you at the mercy of the weather and second half has minimal theming
When I’m in the FOP queue, I always marvel at the level of detail everywhere, inside and outside, and reflect how someone designed everything and most everything is custom built and ordered. The logistics involved are almost mind boggling. “We need 50,285 of these, 37,342 of those”, all built to spec. Books, flowers, equipment, etc. You don’t just go to Walmart and pick these up. Awesome doesn’t even to begin to describe Joe Rohde’s talents.
Best: Rise of the Resistance, Thunder Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Little Mermaid
POTC isn’t bad, but little kids whipping around the line chains gets old really fast
Worst: Test Track (until you get to design the car), Soarin, Autotopia.
I was told the queue for Rockin Rollercoaster was awesome, but I chickened out and didn’t ride it
Big Thunder is one of the worst for me. It’s covered for most of it, but because it’s mostly enclosed there is no air movement so it’s stuffy and smelly. There are some fans which helps, but I feel like it’s hotter in there than outside most of the time.
I'm shocked that this is not on most lists here. Perhaps because it is an older ride, but HOLY HELL Big Thunder has the hottest, most uncomfortable queue IN ALL OF WDW. It has been this way since it was my favorite ride when I was 10. Hands-down THE worst - going down the incline to board the trains is like slowly suffocating.
Space Mountain lost points for me when they removed the games on the screens. Now it’s just random screens. I loved playing those games. Wait 90 minutes in the a/c in June but you get to play games? Awesome.
It has to be Space Mountain at Disney World. There is literally nothing going on throughout the building and its so dark in there it will put you to sleep. I'm surprised they haven't added some screens showing images of space to the queue.
Journey of the Little Mermaid’s queue always seems to take FOREVER. It’s just corridor after corridor. You think after you get inside that you’re close to the ride, but you have so much more to go.
In the same vein, Toy Story Mania as well. Especially when it’s your baking in the sun (seems to be a theme in Hollywood Studios)
Best - FoP, Rise, Peter Pan
Worst - Slinky Dog, Speedway, and Jungle Cruise. The decor and music for Jungle Cruise is great, but the endless switchbacks are narrow and awful.
ooh wait tell me about the elaborate hidden mickey in line for ariel!
i really love the colorful gems and water and barrels in line for the seven dwarves mine train, those are always fun to play with. (the overall queue though doesn’t really stand out to me)
i’m partial to the haunted mansion queue because it’s relatively short and if you’re at the end, there’s the liberty belle and water to look at or the haunted mansion itself, and as you get further up there’s the organ and tombstones and all.
i’m trying to think of my favorite queue though and nothing is really coming to mind. i don’t mind spaceship earth’s because it’s fairly short and you can people watch and there’s a nice breeze
It’s a [hidden mickey](https://allears.net/2022/11/18/the-secret-detail-youve-probably-never-seen-in-disney-world/) that is only visible on one day a year! And that day of the year is of course Mickey’s birthday!
Idk if this is a hot take or not but I’m not a huge fan of the BTM queue. I love the theming but it always just feels so incredibly hot and it’s very hard to tell how close you are to actually getting on the ride.
I took my kids to Disney world for the first time a few years ago during Covid. The parks were empty and the longest line was less than 30 minutes. I kind of feel like we missed out. They did exposition Everest 5 times in a row (I did two and that was enough) and there was no wait. When we got off pandora flight ride a CM opened the gate for all of that we're getting off to see if we wanted to go on again.
That said Peter Pan was the longest que and I loved it.
Best:
* Everest - Yeti museum in the queue is exceptional theming and helps set the tone. It feels real.
* Tower of Terror - eerie old time Hollywood music on the outside plus the spectacularly themed interior
* Pirates - same reasons as OP
* Ariel - same reasons as OP
* Flight of Passage - same reasons as OP
Worst
* Slinky Dog Dash - very hot and boring
* MMRR - hot and dull until the preshow plus knowing how good the Chinese Theater queue from the Great Movie Ride puts a sour taste in my month
* Jungle Cruise - slow moving and hot
* Tomorrowland Speedway - loud and hot
* Astro Orbiter - slow moving and boring
Under rated / Honorable mention:
* Rise - depends on what you count as the queue but the fact that we can debate says this ride’s queue deserves a shoutout
* Star Tours - Endor forest flowing into an airport and exiting at an adjacent Tatooine might not make the most sense but it’s impressive. Same with the AT-AT.
* Smuggler’s Run - Better than the ride itself. The garage and the Falcon theming is very cool. Slow moving though.
I’ve only been able to visit AK in the Summer my last few visits! I am dying to see FoP and Pandora at night, but during the Summer the sun doesn’t set before park close :’). Disney please bring back late nights for AK!
While they've improved the theming around peter pan's flight, it's still probably one of the worst lines in WDW purely because of how it moves. The fastpass line for it is gargantuan, it's constantly breaking down or stopping, which means even the fastpass line for it can be a lengthy slog - let alone being in the actual line. It's the most frustrating line in the park for that reason - it just doesn't move like lines should, and you quickly feel like you're wasting your time at the park while you're there.
these are peasant queues. Japan knows how to queue. Here is a two hour queue FOR THE FASTPASS toy story mania. Standby was three hours.
https://pasteboard.co/36CZsw1Hoelo.jpg
Not at Disney but I thought the Jimmy Fallon ride at Universal had an awesome queue when it opened. I'm not sure if it has all the same features as before but I really wish Disney would do more queues like that. It made waiting fun.
Worst: ROR, but within the “ride”, after you’re captured and need to get in the little escape vehicle. Took me way out of the experience, especially with CMs shouting line related crap. You’re not in a line for a while, then you get people pushing their way out of the crowd back into a line.
This might be an unpopular opinion but I’m not a huge Star Wars fan and I hate the way the CM’s talk to people on that ride. Maybe I was just bitchy because both times we rode it was early in the morning but I was not feeling their attitudes. I know it’s how they’re supposed to act “in character” but it’s not the vibe for me lol
The worst queue is Slinky Dog Dash. It’s just 2 hours of waiting in the blazing sun.
I would add alien swirling saucers to the worse list and Toy Story Mania to the best
Toy Story Mania should definitely be better than it is! The load area sells that you’re in Andy’s room so much better than the rest of the queue. I would like to see them carry that idea to the other portions of the queue.
Came here to make sure Slinky Dog queue was being properly called out. Thank you for your service.
Uncovered queues should be illegal in this day and age! Slinky Dog is even worse because the ride at the end of the 2 hour wait is just so….average.
From my experience the winning move is to get a late start and stay until closing - Toy Story land lines get manageable when most of the kiddos have tuckered out for the day.
Average is generous. It’s just lame
Honestly the entire Andy Backyard expansion is a crime. It looks so slapdash and the absolute lack of shade for a *children's* area is ridiculous. The rides are fine, and I love the BBQ place. But the characters deserve actual meet and greet spots and the guests should have shade. They could have transplanted sections of the old Honey I shrunk the Kids play place even!!
Oh god the honey I shrunk the kids play place was my absolute favorite Disney thing ever as a kid. Sad they don’t have something like it these days.
Omg my first time riding it was last year and I had no idea how terrible the queue line was. It was so hot and we waited 2 hours
Worst: anything with a chaotic merge (guardians, haunted mansion, etc) I hate it. I wish they would hire more cast members to help direct people and discourage the running and pushing
Agreed! Cosmic Rewind really brings out the worst in people.
That pre show is the problem. The room is simply too big, or rather there’s too many people being put in there. Disney really should have had multiple show rooms that run staggered to accommodate this. I know they were working with what they had available but it’s so bad and will probably never change.
It needs a single line switch back, which would eliminate that.
Had a couple in the line that were coaching their kids on where to go through each room and how to do it quickly. This resulted in shoving my kid out of the way for them to move. They ended up being quite a bit in front of us but due to how the line separates we ended up passing them to get in the car line. My wife made it be known their aggressiveness still resulted them being behind us as we passed them lol
I wish I had read up more on the Haunted Mansion merge prior to visiting. I almost had a panic attack because the CM kept yelling at everyone to "squeeze together!" and I could barely move because of how crowded it got at one point.
It’s even worse at Disneyland in Anaheim. Especially because I went during the nightmare before christmas special overlay, it was insanity
Especially since doing all of that just to get on the ride two minutes before everyone else is really just low IQ behavior
I understand the sentiment but these are two of my favorite queues as it stands, lol
Worst - Buzz Lightyear until you get inside.
This is so true, those switchbacks in the sun are awful. And inside that Buzz animatronic needs some love, his face has seen better days.
The buzz line is too crowded imo
Expedition Everest
That one popped into my head too! Another Joh Rohde classic, only think I don’t like are the guests jumping up and ringing the bells. But the fake yeti museum near the end of the queue is beyond impressive.
A queue so good I’m sad the line moves so fast
I rope dropped it the other day and almost wished it wasn’t a walk on. Almost lol.
We rope dropped AK almost 10 years ago, and walked right onto Everest. Rode it probably 6 times in a row with zero wait. Wasn't the best idea with only coffee in my system, but I love that ride so I didn't mind lol.
This is my favourite!
Khali River Rapids is great too.
It has multiple books from a famous cryptozoologist, and not to mention the subtle world building.
💯 as good as the ride in my opinion
**BEST** Expedition Everest. I'll ask people walk past me just so I can take in the details. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is right up there, too. Smuggler's Run and Rise of the Resistance both kind of blur where the queue ends and where the ride begins, but they're both pretty great for their own reasons. **WORST** Peter Pan's Flight... you want endless switchbacks, minimal theme, and a line that's way too long? Yeah, come here. EDIT: u/alexman420 is correct, it's been a few years since I've been in the PPF queue in MK. I stand corrected. I agree that Soarin' isn't their best work. EDIT: except for the music. The music is awesome.
I love Everest’s as well! Minus the bells people paw at like cats, but the museum at the end especially is awesome. Everything just feels so authentic. I was going to mention ToT but it would be half the length of the entire post with how great the queue is. The ghostly music, the cobwebs, ornate details, and my favorite part: all the references to classic episodes of the TV show. It’s a magnum opus queue for sure. Something about RoR I love is the benches built into the queue! With all the ride’s downtime, it helps to have a place to park and wait it out. Classic Fantasyland in general is the king of switchbacks. Peter Pan, Teacups, Small World, I get the space for a fancy queue is limited in a lot of these footprints but it doesn’t make it any less obvious!
The Everest queue gets you so hyped for the ride. Imagineers did a helluva job making you truly feel like you’re about to embark on an epic adventure.
Ugh the Everest bells remind me of the marble doors in the Rockin’ Rollercoaster queue that kids just go to town on… I think that sound gives me PTSD.
Peter Pan has all the interactive elements though. I would definitely put it higher than the worst of the worst.
Agree!!!!
i thought they did a bunch of work to improve the queue at peter pan's flight
Not OP, but they're definitely wrong about the minimal theming. Even compared to some or the nearby queues, it's got a lot more going on. Plus it has Shadow Play! Which is easily one of the coolest effects around property. Granted, it's cooler to me for the fact that they had to make a system to keep track of whether or not Tink is in the shadows or playing in the room so she isn't in both at the same time.
It just sucks when the group in front of you decides that they want to hang out for a while at the Shadow Play part, while the rest of the line moves forward considerably, then you have to decide if you're going to be That Person who holds up everything to do SP or continue walking past it....
They did, this person either has been in the queue in years or is only thinking of Disneyland’s
At least Soarin' is indoors and the music is usually awesome.
Totally agree about the music... some of the best.
Apollo 13 soundtrack ❤️
At least soarin is inside
I’ll raise you and say Peter Pan’s flight with a 30min delay while you’re already in line 🤦♂️
This absolutely happened to us last year. You are literally trapped at that point. I thought the queue was really the only saving grace
The wait for Peter Pan was brutal. I wasn't leaving that park without the experience though lol
I will never wait in line for PPF because I find it ridiculous but the queue is super cool……
What's a switchback?
It’s a line that turns corners rather than just a single file line
Potc will always be my favorite que, it really makes you feel like you went somewhere, and sets the mood perfectly. It's also always nice and cold on a hot day.
Definitely! I will sometimes listen to the queue music while I’m doing work, very good and relaxing stuff.
Good idea 👍🏻 love this. I’ve been meaning to buy the candle too, That smells like it … could burn at the same time
Idea unlocked....
The AC is so nice on summer park days!
My favorites are tower of terror, everest and haunted mansion. My least is the first half of rise f the resistance. You are just out in the open getting blasted by the sun. Time moves so slow there.
It would be so easy to cover it like they cover the market area too. I don’t get it.
especially if its supposed to be a hidden rebel outpost
Worst: I would spend A LOT of extra money to bypass the entire Guardians line. The pre-show was cool one time, but the Terry Crews scene and inevitable “alcoholics” response + the crowd stampede just makes it so miserable. Best: Pirates for the smell, soundtrack, and AC.
Yeah, I agree. I don’t care what people wanna shout during a preshow, but the whole thing just goes on for too long. And then there’s a second one. And then a third one.
It's crazy, I've probably done that ride 20 times now and never once heard someone say alcoholics...I wait for it but it never happens.
I said this when I was there two weeks ago! At least make it an option if I buy an ILL. Anything to stay away from the human stampede yelling “DAY DRINKERS” and then cackling loudly at their own perceived hilarity
Cosmic rewind is awesome with the exception of rude people who trample you when it goes back from showroom to queue. Soaring is just a long hallway until you finally line up outside the showroom.
I blame the imagineers as much as the people rushing to get back in line, it’s the worst of those “ok now make a line again” systems that Disney seems so fond of. They cram as many people in that pre show as possible. Haunted Mansion, Rise of the Resistance, Mickie and Minnie’s, and Dinosaur all do this off the top of my head but their pre shows are so much smaller that it’s not nearly as big of a problem.
Haunted Mansion is bad too. Less people but more small kids and its really dark so a few “oops I didn’t see you there” where toes are stepped on
Soarin is terrible and way too big. Gives people the opportunity to picnic down and moves the line even slower.
Peter Pan's Flight and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure are good ones too.
I forgot about Remy’s! The portion where it’s like you’re on a Parisian rooftop and Gusteau comes to life is downright magical!
When I worked in Fantasyland we had a lot of upper management from Japan and China coming through to look at our attractions (grown serious faced men in ties and suits being handed parts at enchanted tales with belle was *hilarious* but they embraced it) They loved the then-newly refurbed Peter Pan queue, and were shocked at the state of the actual ride. A lot was said about how old and dated it looked. But to do any real updates to the ride they'd have to get into the structure of the building, and that would require them to update the entire building which includes philharmagic, bippity bippity, etc. due to asbestos.
Peter Pan is my favorite ride. Any changes to it would be devastating for me (except figuring out how to get more people through the darn thing and not have to stop the attraction to load someone needing assistance).
That's one of the areas people don't talk about too often that they (usually) do so great with. We hit the local park (a six flags) here and there, and that's where we often realize the biggest difference. Six Flags is just endless switchback after switchback, between simple corals, either in the hot sun, or possibly shaded but just barely. It's brutal. Nothing inside, nothing to look at, no theming.
It really is part of the “Disney Difference,” how thorough theming can be. Although I will say, after a recent trip to Universal in both Hollywood and Florida, their queues are giving Disney a run for their money. Mario Kart is probably my favorite queue on Earth, but then you also have Gringott’s and Forbidden Journey which are next level. And the Secret Life of Pets legitimately feels like an apartment tour, such a unique queue! Even some of their stinkers like Fast and Furious Supercharged and Jimmy Fallon have good or great queues. Here’s hoping Epic Universe has more of the same when it comes to Universal’s recent successes with queues!
Yes, Universal is the exception to the rule - they have great lines and theming too in general. They'd have to - people wouldn't go there if it wasn't great, with Disney right next door. Lots of "local" theme parks don't have that concern. There's not much in the way of them in my area, so the Six Flags near me doesn't have to really do much other than put up some thrill rides in the middle of a sea of pavement, charge $50 for a gross burger, and call it a day.
I understand that all too well, Six Flags St Louis was in my back yard growing up and I can honestly say it’s the same exact park today as it was 20 years ago minus dome copy/paste flat rides and unjustified price increases.
Universal's Queueing is fine, but everything else about the park had me muttering "Disney would never..."
Gotta say I thought that universal was cleaner and had more/better food options than MK. I also appreciated the single rider option when available and the parent swap - although my kids are grown.
Disney does Rider Swap for parents with young children who can't ride rides, and while the only ride I know of that has a true Single Rider line is Smugglers Run, in almost every queue that I was in it was inevitable that a cast member would be walking down asking if there were any single or double riders in line so they could fill up carts. As for more food options I didn't really check that, but it's hard to believe with how many restaurants that Magic Kingdom has. My family has a lot of plant-based eaters and we were able to find different things at every restaurant that sounded good and wasn't just "Here's a salad we can take the cheese off of." which seemed to be a lot of Universals Plant-Based options "Here's the regular version, but we took the ground beef out I guess".
Expedition Everest also has single rider queue, and I do love the rider swap and how easy it is to utilize by just getting with the cast member. I feel like some other rides should incorporate single rider lines, like Space Mountain and Big Thunder.
The worst is hands down Astro Orbiter. Soarin’ is also pretty bad.
Meh, a least Soarin' is in AC.
I've only been to Disney once when I was 6, but I still remember how fun the shadow play in the Peter Pan line was! My parents say that we waited in that line for almost 2 hours but I just remember how much fun I had making the shadow bells ring and how cool the Darling childrens' nursery was. I wasn't quite big enough for some of the cooler queues back then, but I've watched a *lot* of youtube and I think Everest is going to be my favorite on my trip this summer. That or Tower of Terror! I'm really excited about that ride too.
I really like the queue for Moana. I just wish I could figure out where the ride starts… Just kidding. EPCOT and AK have my favorite queues. Cosmic Rewind and Ratatouille are my favorites. I also really like the mini version of Arrendelle from the Frozen queue. Everest has such incredible detail and Flight of Passage is pretty cool as you go through the lab.
Not that there's ever a line but I'd happily wait an hour for MuppetVision.
i freaking love muppet vision and quote it very often 😭🩵
Soarin is poor for the sole reason that I feel like an offensive tackle blocking people from getting around me.
Star Tours has a very underrated queue. Great Endor props on the outside, then lots of droids/droid parts that fit in with the ride concept. Also has by far the funniest animatronic on property.
I like the Mickey and Minnie que, the history of Great movie ride and its pre show is awesome.
I love the pre show! I think the Great Movie Ride’s original queue was awesome, having real movie props was a perfect choice. I have to say though, after visiting Disneyland and riding their Runaway Railway, they have the superior queue! Building it from the ground up rather than having to retrofit to the Chinese theater allowed some really great design choices.
As a former Little Mermaid cast member, it makes me happy to see that you like the queue! (Have you seen the murals about Eric's family in the expanded indoor queue?! It shows that they slew the leviathan than is the skeleton to Ursula's lair) Of course, the meet and greet queue is terrible - the waterfall makes it loud and there's no AC. Bleh.
Yes I have to ride it when I visit to pay respect to the queue! I’ve never noticed that detail before though, I’m going to have to take a trip back just to see it! Did you enjoy working on Little Mermaid? It seems more chill than operations for some others in MK.
It's in a part of the queue you might have to ask about, because it's roped off unless the queue is over 90-120 minutes long. I never had a problem letting people into it cause it's in the AC (so it should be open regardless when it's hot so less of the queue is outside!!) , but I dunno if that changed... I worked circus and all of the forest, and heard plenty of stories from elsewhere. Due to it being an omnimover, operation for Mermaid was pretty chill. The clamshells move regardless so our hourly capacity is mostly determined by the guests. (Ariel's grotto, the meet and greet - totally different story.) And the wheelchair accessible shells are so much easier to use than other cars (Pooh's hunny pot, I loathe thee.) It also has one of the nicer break rooms for only that attraction with an attached bathroom so that was nice. And it was an easy way to get my steps in ("how many miles do you do a day" me: anywhere from four to eight miles. "seriously?!" Me: yep.)
Flight of Passage is my favorite, although there are a lot. Just so varied, from the outdoor areas (still shaded and coolish) to the indoor more sci-fi areas that are beautifully themed.
The best is Space Mountain. Least... Soarin'.
I always feel like I’m going to slip and fall going down the hill at the beginning of the Space Mountain queue.
How has no one said Jungle Cruise for worst line?!? It is the thinnest little line that just zig zags. And as soon as you think it’s done, you go behind a wall to DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN. Maybe I’m biased because we must have been at a time where every Genie+ person had to of gone there, because that wait was excruciating!!
This is how I ended up waiting two hours for Jungle Cruise once (actually Jingle Cruise.) Pirates had gone down and everybody used their pass for JC. Every time I thought about getting out of line it just seemed like “ oh, it can’t be that much longer!”
Haha! My wife and kids were begging me to leave….but it wasn’t happening. We invested too much at that point!! 😂
Tron was the worst for me. Even with virtual queue, that was way too long of a wait in boring rooms with repetitive safety videos. Not what I’d expect at Disney at all.
I was surprised at this too. For a brand new ride, you would think they would’ve put more effort into the queue.
I actually really like the safari queue. It feels like you’re getting immersed in the natural setting before you’re even on the truck. It’s not exactly entertaining, but it is a pleasant setting and a nice exception to how overstimulating it is in the rest of the parks.
Best for me is toy story mania. I like the queue better than the ride
For me Tower of Terror is one of the best. I love the theming and ambient music of the grounds. Really sets the tone of the ride. Then when you enter the lobby it gets even better, it looks exactly as you’d expect.
Next time you walk through, read a guide on the easter eggs that reference the original show! There are so many details scattered throughout both the queue, and the ride!
Tron is the most boring queue I’ve been in at Disney
The cosmic rewind queue is like Christmas for me as a huge guardians fan.
Best: Millennium Falcon, Remy, GotG: Cosmic Rewind Worst: SLINKY FUCKING DOGGY STYLE DASH
I like how you activated Guardians of the Galaxy but NOT Cosmic Rewind 😂 -GotG- GotGCR- GotG Cosmic Rewind- Guardians of the Galaxy CR-
Tomorrowland Speedway is my vote for worst queue in all of WDW, hands down. I can still feel the sun and smell the exhaust.
I haaaateeeeee the Pooh queue. The buzzing mixed with an hour of the Winnie the Pooh song on repeat drives me insane. Love the ride though
Best: Haunted Mansion, Rise Of The Resistance, Flight Of Passage. The amount of atmospheric story telling and easter eggs is perfect Worst: Peoplemover, it's situated in the shadow of a building so all they did is chainlink switchbacks then an escalator to the load station. Alien Swirling Saucers, first half is uncovered leaving you at the mercy of the weather and second half has minimal theming
When I was little I NEVER remember WWPM having a line. It feels like only since Covid everyone wants to ride it.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Tomorrowland Speedway! No shade, smelly cars, just miserable.
i love the smell of the smelly cars 😭🚗🚙
When I’m in the FOP queue, I always marvel at the level of detail everywhere, inside and outside, and reflect how someone designed everything and most everything is custom built and ordered. The logistics involved are almost mind boggling. “We need 50,285 of these, 37,342 of those”, all built to spec. Books, flowers, equipment, etc. You don’t just go to Walmart and pick these up. Awesome doesn’t even to begin to describe Joe Rohde’s talents.
Best: Rise of the Resistance, Thunder Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Little Mermaid POTC isn’t bad, but little kids whipping around the line chains gets old really fast Worst: Test Track (until you get to design the car), Soarin, Autotopia. I was told the queue for Rockin Rollercoaster was awesome, but I chickened out and didn’t ride it
I thought Avatar in Animal Kingdom (even at 60min) was a pleasant queue experience
Big Thunder is one of the worst for me. It’s covered for most of it, but because it’s mostly enclosed there is no air movement so it’s stuffy and smelly. There are some fans which helps, but I feel like it’s hotter in there than outside most of the time.
I'm shocked that this is not on most lists here. Perhaps because it is an older ride, but HOLY HELL Big Thunder has the hottest, most uncomfortable queue IN ALL OF WDW. It has been this way since it was my favorite ride when I was 10. Hands-down THE worst - going down the incline to board the trains is like slowly suffocating.
Worst: Jungle Cruise
I love Pirates because of that smell. It’s so distinct and I love it.
Love Star Tours.
Disneyville just did a podcast on this topic 😃
The Seas at Epcot. They will NEVER fill that queue. It goes on and on and on and on…
I always get stabbed by the fences since I’m clumsy and it’s so twisty
I think The Jungle Cruise line is fun.
Space Mountain lost points for me when they removed the games on the screens. Now it’s just random screens. I loved playing those games. Wait 90 minutes in the a/c in June but you get to play games? Awesome.
Expedition Everest is my favorite queue. Truly transportive and convincing, I might even like it more than the ride (and the ride is awesome).
It has to be Space Mountain at Disney World. There is literally nothing going on throughout the building and its so dark in there it will put you to sleep. I'm surprised they haven't added some screens showing images of space to the queue.
Any ride that's inside and air conditioned gets at least a passing grade for me! :)
Tower of terror and space Mountain are one of the few places I don’t mind waiting in a longer line because the queue is just so ambient.
Journey of the Little Mermaid’s queue always seems to take FOREVER. It’s just corridor after corridor. You think after you get inside that you’re close to the ride, but you have so much more to go. In the same vein, Toy Story Mania as well. Especially when it’s your baking in the sun (seems to be a theme in Hollywood Studios)
Best for kids: Dumbo! There’s an inside play area :)
Test track queue stinks, the rebrand was such a downgrade
Best - FoP, Rise, Peter Pan Worst - Slinky Dog, Speedway, and Jungle Cruise. The decor and music for Jungle Cruise is great, but the endless switchbacks are narrow and awful.
Best- anything with seats lol like RotR.
ooh wait tell me about the elaborate hidden mickey in line for ariel! i really love the colorful gems and water and barrels in line for the seven dwarves mine train, those are always fun to play with. (the overall queue though doesn’t really stand out to me) i’m partial to the haunted mansion queue because it’s relatively short and if you’re at the end, there’s the liberty belle and water to look at or the haunted mansion itself, and as you get further up there’s the organ and tombstones and all. i’m trying to think of my favorite queue though and nothing is really coming to mind. i don’t mind spaceship earth’s because it’s fairly short and you can people watch and there’s a nice breeze
It’s a [hidden mickey](https://allears.net/2022/11/18/the-secret-detail-youve-probably-never-seen-in-disney-world/) that is only visible on one day a year! And that day of the year is of course Mickey’s birthday!
Idk if this is a hot take or not but I’m not a huge fan of the BTM queue. I love the theming but it always just feels so incredibly hot and it’s very hard to tell how close you are to actually getting on the ride.
Kilimanjaro Safaris at animal kingdom. So hot and humid.
The absolute worst
It totally bums me out the lightening lane skips the entire queue for Flight of Passage
I took my kids to Disney world for the first time a few years ago during Covid. The parks were empty and the longest line was less than 30 minutes. I kind of feel like we missed out. They did exposition Everest 5 times in a row (I did two and that was enough) and there was no wait. When we got off pandora flight ride a CM opened the gate for all of that we're getting off to see if we wanted to go on again. That said Peter Pan was the longest que and I loved it.
Best: * Everest - Yeti museum in the queue is exceptional theming and helps set the tone. It feels real. * Tower of Terror - eerie old time Hollywood music on the outside plus the spectacularly themed interior * Pirates - same reasons as OP * Ariel - same reasons as OP * Flight of Passage - same reasons as OP Worst * Slinky Dog Dash - very hot and boring * MMRR - hot and dull until the preshow plus knowing how good the Chinese Theater queue from the Great Movie Ride puts a sour taste in my month * Jungle Cruise - slow moving and hot * Tomorrowland Speedway - loud and hot * Astro Orbiter - slow moving and boring Under rated / Honorable mention: * Rise - depends on what you count as the queue but the fact that we can debate says this ride’s queue deserves a shoutout * Star Tours - Endor forest flowing into an airport and exiting at an adjacent Tatooine might not make the most sense but it’s impressive. Same with the AT-AT. * Smuggler’s Run - Better than the ride itself. The garage and the Falcon theming is very cool. Slow moving though.
Cannot they setup an e-ticket wait system instead of queues in this day and age? What is avg queue time for each ride ?
Best-Pirates Can do a 45 minute wait and it doesn’t feel that long. Music, theming, etc Worst-Small World Feels like waiting online at a bank.
Honorable mention since it’s gone now but Three Caballeros with the old Covid dividers was extremely claustrophobic
Worst is definitely MMRR. Pirates que is probably one of my favorites. The indoor portion of Rn’R is also pretty neat.
rise of the resistance because you constantly have a place to sit while waiting 😍
Flight of Passage is the best. 45-60 mins in the queue, especially at night, is such a cool atmosphere. Really sets the scene for the ride
I’ve only been able to visit AK in the Summer my last few visits! I am dying to see FoP and Pandora at night, but during the Summer the sun doesn’t set before park close :’). Disney please bring back late nights for AK!
PeterPan. Takes way too long for the style of ride.
I detest the line for slinky it’s just a fake cardboard box and the Floridian sun trying to kill you
While they've improved the theming around peter pan's flight, it's still probably one of the worst lines in WDW purely because of how it moves. The fastpass line for it is gargantuan, it's constantly breaking down or stopping, which means even the fastpass line for it can be a lengthy slog - let alone being in the actual line. It's the most frustrating line in the park for that reason - it just doesn't move like lines should, and you quickly feel like you're wasting your time at the park while you're there.
these are peasant queues. Japan knows how to queue. Here is a two hour queue FOR THE FASTPASS toy story mania. Standby was three hours. https://pasteboard.co/36CZsw1Hoelo.jpg
Not at Disney but I thought the Jimmy Fallon ride at Universal had an awesome queue when it opened. I'm not sure if it has all the same features as before but I really wish Disney would do more queues like that. It made waiting fun.
Worst: ROR, but within the “ride”, after you’re captured and need to get in the little escape vehicle. Took me way out of the experience, especially with CMs shouting line related crap. You’re not in a line for a while, then you get people pushing their way out of the crowd back into a line.
This might be an unpopular opinion but I’m not a huge Star Wars fan and I hate the way the CM’s talk to people on that ride. Maybe I was just bitchy because both times we rode it was early in the morning but I was not feeling their attitudes. I know it’s how they’re supposed to act “in character” but it’s not the vibe for me lol