Caution: Wait times low crowd days

[cinderlexa's mom]

Traveling to WDW the last 17 years, a few times each year both during busy & historically slow times--never seen this before:

MK 4/29:

PP 45 min wait @ rope drop, not loading every vehicle, then switching to loading every vehicle, then back again.

POTC 30 min wait 1 hr until park closing. One sole cast member was counting off & assigning guests to boat rows, then he would push through guests in row one to open gates to let guests board & then close gates. Then he'd walk back to the main line & start assigning guests to rows again...

I'm I missing something? This seems bizarre.

I wouldn't recommend attending WDW during slower times if they aren't going to properly staff their rides!!!

 

[Disneylover99]

I wouldn't recommend attending WDW during slower times if they aren't going to properly staff their rides!!!

It's one of the reasons I love the week of Christmas. All rides are running at full capacity and there are lots of CM's everywhere.

 

[kstand]

We were there 4/29-5/5 and definitely saw some weird ride boarding practices. Crowd levels were quite low but lines often seemed disproportionately long, starting at opening. We often waited in lines with FP. Heard way too many CM's complaining about their jobs/hours in earshot of guests.

 

[CarrieR]

Yes - this is the new norm. During low crowd periods, they understaff, leaving the waits just as long as high crowd periods. It saves $ on staffing in the short term, but IMO will come back around to bite them down the road. (It’s one thing, as a patron, to wait because there are others in front of you. It’s a whole different level of frustration to wait because capacity is being intentionally reduced - especially in the case of PP, where there is NO reason not to load every ride vehicle!!

 

[Timothy02359]

Waiting for everything seems like the new Disney norm the past few years.

 

[SpaceMtnGirl]

I don’t understand them using one side of Space for standby and one for FP. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to use both sides but hold the standby line to let some FP guests on — like most rides? We saw standby waits of 60 minutes yet only about 20 guests in line to use the right side (FP side) of Space. Why do they do this?

 

[Robo]

I don’t understand them using one side of Space for standby and one for FP. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to use both sides but hold the standby line to let some FP guests on — like most rides? We saw standby waits of 60 minutes yet only about 20 guests in line to use the right side (FP side) of Space.

Why do they do this?

It saves paying another CM to be near the loading end to route the FP vs Standby guests
("hold the standby line to let some FP guests on.")

 

[goofy4tink]

It saves paying another CM to be near the loading end to route the FP vs Standby guests
("hold the standby line to let some FP guests on.")

However, when we rode SM, without a FP last week, there were two CMs standing at the top of the line, sending FP guests to the right, non-FP to the left...two CMs!!!

 

[rwdavis2]

I've seen this the week before Thanksgiving. Space Mtn. running on only 1 track.

 

[jenniferhouston2]

Another example. Sunday 5/6/18, was rainy and very low crowds. I decided to use a gift card at the Starbucks on Mainstreet prior to park opening (around 8:20 am) They only had one line open and one cashier going, and took 20 mins to get a simple coffee. I have been there during much busier times, with two lines open, and more staff working, and had my coffee in 5-7 mins.

Like PP said, its about saving staff hours, not enhancing the guest convenience. So, low crowds do not equate to shorter waits for food or attractions.

 

[123SA]

(It’s one thing, as a patron, to wait because there are others in front of you. It’s a whole different level of frustration to wait because capacity is being intentionally reduced - especially in the case of PP, where there is NO reason not to load every ride vehicle!!

This drove me absolutely bonkers last year in the last week of August -- the reduced capacity inflating the wait times. I do not mind waiting when I can see that it is busy, but waiting due to poor staffing is inexcusable.

This year I am going in early August and I have been watching the wait times these past weeks and thinking maybe I need to cancel...if the wait times are this long in late April/early May...what are they going to be like in early August when it is actually very crowded? So, it seems the wait times will be higher, but not by as much as I was expecting.

 

[whiporee]

Yes - this is the new norm. During low crowd periods, they understaff, leaving the waits just as long as high crowd periods. It saves $ on staffing in the short term, but IMO will come back around to bite them down the road. (It’s one thing, as a patron, to wait because there are others in front of you. It’s a whole different level of frustration to wait because capacity is being intentionally reduced - especially in the case of PP, where there is NO reason not to load every ride vehicle!!

Just want to point out that as popular as this opinion is, there's no evidentiary proof of it. No reports of massive non-seasonal layoffs or significant reductions in hours beyond what one might expect at a slower time. When TP did their report, they saw an overall reduction of 5 percent in capacity during the week in slower times. No change at all during weekends.

Usually if you see empty carts on a non-stop, it's loading issues because of guest issues -- EVCs, slow kids, things like that. If you were seeing rides being held up until they were full, that's a different story, but I've not seen that reported.

I do think it's a fair assumption to disassociate low crowds with low waits. With the surge in FP being used, you really do have to factor overall wait times -- combining FP waits with SB waits -- to get an accurate feel for what is going on. If close to the entire FP allotment for a given ride is being used at any given time -- which is reasonable to assume with the amount of people refreshing and using FPs to their max -- then spots are going to them and therefore increasing the SB line. It's a natural progression as reservations become more a factor in WDW rides.

I also think it's kind of crazy to expect any business to have peak staffing at non-peak times -- it's like being frustrated that a restaurant doesn't have a full wait staff at 10:30 am. WDW doesn't invite you to come during slower times by promising shorter waits -- that's an assumption people make, and as the way the place arranges rides has changed, it's an assumption that probably ought to be revisited.

All that said, sorry your waits were longer than you expected.

 

[Robo]

However, when we rode SM, without a FP last week, there were two CMs standing at the top of the line, sending FP guests to the right, non-FP to the left...two CMs!!!

LEFT hand... meet RIGHT hand.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

If this really bothers people I'd suggest writing in to guest services.

They probably won't change the practice, but at least you'll have tried.

 

[Miffy]

I don't have info about the ride CMs, but we were at GFC for lunch a few days ago and the person at the front desk checking people in was also the person who seated you. She had to put up a sign at the front desk while she was doing the seating. I'd never experienced this at GFC before, so I asked, and she said that their staff was reduced, although she didn't say if it was temporary.

 

[anniemae]

I think Disney is trying to even out crowds and wait times so there is no "slow time" anymore. You will wait in line roughly the same amount of time no matter when you go. One way to accomplish this is to reduce staff at slower times. Lines increase and wait time inflate. It seems like they do not want any slow times anymore. We see constant threads about slow times, i.e. "tell me about crowds at the end of May" "how slow is the second week of July?" "Which is slower, the first week of Aug or the second week of Sept?"

I just tell people to go when it's convenient because it does not matter anymore.

 

[davale4]

Waiting for everything seems like the new Disney norm the past few years.

I wonder if it’s done with the intention to make EMM and DAH tickets more appealing...

 

[mrcase77]

Is it possible some of this is related to the labor problems they’re having? If their regular non-seasonal staff is low morale because of that... maybe not...

 

[SarahC97]

I just tell people to go when it's convenient because it does not matter anymore.

This has been a hard lesson for me, but after chasing the elusive "low crowd" times my last couple of trips I've just come to the conclusion that going when it's best for me is the best answer. I'm trying a traditionally high crowd time next time we go and feel that the experience probably won't be too much different than when we've gone during traditionally slower times and probably a little more convenient because of longer park hours.

 

[mrcase77]

I think what's throwing me as far as the theory that they're intentionally slow walking people through the lines... how does that benefit Disney? If they're trying to even out the crowds, why would they intentionally make it unappealing to go during the "down" times? Why would people take their kids out of school or risk freezing weather if they know it's going to be just as hard if not harder to get around the parks? And why would they want to entice more people to start going at time when they already know they don't have the capacity even going full tilt. And how does intentionally giving people a bad experience make sense when there are at least 3 other major theme parks less than an hour and a half away? (Universal, Busch Gardens, and Sea World) It would be one thing if they were the only game in town, but they're not. Maybe I just don't understand...it doesn't make sense to me.