What is your ideal wait time in line?

[Mendelson]

I recently read interesting results from a survey on people and their commutes. One would assume, as much as people complain about their commuting time (mine is an hour, on a good day), that the ideal commute would be about 30 seconds for most people.

In the survey responses, however, the ideal preferred commute time was 15 minutes. Why not less? It was posited that this commute time is a person's alone time...in between co-workers and family, and the time to listen to the radio, read, decompress, etc. etc.

And I wondered - as much as I don't like waiting in line at WDW, would I really like a trip where I walked on for every single ride? Would my ideal wait time actually be 5 seconds, as perfect as that sounds?

I really think that those times in line are great opportunities to talk about and reflect on what you’ve experienced, take in the atmosphere of the queue (in most instances), and of course build anticipation. That’s just me. What would my ideal time be? I suppose about five minutes…just enough for pacing but not enough to make me impatient/bored. Your thoughts?

[McLiberal8]

I chose 5 mins - I guess it would depend on the ride queue.
I don't mind waiting in line @ Everest, Space Mountain, etc. I think in rides like ToT, if you go right on, you actually miss part of the story by walking right through the hotel lobby.
Rides like Splash Mountain or Haunted Mansion, on the other hand, especially in hot weather, I would rather just go right on.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I voted for no wait!

There are times when we would take our time going through the queue, looking at things, but I would prefer that be our choice, not because we're waiting in a line.

[Zawadi]

As already stated it depends on the ride and how many items of interest are in the queuing area. Soarin', ToT if waiting outside, BTMRR, Buzz Lightyear, Splash Mountain & Monorail have nothing to take your mind away from the wait. However, EE, ToT inside & Kali River Rapids have good theming and plently of thing to look at.

[EpcotNut]

I voted 15-30 minutes...love the queues as much as the attraction in some cases. The story is what it's all about!

[GrmGrninGost]

I like the idea of a wait of about five minutes. You can get a good look at most of the ques in five minutes plus you can get a lot of rides in with the short wait. :mickey:

[lindique]

I was in Disney World a couple of months after 9/11, when there was hardly anyone in the parks (or the hotels). Just about any ride at any time was a walk-on (I seem to remember doing all of Fantasyland in about 1/2 hour!) and, believe it or not, it wasn't all that great. I found that you need a bit of a break between rides to build up the anticipation. Otherwise, the rides just start to blend together and aren't as much fun (at least for me).

[disneymom2000]

I usually like to keep moving to get on the ride but one year there were no lines at the time I went and I pretty much saw everything by 2:00 to 3:00 and decided to go back to my resort. That was okay but I eventually went back just to walk around the park and walk through the queues to see the presentation prior to the ride. It seemed like I wasted part of my day riding back and forth whereas if I had just taken a little more time walking through each of the queues to start with, I would have enjoyed my day more. I learned my lesson that day and worked the rest of my trip according to what I learned. Now I think "this is my vacation - slow down and enjoy it all". Much better outlook.

[Tink#64]

Well I voted for 5 minutes, but I think really between 10 - 15 would be fantastic! Enough time to absorb all the atmosphere of the que, reflect a little on what we just experienced and to anticipate the next experience awaiting us, but not so long to get bored or frustrated! :mickey:

[PopPhan]

I voted for 10 - 30 minutes only because some of the queues have so much to take in....In a utopian world, there would be no lines and you could take as much, or as little, time as you would like to enjoy the queue and the ride both.

[ryca1dreams]

I agree with the "it depends" comments. Some I could walk on, some I like to actually look and listen.

[5MemphisTiggers]

"Ideal" wait time would be right at 10 minutes for most rides. There are some rides (TTA, for example) that I prefer no wait. But for the majority of the rides, 10 minutes or so builds anticipation, let's one take in the details in the que, and let's you look for hidden Mickeys!

[minniefan]

I prefer a bit of a line. I always enjoy the queue. I hate having to rush through and miss all the theming. And, I really hate having to move fast enough so the bozo running behind me doesn't knock me over.

[everyonesmadhere]

It really depends. If you go on a dark ride, you wait in a boring lines for hours. Everest has a great line.

[indytraveler]

I chose 5 min. makes the anticipation level rise a bit as you can see the loading area but you're not quite there. Let the excitement build. 10-30 min is just a little too long.

[c&d]

I voted for the 10-30. It's sometimes a nice break to just stand instead of walking all the time. Also it's nice to see the queues, we're so busy fastpassing that we forget about how cool some of the queues are.

[crltkcagle]

On our Sept trip we had no wait lines and it was great! YOu walked right in got on the ride got off and got right back on! I guess if I didn't have kids I wouldn't mind the wait but they get bored in line.

[LudwigVonDrake]

No wait is deal but I voted for 10 - 30 minutes since I figured that's a more realistic hope :mickey:

[everyonesmadhere]

On our Sept trip we had no wait lines and it was great! YOu walked right in got on the ride got off and got right back on! I guess if I didn't have kids I wouldn't mind the wait but they get bored in line.

Same, I was there in sept

[DisneyDoug2]

I like a little bit of time to look at the theme of the ride queue and take in the sounds of the ride, you have to love how the Mouse decorates his house!. If it was any other park I would have to vote for no wait time at all.

[eeyorepoohfan]

I voted for 5 minutes. It's just enough of a wait for you to think about the last ride you were on and prepare for the next. It's usually enough time to get a good feel for the queue line and all that it has to offer, yet not stand and stare at the same things forever! When we went to WDW in early/med December we actually have very low wait times for much of our visit. Some rides we walked on, others was just a couple minutes, and very few were over 20 minutes. This is actually the best situation in my eyes, because it's a little mixture and you had time to relax and have fun too!:thumbsup:

[dream6]

I said 10-30, but probably closer to 10. The waits can be pretty entertaining too if you're with the right people :mickey:

[kemps@wdw]

"Queue Time" depends on the attraction. Some have a magnificent queue area and a little longer wait time allows you to truly immerse yourself, and marvel at the intricate detail that Disney is known for (POTC, EE, TOT, Spalsh, BTMRR, etc...) and also gives you an opportunity to chat w/people from all over. However, that being said, I normally will not wait over 15-20 min for an attraction and no more than 30 min for a show.

[brownie]

I'd prefer not to wait, but there are times that you miss out on the cool finds in the queue lines. I remember hurrying through the Star Tours queue and thinking about all the stuff I was missing because there was no wait.

[CaptainSad]

I tend to go during slow times of the year. I don't like lines. I stay away from WDW during school breaks, summer, Christmas week, the two weeks that straddle Easter or any other holiday time. I'm there to hit the rides. I stay away from the parades. Less people in line.. You get where I'm going.. Show me the rides....

[diz_girl]

I also selected five minutes, but actually 5-10 minutes is perfect. It gives me just enough time for a breather and to enjoy the queue, but not too long that my back starts to hurt from standing. I can walk all day long, but standing on concrete kills my back after about ten minutes. And it's not that I'm 40, because the back pain while waiting in lines has been affecting me since my WDW trips when I was in my teens. I'm not sure why.

If I would have taken this survey five years ago, I would have thought that 15-30 minutes was great, since I only had ever gone to WDW in June (and pre-Fastpass) and SM would have a 120 minute wait. But now that I've been to WDW during the slow months, I'm pretty spoiled and won't wait for anything that has more than a 20-30 minute wait without fastpass.

[joonyer]

Like others have stated, for me it depends on the queue. for instance at Expedition Everest, I don;t mind moving slowly through the line so I have time to notice and take in all the details that WDW Imagineeers worked so hard to include. At least once per day anyway.
On the other hand, for a queue like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, I prefer just getting on the train as quickly as possible. Some other attractions are in between these extremes of course.

[xo0ally]

it depends on the ride. but also i don't mind waiting (until a certain extent) because i get to look for hidden mickeys!

[IloveDisney71]

I picked the 10 to 30 minutes but if there had been a choice of 5 to 10 minutes that's what I'd have picked.
I think 5 to 10 minutes for most rides gives me just enough time to enjoy seeing everything there is to see in the line and gives me time to visit with the people I'm with. If there isn't any wait at all I feel like I'm just running straight onto the ride and there isn't any anticipation/build-up to the ride and that's 1/2 the fun. ;)

[Gator]

Don't mind waiting 5 minutes or 30 minutes, as long as the kids are not going crazy. I would imagine that there are some times of year that a 5 minute wait is unrealistic. Shoot, even in that "not supposed to be busy" first two weeks of December, you don't see 5 minute waits unless you get there at openning.

[Loweschevy]

About 10-30 minutes is plenty for me. This is why FP is so handy and helpful. 5-10 is great, but sometimes you need a bit of buildup and anticipation as the other posters said. The beginning of October when we go is perfect for us.

[princessjojo]

For me, 10-30 min is a good amount of time. We can get there and catch our breaths without rushing in. Us and the kids can also talk about the ride and build it up before we atually ride. Its also a chance for us to actually look at each other and talk about the day without being afraid of bumping into someone who stops walking directly in front of you...But maybe I should look where I'm walking...