Game-changers

Perhaps the most popular interactive queue at Walt Disney World is the Haunted Mansion. This queue is a departure from the first two attractions we’ve discussed as it not based solely around a game, but rather on the intricate details that make this attraction so special. The extended queue, which was added to the Haunted Mansion in 2013, gave Imagineers the opportunity to add to the backstories of various characters from the mansion thereby adding to the attraction’s story while also entertaining guests in line. From the busts of the Dread family, which serve as an interactive murder mystery for guests, to the tombs that play music when guests touch the raised instruments, the Haunted Mansion’s queue strikes a balance between having something to do while waiting in line and focusing on the story giving the ride a deeper meaning.

Another more innovative queue can be found at Dumbo the Flying Elephant. For most of this attraction’s life span, the queue was simply a series of lines, with no real distractions unless you include simply looking around the rest of Fantasyland or people-watching. With the New Fantasyland expansion in 2012, the Dumbo attraction received a number of upgrades. Along with the second spinner, and refurbished, stylish design, the classic Fantasyland ride also received a covered, interactive queue. 

Rather than having games spread out in the line itself, guests visiting Dumbo when there is a significant wait time may be given a pager, similar to what is often used when restaurants have waits. While parents sit down and relax while waiting for the pager to go off, kids are able to enjoy the circus-themed play area, where they can run, slide, climb, and otherwise burn off some energy when they would ordinarily be waiting in line.

The argument against interactive queues

Image: Disney 

You may be surprised to learn that the concept of interactive queues is actually very often debated among Disney fans. There are guests who enjoy the distraction from how long the wait times for attractions can be, however there are also guests who feel that the games at interactive queues actually hold up the line, making their overall wait time longer. But do interactive queues really increase wait times?

In general, the answer is no. In most cases, if you feel that you are stuck waiting behind other guests in a line who are really taking their time in an interactive queue, you will not end up experiencing the attraction any later than you otherwise would have. For instance, at Space Mountain, is the party in front of you isn’t moving when the line moves due to the games, the extra couple of seconds or minutes you spend waiting behind them shouldn’t make a difference. Once they do start moving, you and everyone else in line will likely end up waiting in a different part of the line. You’d spend the same amount of time in line, the only variable is whether you spend it moving right along with the party in front of you, or stalling a bit in part of the queue and catching up. 

Of course, it is not guaranteed that interactive queues do not hold up lines all of the time. If there is a very short line for a certain attraction, the guests in front of you stopping could in fact make the wait time even longer. Take the Space Mountain example. If the party in front of you stops and spends extra time at the games, but there is little or no line in front of them, then it may actually take you longer to get through the line. When this does happen, another debate arises-- should you go in front of them, or should you wait?