If you’ve visited a Disney theme park, you know how frustrating it can be to Wait in a long lineYou can also book one of the attractions. These days, some fans have voiced displeasure not just at the wait times themselves but at the fact that sometimes, the wait times posted are much longer than the wait ends up being. Now, a Magic Kingdom cast member has shed some light on one potential reason for the inflated wait times, and it’s surprisingly not for the reason many fans might guess.
Online, some fans are discussing whether the wait times at Disney Parks were intentionally inflated in order to incentivize Genie+ purchases. But it’s not over. The WaltDisneyWorld SubredditA user called aidenb981 disproved this idea and offered another explanation. They said that they don’t believe the inflated wait times are done purposely to try to upsell the new Genie service. They claimed that there are two main reasons for the difference between wait times actually experienced and those shared with fans.
The first is that it’s difficult to actually estimate a wait time, so they can be inaccurate. They prefer to underestimate than overestimate because it results in higher customer satisfaction. They also noted that cast members would post more about inflating wait times if they were instructed.
When Disney Parks first announced that it was retiring the FastPass system, some frequent park goers weren’t happy. Genie, the replacement system, doesn’t grant you access to the new Lightning Lanes. This allows you to skip certain lines for an extra daily fee. Many have not been shy about their anger that the company monetized a formerly free perk – and they’ve used social media to share their thoughts on the matter.
This information was not released by the corporation. However, that explanation does make sense – most people would probably rather wait for less time than they expect to rather than have it be the other way around. Still, some fans in the subreddit thread weren’t buying that logic. They contend that it’s still questionable that the company would allow wait times to be overestimated to such a degree when guests’ money is on the line and argue that the parks should just stop posting wait times altogether.
Long wait times have been a hallmark of Disney Parks for a long time. These are the top attractions. Sometimes, lines can stretch on for hours – which can be a problem for guests who only have a finite amount of time in the park. The company has used a variety of methods over the years to reduce frustration caused by long lines. Virtual queuing for Rides like Rise of the Resistance. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have found a solution just yet.