Credit: DisneyIf you were to ask any regular assortment of Disney Park Guests what their favorite part of visiting places like Walt Disney World would be, chances are that they would immediately say the rides. The Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Soarin’, and Test Track are all marvelous pieces of theme park magic, but there’s more to it than just roller coasters and dark rides.
Part of the reason these rides are so popular is that the attraction practically starts the moment Guests enter the doorways rather than when they sit down in the vehicles. Disney has always had the gift for immersion, and their use of theming in all their rides, attractions, and even restaurants does wonders to separate them from others in the industry. Although some Guests might have to wait up to an hour or more at a time for their attraction of choice, it’s hard to say the queues and loading areas are boring.
A recent Reddit post posed the question to Disney Guests what their favorite ride queue was, and Disney’s fanbase hardly has trouble making themselves heard. As unusual as it might seem, there is actually quite a solid audience for Disney’s loading areas. After all, many of them are entertaining and set up the scene for what they are about to experience. After all, where would the Haunted Mansion be without the graveyard out front or the Stretching Room before the ride’s official entrance? It might not be something thought about by basic fans, but frequent visitors certainly have their picks.
The idea behind many ride queues at Disney is that Guests are leaving their world behind and entering the world of the characters and movies they adore. Many rides have loading areas that feel like stepping directly into an animated movie. Disney has practically perfected this and made it into an art form, so much so that frequent guests have noticed.
u/itsasnarething has a very unexpected view when they share,
“I only ride the Nemo ride for the chance to walk through the queue. Not sure why it’s so long, but I love the transition from the beach to being under the water.”
Of course, that’s only a mild example. For a more prominent display in complete ride immersion, we need to only take a short trip to Disney’s Hollywood studios. Galaxy’s Edge is by far one of the company’s most ambitious projects when it comes to theme parks, emphasis on the theme. Readers will find comment after comment praising Rise of the Resistance, but one user says what most of us are probably already thinking.
u/that_guy2010 writes,
“Rise of the Resistance is an interesting question. At what point do you consider the queue to be over? When you sit down in the ride vehicle? When you board the transport? I’d say when you sit in the vehicle. So its queue is the best, easily.”
There’s also something to be said for the atmosphere at Smuggler’s Run. The ability to fly the Millennium Falcon is certainly one way to draw a crowd. However the attention to detail in the launching bay is also worth some recognition, especially from what Guests do not see. Sometimes the best way to get a Guest ready to ride to a galaxy far, far, away is to play with their other senses rather than only their vision.
u/PurchaseSimple9546 writes,
“I like the ride queue for Smugglers Run, it’s fun listening to the engine rev up and the workers’ conversations over the radio.”
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These are only a few examples of the many rides covered on the thread. Fans are talking about everything from the retro-futurism of Space Mountain to the now deceased Briar Patch of Splash Mountain, and they all circle back to that immersive quality Disney is known for. Sometimes, maybe long waits aren’t such a bad thing if they allow you to take in some of the sights.
What do you think of Disney’s ride queues? Tell us at Inside the Magic in the comments below!