So you have arrived at Disney World and you now wish you go on your first ride. However, as you approach the line, you noticed a wait time posted for 75 minuets! Although this is long, you get into the line anyways and begin your wait. Why?
Well, the obvious answer is that you have no other choice. You can either wait in the line, or miss out on a ride. But a deeper answer is that you trust that the line you have jumped into will eventually meet an end, and along the way you will encounter entertainment, suspense, and fun!
Disney utilizes a number of methods to make your wait time feel shorter and much more enjoyable than it probably is. And it all starts with the queue. Each ride offers a unique and well deisgned queue line that often tells a story or reveals fun facts about the theme.
However, in addition to a visually appealing queue line, Disney Imagineers have spent countless hours creating a line that often hides the true length and wait, and includes hands on activities along the way. This tactic is something that we call The Disney Queuing Theory.
The idea behind the Disney Queueing Theory is that it is "centered on keeping patrons entertained — to turn waiting in line into its own kind of amusement."
We could see this in a variety of ways, but the most common thing that you will see is interactive lines!
Lines at Disney could include anything from games for children, to artistic activites. Or even include tasks and missions to complete, or fun projects to build. These activities are made to be fun, but the are also created as a distraction. The more you focus on something fun and entertaining, the less you think about how long the line is taking. We call this concept The Dual-task paradigm.
This is the idea that focusing on more than one task at a time makes a process or wait feel faster than it actually is. Disney is a master at the concept. One tunnel after another, they feed you games, projections, and fun settings to keep your mind engaged while you are walking through the queue. As you become more and more engaged in the theming, you simultaneously become less worried about the wait time.