Tiana’s Bayou Journey is the reimagined experience changing Splash Mountain in Frontierland. Walt Disney Global has already introduced that the new enchantment will use a digital queue right through its preliminary opening days and can be offering Genie+ line-skipping provider. Whilst we view this information as most commonly certain, Magic Kingdom nonetheless must make extra operational, Lightning Lane, further hours, and VQ adjustments.
It is because Magic Kingdom would be the park with essentially the most experience entry ‘quirks’ come June 28, 2024. As issues lately stand, it’ll be the one park with two digital queues. The one park with two Person Lightning Lane sights. The one park that doesn’t open all of its headliners for Early Access. And so forth.
Magic Kingdom is in a position to “escape with” those operational quirks as it has the inner most experience roster. It’s the one park at Walt Disney Global that approaches Disneyland when it comes to experience density, so even with some visitor unfriendly insurance policies and protocol, Magic Kingdom nonetheless isn’t just about as irritating as, say, Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Nonetheless, it will be great if the preferred theme park at Walt Disney Global made a couple of extra adjustments within the identify of the visitor revel in. Right here’s what we remember…
Quick-Lived Digital Queue for Tiana’s Bayou Journey – When Tiana’s Bayou Journey opens on June 28, it is going to use a digital queue. Visitors can request to enroll in the digital queue by means of the My Disney Revel in app at one in every of two occasions: 7 a.m. or 1 p.m. Whilst a standby queue might not be to be had right through the enchantment’s preliminary opening days, Walt Disney Global expects to open a standby line quickly after the enchantment’s opening.
This strongly suggests Tiana’s Bayou Journey received’t have a digital queue for just about so long as another experience at Walt Disney Global. For sure not anything like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is occurring two years of a VQ at this level. However the enchantment’s “preliminary opening days” remains to be obscure and open to interpretation.
Our bet is that that is extra just like the digital queue for Moana’s Adventure of Water. (Take into account that? Chances are you’ll no longer as it was once so short-lived!) The most obvious distinction between the 2 is that Tiana’s Bayou Journey is a real experience–a reimagining of probably the most in style sights in all of Walt Disney Global–while Moana’s Adventure of Water is a walk-through. Now not rather the similar when it comes to call for.
Possibly a extra apt comparability is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland, which dropped its digital queue not up to a month after opening. In order that narrows down the variability from a couple of days to a couple of month for the Tiana’s Bayou Journey digital queue. Our bet is that the digital queue for Tiana’s Bayou Journey is retired through July 8, 2024 at the most recent.
That could be overly positive, however I in point of fact don’t assume so. Walt Disney Global’s verbiage of “preliminary opening days” suggests it’s no longer lasting till August. That’s the beginning of the low season, so unquestionably it’ll be lengthy long gone through then, proper? RIGHT?!?
Whilst we’re primarily on board with a couple of days to per week or so of a digital queue to steer clear of ~300 minute posted wait occasions, the rest greater than that borders on inflicting extra issues than it fixes. Right here’s hoping the TBA VQ may be very short-lived!
Dynamic Digital Queue for TBA – One of the crucial courses realized from the digital queue for Moana’s Adventure of Water is that water-based sights don’t seem to be as in style as soon as the solar is going down. In point of fact, this wasn’t a brand new lesson. Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids have existed at Walt Disney Global for many years, and this dynamic has performed available in the market for ages.
When it first opens, there can be no scarcity of call for for Tiana’s Bayou Journey in any respect hours of the day. It might be 11 p.m., and visitors will nonetheless be returning to the digital queue. It is helping that Magic Kingdom has so much to do and past due June can be lovely scorching, even within the night time.
However that received’t closing lengthy. I’d give it a few weeks, at maximum. Even in the summertime months, Splash Mountain had a lot shorter wait occasions at evening–as soon as there was once no solar for a loose “dry cycle.” If Tiana’s Bayou Journey does, for no matter reason why, stay the digital queue after July 8, then Disney will want to make use of the digital queue dynamically, in line with call for. Now this is a lesson realized from Moana’s Adventure of Water, which used the digital queue right through the daylight rush however introduced open-access at evening.
Tiana’s Bayou Journey will wish to do the similar factor if the digital queue lasts greater than per week. In a different way, there can be numerous indignant visitors who get close out of the digital queue as a result of they didn’t have speedy sufficient arms to attain a place right through the millisecond it was once open…handiest to peer the experience dispatching empty logs on the finish of the evening!
Open TBA for Prolonged Hours – Whilst Walt Disney Global has introduced that Tiana’s Bayou Journey will use a digital queue right through its preliminary opening days, they’ve been silent as to its standing right through Prolonged Night time Hours. This isn’t essentially motive for fear, as different sights haven’t had VQ main points published for Prolonged Night time Hours till nearer to opening. So there’s nonetheless time for Tiana’s Bayou Journey.
Value noting is that the primary Prolonged Night time Hours at Magic Kingdom after Tiana’s Bayou Journey opens isn’t scheduled till July 3, 2024. Our wager is that Walt Disney Global will stay the digital queue in position right through customary working hours during the Independence Day vacation weekend, shedding the VQ through July 8 (give or take).
That may imply that there’s a minimum of that one Prolonged Night time Hours when Tiana’s Bayou Journey might be the use of a digital queue right through daylight operations. In such situations, there would typically be a 6 p.m. digital queue access time for Prolonged Night time Hours. That’s lately how entry to TRON Lightcycle Run works right through ExEH.
Without reference to how lengthy the digital queue lasts for Tiana’s Bayou Journey right through the day, we are hoping that the experience is each open right through Prolonged Night time Hours and makes use of a standby line right through the bonus time. Given the lessened acclaim for water rides at evening, we expect this turns out affordable. Although the standby line finally ends up being lengthy, so what? Let folks wait in lengthy strains in the event that they so want.
Downgrade Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate to Genie+ – This curler coaster is now a couple of decade outdated, however stays very talked-about and its Person Lightning Lanes promote out with regularity. I don’t see cases converting between now and Past Giant Thunder to materially affect its reputation.
It’s additionally extra of a identified amount; much less refurbishment-intensive and climate dependent. Which means Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate may just proceed to promote out ILLs indefinitely on a extra constant foundation than Tiana’s Bayou Journey over the process the following decade, no longer simply the following few years. Which is most definitely why Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate is protecting its ILL standing and Tiana’s Bayou Journey is becoming a member of Genie.
Even supposing ILLs would proceed to promote for Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate for future years, the similar might be mentioned for the more recent Slinky Canine Sprint at DHS, and but, that’s a Genie+ enchantment. It’s additionally simply no longer a just right glance to rate for a decade-old experience at a time when Walt Disney Global is repeatedly accused of being grasping. All issues regarded as, the protected and guest-friendly transfer is downgrading Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate.
In truth, Walt Disney Global would possibly nonetheless pop out forward shifting Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate to Genie. They might rate much more for the package and extra visitors would purchase it because of the much more stacked experience roster. However from my standpoint, this most commonly comes all the way down to pay-per-ride standing being extra palatable if it’s reserved for handiest the most recent and largest experience in every park this is in very top call for, however low provide. TRON Lightcycle Run suits the invoice, Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate does no longer.
Drop TRON Lightcycle Run’s Digital Queue – The digital queue for TRON Lightcycle Run has wiped out its usefulness and the enchantment would now be higher served through a standby line. Now not handiest would this enhance potency (there are occasions when it dispatches empty seats very first thing within the morning or past due at evening), nevertheless it’s the visitor pleasant factor to do.
And I say that as any individual who in my opinion advantages significantly from digital queues, so this standpoint is towards my very own self-interest! I really like digital queues as a result of I’m just right at them. In the event you’re studying this, you most likely are, too. Digital queues are nice for folks like us as a result of they serve as in a similar way to how loose FastPass used to paintings–even though the go back strains have got worse this 12 months. At minimal, they’re extra environment friendly than ready in a standby line and/or are less expensive than purchasing an Person Lightning Lane.
I’m doing TRON Lightcycle Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind nearly each and every unmarried time I seek advice from Magic Kingdom or EPCOT–even on days which are “only for amusing” with out a technique or analysis time table. The one different headliner enchantment I experience up to the ones two is Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate (can’t face up to on the finish of the evening when it’s a walk-on). That the majority indubitably would no longer be true if the rides have been posting 90+ minute standby wait occasions–and each would however for the digital queue.
I do know I’m no longer on my own on this. A large number of different Annual Passholders and locals who would another way cringe at top standby wait occasions are doing Cosmic Rewind and TRON Lightcycle Run each and every unmarried seek advice from. The object is that experience capability is a zero-sum sport. If the digital queue is filling up with a host of APs and locals who would skip a 90-minute standby wait, the ones spots are coming on the expense of any individual else.
The “losers” are disproportionately first-timers and technology-averse visitors. Those persons are frequently oblivious to digital queues or not able to enroll in for no matter reason why, however lots of them are prepared to attend in a protracted standby line. The ‘balking level’ is upper for them–they’ve by no means carried out the experience and its advertising and marketing would possibly’ve been some of the causes they booked the Walt Disney Global travel within the first position!
Those are the very demographics that, individually at the same time as a biased and self-interested Annual Passholder, Walt Disney Global will have to be favoring. It’s most definitely higher for the sake of visitor delight and growing new enthusiasts to make issues more straightforward for those folks, and eliminating one layer of friction. At this level, there’s little compelling reason why for TRON Lightcycle Run to nonetheless have a digital queue. Shift to standby, let it put up 90+ minute wait occasions, and folks will prioritize accordingly. And once more, that’s no longer the one get advantages–it will additionally build up potency within the evenings and mornings. Talking of which…
Open TRON Lightcycle Run Early – We’ve been pronouncing for years now that Magic Kingdom is the worst park for Early Access. The mix of the 9 a.m. opening plus a restricted experience roster plus Walt Disney Global’s most well liked park is a recipe for crowds and unusually lengthy strains. I’ll have a complete document quickly, however suffice to mention, my most up-to-date Early Access take a look at runs didn’t pass so smartly.
There are a couple of imaginable fixes for this, however essentially the most sensible one is working TRON Lightcycle Run right through Early Access. If it didn’t have a digital queue, it nearly surely would perform right through Early Access because it’s in Tomorrowland. Even supposing it will induce some added call for, I’d danger a bet that the additional capability can be a internet certain, relieving force on Seven Dwarfs Mine Educate and House Mountain. That further half-hour additionally method extra visitors may just experience over the process the day. It’s a win-win transfer.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What operational, Lightning Lane, further hours, VQ (and so forth.) adjustments do you want to peer made in Magic Kingdom? Are you excited for the hole of Tiana’s Bayou Journey at Magic Kingdom? Happy that it’ll have a restricted time digital queue for the preliminary opening length, or would you favor a multi-hour standby line? What about TBA getting Genie+ standing versus an Person Lightning Lane? Do you compromise or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we will allow you to solution? Listening to your comments–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please percentage your ideas beneath within the feedback!