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View Full Version : Any Interest In...? (Idea for tracking wait times)



nightdesigns
08-26-2004, 08:37 AM
This idea popped into my head, and I was wondering if anyone thinks I should fly with it.

Basically, it's a system that tracks how long wait times are and how crowded the park is. THere'd be a form for each ride where the user can input the date, time of day, and how long the actual wait time was (and probably a few other fields).

The data would then be compiled and displayed so that you can see almost in real time (depending how often someone submits data) how crowded the park is. After a few weeks/months/years the data can all be compiled together so you can see the absolute best times to visit the park.

It would obviously require quite a bit of user input, so even if you like the idea, do you think people would submit data for it?

What do you guys think?

SweetAurora
08-26-2004, 08:43 AM
CMS have a similar system that measures wait times on each attraction. I forget the official name of them, but they are "Wait Cards". The greeter of each attraction will give them to a random guest coming into the line. They will mark down the date, the ride, where the line begins, and have the guest look at his/her own watch and mark the time they get into line. Once the guest w/ the card reaches the boarding area, they hand the card to the next available CM, who will mark down the current time according to the guest's watch. We collect cards for both Fastpass and StandBy lines, and turn them into management at the end of the day.

This survey is not done every single day, though. We also usually have a park capacity estimate marked on our "daily sheets" inside the park offices. The actual turnout is usually pretty close to the estimate. I don't know if this info is available to the public, but if someone asks me, I always tell them what the park estimate is for the day.

3894
08-26-2004, 08:51 AM
Moderator's note: Thread title edited for clarity.

bljfour
08-26-2004, 09:43 AM
I have been thinking about a system like the one you suggest for awhile. The basic idea would be a little different. My idea is that guests can submit their wait times at specific attractions via text messages on their cell phones to a central server. This computer will then compile the data and construct the real time wait times. When a guest is curious about the wait time for an attraction, they send a text message (in a specific query format) to the server and recieve the wait time. I think it would be even better if Disney ran this sort of service so that guests wouldn't have to text in wait times.

SallySkellington
08-26-2004, 11:46 AM
Personally, I think the Stand-by Line Wait Time clocks work just fine.

aeolus
08-26-2004, 01:17 PM
I have been thinking about a system like the one you suggest for awhile. The basic idea would be a little different. My idea is that guests can submit their wait times at specific attractions via text messages on their cell phones to a central server. This computer will then compile the data and construct the real time wait times. When a guest is curious about the wait time for an attraction, they send a text message (in a specific query format) to the server and recieve the wait time. I think it would be even better if Disney ran this sort of service so that guests wouldn't have to text in wait times.


I love this idea. I know its not the same, but at the Warped Tour this year (a rock festival that tours all summer long, has like 60 bands) you could sign up to get the start times for all the bands on the 4 main stages. It was much nicer than writing down the times at the central board/trying to track down the central board. If Disney offered this service, for free of corse (maybe with a sponcers name attached? a cellular provider/cell phone manufacture) I would guarentee it would be a hit.

If querying the server wouldn't work, you could maybe set it up to send you updates on a regular interval you could decide (i.e. 15, 30, 60, 120 min?)

stan4d_steph
08-26-2004, 01:32 PM
Disney updates the ride board once per hour, so getting updates from them at more frequent intervals wouldn't work with the current system.

The Ride Max software developed by someone not affiliated with Disney probably contains a lot of the research described by the OP since it gives a ride plan based on time of year etc.

SCUBAbe
08-26-2004, 04:33 PM
ridemax is great...it works kind of like what you said..:)

nightdesigns
08-26-2004, 09:49 PM
My idea is that guests can submit their wait times at specific attractions via text messages on their cell phones to a central server.

That was a thought for a future enhancement.

nightdesigns
08-26-2004, 09:51 PM
It'd be really neat if people submitted via cell phone their wait times (I.E. while standing in the line for their next ride, they post the wait time about their previous ride). Heck, what else are you doing. In turn a WAP page can be accessed by people on their cell phone to see the current wait schedule.