Improving Que Lines

[SonofBaconator]

A lot of people see a long line for a ride and turn away in search of a smaller line. Would it be a good investment to add some more Flight of Fear/ Busch Garden styled ques? Enclosed ques offer shielding from the sun, AC, and theming adds a little more excitement and anticipation while waiting to get on a ride. I'm not saying add one to every ride, but que buildings should be something to definitely look into. Thoughts?

[pianoman]

If they did that for The Beast, they could have a dark forest setting with monsters lurking in the woods. When Cedar Fair took over, a lot of theming was lost. Backlot was no longer affiliated with the Italian Job movie. Adventure Express has lost a lot of Indiana Jones theming. So there's probably only so much theming they could add to certain rides for legal purposes.

[flightoffear1996]

I'm probably and odd ball here but I actually l like standing in lines.  It just makes the experience that much better.

[teenageninja]

I think you are going to see a move into more and more E-Queuing over the next 5-10 years.  Disney and Universal are heavily investing in it.  It keeps people on the midways and is thought to increase per-cap spending.

 

That being said, I don't see that happening.  I think the best you will see is some sun shielding and fans in the queue.

[rhyano]

I'm probably and odd ball here but I actually l like standing in lines.  It just makes the experience that much better.

your not the only one, i personally don't think queues are bad to stand in, Fun TV, and theme helps so much! 

[King Ding Dong]

Back in the day SFSTL used to use a lot more open air que buildings that had AC blasting but those have slowly disappeared over the years. The cost of running that much AC would be extremely expensive these days.

Setting aside my boys issues, I don't think I could stand in a 90 minute que on a summer day. I sweat way to much and drink way more water than most. A souviner cup would not suffice even if it was allowed in the que. I do carry a couple collapsable water bottles for that reason but would need a lot more and probably start having problems stuffing them in my pockets.

I agree E-que systems are the future, but they need to be rock solid. A down or jumbled system could be catastrophic.

[BoddaH1994]

I think you are going to see a move into more and more E-Queuing over the next 5-10 years.  Disney and Universal are heavily investing in it.  It keeps people on the midways and is thought to increase per-cap spending.

 

That being said, I don't see that happening.  I think the best you will see is some sun shielding and fans in the queue.

I think you are correct, and I think for the same reason Disney, Busch, Uni, etc have indoor queues.  If people are miserable waiting in the heat then they won't stay in the park as long, and thus lower per caps.

 

Fortunately (or unfortunately, if you look at it from another perspective), Ohio doesn't have the type of heat or the longevity that Florida does.  Therefore indoor queues would be nice, but they're not a necessity. 

[Gannersdaddy]

The current systems are ok, but I would like to see more fans with misters in the middle of the ques (looking at you Diamondback).  But please, add a thermostat setting on them.  I was in one on a 50 degree day and the fans were all blowing (not misting, thankfully).

 

I realize that not all of them could have the misters (thinking Vortex and slick wood / steps).

 

As for an AC que, I agree that would be pretty costly unless fully enclosed (Boo Blasters, FOF).  I guess you could use the air showers like the shops, but it seems like a general waste of funds.

 

I have not tried an eQue yet, but agree it would have to be a sturdy system.  Those that have used them, once you are called/paged/beeped, how do you enter the lines?

[CP Maverick]

My concern with current queues is the lack of accurate wait times. If I don't know how long I could be waiting, I can't start planning the next ride until after I exit.

[malem]

My only improvement would be more shading. Getting sunburned while standing in an open queue is no fun at all. (Looking at you, Firehawk.)

 

In the interest of shorter wait times, I wouldn't want queues to be too comfortable.

[pianoman]

I think one big problem with accurate wait times is the fact that they have the Fast Lane system. You might have to wait an extra 15 minutes because of the people with fast lanes ditching everyone. I understand that it's a great way for Cedar Fair to make money. I probably shouldn't complain about Fast Lane because I did get one on a busy Saturday in October. And I was with 4 other people so it was definitely worth it that day. And it's not only the ride lines. Sometimes I think they should get a Fast Lane for the food lines. LOL!!

[CoastersRZ]

Well, as stated above, parks do have an incentive to not have guests waiting in line.  Generally speaking, guests waiting in line are not spending money in the park.  So the virtual queueing technology frees the guests to spend more money in the park, thus increasing the per caps spending.  That is also why higher capacity rides are better for parks.  It can handle more people in an hour and thus those people won`t be waiting in a line as long.

 

As long as there is some shade, I can generally handle most queue lines.  I like the queues at Dollywood.  They are generally well themed, and almost always provide ample shade (and sometimes even drinking fountains in the line (same with Disney).  

[Creed Bratton]

I definitely think there needs to be more shading for the queues. I wouldn't be opposed to permanent structures for queues with air conditioning but as far as them being themed, the park would have to go more toward a theme park not it's current state of an amusement park.

[CoastersRZ]

It doesn`t have to be much.  I like the shade structures that exist for The Beast, and even Invertigo/Drop Tower.  Those do a lot more to shade the queue than the shade structures on Firehawk, and even Diamondback and Banshee.

[Rivertown Rider]

Some of the queues could use more shading but I don't think all of them need to be indoors.  I would like to see queue times posted throughout the park like they are at Dollywood.  I know they won't always be 100% accurate but it is better to have a somewhat accurate idea of the wait time upfront.  

[Creed Bratton]

The queue times are kind of posted throughout the park even if they are inaccurate through FunTV's and the digital maps.

[Italian Job 2005]

They're only updated hourly though.

Also maybe with Mike Koontz we will see the return of themed queue lines.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Creed Bratton]

I wouldn't hold your breath...while we have a pretty good themed queue line for Banshee, Kings Island isn't a theme park. it's an amusement park. Being heavily themed isn't in the current formula for the park.

[SonofBaconator]

I wouldn't hold your breath...while we have a pretty good themed queue line for Banshee, Kings Island isn't a theme park. it's an amusement park. Being heavily themed isn't in the current formula for the park.

I always considered KI to be a hybrid park. It is first and foremost an amusement park, however while the theming doesn't rival that of Disney or Six Flags, the park balances thrills and themes to make it work quite beautifully. That's one aspect of KI that dominates other parks like CP

[Creed Bratton]

Whereas I think the opposite, I feel that CP has more theme, with the likes of Frontier Town (Shoot The Budget err Shoot The Rapids, Maverick, Mean Streak 2.0, Town Hall, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, etc), Camp Snoopy, etc. but that's okay. We can have different views of what has more theming. 

[CoastersRZ]

I think Mystic Timbers will help enhance the Rivertown theme.  I do like the Frontier theme area at Cedar Point.  Other than Millenium Force roaring over head, that area of the park is very tranquil.

[King Ding Dong]

I love to walk through there, comming out of the millennium tunnel is always a letdown. Time to put the sunglasses back on and get ready to bake on the concrete. There is just something about the walk from there over to near Valravyn that just seems to drain me.

[SonofBaconator]

Whereas I think the opposite, I feel that CP has more theme, with the likes of Frontier Town (Shoot The Budget err Shoot The Rapids, Maverick, Mean Streak 2.0, Town Hall, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, etc), Camp Snoopy, etc. but that's okay. We can have different views of what has more theming. 

I was talking more along the lines of coaster theming as opposed to park theming (Banshee, Flight of Fear, Mystic Timbers, Adventure Express, BLSC, heck I'd even throw Beast a bone), but I agree that in terms of theming a park section CP's Frontier Town beats our Rivertown by far! 

 

I was hoping that KI would theme its sections more appropriately. Action Zone as a more spooky theme where old rides go to die, (or to be resurrected...). Coney Mall going back to its old Coney Island style roots of an older amusement park feel. X Base actually being something. Make Oktoberfest more German like I guess.

 

I really like how they steer Rivertown away from the traditional western theme but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be improved. I agree with CoastersRZ that Mystic Timbers will help enhance the theme 

[silver2005]

Banshee and Firehawk's entire queues and Diamondback's lower queue could be better shaded.  

[dragsterguy21]

I am the odd one out here but Diamondback needs lockers really badly. It would dramatically improve capacity. Also, why aren't all crews trained or perform equally. The ride ops on Gatekeeper, Fury 325, and Banshee and all usually super fast and are working hard. They also have very minimal lines as a result. I don't understand why Diamondback can't get this treatment. It has the most potential for capacity improvemnt and is the most popular ride. I already know that Mystic Timbers will be my favorite since ejector air is the only element i really like on a ride. I hope that mystic timbers runs with lockers that are also linked with Diamondback.

[rcwizard13]

I am the odd one out here but Diamondback needs lockers really badly. It would dramatically improve capacity. Also, why aren't all crews trained or perform equally. The ride ops on Gatekeeper, Fury 325, and Banshee and all usually super fast and are working hard. They also have very minimal lines as a result. I don't understand why Diamondback can't get this treatment. It has the most potential for capacity improvemnt and is the most popular ride. I already know that Mystic Timbers will be my favorite since ejector air is the only element i really like on a ride. I hope that mystic timbers runs with lockers that are also linked with Diamondback.

I don't think you're the odd one out on a no loose articles in the station policy on DB. I know myself and a few others on here would like the same thing. However, I have to disagree about the crew on Diamondback. No, they're not the fastest, but, due to an experience I'll describe below, I don't think they need to be faster.

Last summer, I had a ride on Intimidator at Carowinds where the crew was moving at insane power hour speeds. However, there was absolutely no line to the point they were permitting re-rides without getting off. After I had ridden back to back, they seemed to suddenly remember policy and announced we had to get off. My brother got off, but my restraint had already locked again when I attempted to pull up on it. So, I prepared to ride again. A ride op came along, pulled on my seat belt and moved to the next row. The problem? My belt was not yet buckled. She had failed to notice. So, no, I don't believe we need super speed ride crews.

[NewDay420]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but honestly the queues at Kings Island are terribly boring and dated.

[Honorarius]

I would like to see more shading... I don't mind the odd indoor queue, but outdoor queues at least let you watch other things in the park... Watching rides is way better than staring at the back of the head of the person in front of me for 45 minutes...

 

 

 

And I swear I'm not just saying that because of the indoor queue portion of Wonder Mountain's Guardian is full of shrieking little brats that realize that the noise is trapped in there and bounces off the walls and seems SUPER LOUD so we should SHRIEK AS HIGH PITCHED AND LOUD AS WE CAN BECAUSE IT'S FUNNY...
 

[BB1]

The only way to improve queue line wait times is by increasing capacity. Which could therefore could cease preffered seating, which would not make me a happy camper. However, the lines really have been improved. FUN TV has been implemented to give guests a fun experience while waiting in the line. Yeah sure, it could get annoying but it is something. In queue lines like Beast and Vortex there isn't much that could be done, nor do I believe that there should be anything placed. A queue line is a queue line, it's a way to talk with friends, or in my case catch up on Netflix shows or binge watch some tele.

[Tr0y]

The best way to improve queue lines is to not go to the park on days the queue lines are going to be long. So far avoiding the weekends, and holidays have been sure fire ways to decrease your time spent in line.. Also picking to ride FoF Firehawk, or visit Soak City first thing in the morning helps immensely as well. The only time of the year I actually wait in long queue lines at Kings Island is during Halloween Haunt.