Theater Loading (Or WDW Herding Cattle)

[PurpleKomodo]

After our last trip to WDW, I have to wonder, is there a better way to load these massive theaters? Given, we were in a decent (but not gigantic) sized group of 9. But the herd into a pre-show area and then the massive pushing and shoving game to squeeze through the open doors is really awful and makes it really hard for families to sit together. I often had to carry DS for fear of him being squeezed away from us or stepped on. We usually ended up in the very back because we simply refused to get caught up in the chaos. My step-mother is a bit claustrophobic and the whole experience was pretty uncomfortable for her as well. We also didn't usually get to sit together. I feel like there has to be a better way to do this, but I can't pinpoint what it is. Ideas? Does anyone else feel like this is an area that needs improvement?

 

[Jon84]

I think the only solutions are those that reduce the daily capacity (being seated a row at a time till each row is full), by increasing the time to enter and exit.

 

[BobC]

Disney does this on a lot of rides, such as Dinosaur, Test Track, Universe of Energy, Movie Ride. A lot of this strategy is to try to mentally make the guests 'happy' by doing this. Rather than waiting in one long line, you wait in a line....watch a video...then wait in another loading line. Somewhat breaks up the monotony, but I do agree with larger groups being broken up.

I'm typically a single rider, so I immediately scoot and stand by the exit door once everyone files in. Once those doors open, yes it sometimes is a mad rush to leave the room and enter the second queue to load onto the ride/theater.

A way to combat this I guess is to get rid of these 'holding rooms' and just have one huge line....From entrance to ride.

 

[Hummingbird]

Its also like this in the queue for Haunted Mansion. This past trip my daughter was trampled and sprained her ankle. I don't really know how this can be fixed other than like the previous poster mentioned doing away with these holding areas and just having a real line, or maybe having a CM in front at the doors (they are usually behind the crowd going in) making sure people don't shove/push through

 

[GillianP1301]

Our strategy is just to hang back (and we're only 2 or 3 of us) for the herding/theatre seating attractions. We always end up with a good middle of the row seat that way. We do travel at non-peak time so that helps, we are never in completely full theatres.

I think if I were in a large group and during peak season, I would probably just plan to split the group up. It's not like you are going to have a conversation with your family member 8 or 9 seats down from you during the show anyway. If you split up into more manageable groups of 3 or 4 people, it would be less stressful to keep track of than trying to keep 9 together. You can just meet up outside the theatre when it's done.

 

[BobC]

Our strategy is just to hang back (and we're only 2 or 3 of us) for the herding/theatre seating attractions. We always end up with a good middle of the row seat that way. We do travel at non-peak time so that helps, we are never in completely full theatres.

I think if I were in a large group and during peak season, I would probably just plan to split the group up. It's not like you are going to have a conversation with your family member 8 or 9 seats down from you during the show anyway. If you split up into more manageable groups of 3 or 4 people, it would be less stressful to keep track of than trying to keep 9 together. You can just meet up outside the theatre when it's done.

Glad you're one of those people. I hate the large groups of people that have to be together so they hold hands and tie up everything and they're the ones knocking people over.

 

[kj2mom]

This was a struggle for us, we often ended up not sitting together. I admit there was a time or two that I would remind my children that we were all going to get in and not to worry. The worst for us was at Mickey's Philharmagic. The CM had my children go right up to the line, great right? Well no, since the doors opened out they opened right into my children's face. I think that was one of the shows we ended up not sitting together (I tend to hang back where as my children stand their ground). Not sure of any solutions but in this case I wonder if it would be possible for the doors to open inward?

 

[asta]

Disney does this on a lot of rides, such as Dinosaur, Test Track, Universe of Energy, Movie Ride. A lot of this strategy is to try to mentally make the guests 'happy' by doing this. Rather than waiting in one long line, you wait in a line....watch a video...then wait in another loading line. Somewhat breaks up the monotony, but I do agree with larger groups being broken up.

I'm typically a single rider, so I immediately scoot and stand by the exit door once everyone files in. Once those doors open, yes it sometimes is a mad rush to leave the room and enter the second queue to load onto the ride/theater.

A way to combat this I guess is to get rid of these 'holding rooms' and just have one huge line....From entrance to ride.

I thought Dinosaur and Movie Ride kept you in a line the whole time. There are plenty of others that have the whole herd thing going - Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, Soarin, Philarmonic come to mind. I don't like them because I think they bring out the worst in people. This last trip we went against my nature and very consciously tried to let others go ahead of us. We still got on the rides and saw the shows and felt better and less stressed in the end.

 

[BobC]

I thought Dinosaur and Movie Ride kept you in a line the whole time. There are plenty of others that have the whole herd thing going - Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, Soarin, Philarmonic come to mind. I don't like them because I think they bring out the worst in people. This last trip we went against my nature and very consciously tried to let others go ahead of us. We still got on the rides and saw the shows and felt better and less stressed in the end.

Well movie ride does a better job at it. You do wait in a larger room but with ropes to keep you together and single file so I was incorrect with my prior post about that.

Dinosaur does load you into a room where everyone makes a mad dash out of.

On second thought, maybe Movie Ride does it the right way. Loads you into a larger holding area, but with ropes to keep the queue together and not just smashed into a single free-for-all room. Perhaps this is the fix to the issue.

 

[revdon64]

The problem with doing it like The Great Movie Ride is how long it would take to load a whole theater. The movie ride is only loading a couple cars, maybe 100 people? Philharmagic or Laugh Floor or Tough to be a Bug is loading several hundred at a time. Can you imagine the wait times if it took six to ten times as long to load those shows?

 

[Jon84]

Interestingly Escape From Gringotts at USF does a really good job of having queue and rooms, but doesn't crush in my experience

 

[asta]

Well movie ride does a better job at it. You do wait in a larger room but with ropes to keep you together and single file so I was incorrect with my prior post about that.

Dinosaur does load you into a room where everyone makes a mad dash out of.

On second thought, maybe Movie Ride does it the right way. Loads you into a larger holding area, but with ropes to keep the queue together and not just smashed into a single free-for-all room. Perhaps this is the fix to the issue.

Sorry. How could I forget that room in Dinosaur? For some reason that movie seems to go on much longer than others. I think my subconscious erased that one.

 

[asta]

Interestingly Escape From Gringotts at USF does a really good job of having queue and rooms, but doesn't crush in my experience

Our experience with Gringotts was totally different. Maybe we were just with pushy people. They take you from a line to the picture room where people get out of order and pushed to get ahead and around others. Back in a line then there was a movie room and elevators (I forget what order) but too many chances for people to push to get ahead. We were in the movie room when a big guy blocked everyone from exiting until his family who had pushed to the front of the movie turned around and pushed back to the door. It was at this point where I decided to just be the last person in every herd room for the rest of the trip.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I do get a kick out of those that insist upon scrunching their way to the doors and through them first only to find out they got an end seat as a result.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

It is not what Disney is doing that creates the problem - it is the behavior of those in "line". Everyone is just in too much of a hurry, only thinking of themselves. You really can't fix that without creating other problems.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

I get that it is a people problem, but Disney does many things to try to keep people from letting the worst come out (double scanning magic bands for FP so people can't jump the line comes to mind). I think I would be willing to wait longer to not have to be squished in between hot, smelly people on my way into each theater and trying to hold my group together for dear life. Again I say, as I have said on other threads. Disney is supposed to be a place where families can experience things together. If we constantly have to split up just to negotiate the situation, something is lost.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I get that it is a people problem, but Disney does many things to try to keep people from letting the worst come out (double scanning magic bands for FP so people can't jump the line comes to mind). I think I would be willing to wait longer to not have to be squished in between hot, smelly people on my way into each theater and trying to hold my group together for dear life. Again I say, as I have said on other threads. Disney is supposed to be a place where families can experience things together. If we constantly have to split up just to negotiate the situation, something is lost.

I get that, but we have never had to split up or join the masses in these situations. We hang back and let the "crazies" in front of us. This works for us even when we travel with extended family or friends.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

We traveled at peak season. When we hung back, by the time we were in the theater there were only a few end seats in the very back rows.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

We traveled at peak season. When we hung back, by the time we were in the theater there were only a few end seats in the very back rows.

Yeah, that is a good point. We do not travel during peak season very often. I understand your frustration.

 

[barbliny]

We just came back from a week at Disney and found this whole concept very frustrating, always has been, but for some reason it seemed even worse this year. So much more pushing and jockeying than in the past.

I have found that 'staring a whole in the back of someone's head' is actually a very good tactic. People know when they've split a group by being overzealous, and are hypersensitive to being silently admonished. Within a few minutes, there is usually a 'so sorry, are you together, why don't you go in front of us'. Or, a child calling out 'Hi, Mom' over a few people usually reunites the group.

Or, if all else fails, if you have inserted yourself into my group of 8, and think you have one-upped me, and will ride quicker ...

When, I get to the cast member at the Tower of Terror elevator, and they ask me 'how many in your party?', my answer is honest and resolute, '8', if you got in between us, you did not gain any ground because now the cast member is wondering where the last 3 of my group are - 'I'm sorry, some people jumped in the middle of us', and now they get brought around you by the cast member. Actual situation from my trip.

And as someone else said - yes, you people nosed your way into our group, and practically got hit by the opening door. Now, I can hear you complaining from your first 4 seats in the Little Mermaid show that you can't see things - karma.