Would you pay someone to stay in line for you?

[agame2323]

I recently read a story about a man who makes a living standing in line for strangers, or people who didn't want to stand in line for themselves. This got me thinking... could something like this find it's way into Disney parks? Before you say anything... according to guess services(I contacted them), there isn't a rule or restriction that says this can't be done. I may cause other guess to freak out. However, paying someone's park ticket just to have them stand in line for you (and paying them for the time spent in line) seems a bit ridiculous.

To give you idea of price, a 2hr wait would cost roughly $90 and an additional $10 for every half hour after that. So that 3hr wait for TS would run you about $110 per person.

A colleague of mine who plans on visiting WDW for GE said this might be his strategy to avoid long lines and wait times. He's a huge Star Wars fan but has back problems and as a result, has trouble standing long periods at a time. I guess it has a lot to do with how you value time and of course, if you can afford it.

From a strategic stand point, staying offsite will give you to chance to stay at a cheaper hotel. No 90 FP window BUT, you don't care because you have a someone standing in line for you, no matter how long the wait.

Personally, I would rather take advantage of the system Disney has in place. (FP, staying onsite, rope drop...etc) But as crowds become larger and new attractions draw incredibly long wait times, I can see people getting more creative towards their approach.

 

[FCDub]

No

 

[SinCityMMAFan]

Heck no especially with events like After Hours and Early Morning Magic around.

 

[NickC]

I wouldn't. I've only waited over an hour once. That was when TSMM first opened. It was brutal, but there were some nice family moments. I wouldn't wait that long again, but I certainly wouldn't pay someone to wait for me.
Luckily, all of my favorite rides have the shortest lines.

 

[DisDreaming4116]

I had to Google this idea after reading your post and sure enough, it's become quite a business. If people are willing to pay someone $325 to wait in line at the Apple store to buy a new iPhone, then someone will be willing to pay $$$ to get into SWGE.

 

[richmo]

No way.

Disney insulates themselves from a lot of this with their queue design. Where you get on the ride is generally nowhere near nor visible from where you get in line...and I think they had a crack down on the disabled passes awhile back.

 

[orangecuse]

I feel like it’d be essentially impossible right? For some of those rides how would you even know when your stand in got to the front? And how would you get up to switch with them? I also feel like the CMs at the rides and all of the other guests would have choice words at someone shoving through for a swap haha I guess I get the logistics if you were paying someone to wait in line to buy something (just have them buy it for you) but otherwise I don’t get how this is a business haha

 

[mustinjourney]

how would you actually do this though? You have someone stand in line, and then they text you when they're close to the front?

And then what?

You stroll up to the standby queue and tell everyone to let you pass? I'm sure that'll go over very well.

 

[subtchr]

What the others have said. The way Disney queues are designed, this is not practical or even possible, really. So someone waits in the line for you and gets to the loading area for an attraction. How do you get there to take his place?

 

[YawningDodo]

My thoughts:

1. The logistics of this are pretty bad given the way the queues at Disney are set up. You're not having someone line up outside a store and then strolling up on the sidewalk; you're trying to fight your way upstream through an enclosed standby line and you'll have to convince all the people ahead of you that no really, you have someone waiting up at the front for you.
2. For $125 you could buy a ticket to DAH and ride Toy Story Mania multiple times, plus "free" snacks and access to other rides. Paying $110 to skip the line once is just silly. If you have the money to have someone wait in line for you on multiple rides, you probably have the money to book a VIP tour and skip the lines in a less disruptive fashion.
3. If your friend can't stand for long periods of time, he should contact guest services about services available to guests with disabilities, and/or he should plan to rent an ECV or wheelchair and explain at the queue entrance that he needs to remain seated while in the queue.

 

[BadPinkTink]

This goes on A LOT at Disney but they are very clever about it. There is a huge business of AP holders and CM's making money on the side by being unofficial tour guides and waiting in line for people. Disney make it clear that this type of thing is a big no no and AP holders if caught can be banned and CM's if caught can be fired.

They meet you outside the gates and thats when you pay them. Then you all go into the park together. The unofficial guide will then wait in line, get Fastpasses for you, buy merchandise, stake out a spot for parades etc etc. Many people want a personal guide in the parks but dont want to pay Disney prices for the official plaids.

Its just the same as the personal shopper AP holders, who sell stuff online. They use their AP to get a discount and then sell online for profit. Again Disney dont like this and have started banning AP holders.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I recently read a story about a man who makes a living standing in line for strangers, or people who didn't want to stand in line for themselves. This got me thinking... could something like this find it's way into Disney parks? Before you say anything... according to guess services(I contacted them), there isn't a rule or restriction that says this can't be done. I may cause other guess to freak out. However, paying someone's park ticket just to have them stand in line for you (and paying them for the time spent in line) seems a bit ridiculous.

To give you idea of price, a 2hr wait would cost roughly $90 and an additional $10 for every half hour after that. So that 3hr wait for TS would run you about $110 per person.

A colleague of mine who plans on visiting WDW for GE said this might be his strategy to avoid long lines and wait times. He's a huge Star Wars fan but has back problems and as a result, has trouble standing long periods at a time. I guess it has a lot to do with how you value time and of course, if you can afford it.

From a strategic stand point, staying offsite will give you to chance to stay at a cheaper hotel. No 90 FP window BUT, you don't care because you have a someone standing in line for you, no matter how long the wait.

Personally, I would rather take advantage of the system Disney has in place. (FP, staying onsite, rope drop...etc) But as crowds become larger and new attractions draw incredibly long wait times, I can see people getting more creative towards their approach.

Absolutely not. Outside of the cost associated with it, it's really difficult to get to your place in line as the line moves forward with the design of ride queues and to add, very frowned upon by those standing in line. We witnessed a man do this at FOP (not sure if they were paid to stand in line or not) but someone challenged him when he tried cutting everyone saying he was meeting his family. He encountered a CM giving out ride line timecards. CM escorted this man to his "family" which shortly after he was escorted out of line. Pretty sure for long ride lines this probably becomes an issue and may or may not even really work. I have seen ride lines get so long that people need to use the restroom so they get out of line and come back but bc they had witnesses, they were ok but people get pretty cranky after standing in line for over an hour.

 

[agame2323]

I feel like it’d be essentially impossible right? For some of those rides how would you even know when your stand in got to the front? And how would you get up to switch with them? I also feel like the CMs at the rides and all of the other guests would have choice words at someone shoving through for a swap haha I guess I get the logistics if you were paying someone to wait in line to buy something (just have them buy it for you) but otherwise I don’t get how this is a business haha

To my understanding the communication via cell phone and a designated "meet up" time. In other words... Its 1:00pm and I'm paying you to stand in line until 2:30pm. Once 2:30 hits... we exchange places in line regardless of where the stand-in person is.

 

[agame2323]

I don't think the goal is to necessarily have the "stand-in" person stand in-line until she or he reaches the loading zone. I think its just an agreed on block of time. IF... TSM has a 3hr wait... I'll pay you to stand in line for 2.5 hours and wherever you end up is where you end up.

 

[richmo]

I don't the goal is to nessessaily have the "stand-in" person stand in-line until she or he reaches the loading zone. I think its just an agreed on block of time. IF... TSM has a 3hr wait... I'll pay you to stand in line for 2.5 hours and wherever you end up is where you end up.

But, how are you supposed to get to that spot in line? Heck, you get really long looks (or worse) if you're trying to get back in line from a bathroom run.

 

[Dug720]

I recently read a story about a man who makes a living standing in line for strangers, or people who didn't want to stand in line for themselves. This got me thinking... could something like this find it's way into Disney parks? Before you say anything... according to guess services(I contacted them), there isn't a rule or restriction that says this can't be done. I may cause other guess to freak out. However, paying someone's park ticket just to have them stand in line for you (and paying them for the time spent in line) seems a bit ridiculous.

To give you idea of price, a 2hr wait would cost roughly $90 and an additional $10 for every half hour after that. So that 3hr wait for TS would run you about $110 per person.

A colleague of mine who plans on visiting WDW for GE said this might be his strategy to avoid long lines and wait times. He's a huge Star Wars fan but has back problems and as a result, has trouble standing long periods at a time. I guess it has a lot to do with how you value time and of course, if you can afford it.

From a strategic stand point, staying offsite will give you to chance to stay at a cheaper hotel. No 90 FP window BUT, you don't care because you have a someone standing in line for you, no matter how long the wait.

Personally, I would rather take advantage of the system Disney has in place. (FP, staying onsite, rope drop...etc) But as crowds become larger and new attractions draw incredibly long wait times, I can see people getting more creative towards their approach.

The only place I have ever seen/heard of paid line sitters is for Shakespeare in the Park during the summer in NYC. People would offer their services on things like Craigslist to get in line at some point overnight to get the 2 free tickets per person. I know the Public cracked down on it, sometimes "hiring" the people themselves and then getting pictures of the people selling their services as it is to be free for all as long as you wait in line. (For some Broadway shows that have rush, there was a ring of people who would wait online for a fee. Jersey a Boys got really bad - that was student rush, so you had to have a student ID and there was a ring headed by a thug who hired students to get the tickets and would then sell them at a huge mark-up. And it was a large ring because you could only get them once a month or every two months. They finally got busted (and JB changed heir rush policy) when they beat up the father and oldest brother of a family who had waited in line since about 2am (people are crazy) and refused to yield their place to the thug's people who tried to lie to the theatre staff about when they had gotten there. The family took time-stamped pics of when they arrived, and the hirees tried to steal and break the camera. It was nasty. Cop some were called and everything.)

 

[DWillowBay]

Oh my word! Just when you think the bottom can't go any lower....

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Considering I would not go on an attraction where I'd have to wait more than 20 minutes no I absolutely would not pay someone to wait in the line.
I'll do it myself. I can handle 20 minutes.

 

[FigmentSpark]

For the price of someone standing in all the lines for you, you could likely buy a VIP ticket.

 

[Disneylvr1971]

When FOP was new we were given a card when we entered that stated there were no restrooms, etc and you would not be allowed back in line if you left. So I'm guessing that the new SWGE rides may be like that for awhile.