Underneath the Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World in Florida, there’s a “nerve center” which has rows of TVs showing queues of people in either green; yellow or red outlines; denoting the time periods they’ve been waiting. Video cameras trained on queues feed the information into this underground fun-bunker, and overlay it with digital park maps.
While there will always be queues—you could argue that a line of people shows the ride is popular, therefore encouraging you to join the end of it—Disney honchos do try to keep people happy while waiting, claims the NY Times. They can either send more boats to collect you, if you’re waiting for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride for example, or radio in to one of the mascots to amble over and entertain. Video game stations by Space Mountain help while the time away, and an iPhone app gets people to where they’re going faster, thanks to GPS-enabled directions.
Disney World might look like just a theme park, but behind the scenes they have staff analysing hotel reservations and flights, cross-referencing the data with previous years’ attendance, so they know how many rides can expect to be in use. In the last year, thanks to all of this tech they’ve employed, the average customer has been using 10 of the 40 rides available—prior to the last 12 months, it was just nine.
In the future, though, Disney is expected to use some more “magic” with its customers, with NFC built into wristbands for paying for items, as well as allowing mascots to remember and greet returning customers. It’s not quite Tinkerbell levels of magic, but isn’t technology almost there, when you think about it? [NY Times]
bobbob
Thursday, December 30, 2010 at 8:45 PMi dont get it. Why not have a smartphone app that acts a deli queue system ?
You rock up and are allocated a number and an estimated time. You go for a wander and your app beeps when its your turn. You return and go straight into the priority “booked” queue when your due. Aslong as there is a couple of minute leeway just incase you get held up or wander too far.
I can’t stand waiting in queues. Surely this is a better way.
Even better, you tell it what rides you want at the start and the system shedules the rides you want with enough time inbetween to wander to your destination. If you want to delay one of the items there is a snooze button for the next ride that lets you push your whole shedule back. Aslong as there is a buffer time for a couple of minutes and if you miss your allocated turn you are placed back into the queue.
They know exactly how long these rides take and how many people are waiting in a queue so i dont see how this couldn’t all be automated to some extent.
Steve
Friday, December 31, 2010 at 11:09 AMHave you been to Disneyland/world? It’s a good idea, but frankly impractical. The grounds are too large, and the wait too short (relatively). There won’t be enough time to even go on a short walk around even your theme corner, or go on a ride. The most you can hope for is to lie around on the grass or get a drink.
Again, this system also takes into account that everyone has a smartphone (unlikely), and are punctual, unlikely to wander etc.
The problem with scheduled rides is the same problem with scheduled buses or trains. Only if there were 10 times less vehicles, and 10 times more people. People all know the ride schedules and with hundreds of others thinking exactly as you are, you’ll get too much dogpiling around the time the last ride is about to end.
All of these ideas are conceptually valid but impossible to enforce, especially in the crowded, sweaty shithole that is Disneyworld. Any idea of merit has already been taken on by the theme park.