in my experienceJuly 29, 2002 10:57 AM
I was on vacation last week at Disney with my wife (and we had a good time, even if it did cost us too much money). It occurred to me while getting off of a few rides that the ride was not worth the wait.
Most, if not all Disney rides, are designed to be full experiences, with "transitional experiences" leading to the core experience (the ride itself). All of which eventually leads to the horrible Gift Shop experience, with tons of merchandise and people in your way.
Nathan would have us believe that the entire experience, from beginning to end, is important. Disney clearly believes that as well. But the investment of time by the people in line needs to be more carefully considered, by those in the line. Disney has done their part, imho, by creating employing "transitional experiences" and more importantly, a Fast Pass system where you go to the ride and get a pass with a time stamp on when to return for the ride. When you return, your wait will be significantly less, and lowers the personal time investment and increases the value of the ride (and it seems to be inversely proportional). Too bad all of the rides are so short that even a 10 minute wait is often too long.
To be honest, the huge wave pool with a real, breaking, 6 foot wave coming out every 90 seconds was the highlight of the trip.