FOP at closing

horse11

DIS Veteran
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Do they stop the line before the park closes depenfdep in how many are in line? Hoping to get in line by 9:15 on Easter Sunday. Park closes at 9:30
 
Basically as long as the closing announcement hasn't gone off yet, you should be fine to enter the queue. For oast ride of the night, I usually shoot for about 5 minutes before park closing to be safe.
 


Our experience has been, if you are in line before the park closes, you ride the ride. NO matter what the attaction.
 
They did way back when it first opened when the lines were so excessive it would have taken till park opening the next day to finish if they hadn't cut them off early
Now, no problems. They run it like every other ride, you can get in line right up till closing.
 


Perfect timing we did it in June so the 10 year old could ride it a 2 time. The app time said 2 hours, the sigh said 90 min and it took about 45, plus we got to walk out of a virtually empty Pandora in the dark.
 
Just keep in mind that the posted wait times are intentionally exaggerated at night to discourage late riders.

On our last visit, the posted wait was 110 but we were in the first pre-show in 17 minutes.

I've seen some exaggerated wait times in the past, but that's a first for me. The best I've encountered was a 75 that was actually about 20 minutes.
 
Keep trying for a FP, including morning of your visit. Pick a day that the park is not offering extra magic hours. Arrive 90 minutes prior to published opening time. They will let you into Pandora early and as soon as the attractions clear inspections they will begin to operate, usually 20 minutes prior to published opening. If morning does not work, visit within 30 minutes of Park closing. Those wait times at the end of the night are never accurate for E ticket attractions like FOP. The wait time is adjusted by a cast member. Those cast members cannot leave for the night until the attraction is clear so they have some hidden agendas to "forget" to change the wait times at the end of their shift. Every person who boards in that last 15 minutes of operation is sure to extend their shift. The leads are in the same position so they do little to correct this. Done this three times recently, posted waits of over an hour each time, never waited more than 20 minutes.
 
I've seen some exaggerated wait times in the past, but that's a first for me. The best I've encountered was a 75 that was actually about 20 minutes.

The general rule of thumb for us is that the posted wait is probably around 4 times the actual wait close to closing time. This is done intentionally to funnel guests away from the rides and toward the gift shops and eventually the exits. The theory is that guests will avoid last minute shopping after the parks are "closed" even though many shops are still open for an hour or so after closing time.
 
Perfect timing we did it in June so the 10 year old could ride it a 2 time. The app time said 2 hours, the sigh said 90 min and it took about 45, plus we got to walk out of a virtually empty Pandora in the dark.
Oh that is AWESOME!!! Never thought about the fact that Pandora would be nearly empty! That would be an extra bonus
 
IDK..... my experience was the first December it opened and we tried to get in line about 15 minutes before park close time....sign was up saying no one could get in line,it was closed. Possible b/c it was early days then?
 
We were just there a few weeks ago and we’re at AK on a Sat for EMH so it was a pretty busy day. We got in line for FOP at 8:55 with the park closing time at 9. The wait time said 220 minutes. We were physically getting on the ride 1 hr and 19 min later. Not too bad. I’m convinced they leave those high wait times up at closing to discourage people from getting in line! It was also super cool walking out of the park when it was completely empty and dark.
 
I’m convinced they leave those high wait times up at closing to discourage people from getting in line!

Their goal is to move you toward the gift shops then eventually the exits. We first learned about Disney's "Line Stacking" techniques from the 1999 Unofficial Guide so it's nothing new and it's definitely intentional.
 
Their goal is to move you toward the gift shops then eventually the exits. We first learned about Disney's "Line Stacking" techniques from the 1999 Unofficial Guide so it's nothing new and it's definitely intentional.

I've read a couple versions of UG & this has not stuck with me. But, I've coined my own used term of 'line manipulation.' One of these techniques is to force a line out onto the sidewalk where people will be turned away when they see how long it is, then will have chunks of waiting areas with no one in them in areas that can't be seen. I've seen this being practiced at FOP, Space Mtn, & 7DMT.
 
I've seen some exaggerated wait times in the past, but that's a first for me. The best I've encountered was a 75 that was actually about 20 minutes.

My best one was back when TSMM was in its height of popularity. 90 min wait time posted near closing, actual wait time 10 min. But, since most of line is indoors, you don't know until you walk in. We have apps to help with this now.
 
I've read a couple versions of UG & this has not stuck with me. But, I've coined my own used term of 'line manipulation.' One of these techniques is to force a line out onto the sidewalk where people will be turned away when they see how long it is, then will have chunks of waiting areas with no one in them in areas that can't be seen. I've seen this being practiced at FOP, Space Mtn, & 7DMT.

This is straight from the UG:

"Often, would be riders are held in line outside the entrance until all those previously in line have ridden, thus emptying the attraction. The appearance from the outside is that the line is enormous when, in fact, the only people waiting are those visible. This crowd control technique, known as "stacking," discourages visitors from getting in line. Stacking is used at several Disney rides and attractions during the hour before closing to ensure that the ride will be able to close on schedule."
 
My best one was back when TSMM was in its height of popularity. 90 min wait time posted near closing, actual wait time 10 min. But, since most of line is indoors, you don't know until you walk in. We have apps to help with this now.

Those were the days, Shocker. I'd read the stories of guests lining up an hour or more before the park opened, then running to the attraction with hopes of riding it once before the line got too long. We'd stroll up about an hour before closing time and could easily ride 4 times back to back before heading over to Fantasmic. Then I would report it back on the site and would be told that there was no possible way that it could be true.
 
Last night (4/16) the times were posted almost 2 hrs at park-close (very crowded day). We waited ~1hr to board the ride. The week prior (4/11) the wait posted was 65 min, I believe. We were boarded in ~30 min.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top