What is the longest queue you have ever been part of?

[AlohaNow]

We waited in line at an open call for about 2-3 hours on Oahu to see if we could be picked up as extras on Lost. By the time we made it into the elementary school cafeteria they were packing up for the day, but still let us fill out the card with height, weight, clothing sizes, etc. They took my kid’s photo, but not mine. We were never called, alas, missed out on perhaps five seconds of fame!

 

[wilbret]

I would say queue for football games are longest for me.

Work. My office moved from 2 miles from house to 20+ miles into the city. My average commute went up to 45 minutes in and 1-1.5 hours home.

I don't have the patience to wait in lines very much, I can't honestly think of a time I waited more than an hour for a ride, but I'd say I've waited an hour a thousand times for various rides or things at parks. Now, I won't do anything over 30 minutes unless it's a one shot deal to ride something.

 

[Minnie1222]

March 4, 1995. Opening day for Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland.

Six hours, twenty-four minutes.

I was there, too! I always thought we waited for 3 hours, but looking back I think we may have waited longer than that. I remember someone in our group mentioning that we've been in line for 3 hours, and this conversation took place in the sunlight, which meant we had not reach the "dark" part of the queue yet.

 

[princesscinderella]

The queue at the Empire State Building puts Disney lines to shame it was crazy how large and how much it snaked around.

 

[NFLDERS]

Mass Polio vaccination in the 50's.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I've stood for 2+ hours at an amusement park to go on certain rides, when I was younger. The older I get, the less patience I have for stuff like that.

Ugh, I almost forgot that I waited 3 hours for a Covid test back in October.

 

[goofyernmost]

There were two and both were at the early Universal. The original King Kong and Back to the Future were easily over 2 hours each but I didn't have a watch and it was pre-cell phone. There was no sign indicating how long it was and at that time Universal was the king of hiding queues. You would think you were almost ready to join the interior and you would make a 90 degree turn and be in a whole new huge area that you were unable to see previous to it.

They were champions at the two queue line. An outdoor one which was incredibly long but not always completely visible and the internal queue, not as long but in the case of King Kong it was just a mass of people. The biggest problem was that by the time you realized that you were only half way through when you thought you had arrived at the end, you had so much time invested that you felt you would be throwing away that time if you didn't stick it out.

 

[goofyernmost]

I was there, too! I always thought we waited for 3 hours, but looking back I think we may have waited longer than that. I remember someone in our group mentioning that we've been in line for 3 hours, and this conversation took place in the sunlight, which meant we had not reach the "dark" part of the queue yet.

I was convinced that when you got to the darkest part of the queue that the ride itself was somewhere in Mexico.

 

[seashoreCM]

Best I can recall: (1) Ca. 1963 at the world's fair in New York, might have been for Carousel of Progress. (2) At Logan Airport (Boston) security ca 2001 starting a trip to Disney. (!)

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Camped out overnight holding a spot in line for U2 tickets in 1987 in a parking lot in South Philly. It was the first time I'd ever done something like this, so my parents were worried about me, naturally. I was trying to be cool with all the new people I'd met who were also camping out, and here comes my Mom and Dad walking across the parking lot with our puppy to check up on me and see for themselves that I was okay.

I'm touched now, but at the time I died of embarrassment.

 

[HiStitch626]

May 1983 waited just over 18 hours for Return of the Jedi. Obviously, this was before pre-sale and online tickets. It was also before the giant multiplexes that would have shown it on multiple screens. It was my brother and I and we thought we had a great plan by getting there so early. There were already about 50 people ahead of us when we got there. I would not do that today, but so glad I did it then.

 

[Figment of Speech]

The two longest queues I've stood in were both somewhere between four and six hours. I don't remember exactly because they were so long ago and I was young, but here they were:

(1) Worth it: Splash Mountain at Disneyland, August 1989. It had opened only weeks prior, so it was both crowded and occasionally halted for maintenance. But it was my 13th birthday, and it was my main (only) priority for the day, so we stuck it out. No regrets; it was my favorite ride until Indiana Jones came out.

(2) Not worth it: Double Dare cattle-call auditions, probably 1988. Every Nickelodeon-watching kid ages 10-14 in Los Angeles stood in a mile-long line zigzagging through a parking lot to get seen inside what looked like a warehouse but was probably a Burbank studio. We never were. I don't know what the end of the line even looked like or how the tryouts were run. At Disneyland, my mom didn't have to stay with us in line, so she went off and did her own thing, but at Double Dare tryouts, she had total say, and after several hours, she decided we were done waiting. We were devastated.

 

[JenniBarra]

Waiting to be let in for Disneyland's 50th birthday. (Bear that in mind, would-be attendees for MK's 50th! If the world is really open by that time, you might be looking at something similar I would think.) We set our alarms to get up at 3am, quickly showered and dressed, and then walked to DLR. Now, usually, there is no freaking way I would be out and walking around at that hour with just another woman (my mom) as a companion, but you would not believe how much foot traffic there was on S. Harbor! They staged the earliest arrivals within DCA and we had specific colored wristbands we had been given so that we were associated with a group. We waited however many hours until CMs led us across the esplanade, group by group in line according to when we'd arrived. There was a point when they'd stopped bringing people in DCA so we were walking by the people who had been queued out there. It was like a parade with everyone waving and cheering.

Although I did that (and it was an amazing day!), I can't hang with the craziness that is happening anymore with the D23 Expo. That's become like an arms race where the lines for things start earlier and earlier and Disney says they're not going to allow overnight camping... and then cave anyway. While I love Star Wars, I think the acquisition of it and Marvel brought in Comic Con level lines. I think there are people who go primarily for whatever star power (announced and unannounced) is going to be there.