The waiting game

If you have visited any theme park, you have experienced a line while waiting for an attraction. For years, the folks at Walt Disney Imagineering have been trying to add some fun to waiting in line or a queue in Disney terminology. Sometimes a queue can be the place where people spend the majority of their vacation. Generally, an attraction lasts only a few minutes, while waiting in the queue for it can last double that amount. I can say that it has never really bothered me to wait in line, because that is my time to enjoy and relax with my family and friends.

My vacations to Walt Disney World and Disneyland in California tend to be a rather "rough vacation" according to others. I don't sleep very much, and I am at the parks virtually the entire time they are open during the day. I just enjoy the rides and atmosphere so much. I know that the resorts and other areas of the Resort offer more things to do, but I feel that the main reason I am there is to take in the theme parks.

Well all that waiting in line I have done is about to get a little more exciting. Walt Disney Imagineers have been toying with a new breed of queue; the Next Generational (Next Gen) queue. These queues incorporate interactive elements to keep people of all ages entertained while waiting. This idea has been toyed around with for years, but has never been pushed forward as much as it has been today.

No place at Walt Disney World has needed more inventive queues than Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. Fantasyland's original and current theme is that of a Medieval Festival. This fits this area as it is located behind Cinderella Castle. At the time of construction, there was not much time or real estate to put into developing advanced queues for these popular attractions. This ended up giving some of Walt Disney World's most popular attractions a very generic wrap-around queue like many other theme parks across the United States.

This all changed when The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh's queue oddly went under refurbishment in 2010. Many wondered why a queue would close for refurbishment, but everyone was delighted with the outcome. November of 2010 brought a queue that would change the look and feel of Fantasyland for the good. Instead of the old generic queue, a new queue that resembled the 100 Acre Woods of the Winnie the Pooh stories greeted guests.

This fantastic new queue gives children something to play in, and adults to enjoy the detailed artistry. I cannot wait until I make my next trip to Walt Disney World to see this for myself. I feel that this will fit well nicely with the future Fantasyland expansion project. This care and attention to detail in such a trivial place, such as a queue, is what makes me love the Walt Disney Corporation. Currently, the next new queue is being installed at The Haunted Mansion attraction in Liberty Square. I will be excited to see what new ghouls will come alive once that queue is opened. Do you have a favorite queue or memory that you has taken place in one? Feel free to share and discuss.