Lines

Yesterday, we made our way to one of the Disney Water Parks.  As we stood waiting to get on the longest and fastest water slide in the world (or so the sign claimed), I started thinking.  Where else in life do people pay money to stand in line for 75 minutes for an experience that is over in 5 seconds.

Why do the normal laws of economics, time and expectations somehow suspend themselves in an amusement park?  In any other context at the end of such an experience there would be complaining and anger or might even include violence and chaos in the line.  And yet, when we got off the ride, the expression from almost everyone was "Wow, I can't wait to do that again."

It made me think, "What goes on in a Disney line that makes it work while if the line at Kroger was longer than an hour it would be a mob scene?"

First, like a shopping mall, there are no clocks in evidence.  This creates a sense of timelessness.  And in the water park, where most people don't have watches or cell phones, the effect is enhanced.  You wait for a while--not for 39 minutes and 23 seconds.

Then at the beginning of each ride there is a sign with an estimated wait time.  This creates an expectation from the beginning that the experience will not be an immediate one.  In addition, there seems to be some subtle psychology going on with the posted time.  Almost always the wait is shorter than what is posted.  This creates a sense that when a 60 minute line takes only 40 minutes that you have gained 20 minutes, not wasted 40.

The lines at Disney also are not bare metal cattle gates.  The lines have elaborate theming that create an expectation about the experience to come.  There are any number of interesting things to look at.  And Disney now is experimenting with adding interactive games in the line itself.  We experienced one version of this when the Mr. Potato Head animatronic in Toy Story Midway Mania called out to Robby, "Hey, you, sir, in the white shirt, I bet I can guess your weight."  (The groan inducing response--20-30 minutes).  Efforts are made to make sure you are comfortable while waiting with shade and misters outside and air conditioning indoors.

No lines run straight and you are not able to see the load area until you are within minutes of the ride.  This makes it very difficult to know either how many people are in front of you or how close your are to the end.  In addition, some rides have pre-shows where you come to the end of the line at a large theater where there is a presentation.  The show ends, the doors open, and viola, another line.

But most important in all of this is the agreement to an invisible social contract.  Everyone behaves in orderly fashion that puts the enjoyment of the group over the individual.  In a sense, Diseny enforces what could be deemed a benign totalitarianism that the masses willingly agree to abide with.  This does not of course mean that people still do not attempt to gain personal advantage or to game the system, but in general there is the trust that the overlords will maintain a system that is ultimately fair to everyone.

The happiest place on earth requires everyone to put their needs and wants in the context of the entire society.  I'm not sure what I think about that.