Queue Review - Astro Orbiter

The Dumbo on a Rocket Ship ride has had several names, locations, and designs, all of which have a lousy queue.  The ride capacity ain't great, and as they are designed to have a tiny footprint, the queues are tiny as well.

Tokyo Disneyland - Star Jets

Strangely, Tokyo has the lamest version.  It's the only non-steampunk one, and has the ultra-futuristic Space Shuttle motif.  Like Magic Kingdom it has an elevator, but here the ride sits sadly by itself, though that may be less sad than being next to a defunct Peoplemover track.

Normally something like an elevator would break up the monotony of a rail switchback, but it's such a normal, non-spacey elevator that it just makes things awkward.



Disneyworld - Magic Kingdom - Astro Orbiter

I hate this queue.  I know, intellectually, that the reason there is a line, any line, is that I'm waiting for the people that got there before me to finish whatever they're doing.  I know this, but watching these people while I'm waiting is just frustrating, which is why I'm in favor of any queue that has separate load and unload stations.  Here we:

• See all the guests waiting in front of us in the switchbacks
• Wait for guests to unload from the elevator before getting on
• and wait again at the top for the ride to finish and unload

Additionally, I know that once I'm on that elevator, my ride will start at the same time as everyone else in the elevator, but there's still the instinct to try to get in and out faster than everyone else, or to jockey to the front once the elevator unloads.  

The only saving grace is that the switchbacks are within the proximity of the TTA Peoplemover, and they are sometimes adjacent during the rare times the TTA has a line.

Disneyland - Astro Orbiter

Those stupid elevators are the only thing that let Disneyland's uncovered, unthemed, outdoor switchbacks to come in third.  I would say that there is some nice nearby theming, but I never got the whole Flintstones motif for Tomorrowland.

Hong Kong Disneyland - Orbitron

Better than Disneyland because at least it's covered.



Disneyland Paris - Orbitron

Still not a great queue, but at least they used the fake rock walls instead of rails or chains for the switchbacks.