28 December 2010 by by Caleb Johnson
The worst part about visiting the Most Magical Place on Earth is, without a doubt, waiting in those exhausting, long lines. But, according to the New York Times, Disney World is attempting to shorten waits at its attractions by building a new underground command center that would allow employees to intervene immediately when an area of the park becomes gridlocked, or when a ride becomes jam-packed. In the Disney Operational Command Center, banks of monitors show every nook and cranny of the park, and computers display wait times and crowd density by flashing green, yellow or red. To combat gridlock, employees can call for a parade in a less-crowded area of the park, or can send a Disney character to entertain visitors while they wait in line for a ride.
Disney research claims that, on average, visitors to the Magic Kingdom ride only nine of the 40 attractions because of long lines and thick crowds. While that average has recently risen to ten rides, Disney still has to keep people entertained while they wait. In order to combat line fatigue, the park has installed 87 game stations, each with games lasting about 90 seconds, along the waiting area for its popular Space Mountain ride.
Naturally, the Times blames Disney visitors' lack of patience on the proliferation of smartphones and video games. In your writer's opinion, that argument doesn't stick. People were bored with waiting in line long before anybody uttered "iPhone" or "Xbox." But, if any tactic can make wait times at theme parks shorter, or at least more entertaining, we're all for it.
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