Let’s Talk about THAT Disney Park Patent
What’s the worst part of a Disney theme park visit? It’s standing in line, right?
Don’t get me wrong. Disney has crafted some impeccable line queues that highlight Imagineering wizardry and astounding theming.
Still, in a perfect world, we’d all walk onto our favorite attractions in a matter of moments. Well, Disney is working toward that perfect world.
Yes, we should talk about THAT park patent, the one that could fundamentally alter the way we experience theme parks.
A Historical Problem
Since the early days of Disneyland, park guests have shared the same problem. We hate waiting in line.
Sure, Disney does its best, but line queues can get hot, sweaty, and even claustrophobic.
In 1999, Imagineers partially solved the problem through the invention of FastPasses.
This virtual system provides guests with an impressive ability. We can stand in a line that we’re nowhere nearby.
In fact, when tourists book FastPasses at home for an upcoming trip, they’re often hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the park.
On the date of the visit, Disney assigns guests with a FastPass window of an hour or so.
During that timeframe, the virtual queue effectively does the waiting for you.
I like to use the imaginary runner premise from backyard baseball, but I know that’s a bit opaque to some.
Instead, I’ll use a different analogy today. Imagine if you had a friend visit the park at the same time as you.
This really good friend would stand in line for you but then switch places with you once it’s almost time to ride.
They do all the work while you reap the reward of a short wait for your favorite attraction.
That’s the de facto process for FastPasses and other forms of digital queuing, including the Boarding Groups in place at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
This system has worked quite well over the past 20 years, which explains why the parks still used it until the pandemic.
Since then, Boarding Groups have remained, while Disney has banished FastPasses into the great unknown.
Now, FastPasses could come back anytime. What happens if they don’t, though? A recent patent filing suggests Disney’s Plan B. And it’s incredible!
About the Patent
Okay, here’s Blooloop posting the actual blueprints from the patent. Feel free to glance at them sporadically throughout the rest of the discussion.
Let me be clear that part of this patent involves computer code. Disney refers to it as Dynamic Queue Management Software (DQMS).
You don’t need to know anything about coding to follow this patent, though. It’s simple, really.
Disney factors in three aspects of its theme parks: attractions, attraction wait times, and guests who want to experience these rides and shows.
As a guest, you’ll signal that you have picked an attraction. The system will then identify a return time for you.
Theoretically, you can manage multiple requests at once. In other words, you can signal that you want to join two (or more) virtual queues simultaneously.
The DQMS, the potential FastPass replacement, finds the time when you can visit one of your attractions the fastest.
The idea is that the system populates an itinerary for you based on current park crowds and your stated attractions of interest.
Yes, Disney has patented something that would take the place of FastPass. Simultaneously, it would reduce the amount of time people stand in line.
You should think of the whole thing as the modernized version of FastPass, a technology that didn’t even exist until 1999.
At the 2019 D-23 Expo, Disney had previously confirmed that it was developing a virtual assistant called Disney Genie for park visits.
This patent may represent a part of Disney Genie…or it could be completely unrelated. I suspect it’s the former, though.
Potential Benefits
This system would come with added benefits, too. Have you ever waited on a parent to prove to a cast member that their child is tall enough?
Sure, the process is adorable and leads to joy when the kid passes the test. Sometimes, they don’t, though, which leads to drama.
Under this system, guests would input the data on My Disney Experience or Disney Genie or some similar app.
At that point, the software could perform several simultaneous checks. Do you have a Park Pass and admission tickets for that day?
Are you tall enough to ride? Have you previously enrolled in the maximum number of virtual queues for attractions?
By checking these answers in advance, Disney can reduce potential aggravation in the line queues. It’ll know who is authorized for virtual queues and make ride assignments accordingly.
You would still need to wait in line for a while. However, it would work more like the previous FastPass queues in that you’d spend less time in line.
What Disney Gets Out of This
That’s critical to Disney. An integrated, park-wide virtual line queue system works much more effectively than one for each attraction.
When a ride like Pirates of the Caribbean suffers downtime, the system would automatically push the guests toward other attractions.
This even ride distribution would work more efficiently than the current scramble drill. People either head to a nearby attraction like Jungle Cruise or a beloved one like Space Mountain.
In fact, by tying all attractions to the same virtual queue system, management can control overall park crowd flow patterns in a previously impossible manner.
Meanwhile, guests would spend less time in line, a change with myriad benefits.
Disney cares about guest satisfaction surveys more than anything else. Irritable guests hate waiting in lines. They tend to get grumpy when they do.
Conversely, people who spend less time in lines grade higher on surveys. They also spend more money, which is the ultimate goal here.
Think about the situation from this perspective. What do you do when you’re not standing in line?
You shop, eat, or drink, right? Sure, you’ll explore the parks more, too. But people tend to impulse shop more during their downtime between attractions.
With a more effective virtual queuing system in place, park officials can increase revenue dramatically without adding more park traffic.
That’s the dream for Disney.
Final Thoughts
Even as I write about this, I’m a bit stressed. Rumors persist that Disney will bring back FastPass soon, which may make this discussion feel pointless.
Some park guests have posted screen captures from My Disney Experience that show FastPass returning this week, this month, or this summer.
The current belief is that these are mistakes, ghosts in the My Disney Experience system.
However, even if FastPass does return soon, its time remains limited. Disney has doubled and tripled down on Disney Genie.
Executives have promised that this new virtual assistant will debut in 2021. Even if it misses its target date by a few months, we’re still in FastPass’s final year.
The patent Disney has filed will lead to a better version of the same concept. Disney will create an itinerary on the fly for guests.
You can list the attractions you’ve prioritized. Then, this new system will craft the best schedule for you to enjoy rides and shows quickly.
You’ll have a MUCH better time because you’ll spend less time waiting in line.
Meanwhile, Disney park officials gain an unprecedented level of control over crowd behavior and attraction throughput. It’s win/win!
Feature Image: Disney