Future World Wait Times Soarin

Disney Changes Wait Time Checking Process

Have you ever wondered how Disney knows how long it will take you to get through a queue line? Just how do they know that guests will wait 60 minutes to get on Soarin‘?

Maybe in the past you’ve been lucky enough to have been one of the “chosen ones.”

Until very recently, Disney used red cards on a lanyard to measure wait times. Cast Members stand at the attraction entrance and hand out these red “flik” cards to random guests instructing you to hand it to the Cast Member before loading into the ride vehicle. The first Cast Member would scan the card to record the time that they gave you the card, then the second Cast Member would scan the time that you handed it back in. They would adjust the wait time based on this information.

Disney displays wait times so you'll know how long you'll wait for an attraction.
Disney displays wait times so you’ll know how long you’ll wait for an attraction.

Time marches on, and technological advances has eliminated the need for these cards, though.

Since many people how wear MagicBands, Disney is going to use the MagicBands to track wait times. It’s still unclear how this will work exactly, but it is already implemented in Mission: Space in Epcot and will soon be used at Test Track.

There’s no word on when these red flik cards will be phased out completely or what attractions will be the first to get the update.

Will you miss the Disney’s red flik cards?