WHY is Peter Pan…?

[avalon451]

I was just musing as I was watching the wait times pop up at opening. Why does the interest and competition to run there at opening never die down? I’ve been hanging around these boards since 2008, and the mantra then was “PP first, always!” It’s a FL dark ride, a slow loader, just like Alice, Toad, Pinocchio. It’s nicely updated and the vehicles “fly” but… not that amazing in comparison. I recall the Fining Nemo stampede, and RSR “wide right” strategies. Now it’s Webslingers and ROTR. Yet PP is a perpetual opening rush. So funny.

 

[mom2rtk]

It's a low capacity ride with slow moving line. And it's classic quintessential Disney, perfect for all ages.

 

[Calidisneyfam]

I've wondered the same thing; and it seems to be a California phenomenon. I don't think Peter Pan in Florida has the same cult following. I could be wrong!

 

[Karin1984]

It is for all ages, but the other dark rides have less interesting vehicles, you are flying! And out of dark rides, Peter Pan is probably the most popular movie.

 

[BrianL]

It's an ABSOLUTE CLASSIC - though I like the MK version better.

 

[DisSurfer878]

I've seen it brought up before it's like a miniature thrill ride for very young children. Parents encouraging their child to be a little adventurous. It's also a classic and Peter Pan is well loved IP. Slow loading is right over here on the West Coast, but MK's Peter Pan never stops moving so that helps with line length there.

 

[bluecruiser]

I've wondered the same thing; and it seems to be a California phenomenon. I don't think Peter Pan in Florida has the same cult following. I could be wrong!

Peter Pan is very popular in Florida (although maybe not to the same level as California). From what I've seen, it's one of the 2 or 3 attractions to run out of Lightning Lane times in Genie+ earliest in the day.

 

[underminer]

For us, it isn’t so much that PP is the greatest ride ever, it’s just that we usually want to do it at least once and I would rather wait the 45 min before the park opens and rope drop it so we don’t have to wait for it later. 40-45 min wait is the “price” you have to pay on most days so if you want to ride it you gotta “pick your poison.” It’s charming I suppose but super short and slow loading. Alice is much better IMHO but there you go.

 

[ktlm]

[/QUOTE]

I've wondered the same thing; and it seems to be a California phenomenon. I don't think Peter Pan in Florida has the same cult following. I could be wrong!

It is the same at WDW. The one difference is that because of the queue area - DL has never had FP for it, while WDW had FP. We have made the dash from the front gate to PP at WDW several times. The only thing that shortened how fast the line builds was the creation of 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. I think it is a favorite for a lot of small kids and a nostalgic favorite of adults who had it as a favorite as a kid. It was DD's absolute favorite when she was a pre-schooler and grade schooler. Before WDW went to FP+ pre-booking- we would get a FP for it, use it (or wait the 2 hours to get another), and immediately get another for it There were times when we pulled FP for no rides other than PP at MK, and got 4 or 5 for it in a day. It was all DD wanted to ride. The time it was down for refurbishment during our trip even though I warned her ahead of the trip it would be closed, she stood outside of it and cried. Once FP+ started and you could only book it once, and even if you stacked your 3 FP+ as fast as possible, it was very difficult to get another PP after you used them -we had to practically run to it in the mornings, so she could get on it twice during the day. Even on less crowded days (and with the crowds running to 7 dwarfs) the standby line was usually 45 minutes to an hour if you weren't there in the first 10 or 20 minutes. I love it too- have since I was a kid on my first WDW trip.

 

[KPeterso]

For us, it is nostalgia. It was the first ride that our family went on during our first visit. So it was my first (and my Mom's too) first Disney ride ever. We try to ride it when we are in Fantasyland every couple of visits (local so go a lot).

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Nostalgia. And when the kids were little, it was a fun ride they could actually do. And I wasn’t interested in waiting 45 mins in line with them.

Now that they’re teens, I let them decide where we start and it’s not PP. So we find a time later in the day to just wait in line.

 

[Meriweather]

It's my feel good ride.
I love it.
Been going on it since my first visit in 1957

 

[Pluto468]

It's just SUCH a great ride! I think it's really unique because you feel like you're flying, unlike the other Fantasyland dark rides. It's always been my absolute favorite.

Also, as someone mentioned above, alot of people know that if they want the shortest possible line they should try to get on first thing before the lines get even longer.
One visit I kept waiting for the line to be shorter (When my kids were very small) and it never did and I ended up missing it that trip. It was the one thing I really wanted to ride all week and never managed it. So last time, in 2019, I rode it twice every day we were there even if I had to wait an hour.

It would be nice if they could improve the wait somehow, but not much space to expand the queue.

 

[disneyseniors]

I was just musing as I was watching the wait times pop up at opening. Why does the interest and competition to run there at opening never die down? I’ve been hanging around these boards since 2008, and the mantra then was “PP first, always!” It’s a FL dark ride, a slow loader, just like Alice, Toad, Pinocchio. It’s nicely updated and the vehicles “fly” but… not that amazing in comparison. I recall the Fining Nemo stampede, and RSR “wide right” strategies. Now it’s Webslingers and ROTR. Yet PP is a perpetual opening rush. So funny.

I wonder about that too, OP. We had never ridden PP before our last trip in 2019 with our grown daughter. The line was relatively short at the time(at least as short as it gets for PP), so we decided to try it. It seemed to be really popular.
After riding it, we looked at each other, and said "Is that it? I don't understand the draw here". I liked the movie of PP when I was a kid, and the remake with Robin Williams, but just don't get the attraction? I'll probably get flamed for this, LOL, and am glad others like it. For us? one and done.

 

[jujubiee4]

For one thing on a hot day it feels really cool. lol. Since my kids were small we would rush to Peter
Pan park opening. I guess a great way to start the day? My kids loved the movie. Now they are much
older they don't rush to it. I noticed they are bummed though when they see a long line.
My older daughter told me she gets a warm sentimental feeling whenever she rides it.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I think it's because it's the attraction that gets the longest line with no system to skip the line. All the other popular rope drop attractions had Fastpass. Years of training people to prioritize Peter Pan because it had no Fastpass led to this culture.

 

[SherylLC]

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that Peter Pan is so beloved because the other Fantasyland "indoor" rides are/were so terrible. Snow White (original version) and Pinocchio are so dark, scary, dreary and just plain frightening for little kids that I can only guess at what Imagineers were thinking. I personally love Mr. Toad's Wild Ride but I can see where going to hell may put people off. Of the indoor four, Peter Pan was the only "feel good" option. As a kid, I remember riding Casey Jr. and the carousel a lot

 

[cruisehopeful]

I don't think it's worth the wait. I think many people are into the competition of getting to go on it before the lines get too long over the enjoyment of ride. Yeah, it's a cool ride, but for that long of a wait for that short of a ride..... not that appealing to me and my family. I do ride it once every few years.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that Peter Pan is so beloved because the other Fantasyland "indoor" rides are/were so terrible. Snow White (original version) and Pinocchio are so dark, scary, dreary and just plain frightening for little kids that I can only guess at what Imagineers were thinking. I personally love Mr. Toad's Wild Ride but I can see where going to hell may put people off. Of the indoor four, Peter Pan was the only "feel good" option. As a kid, I remember riding Casey Jr. and the carousel a lot

Are we not counting Alice in Wonderland because of the outdoor part?

I think part of what made Peter Pan extra fun was flying and seeing the things below. None of the other Fantasyland attractions have this.

But one other factor that makes a ride popular to hit first that is unrelated to the quality of the attraction is geography. Peter Pan has many of the same characteristics in Tokyo as it does in Anaheim but it's not as popular of a first attraction there because of how they do rope drop. Usually, you have to rush from the gates and Peter Pan is far in Tokyo, especially if they close off the castle area for a morning performance. That makes attractions like Monsters Inc more popular for rope drop in Tokyo. However, in Anaheim, Peter Pan is actually one of the closest attractions to rope drop. If Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan switched locations it's possible that Alice would be the more popular first attraction.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Imagine coming up with an idea for an attraction today that would still be packing in crowds happy to wait an hour or more for it, 66 years from now (in the year 2087). Because that’s what Walt Disney did in 1955. Just amazing.