Methods for minimizing wait times for theme park patrons

A method for minimizing the wait time for admission of an individual patron or a plurality of patrons to an attraction in a theme park environment,

• wherein:
• said theme park environment comprises a plurality of patrons seeking to partake of a plurality of attractions,
• each attraction operates in either a batch-fill mode or constant throughput mode;
• each attraction operating in a batch-fill mode has a pre-determined attraction capacity per run cycle, wherein each run cycle is of a pre-determined duration,
• each attraction operating in a constant throughput mode allows for a range of transit times through said attraction;
• each patron may optionally express one or more preferences regarding which attractions to visit and when, the sequence of attractions to visit, which zone(s) within the theme park environment the patron wishes to visit and when, the time allotted between entry into each attraction, and, for attractions operating in the constant throughput mode, the time allotted to visit each such attraction, and
• patrons are permitted access to each attraction on a priority basis established on a first-in, first-out basis, or by a schedule which allocates report time(s) for each attraction,
• said method consisting essentially of:
• transmitting to each patron, via a suitable vehicle, a schedule of report time(s) for one or more attraction(s) for which said patron would like to gain entry, wherein the schedule is established taking into account the number of patrons authorized to enter a given attraction at a given report time, the duration of the run cycle for each attraction, when a request for priority boarding is submitted, and the patron's personal preferences;
• populating the attraction up to a pre-determined percentage of the attraction capacity with patrons awaiting boarding on a first-in, first-out basis, and thereafter
• optionally, at the park operator's discretion, populating as much of the remaining capacity of said attraction as deemed appropriate, with patrons having the allocated report time, without reserving space for patrons having the allocated report time who are not present at the attraction at the allocated time.

A method for managing the loading of a plurality of patrons on a plurality of attractions in a theme park environment,

• wherein:
• said theme park environment comprises a plurality of patrons seeking to partake of a plurality of attractions,
• each attraction operates in either a batch-fill mode or constant throughput mode;
• each attraction operating in a batch-fill mode has a pre-determined attraction capacity per run cycle, wherein each run cycle is of a pre-determined duration,
• each attraction operating in a constant throughput mode allows for a range of transit times through said attraction;
• each patron may optionally express one or more preferences regarding which attractions to visit and when, the sequence of attractions to visit, which zone(s) within the theme park environment the patron wishes to visit and when, the time allotted between entry into each attraction, and, for attractions operating in the constant throughput mode, the time allotted to visit each such attraction, and
• patrons are permitted access to each attraction on a priority basis established by a schedule which allocates report time(s) for each attraction, and optionally, for those who elect not to obtain boarding priority, on a first-in, first-out basis,
• said method consisting essentially of:
• soliciting from each patron a priority request for allocation of report time(s) for one or more attraction(s) which said patron would like to experience, taking into account the number of patrons authorized to enter a given attraction at a given report time, the duration of the run cycle for each attraction, the time to be allotted between attractions, the number and location of the attractions of interest, when a request for priority boarding is submitted, and the patron's personal preferences, the priority request being entered into a centralized database that monitors the number of patrons allowed to enter a given attraction, and the duration of the run cycle for each attraction;
• transmitting to each patron allocated report time(s) via a suitable vehicle,
• populating the attraction up to a pre-determined percentage of the attraction capacity with patrons having the allocated report time, without reserving space for patrons having the allocated report time who are not present at the attraction at the allocated time, and thereafter
• optionally, at the operator's discretion, populating the remaining capacity of said attraction with patrons awaiting boarding on a first-in, first-out basis.