Let’s face it: amusement park lines aren’t going anywhere. Attendance at parks is on the up and up in recent years, forcing some parks to create diversions that make waiting more fun. Disney World is leading the charge, with games, interactive displays and other distractions to entertain people waiting in long queues. At the famous Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, an air-conditioned play area under a big-top tent (pictured) keeps the kids entertained while parents wait for a pager to buzz and let them know their time to ride has arrived.
But Disney World isn’t the only amusement park hopping on the trend. Many parks now have video entertainment that visitors can watch as they snake through lines. For example, at all 16 Six Flags parks, visitors can use their cellphones as game controllers to play games on television screens. And across the country, it’s becoming less common to wait under the blaring sun; many parks now have tents over their lines, or at the very least supply fans that spray water on visitors.
Across the travelsphere, entertainment is in high demand. Some flights even have live stand-up comedy and music on board to amuse passengers. It just goes to show that in a world where we’re used to having entertainment at our fingertips, our attention span is becoming shorter and shorter.