{"id":706,"date":"2021-03-17T00:21:57","date_gmt":"2021-03-17T00:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.tedtopping.com\/?page_id=706"},"modified":"2021-03-20T01:03:17","modified_gmt":"2021-03-20T01:03:17","slug":"benchmarking-disney-emotional-queue-music-sets-you-soarin-while-you-wait","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tedtopping.com\/index.php\/benchmarking-disney-emotional-queue-music-sets-you-soarin-while-you-wait\/","title":{"rendered":"Music in the Queue"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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This Disney Queue Music Sets You Soarin\u2019<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Since the park\u2019s opening day in 2001, Soarin\u2019 Over California<\/strong> (later renamed Soarin\u2019 Around the World) has been one of the most popular rides at Disney California Adventure Park<\/strong>. So popular, in fact, that a line-up is almost inevitable. But there\u2019s good news: although Disney offers FASTPASS service on this attraction, Guests who work their way through the line will have a more-complete experience.<\/p>

In terms of a queue, this is not one of Disney\u2019s most elaborate. But it is<\/em> an excellent example for participants to study in our\u00a0Benchmarking the Disney Guest Experience<\/strong>\u00a0program because people from most\u00a0retail, tourism, hospitality and other consumer-facing\u00a0businesses can learn important lessons here.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The outdoor portion of the queue comprises a series of switchbacks. Even on a hot summer day it feels like you are making progress.<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Setting Up the Ride<\/strong><\/p>

The first (outdoor) portion of the queue comprises a series of switchbacks. These tend to feel shorter than straight line-ups because they continuously give you something new to look at. So even on a hot summer day it\u00a0feels<\/em>\u00a0like you are making progress.<\/p>

As Guests move indoors \u2013 into the main show building \u2013 they enter a themed environment that sets up the Soarin\u2019 Over California<\/strong> ride, which Disney originally described as \u2018an exhilarating simulated hang-glider flight over California\u2019s famous natural and manmade wonders.\u2019<\/p>

The things most Guests will notice immediately are that it is cool inside the building and that they are entering a fairly long and narrow room. The concrete floor slopes gently down into the attraction, drawing the Guest\u2019s attention higher, to the banners that hang from the ceiling.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The floor slopes gently down into the attraction, drawing the Guest\u2019s attention to the banners that hang from the ceiling.<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Slowly it dawns on most first-time visitors that this is some sort of \u201cmuseum\u201d honoring the aviation industry in California. Many people would recognize it as \u201cedutainment\u201d (education mixed with entertainment), which Disney does extremely well.<\/p>

The first section,\u00a0Wings of Fame<\/strong>, pays tribute through words and photographs to planes including the Spirit of St. Louis (which Charles Lindbergh flew non-stop from New York to Paris), the Lockheed Vega (which Amelia Earhart used to cross the Atlantic), the Spruce Goose (aka The Hughes H-4 Hercules, which Howard Hughes flew just once) and the Bell X-1 (in which Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier).\u00a0<\/p>

The second section, the\u00a0Hall of Fame<\/strong>,\u00a0honors the pilots and designers of those planes and others. Here you can read about and view photos of Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes, Chuck Yeager and Amelia Earhart, plus other pioneers such as Jack Northrop (who championed the flying wing design in the 1940s as the future of flight) and Kelly Johnson (the first team leader of the famous Lockheed Skunk Works).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A \u201cmuseum\u201d honoring the aviation industry in California: the first section pays tribute to planes through words and photos.<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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From the Head to the Heart<\/strong><\/p>

So, what does the museum have to do with the coming ride? Not much, really. But it does keep you focused on\u00a0something<\/em>\u00a0and helps you pass the time while waiting in the line.\u00a0<\/p>

Certainly not every Guest is interested in the museum. Some prefer to chat with friends or check their messages, and there\u2019s nothing wrong with that…<\/p>

Except that Disney Imagineers understand that a Guest who is focused on\u00a0those<\/em>\u00a0things will not be in the appropriate emotional space for what lies ahead on the attraction itself. The museum photos let you stay in your head. They convey information, facts and history, but they do not touch you emotionally.<\/p>

The queue music<\/strong> that you have been hearing since you entered the building is what does that. It touches your heart and sets you up for the\u00a0emotional<\/em>\u00a0experience of Soarin\u2019 Over California<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A Guest focused on other things will not be in the appropriate emotional space for what lies ahead on the attraction.<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Endlessly Repeating \u201cLoop\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

The queue music is an endlessly repeating \u201cloop\u201d of recordings approximately 30 minutes in length. Guests will not be in the building longer than that, so they will never hear the loop repeat.<\/p>

Disney has carefully selected the music in the queue loop because it does three specific things:<\/p>

— Commands<\/strong> interest, contributes to the sense of reality and establishes expectations for the coming hang-gliding experience.<\/p>

— Creates<\/strong> an ever-changing auditory environment, a subtle cue that helps reassure guests that the line-up is still moving forward.<\/p>

— Exerts<\/strong> a subtle influence over guests and encourages an emotional response in the same way as the music in a film score.<\/p>

For any readers wanting to sample some of the music that is included in the Soarin\u2019 Over California<\/strong> queue loop, the following YouTube<\/strong> videos each open in a new window:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The American President (Main Title)<\/b> by Marc Shaiman \u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/rOxQhaUpjkY<\/a><\/span><\/p>

The Blue Max Overture<\/strong>\u00a0by Jerry Goldsmith \u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/zCp0vOT09Tk<\/a><\/span><\/p>

The Generals Suite<\/strong>\u00a0by Jerry Goldsmith \u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/6X0FK0Hho8I<\/a><\/span><\/p>

The Trees<\/strong>\u00a0by Jerry Goldsmith \u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/PWdOWk5eGws<\/a><\/span><\/p>

You\u2019re On<\/strong>\u00a0by James Newton Howard \u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/G60gJcFcWgw<\/a><\/span><\/p>

The Last Starfighter (Main Title)<\/strong>\u00a0by\u00a0Craig Safan \u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/gqIxpixDx_Q<\/a><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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It is important to note that Disney chose these songs based on their emotional impact, not on their titles. The fact that a particular recording was once used in a motion picture soundtrack is not relevant. The \u201cfeel\u201d of the music is what matters.<\/p>\n

Several websites play music from the Soarin\u2019 Over California<\/strong> queue loop, and Subsonic Radio www.subsonicradio.com<\/a><\/span> is a particularly good one. The site offers 15 \u201cstations\u201d of Disney music, including one called Soarin\u2019<\/strong> that endlessly repeats the queue loops from Soarin\u2019 Over California<\/strong> in Anaheim and Soarin\u2019<\/strong> in Orlando (the two are similar but different), plus the music from the actual attraction.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The queue music touches your heart and sets you up for the emotional experience of Soarin\u2019 Over California.<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ready for Boarding<\/strong><\/p>

Once Guests reach the end of the museum, a Cast Member will direct them either left or right down one of two long, sloping ramps that evoke the feeling of a bare, underground corridor in a long-ago aircraft hangar. In this more basic environment, the queue music becomes even more central to the experience.<\/p>

Then, as another Cast Member directs them into the Alpha, Bravo or Charlie gate for the pre-boarding safety video, Guests finally leave the queue area behind. But many of them will have noticed that, from the moment they entered the building, music was a vital element of the theming. And it put them \u201cin the mood.\u201d<\/p>

When music is used effectively in a business environment, it can add greatly to the total experience. But when it is used ineffectively, it can destroy that experience by keeping people out of it emotionally.\u00a0<\/p>

Guests who visit the Disney parks quickly notice the extra care and detail that goes into almost everything that is there. This is what elevates Disney from an amusement park to an amazement park. And any business that follows their example in this regard can take a similar step forward.<\/p>

Now\u2026 let\u2019s discuss the ways that\u00a0you<\/strong> can apply this benchmarking experience to increase the success of your<\/strong> business.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Written and photographed by Ted Topping<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Benchmarking the Disney Guest Experience<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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