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Original poster

What's the longest physical queue you have been in?

95 replies

cakeorwine · 17/09/2022 10:43

Obviously queue related.

I think it has to be a theme park ride. And only an hour.

I know people queue for other things, camp out over night in a queue...so what was yours? And was it worth it? Which I guess it was as you spent so long queuing

OP posts:
NooNakedJacuzziness · 17/09/2022 12:59

Waiting for a cable car in San Francisco, although we were entertained by a man trying to escape from some chains and claiming he'd just been released from an asylum. I put my back out in that queue so dread having to line up for a long time.

Unforgettablefire · 17/09/2022 13:05

Pixiedust49 · 17/09/2022 10:49

Waiting to see U2 in the 90s. About 3 hours.

Same. But I normally get there early and wait all day. Nearly killed me last time I'm getting old!

Animalcrossyroad · 17/09/2022 13:08

Alton towers last summer.

Think we got on the grand total of 5 rides.

Never going to a theme park with my kids ever again. Or waiting with them in a queue ever again either.

squashyhat · 17/09/2022 13:11

Probably passport control at Stanstead waiting to get back into the country after a holiday in Italy in July. About an hour. Madness.

PeloFondo · 17/09/2022 13:11

6hrs when a flight was cancelled. Someone tried to cut in The Queue. It did not go well

Allmarbleslost · 17/09/2022 13:16

Me and my eldest dc are autistic and we really don't do queuing well. In fact I don't ever really do it on purpose! I suppose traffic jams would be the longest.

RedToothBrush · 17/09/2022 13:18

Overnight for band tickets. Start 5pm. Doors open 9am. I think it was around 10ish before I got to the ticket office.

I did it on other occasions, and I think it was slightly shorter.

I've also queued on the day for various music acts on many occasions to get a front row spot cos I'm a short arse. Got there any time between 5am and 10am depending on doors open time. But often a good 4 to 6 hours before they did (or longer). And then you get to wait for several hours before the first act comes on stage. And then some more hours before the headliner.

I am good at queuing. I am very experienced. Im an old hand at 12hours plus. It can be real fun. It can also be utterly miserable - the conditions make a huge difference.

I also think they are utterly insane to be queuing overnight, with how cold it was last night. The conditions last night were awful and would take it out of even the fit and young. I would always take account of the weather when deciding on optimum time to turn up.

And thats why I think they are nutso. Because of the weather, combined with the possible length of time being in excess of 14hrs.

I think if Bowie had toured again, that would have been the thing I'd have queued the longest for. I'd probably have gone over 24hrs if circumstances had allowed. But he didn't, and I didn't.

RedToothBrush · 17/09/2022 13:20

I also got stuck on m5 cribbs causeway Bridge some years back. For 10 hrs. There is no where to pee.

Again I was going to a gig.

SlipperyLizard · 17/09/2022 13:21

We and many others queued (after a 1 hour wait to get into the car park) for over 3 hours to get into the “family” camping at Y Not festival in August. No refreshments, no toilets, no one explaining what the hell was going on.

Worth it? Nope, the whole thing didn’t get much better organised after that unfortunately.

onmywayamarillo · 17/09/2022 13:23

Legoland: an hour with a stroppy 3 yr old, many wasps! Was enough to put me off any sort of theme park ever again

smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 17/09/2022 13:25

Local furniture shop was closing down and id had my eye on a beautiful handcarved mirror for ages. 1hr queueing to get into the shop then 2hrs queuing to pay.

I was 36 weeks pregnant at the time and getting that mirror seemed very important 😅 we still have it and i regularly walk passed it and shake my head at myself for queueing for 3hrs for it!

FetlocksBlowingInTheWind · 17/09/2022 13:25

Over 12 hours to see Muse.
Didn't even make the barrier 😂
What a waste of time.

OhhhhhhhhBiscuits · 17/09/2022 13:27

4 hours to get on 'Soarin' when it first opened at Epcot. I thought I was going to die and be buried in that queue.

WeAllHaveWings · 17/09/2022 13:28

Not counting traffic jams, it was probably years ago queuing to get into Knockhill racing parking (in a field) then queuing on foot to get into Knockhill.

The way out was worse as the field had turned into a mud bath with people sliding and falling over and then waiting while they tried to get 100s of cars stuck in the mud out.

I avoid anywhere where the queues are excessively long.

RedToothBrush · 17/09/2022 13:29

Unforgettablefire · 17/09/2022 13:05

Same. But I normally get there early and wait all day. Nearly killed me last time I'm getting old!

Show quote history

U2 fans are in the Premier League of queuing.

I have to say I think 3hrs of queuing is fairly chicken feed, and I'm surprised at people saying that's the longest they've ever queued as if its unusual.

Ive got stuck in traffic for longer than that loads of times.

kingsleysbootlicker · 17/09/2022 13:31

From 4pm to 9.30am to get U2 tickets in 1989. But I was 15 and it was an all-night party atmosphere, so didn't seem like a queue!

Antarcticant · 17/09/2022 13:32

Probably behind Sainsbury's checkout at Christmas one year, for an hour or so. I don't bother with thing that have queues unless it is an essential.

GreenWhiteViolet · 17/09/2022 13:35

About 5 hours to get my baby sister a Teletubby toy for Christmas, that year that they were sold out everywhere. I actually quite enjoyed that - I was young and it was exciting getting up ridiculously early in the morning and chatting to people in the queue.

I once had to queue for almost 3 hours to get through customs at an airport, which was crowded and horrible, lots of pushing - and very stressful since I had someone waiting to pick me up on the other side, couldn't contact them, and was afraid they'd think I hadn't turned up and just leave!

GlitterB0mb · 17/09/2022 13:37

About 8hrs when the Batman roller coaster opened at Six Flags.

Over 12 hours to sort a new flight a Schiphol when we missed our flight due to the weather.

SomethingFast · 17/09/2022 13:37

Nearly two hours for a rollercoaster, wasn’t worth it imo but dd thought it was. Fast passes all the way now!

Goldpaw · 17/09/2022 13:39

It was to see Victory. We joined the queue where there was a sign saying a 2 hour wait, stayed in it for ten minutes then decided we couldn't be bothered.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 17/09/2022 13:41

Security at Gatwick. 1.5 hours.

OrangeBananaFish · 17/09/2022 13:41

Not as long as others, but definitely the worse and most memborable was the queue for the till at a supermarket. We were in the south of France on a driving self catering holiday. From joining the queue to getting to the till took an hour. Then again it was nearly 40 mins last night in Tesco. I only don't mind queues if there's a good thing at the end. Paying for a weekly shop isn't that great.

Riverlee · 17/09/2022 13:41

Wimbledon, over twenty years ago. Can’t remember how long for now.

Sturmundcalm · 17/09/2022 16:36

two weeks to buy a house (fixed price, date of sale announced)... they set up a system though where you only had to be physically present between 9am and 7pm and we all had tents!