A technique for controlling access to one or more attractions is achieved using a number of access keys, each being issued to one or more users. An electronic queue management part manages a virtual queue in respect of each attraction and receives electronic requests for attraction access, each request relating to an access key and being for the users associated with it to access a particular attraction. Receipt of each request causes the respective users to be added to a corresponding virtual queue. A time at which each group of users reaches the front of the virtual queue and can access the attraction is determined. The users access the attractions by presenting an access key to an access control part, in communication with the electronic queue management part. Only a user presenting an access key at the correct time for accessing the attraction is allowed access to the attraction.

A queue management system in accordance with present embodiments may include a data server system including a processor and memory. The queue management system may include an interface system of the data server system configured to receive a reservation request including an indication of a general time period of arrival of a guest to an area. Additionally, the queue management system may include a reservation right allotment system of the data server system configured to correlate a reservation slot for accessing an attraction to identification information for the guest. Further, the queue management system may include a detection system of the data server system configured to determine when a portable identification feature associated with the identification information has arrived to the area, and a reservation assignment system of the data server system configured to establish a reservation to access the attraction at a specific time window.

A queue wait time estimation system includes a processor and a memory having instructions stored thereon. Executing the instructions causes the processor to receive a first input via a first queue monitoring mode, wherein the first input is indicative of a first queue monitoring characteristic of at least one queue, and also causes the processor to receive a second input via a second queue monitoring mode, wherein the second input is indicative of a second queue monitoring characteristic of the at least one queue, and the second queue monitoring mode is different than the first queue monitoring mode. Executing the instructions also causes the processor to determine, based on the first queue monitoring characteristic and the second queue monitoring characteristic, at least one estimated queue wait time corresponding to the at least one queue, and also causes the processor to output the at least one estimated queue wait time.

An amusement park access control system includes an amusement park area having an entrance. A unified access control device is positioned at the entrance and is configured to control guest access into the amusement park area. The unified access control device includes sensor modules and an access control module physically connected to one another to form a unified structure. The sensor modules scan the entrance to determine guest identification data. An access control computer system is communicatively coupled to the unified access control device and includes databases storing guest enrollment data and entitlement data associated with the guest enrollment data. The unified access control device identifies entitlements associated with the guest identification data based on a comparison between the guest identification data, the guest enrollment data, and the entitlement data, and controls guest access through the entrance based on the identified entitlements.

Systems and methods presented herein provide an in-application messaging system that includes an audio generation system configured to encode at least one audio watermark within an audio signal, and to broadcast the audio signal into a physical environment. The in-application messaging system also includes a portable electronic device configured to receive the audio signal from the physical environment, to identify the at least one audio watermark encoded within the audio signal, and to display in-application messaging information via an application running on the portable electronic device. The in-application messaging information is based at least in part on the at least one audio watermark.

A queue control system controls a queue structure of a queue in an amusement park. The queue control system includes a controller and a queue structure control associated with the queue structure. The controller receives, from an input device that monitors a queue characteristic of the queue, data feedback indicative of the queue characteristic. The queue characteristic is indicative of a queue length, queue wait time, queue rate, or queue throughput. The controller also outputs a control command based on the data feedback. The queue structure control receives the control command and changes at least one aspect of the queue structure based on the control command.

A technique for controlling access to one or more attractions is achieved using a number of access keys, each being issued to one or more users. An electronic queue management part manages a virtual queue in respect of each attraction and receives electronic requests for attraction access, each request relating to an access key and being for the users associated with it to access a particular attraction. Receipt of each request causes the respective users to be added to a corresponding virtual queue. A time at which each group of users reaches the front of the virtual queue and can access the attraction is determined. The users access the attractions by presenting an access key to an access control part, in communication with the electronic queue management part. Only a user presenting an access key at the correct time for accessing the attraction is allowed access to the attraction.

A queue management system in accordance with present embodiments may include a data server system including a processor and memory. The queue management system may include an interface system of the data server system configured to receive a reservation request including an indication of a general time period of arrival of a guest to an area. Additionally, the queue management system may include a reservation right allotment system of the data server system configured to correlate a reservation slot for accessing an attraction to identification information for the guest. Further, the queue management system may include a detection system of the data server system configured to determine when a portable identification feature associated with the identification information has arrived to the area, and a reservation assignment system of the data server system configured to establish a reservation to access the attraction at a specific time window.

The virtual queue system includes a virtual queue controller comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the processor and is configured to receive a request, the request being associated with an individual guest, for a position in a virtual queue of an attraction, assign the individual guest to the position in the virtual queue in response to the request, receive ride schedule data for the attraction comprising information about a change in status of individual rides of the attraction, and determine a wait time for the individual guest for the attraction based at least on the position of the individual guest in the virtual queue, the ride schedule data, and historical guest throughput at the attraction. The virtual queue system is further configured to output a signal to a guest-associated device indicating the wait time for the attraction.

A system in accordance with present embodiments includes a plurality of virtual queuing stations associated with respective attractions within a theme park and a virtual queue control system configured to maintain respective virtual queues for the respective attractions and in communication with the plurality of virtual queuing stations. The virtual queue control system is configured to receive communications from the plurality of virtual queuing stations and add guests to the respective virtual queues based on the communications.