Ah, that would explain it. Thanks!
It's too bad the space in front of the ride is too small because it would've been great if they had a tiny stage area out front wherein two Eighth Wonder Expedition "guides" came out and did a small comedy/setup show where they "pitch" you the tour, like a barker or a salesman. (working in Vegas I see these people pitching tours outside their booths/huts all the time) Not only would it add to entertainment, but it would introduce the 1920s/30s timeline, forewarn guests (especially families) about the ride's scary content, add a bit of levity to the "island" and add a bit of a personal, improvised touch to the ride's story before guests entered. Yeah, I'm still a tad bitter about the lack of live guides.
Of course there's no room in the area in front that's far enough away from the actual ride itself, and especially nothing that wouldn't cause a bottleneck that the ride is already going to create. Alas you can only do so much with the alotted space.