Rope drop for FOP is a mob be warned

[Mome Rath]

Mob mentality always reminds me; "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it..." K, Men in Black. Unfortunately there's only so much even Disney can do in the face of human nature. A mob doesn't just happen when the crowd is mad or scared, it happens when they are adrenalized and pumped up, add competition in and there we go.

Sorry you got the brunt of it!

 

[PatMcDuck]

I think the rope drop plan for FoP is just not really a great plan right now. It IS a good plan for normally popular rides like TT, Soarin', etc. But not really for FoP, it sounds like to me.

I have a son in a WC and could not attempt it. We were lucky a few weeks ago, had one FP at night, pushed it to 8:30 pm when they extend park hours, and got an early morning one another day, when they opened up a ton on one day.

I actually WANT to walk the queue, I loved the movie and want to see the exhibits on the queue line. Hope to get to do that next trip, if line under 90 minutes.

PS I think solution is to open park at 6 am, for the 2 Pandora rides.

 

[melanielll]

I think this is totally Disney's responsibility. The running to get to FEA is also a problem. On our last trip, we walked quickly. There were large amount of runners and not a single cast member between the entrance point and the Norway Pavilion. They could stop it - but it requires the thing they hate the most these days - spending on staff.

 

[turtlechick6]

I think this is totally Disney's responsibility. The running to get to FEA is also a problem. On out last trip, we walked quickly. there were large amount of runners and not a single cast member between the entrance point and the Norway Pavilion. They could stop it - but it requires the thing they hate the most these days - spending on staff.

Honestly same thing for us on Monday. We were again one of the first families to arrive at Epcot about 7 am again and yet when they rope dropped hundreds of people ran past us. Granted we were not going as fast that day so whatever and FEA was broken down all day anyway. But yeah its kinda frustrating when you show up FIRST and then have people that showed up way later just push past you even with you walking fairly fast.

 

[AngiTN]

I'm honestly curious, at what point is it Disney's responsibility and at what point is it the guest?
How can Disney control the actions of every guest in their parks at all times?
Seriously asking how they can do this.
I know they have to put certain actions in to place but once they do that, isn't it up to the guest to be responsible too? Does the guest loose all responsibility here?

 

[revdon64]

A good way to handle it is go ahead and let the super early birds like us go ahead and walk to the ride and wait in an actual ride line. All they would have to do is staff a few CMs to just keep an eye on it. Then that prevents a mass mob.

If I understand what you're suggesting here, that would require Disney to staff the ride queue, the walkways, and the gate for two hours prior to rope drop... for one ride. As opposed to manning the gate for two hours and then the ride queue and walkways just a few minutes before rope drop. Don't think that's gonna happen.

 

[turtlechick6]

I'm honestly curious, at what point is it Disney's responsibility and at what point is it the guest?
How can Disney control the actions of every guest in their parks at all times?
Seriously asking how they can do this.
I know they have to put certain actions in to place but once they do that, isn't it up to the guest to be responsible too? Does the guest loose all responsibility here?

I think there is something more Disney can do. Like hand out wristbands in order of who shows up so that running won't help you get in to the ride any quicker.

Or string a rope queue all the way from the front to Pandora and make it an orderly line. I doubt people would cross the rope line. But when they pathways are open people take that as as permission to go wild and get up to the front every man for himself.

They can also let the early birds in earlier to go ahead and walk all the way back and get in line. Heck I would show up at 6:30 am or earlier to do that and not have to worry about a mob

There are steps they could take they are not taking

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Sorry you got caught up in all that. We RD'd FOP 2x on our August trip and I decided that I'd rather wait in line during the last hour of park time than to try to RD it again. People were trying to push past our group at every turn and it was aggravating to have to keep putting my arms out to keep us together.

 

[revdon64]

I'm honestly curious, at what point is it Disney's responsibility and at what point is it the guest?
How can Disney control the actions of every guest in their parks at all times?
Seriously asking how they can do this.
I know they have to put certain actions in to place but once they do that, isn't it up to the guest to be responsible too? Does the guest loose all responsibility here?

Common courtesy isn't quite so common.

 

[turtlechick6]

Sorry you got caught up in all that. We RD'd FOP 2x on our August trip and I decided that I'd rather wait in line during the last hour of park time than to try to RD it again. People were trying to push past our group at every turn and it was aggravating to have to keep putting my arms out to keep us together.

I would worry about a child getting separated from parents in that mob. I was having to hold my kids arms with a death grip lest I lose them. One man and his little girl in front of us did in fact lose the rest of their family in the mob and had to ride without them and hopefully they found them later. They said they got separated when people pushed in between them.

 

[AngiTN]

If I understand what you're suggesting here, that would require Disney to staff the ride queue, the walkways, and the gate for two hours prior to rope drop... for one ride. As opposed to manning the gate for two hours and then the ride queue and walkways just a few minutes before rope drop. Don't think that's gonna happen.

It's not just that. The park isn't ready yet. They aren't ready for guests to be in the park 2 hours early. They need that time to finish preparing the park for the day, as anyone who has been in the park for an early tour has seen

 

[AngiTN]

I think there is something more Disney can do. Like hand out wristbands in order of who shows up so that running won't help you get in to the ride any quicker.

Or string a rope queue all the way from the front to Pandora and make it an orderly line. I doubt people would cross the rope line. But when they pathways are open people take that as as permission to go wild and get up to the front every man for himself.

They can also let the early birds in earlier to go ahead and walk all the way back and get in line. Heck I would show up at 6:30 am or earlier to do that and not have to worry about a mob

There are steps they could take they are not taking

Really? People shove children down and you don't think they'd go past a rope?

 

[Satchmo128]

This sounds much like what we experienced years ago for rope drop when TSMM was new. It felt like the running of the bulls and not worth it.

 

[turtlechick6]

Really? People shove children down and you don't think they'd go past a rope?

well some would-you always have line cutters but so far we have not seen any line cutting during our trip that was blatant. But we did see the mob with people running along the sides and then trying to shove in at the front and all that. Because there was nothing stopping them or saying they couldn't.

I have not seen a rope jumper in a line as of yet.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Disney isn’t always pixie dust
There are rude people everywhere everyday
At Disney everyone feels entitled
It is sad people act like crazy people - pushing, running,etc
Standing on top of people, using strollers as battering rams, walking 8 wide on sidewalks lead to issues to
Disney can only do so much- staff is spread thin, guests will yell at CMs
Disney can correct rudeness and common courtesy
The ideas of bracelets with numbers, staff all the way to FOP or rope queue are nice but people would mad rush the booth giving out wristbands, ignore CM telling them to walk and duck under rope queue

OP- it is sad you went through this

 

[Wubar]

One man and his little girl in front of us did in fact lose the rest of their family in the mob and had to ride without them and hopefully they found them later. They said they got separated when people pushed in between them.

Wow, I'm looking forward to riding the rides in Pandora too! But if I get separated from my family...I'd probably try to find them first before riding the ride. But, priorities, right?

 

[turtlechick6]

well lesson learned lol. I don't think we are going to try to mad rush to Seven Dwarfs MT tomorrow. We will still get to MK early for rope drop but we might head to something else in another direction or at least stick to the sides and maybe people won't run over us. It at least has bigger pathways on main street and other ways to go etc.

 

[turtlechick6]

Wow, I'm looking forward to riding the rides in Pandora too! But if I get separated from my family...I'd probably try to find them first before riding the ride. But, priorities, right?

I don't think you could find them. It was a mass of people that were not going to let you by to find someone. It just kept pushing forward.

 

[melanielll]

I'm honestly curious, at what point is it Disney's responsibility and at what point is it the guest?
How can Disney control the actions of every guest in their parks at all times?
Seriously asking how they can do this.
I know they have to put certain actions in to place but once they do that, isn't it up to the guest to be responsible too? Does the guest loose all responsibility here?

They could walk people in with the rope like they do (or used to do heading towards Splash Mountain). Also - eject the runners from the park. They should, at worst, try.

Another option is to open the line. These self-inflicted crowd points are a part of the problem.

For rides like FOP, they could make pens in the waiting area. First 200 - pen 1. Second 200 - pen 2. Then bring them in in that order.

To say "well people are going to run and people are going to get shoved is how it is" is not okay.

 

[turtlechick6]

They could walk people in with the rope like they do (or used to do heading towards Splash Mountain). Also - eject the runners from the park. They should, at worst, try.

Another option is to open the line. These self-inflicted crowd points are a part of the problem.

For rides like FOP, they could make pens in the waiting area. Fist 200 - pen 1. Second 200 - pen 2. Then bring them in in that order.

To say "well people are going to run and people are going to get shoved is how it is" is not okay.

I think the crowd points were honestly part of the problem too. I don't know why they would keep stopping us. It would have gone better if they just let us walk straight back as we were staggered going through the entrance with scanning the tickets but then they would make us stop and that allowed people to mob up and then they would start pushing past and running when they let them go again.