Boarding Groups...why is it like this?

[DLgal]

So, I'm wondering why you can join the first wave of BGs at 7am for the ride your first park is, but you can't join at the 12:00 drop unless you've already scanned into your first park? We arrived arrived like 12:05 yesterday and tried to get a BG for WS for later, but were denied because we hadn't scanned in yet. I didn't realize this would happen and my kids were pretty bummed. I had tried at 7am for ROTR and didn't get one. Why is it set up like this?

 

[DLRExpert]

Hope you complained about it to Guest Services.

 

[Malcon10t]

I'm thinking because they don't want people trying for the 7am, then trying for noon if they didn't get it, then canceling the reservation if they don't get it at all.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I'm thinking because they don't want people trying for the 7am, then trying for noon if they didn't get it, then canceling the reservation if they don't get it at all.

Oh, that’s an interesting idea.

I really can’t think of other reasoning that makes sense.

 

[camouseketeer]

The same thing happened to me, and I did talk to guest services about it. I argued that I had paid for my ticket and I had made a reservation for the park for that day. Why did it matter what time I needed to enter the park by? Their response was that they did not want guests who may not show up taking spaces from people who definitely were already there. My response was that they needed to be consistent. The same could be said for people making reservations at 7am. Either they allow people to make the reservation before entering the parks or they don't. I also do not think that they are running out of interested people wanting to ride the rides by the end of the day. I am guessing that the number of no shows is limited and does not impact the ride's overall daily numbers.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

To this end, why can you not hold two boarding groups simultaneously if you have park hoppers? I had friends who bought park hoppers and secured WS at the 7am drop but were completely out of luck for RotR because they didn’t scan into WS until 12:30. Seems really unfair to not allow people to even try, especially after shelling out for pricy park hoppers.

 

[DLgal]

I'm thinking because they don't want people trying for the 7am, then trying for noon if they didn't get it, then canceling the reservation if they don't get it at all.

Well, then they need to establish a "punishment" for people who do this. Charge a same day cancelation fee, or block that ticket from trying to get a BG on the next park reservation day, or something. We specifically decided to show up later so we could stay until closing (we had a 70 year old with us who does better in the cooler evening hours). We were literally in DtD trying for the BG right at noon. Had we known, we would have made more of an effort to scan into Disneyland before noon. I didn't think to complain to Guest Services, but I may write them an email because I don't think this is fair at all. We already missed out at the 7am drop and to then not even have a fighting chance at noon was a double whammy of a let down.

 

[pigletliz]

Well, then they need to establish a "punishment" for people who do this. Charge a same day cancelation fee, or block that ticket from trying to get a BG on the next park reservation day, or something. We specifically decided to show up later so we could stay until closing (we had a 70 year old with us who does better in the cooler evening hours). We were literally in DtD trying for the BG right at noon. Had we known, we would have made more of an effort to scan into Disneyland before noon. I didn't think to complain to Guest Services, but I may write them an email because I don't think this is fair at all. We already missed out at the 7am drop and to then not even have a fighting chance at noon was a double whammy of a let down.

Why establish a punishment? The policy and procedures have been posted everywhere, including the app for weeks. Everyone has the same chance. Getting a BG has never been guaranteed for any park guest.

 

[DLgal]

Why establish a punishment? The policy and procedures have been posted everywhere, including the app for weeks. Everyone has the same chance. Getting a BG has never been guaranteed for any park guest.

I think you have misunderstood something along the way here. I'm not saying anyone needs to be guaranteed a BG. I'm upset at the fact that we could not even TRY at the noon drop simply because we had not yet scanned into our first park, because we were liter walking there from the parking structure at exactly noon. I was not aware, and did not see this caveat posted anywhere. It is not in the app. It is not in any literature I can find. All it says is that you can try at 7am and noon. Since NO one has entered a park at 7am yet, I'm questioning the fairness of allowing anyone to try at 7am, but limiting the noon opportunity to people who are physically in a park. I did not realize that was a requirement and it should not be that way if you hold a park hopper ticket. And if Disney's reason for doing this is because people may cancel park reservations if they don't get a BG, then punish THAT behavior rather than people who might just want to roll in later.

 

[nutshell]

Sorry, folks, but I don’t buy into all these “unfair” arguments. The rules and procedures are posted and everyone has an equal opportunity under the rules. You may not like the rules, but that doesn’t make them unfair.

 

[pigletliz]

I think you have misunderstood something along the way here. I'm not saying anyone needs to be guaranteed a BG. I'm upset at the fact that we could not even TRY at the noon drop simply because we had not yet scanned into our first park, because we were literally walking there from the parking structure at exactly noon. I was not aware, and did not see this caveat posted anywhere. It is not in the app. It is not in any literature I can find. All it says is that you can try at 7am and noon. Since NO one has entered a park at 7am yet, I'm questioning the fairness of allowing anyone to try at 7am, but limiting the noon opportunity to people who are physically in a park. I did not realize that was a requirement and it should not be that way if you hold a park hopper ticket.

I don't think I misunderstood. I'm honestly sorry that you missed your opportunity to try for a BG, but regardless of how they choose to differentiate between distribution at 7 am and noon, if they tell you the procedure, how is it unfair? This info is on the website and the app:

"Calling all members of the Resistance! To experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Guests are required to join the virtual queue, only accessible via the Disneyland mobile app. Distribution times for virtual queue enrollment are daily, 7:00 AM and 12:00 PM. In order to give as many Guests as possible the opportunity to join the Resistance, each Guest can enter the virtual queue no more than once per day.
Starting the Day at Disneyland Park
Guests with a valid ticket and theme park reservation who will start their day at Disneyland Park can access the virtual queue system via the Disneyland app and check for an available boarding group starting at 7:00 AM, on the day of their park reservation. This can be done before you leave your hotel, home, or wherever else you may be at that time. You’ll need to have park tickets linked to your Disney account and applicable theme park reservations.
Starting the Day at Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park (with a Park Hopper Ticket)
To access the virtual queue opportunity to check for an available boarding group beginning at 12:00 PM, Guests must have a valid ticket and park reservation, and have entered Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park (with a Park Hopper ticket) by noon. Guests beginning their day at Disney California Adventure Park may then enter Disneyland Park with their Park Hopper ticket after 1:00 PM for their boarding group, subject to availability.
You’ll receive a push notification via the Disneyland app if your group is called to return. You’ll have up to an hour from the time of the alert to go to the entrance of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
The only way to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is via the virtual queue. No standby lines are available. Access to a boarding group is subject to availability and not guaranteed. Distribution times are subject to change or cancellation. Joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
View important details about planning your visit to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge."
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/map/#/id=star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance/

 

[Version 6]

Why are the ROTR boarding groups so hard to get into at the moment?

Is it because it is running at reduced capacity due to COVID?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Why are the ROTR boarding groups so hard to get into at the moment?

Is it because it is running at reduced capacity due to COVID?

I actually think they’re a lot easier to get into than they were.

Regarding the OP - I think Disney could do a better job of publicizing the noon requirement that you have to be in the park.

It is a complicated and somewhat maddening system. On Sunday, we got Webslingers group 34, so I mentioned that we “should be able to try for ROTR at noon.” But then WS broke down and we didn’t ride until 1:30. So at 12:15, my husband suddenly startled and was like, “oh NO, we forgot ROTR!” And I had to explain that no, we still had WS, so we couldn’t try for ROTR. And he was like, “soooo, we’re penalized because their ride broke down?”

Yup.

Annoying? Sure. Kind of unfair? I’d say yes. But that’s the system that exists.

 

[DLRExpert]

People who think this is wrong, need to complain to Guest Services. If enough people do it then maybe Disney would change the way they handle the BGs.

Side note, I am against the way BGs are currently handled. Mostly because you have guests who plan their whole visit (sometimes a once in a lifetime visit) on these new attractions and are unaware how difficult it can be to get a BG. At least they should be able to refund or change their reservations if they cannot get a BG for the attraction they want to experience.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

People who think this is wrong, need to complain to Guest Services. If enough people do it then maybe Disney would change the way they handle the BGs.

Side note, I am against the way BGs are currently handled. Mostly because you have guests who plan their whole visit (sometimes a once in a lifetime visit) on these new attractions and are unaware how difficult it can be to get a BG. At least they should be able to refund or change their reservations if they cannot get a BG for the attraction they want to experience.

Yeah but same could be said for those once in a lifetime visitors not researching what shows to see, how to use FP (in the 'before' days), how to use their time best, etc. Our vacations are what we make of it. If it's important to you to experience things, you need to hop on the good ole internet machine and do a Google. Not saying I agree with the boarding group system though, it's a complicated issue.

 

[DLRExpert]

Yeah but same could be said for those once in a lifetime visitors not researching what shows to see, how to use FP (in the 'before' days), how to use their time best, etc. Our vacations are what we make of it. If it's important to you to experience things, you need to hop on the good ole internet machine and do a Google. Not saying I agree with the boarding group system though, it's a complicated issue.

Yeah but not knowing how to use FP did not stop you from experiencing the ride.

 

[Matrixleos]

Yeah but same could be said for those once in a lifetime visitors not researching what shows to see, how to use FP (in the 'before' days), how to use their time best, etc. Our vacations are what we make of it. If it's important to you to experience things, you need to hop on the good ole internet machine and do a Google. Not saying I agree with the boarding group system though, it's a complicated issue.

I truly feel bad about those first time Disneyland visitors who haven't done any planning or research and just planning to "show up". We were in those shoes 11 years ago and did a last minute day trip from LA to Disneyland thinking "We're WDW veterans, how difficult could navigating Disneyland be?"

We TOTALLY weren't prepared for it with 3 toddler aged kids and only managed to spend 8 hours in the parks and a few rides after we finally figured out parking, where to eat and where the ride locations were.

This time around, I'm over planning and more than prepared for our upcoming late July visit.

 

[DisSurfer878]

Yeah but not knowing how to use FP did not stop you from experiencing the ride.

I mean, yes and no. If a ride was a 2+ Hour (like RSR) wait and you missed getting fastpasses first thing (I remember the days where RSR passes would be gone from the machines by 10 am for the day) and you didn't know this going in, and you have a 3 year old that can't stand in that direct sun line for 2 hours, its kind of the same thing

 

[YoDisney]

Just want to add that the virtual BG system has it's ups & downs but this system will be the new FP system in the very near future (ie Indy BG). Personally, I was lucky to get a BG for WS & ROTR back in June (no luck @ 7am but better luck @ 12noon)...however, we didn't get a chance to ride ROTR on our 3rd park day even w/BG (ride broke down & couldn't get past BG 100 that day--at least i rode it once on park day 1). Overall, it's a gamble either way.
I'm sorry OP had a frustrating moment but we'll have to look at this as the new way of operations.

 

[Version 6]

How quickly are boarding groups going at the moment for ROTR?

I was in the park for opening day of that attraction and managed to get the last boarding group, despite me being "slow on the draw"... (Finally getting it right about 5 past 7).

But I'm seeing people say now that the boarding groups are gone in literally a second.

Is it really harder now than it was in January?