I'm all for the ROTR virtual queue, BUT

JakeAZ

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 25, 2018
This makes the HS day so stressful.

You have to have your kids up around 4:30/5am to get to the park before opening so you can get into a BG. As of now, posted park opening time is not the time the park actually opens, but of course that could change without notice and then change again. So you could arrive at the park around 5am expecting a 6:30am opening time, but they might keep to the schedule of 8am. Then you don't get a time for when your group might be called, so you most likely are at HS until that time (especially with small kids). With HS current tier structure, it's then a lot of working the system to get onto the tier 1 rides after using whatever FP you get in advance.

I can only imagine the chaos that will be weeks like Christmas / New Years or Easter (when we are going...)

Also, I find it very frustrating that resort guests are not given any advantage for ROTR.

I'm really hopeful they offer some sort of AH event for HS. Even if it didn't include ROTR, we'd probably jump on it to get the other rides done in a more "relaxed" setting. That way we could carve out one morning to do ROTR and then hightail it out of there.

So, yes the VQ is nice, but it doesn't really work well within Disney's other systems.

I'm not saying they should do it another way (aside from giving resort guests a leg up), I'm just saying it sounds like a stressful day.
 
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Then you don't get a time for when your group might be called, so you most likely are at HS until that time (especially with small kids).

While you don't get an exact time, you can see what boarding group they currently are on. Its not like they are calling 35 now but in 20 minutes they are going to call 70. And you have a 2 hour return window. Plenty of people are going to other parks or even going home and making it on.
 


But they could / likely open earlier, correct?
I only clarified because you posted an 8a opening and those no longer exist except for 12/22 and 12/29.

5am may be the target arrival time but we won’t know if Studios will open prior to 7a. They were probably testing to see if 6:30a was the time to open the gates.
 
While you don't get an exact time, you can see what boarding group they currently are on. Its not like they are calling 35 now but in 20 minutes they are going to call 70. And you have a 2 hour return window. Plenty of people are going to other parks or even going home and making it on.
I get that. I'm not worried about getting on. If we have to get there at 5am, we'll do that. We are just going the week before Easter, so we will need to rely on pre-scheduled fast passes for the rest of the day though. I don't think we'll be able to take the chance of scheduling FPs at another park and then just hoping it all works together. We'll more than likely be at HS from arrival through ROTR exit, at least.
 


In a some ways resort guests are given a pretty big advantage, they are much closer so they don't have to wake as early to get there pretty early.

Especially if you are at Boardwalk/Swan/Dolphin/Yacht/Beach club and can just walk over.
I was thinking more of a head start on grabbing boarding groups once the park opens. But yes, proximity does help.
 
This makes the HS day so stressful.

You have to have your kids up around 4:30/5am to get to the park before opening so you can get into a BG. As of now, posted park opening time is not the time the park actually opens, but of course that could change without notice and then change again. So you could arrive at the park around 5am expecting a 6:30am opening time, but they might keep to the schedule of 8am. Then you don't get a time for when your group might be called, so you most likely are at HS until that time (especially with small kids). With HS current tier structure, it's then a lot of working the system to get onto the tier 1 rides after using whatever FP you get in advance.

I can only imagine the chaos that will be weeks like Christmas / New Years or Easter (when we are going...)

Also, I find it very frustrating that resort guests are not given any advantage for ROTR.

I'm really hopeful they offer some sort of AH event for HS. Even if it didn't include ROTR, we'd probably jump on it to get the other rides done in a more "relaxed" setting. That way we could carve out one morning to do ROTR and then hightail it out of there.

So, yes the VQ is nice, but it doesn't really work well within Disney's other systems.

I'm not saying they should do it another way (aside from giving resort guests a leg up), I'm just saying it sounds like a stressful day.

Info agree it creates stress and really goes against how Disney has "trained" us with FP+

But like you said it is really the best option and even if they didn't do the boarding groups or open up early guests who show up at listed open times would encounter a line that was 8+ hours long from people that go there beforehand so whether in a virtual queue or physical one they would be in same position
 
I get that. I'm not worried about getting on. If we have to get there at 5am, we'll do that. We are just going the week before Easter, so we will need to rely on pre-scheduled fast passes for the rest of the day though. I don't think we'll be able to take the chance of scheduling FPs at another park and then just hoping it all works together. We'll more than likely be at HS from arrival through ROTR exit, at least.

I feel like you are stressing out about something that could change before your trip. We are going in April so I am following along, but I know things can and most likely will change between now and then. I am just hoping the boarding groups are still in use. That is much more realistic than having to wait in line for 5 hours. No way my kids will be able to wait that long. You may not have time to go to another park but you could go back to your resort and rest for a bit.
 
I like the idea of the VQ for hot rides. I can at least then go enjoy the rest of the park while waiting. It works well for us since my son uses the DAS system. He just can't do the waiting in one place. I can keep him occupied doing other stuff. I'm also just following along, we don't go again until September, I'm sure by then all the glitches will be worked out.
 
Totally agree. We have had this trip planned for months. We are arriving in January, and arranged our schedule to be in HS for AM Magic Hours. We booked all our FP a month ago, and are now gutted that Disney have now cancelled all AM EMH for the duration of our trip. This has really thrown off all our planning, and means we have a zero chance of experiencing RoTR. Our kids are 5,3 and 1, and there is no way we can arrive at the parks pre 6 am to try and get a boarding group. Equally evening EMH are no good to us as the kids are too tired, and in the specific case of RoTR evening EMH offer no benefit to onsite guests. You pay a premium to be onsite and Disney constantly seem to be removing the 'perks' that make paying the extra worthwhile.
 
We’re here now and are trying to decide about doing this on Friday. We are actually staying at the Beach Club. I got on RotR on Monday and my son on Tuesday. You just have to ask yourself if it is worth it. For both of us it was.
 
Totally agree. We have had this trip planned for months. We are arriving in January, and arranged our schedule to be in HS for AM Magic Hours. We booked all our FP a month ago, and are now gutted that Disney have now cancelled all AM EMH for the duration of our trip. This has really thrown off all our planning, and means we have a zero chance of experiencing RoTR. Our kids are 5,3 and 1, and there is no way we can arrive at the parks pre 6 am to try and get a boarding group. Equally evening EMH are no good to us as the kids are too tired, and in the specific case of RoTR evening EMH offer no benefit to onsite guests. You pay a premium to be onsite and Disney constantly seem to be removing the 'perks' that make paying the extra worthwhile.
You do not need to get there pre 6am to get a boarding group. With AM EMH you would have had to been there by 7am. Without it, BGs have still been available at 7am. If you show up the same time you would have had to for EMH, you will be able to ride.
 
I get that. I'm not worried about getting on. If we have to get there at 5am, we'll do that. We are just going the week before Easter, so we will need to rely on pre-scheduled fast passes for the rest of the day though. I don't think we'll be able to take the chance of scheduling FPs at another park and then just hoping it all works together. We'll more than likely be at HS from arrival through ROTR exit, at least.

You are not going until April? 5 months from now will probably be very different than the craziness going on now.
 
Totally agree with your post! We usually stay offsite but decided to splurge this trip and stay onsite so we'd have the advantage of EMH. Even if GE was never intended to be part of EMH, we'd at least be able to gain access prior to non-resort guests. I agree that VQ is better than stand-by all day. But now to remove the morning EMH on Sunday totally throws us for a loop. Where is the benefit of being a resort guest? I have to be there at 5 am in order to get in the VQ and my "perk" is stay late? No going back to the hotel for a nap during the day because our SDD and Oga's reservations are scattered through the day. Reservations made months ago. We arrive tonight and I'm already exhausted just trying to come up with decent game plans (which of course will likely change 3 more times with the all the unannounced changes they keep making).
 
Honestly, to me these sound like criticisms of Disney’s FP+ and commit-to-what-you-want-to-ride-and-when-you-want-to-ride-it-two-months-before-you-even-step-on-the-property “perk”. It forces guests to lock down plans without basic information necessary for planning—like park hours. None of that is the fault of the VQ, but rather, an essentially mandatory planning system that precludes any kind of flexibility to respond to conditions on the ground.
 
Honestly, to me these sound like criticisms of Disney’s FP+ and commit-to-what-you-want-to-ride-and-when-you-want-to-ride-it-two-months-before-you-even-step-on-the-property “perk”. It forces guests to lock down plans without basic information necessary for planning—like park hours. None of that is the fault of the VQ, but rather, an essentially mandatory planning system that precludes any kind of flexibility to respond to conditions on the ground.
Agreed. Planning to incorporate EMH is a big deal for a lot of guests, and one of the reasons to stay on property. If it were just my husband and I we would be there as early as necessary to ensure we get a BG, but with 3 very little kids and also relying on Disney buses from POFQ I fear we have no chance of getting one. Our trip is in one month and I really can't see that the crowds will have reduced at all for RoTR
 

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