I'm all for the ROTR virtual queue, BUT

[TheMaxRebo]

Honestly - what's wrong with just not offering FP and letting people line up to ride it throughout the day? I know that's old-fashioned and doesn't make use of the super expensive My Disney Experience app but I might've had a chance to ride it yesterday after seeing the family off in the morning.

And if it's good enough for rise of the resistance why not do the same for flight of the falcon? (Or vice versa)

the downside to that is people are stuck in a physical queue for the entire day and a) not getting to enjoy anything else and b) not spending money on anything else

The virtual queue, theoretically, shoudl function the same as a physical queue (meaning you are at the exact same spot on line) just you don't need to stand there

Plus, the added issue of people arriving earlier and earlier to get on line and you might get to the point where the park opens and at that point they already have to "close" the line because the line is long enough to take the entire day to get through

 

[Bryan Burmeister]

Honestly - what's wrong with just not offering FP and letting people line up to ride it throughout the day? I know that's old-fashioned and doesn't make use of the super expensive My Disney Experience app but I might've had a chance to ride it yesterday after seeing the family off in the morning.

And if it's good enough for rise of the resistance why not do the same for flight of the falcon? (Or vice versa)

But how do you propose to distribute the fast passes? Presumably you would run out at some point, otherwise it's just another name for a Standby line.

If they can run out, now you have a massive safety hazard as people rush forward to get paper fast passes. The app handles all of this electronically and "funnels" people to the ride via BG's to boot.

 

[Glide_Path]

But how do you propose to distribute the fast passes? Presumably you would run out at some point, otherwise it's just another name for a Standby line.

If they can run out, now you have a massive safety hazard as people rush forward to get paper fast passes. The app handles all of this electronically and "funnels" people to the ride via BG's to boot.

Can't they do FP+ style, distribute online x days out. Stand by line for the die hards that still want to try their luck... kind FOP.

 

[Skywise]

the downside to that is people are stuck in a physical queue for the entire day and a) not getting to enjoy anything else and b) not spending money on anything else

The virtual queue, theoretically, shoudl function the same as a physical queue (meaning you are at the exact same spot on line) just you don't need to stand there

Plus, the added issue of people arriving earlier and earlier to get on line and you might get to the point where the park opens and at that point they already have to "close" the line because the line is long enough to take the entire day to get through

Right - but that wait time acts as its own "throttler" - There's no cost to anyone getting into the virtual line except for having to get to the park at opening but if you have to sacrifice 2 hours in line many people will balk and go elsewhere. Effectively only those who REALLY want to ride will wait that long. This virtual line is a boon for Disney though as I don't think they really care about riders so much as they're A> maximizing ride capacity and (more importantly) B> keep people in the park to spend money elsewhere which they wouldn't be doing if they're in line. But if you're a normal joe who doesn't plan a Disney trip to the nth degree or have to balance the needs of a family that want to do other things - you're SOL.

 

[Skywise]

But how do you propose to distribute the fast passes? Presumably you would run out at some point, otherwise it's just another name for a Standby line.

If they can run out, now you have a massive safety hazard as people rush forward to get paper fast passes. The app handles all of this electronically and "funnels" people to the ride via BG's to boot.

I'd propose NOT doing FP+ (at least at first) - but there's still no reason they couldn't do it at the start. They didn't seem to have a problem with that for 7DMT.

 

[Bryan Burmeister]

Can't they do FP+ style, distribute online x days out. Stand by line for the die hards that still want to try their luck... kind FOP.

Yeah, that's another option. I was quoting an idea that specifically mentioned FP not FP+.

The issue that has been raised with FP+ style distribution is that they will be gone at 60+10 or some such.

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Can't they do FP+ style, distribute online x days out. Stand by line for the die hards that still want to try their luck... kind FOP.

As someone who missed out during debut week because of boarding groups (didn't even have a chance to try for one since I had other plans/didn't want to get up early this late in the vacation)...that's a horrible idea in my opinion BECAUSE we've seen what FP does to standby for rides like FOP. I've seen FOP reach 6 hours posted wait time...this year alone. Given the already bad experiences with boarding groups, FP is at this point an even worse idea even if they weren't gone at the 60+10 day mark, though that adds to the argument. I would rather compete day of for a boarding pass day of & be free to walk around than have 0 chance at all with an FP and choose to wait in standby all day.

 

[Bryan Burmeister]

Right - but that wait time acts as its own "throttler" - There's no cost to anyone getting into the virtual line except for having to get to the park at opening but if you have to sacrifice 2 hours in line many people will balk and go elsewhere. Effectively only those who REALLY want to ride will wait that long. This virtual line is a boon for Disney though as I don't think they really care about riders so much as they're A> maximizing ride capacity and (more importantly) B> keep people in the park to spend money elsewhere which they wouldn't be doing if they're in line. But if you're a normal joe who doesn't plan a Disney trip to the nth degree or have to balance the needs of a family that want to do other things - you're SOL.

I guess in some 'perfect' world this might be close to accurate. However, it raises multiple logistical issues in practice. Universal did a similar thing with Hagrid, but I would call that a disaster.

For example, what if you get in line when the wait is 2 hours and then the ride breaks down? Now you have to worry about bathroom breaks, people leaving line due to the additional wait, ADR's, other fast passes, etc. it feels like pure chaos.

Also the line could easily hit 8+ hours long. At that point, you have to stop people from entering the line at 2PM! If it breaks down, now you are either keeping the ride open till midnight, or you have folks who waited 6+ hours for nothing! Plus, most of the line will be outside. If it rains, that is a miserable existence.

You also have to open the parking lot at 1AM each morning, because you will have "die-hards" lining up outside your park at that time to be the first in standby. Or maybe you don't want to staff your parking lot at 1AM. Now you have a massive safety issue with people standing outside a locked gate with no bathroom facilities......

Honestly, I'm kinda surprised how many people think that Disney is purposely out to 'get' us. They want to make the most money. In general, they need relatively happy customers to continue to do that over a long period of time.

 

[MrMichaelJames]

My family and I are going to be there on March 3rd (thats our HS day). The current plan is that I'm going to get up early and get to the park in enough time to get in a group just for myself. The remainder of the family is going to come to the park later and meet me. I am not going to make my wife and kids get up super early for a chance to ride a ride. I'll take on that burden myself. If I ride it great, then I'll meet them later, if I don't get in a group then I'll just wander around the park till they get there.

 

[Skywise]

I guess in some 'perfect' world this might be close to accurate. However, it raises multiple logistical issues in practice. Universal did a similar thing with Hagrid, but I would call that a disaster.

For example, what if you get in line when the wait is 2 hours and then the ride breaks down? Now you have to worry about bathroom breaks, people leaving line due to the additional wait, ADR's, other fast passes, etc. it feels like pure chaos.

Also the line could easily hit 8+ hours long. At that point, you have to stop people from entering the line at 2PM! If it breaks down, now you are either keeping the ride open till midnight, or you have folks who waited 6+ hours for nothing! Plus, most of the line will be outside. If it rains, that is a miserable existence.

And yet - that's how it's always been done and STILL IS done in Disney! 7DMT, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, FoP, etc;

Honestly, I'm kinda surprised how many people think that Disney is purposely out to 'get' us. They want to make the most money. In general, they need relatively happy customers to continue to do that over a long period of time.

I didn't say they're "out to get us" - I'm saying Disney doesn't care about ride "fairness" over ride and park "profitability"
Possibly one "fix" would be to take VQ lines for up to 2 hours in advance - then reopen the window in 2 hour chunks (kinda like permanent fastpass that way) That would at least let people who came into the park later the ability to get a crack at riding the ride THAT DAY!

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Right - but that wait time acts as its own "throttler" - There's no cost to anyone getting into the virtual line except for having to get to the park at opening but if you have to sacrifice 2 hours in line many people will balk and go elsewhere. Effectively only those who REALLY want to ride will wait that long. This virtual line is a boon for Disney though as I don't think they really care about riders so much as they're A> maximizing ride capacity and (more importantly) B> keep people in the park to spend money elsewhere which they wouldn't be doing if they're in line. But if you're a normal joe who doesn't plan a Disney trip to the nth degree or have to balance the needs of a family that want to do other things - you're SOL.

While it is true that the VQ is probably technically more favorable to the company as yes you are free from the line to spend your cash (I've recognized this several times), it's also true that you haven't wasted your entire day waiting in that line.

I'd propose NOT doing FP+ (at least at first) - but there's still no reason they couldn't do it at the start. They didn't seem to have a problem with that for 7DMT.

And yet - that's how it's always been done and STILL IS done in Disney! 7DMT, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, FoP, etc;



I didn't say they're "out to get us" - I'm saying Disney doesn't care about ride "fairness" over ride and park "profitability"
Possibly one "fix" would be to take VQ lines for up to 2 hours in advance - then reopen the window in 2 hour chunks (kinda like permanent fastpass that way) That would at least let people who came into the park later the ability to get a crack at riding the ride THAT DAY!

First issue: The attraction isn't like any of those before in that it's a slightly less than 20 minute experience that uses multiple ride systems. It's also banking off being themed around one of the most popular franchises in cinematic history. What's been done before is not a good argument for something that has not been done before

Second issue - The reason Disney limits the boarding groups the way they do is because it's based on the estimates of a standby line, taking into account expected attendance of the attraction itself and the capacity of the attraction. They wouldn't be able to release new boarding group because of that's how they estimate capacity and the rate of turnover from open to close. And even without VQ, everyone going would still be lining up ridiculously early for standby.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

A physical line with an unreliable and ridiculously popular ride would be a nightmare. I think it would be the absolute worst way they could handle it.

People have said throughout these conversations since it opened that the length would be its own deterrent but I disagree. Anna and Elsa. CHARACTERS. Nothing ground breaking or mind blowing and these two drew a daily 5-6 hour line until they were given a proper set up. People will wait hours and hours for attractions that have been there for years at busy times of the years. This would have been a mess with I would guess 6-8 hour waits and loads of pissed off people when the thing goes down.

 

[Weedy]

Right - but that wait time acts as its own "throttler" - There's no cost to anyone getting into the virtual line except for having to get to the park at opening but if you have to sacrifice 2 hours in line many people will balk and go elsewhere. Effectively only those who REALLY want to ride will wait that long. This virtual line is a boon for Disney though as I don't think they really care about riders so much as they're A> maximizing ride capacity and (more importantly) B> keep people in the park to spend money elsewhere which they wouldn't be doing if they're in line. But if you're a normal joe who doesn't plan a Disney trip to the nth degree or have to balance the needs of a family that want to do other things - you're SOL.

FOP today. I would rather get there early and then have a chance to ride vs standing in a long line

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I'd propose NOT doing FP+ (at least at first) - but there's still no reason they couldn't do it at the start. They didn't seem to have a problem with that for 7DMT.

The opening of 7DMT was a long time ago (galaxy far away??) when FP+ was very new. Most people probably didn't know how to use it and didn't. A lot more people probably thought there was a fee to use it (people still think that). It working for 7DMT is not a good indicator that it would work from the get go for RotR.

I think the change to only allow BGs to open at park open is a good one (not perfect but a decent refinement). I think it's a compromise for those people who can't (or don't want to) get up at 4 am on vacation, are traveling with teens/toddlers/etc. It's not perfect but now that we're heading into a time when park hours aren't routinely 7 am, it should be easier for people.

 

[Thecouch]

the problem with boarding is there is no advantage for people staying on site . if your paying a premium to stay on site you should get a advantage . other wise when new rides open people can stay off site for much cheaper rate

 

[Laura's Dad]

Can't they do FP+ style, distribute online x days out. Stand by line for the die hards that still want to try their luck... kind FOP.

Why would you want to do that? That’s the problem with Flight of Passage and Slinky Dog Dash. If you have FPs, you have to let more FPs in than stand-by riders, That’s was causes huge standby waits. I think the VQ system is totally fair.

 

[Laura's Dad]

the problem with boarding is there is no advantage for people staying on site . if your paying a premium to stay on site you should get a advantage . other wise when new rides open people can stay off site for much cheaper rate

You still have the opportunity to book FPs for all other WDW rides at 60 days +. That is still a perk.

 

[yulilin3]

the problem with boarding is there is no advantage for people staying on site . if your paying a premium to stay on site you should get a advantage . other wise when new rides open people can stay off site for much cheaper rate

If you're coming just for the sole purpose of riding RotR and then leaving this might be a "problem" and still by staying onsite you are closer than off site and able to take free transportation. But let's be clear 99.99% of people are not coming just to ride one attraction and leave

 

[charmed59]

I think they will eventually add FP+ back in, and the BP system will replace standby. neither Disney nor their customers like 4 hour standby lines. The added bonus would be they could set it up so you can not get a BP until your FP+ is gone, which would allow more individuals to ride.

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

I think the VQ system is totally fair.

Have you used it? Did you get to ride on your first try? As someone whose first try was a fail (they didn't reach my backup BG) and had to get up early a second day,
with a spouse who had technical problems during our second try (while I was successful on same model phone 100 feet away), "fair" is not an adjective that came to mind over the past two days.
It does not mean that I hate the VQ or don't understand why it's being used. But there is a lot of randomness and luck (both good and bad) involved.