Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (DL)

[viking_wizard_eyes]

FWIW, I did the ride a little bit ago — got in line around 7:40, in the park by 7:55, and five minutes later I had boarding group 23. In my opinion, the boarding pass option works great. It’s democratic. And sure, maybe a few people are confused as to what’s happening, but the vast majority of people were on their phone, ready to go. If you were too slow to get a spot, then that’s sort of on you, not Disney. If they had a standby line only, the park would be utter chaos, and there would be a lot of cutting and people trying to game the system. (People holding spots for huge groups, people offering money for their spots, etc.)

Also the ride is incredible and I didn’t experience any technical or operational issues at all.

 

[rhino4evr]

The days of proper “softs” are pretty much over. Mainly because of the internet and the ability to get information out immediately. No longer do people “just get lucky” or should expect a slow opening before the “grand” opening.
As far as “opening too early” keep in mind Disneyland was actually delayed. You also have to consider that rides are getting more and more technical and complicated to operate.

I’m not 100% a fan of the boarding pass system, but I think it’s probably the best option that doesn’t rely on Grabbing a 60 day fast pass. You can literally show up any morning and have a good chance of getting on without having to wait all day in a long line, get to the park at 4am, or staying at an on-site hotel.

 

[bob albert]

The days of proper “softs” are pretty much over. Mainly because of the internet and the ability to get information out immediately. No longer do people “just get lucky” or should expect a slow opening before the “grand” opening.
As far as “opening too early” keep in mind Disneyland was actually delayed. You also have to consider that rides are getting more and more technical and complicated to operate.

I’m not 100% a fan of the boarding pass system, but I think it’s probably the best option that doesn’t rely on Grabbing a 60 day fast pass. You can literally show up any morning and have a good chance of getting on without having to wait all day in a long line, get to the park at 4am, or staying at an on-site hotel.

Again a soft opening does not become a normal opening just because people know about it. A soft opening just means Disney can open the ride for only a few hours then shut it down for the rest of the day without the responsibility they have no to get it running again. Most people aren't going to make vacation plans for a soft opening nor use up a single ticket.

 

[Clive]

FWIW, I did the ride a little bit ago — got in line around 7:40, in the park by 7:55, and five minutes later I had boarding group 23. In my opinion, the boarding pass option works great. It’s democratic. And sure, maybe a few people are confused as to what’s happening, but the vast majority of people were on their phone, ready to go. If you were too slow to get a spot, then that’s sort of on you, not Disney. If they had a standby line only, the park would be utter chaos, and there would be a lot of cutting and people trying to game the system. (People holding spots for huge groups, people offering money for their spots, etc.)

Also the ride is incredible and I didn’t experience any technical or operational issues at all.

This is inaccurate. One can be doing everything right and not get a reliable boarding pass. Many "join boarding group" buttons are not being refreshed at an identical moment despite refreshes.

 

[Freak]

If Disney's strategy was to give out groups and have people stay in the park all day to spend money, I don't think that's working out too well for them. Just watched a video where just a minute or two after the park opened and people got their boarding groups, there was a mass exodus of people leaving the park! I'm sure if this continues, they'll want to get the issues resolved quickly so that they will no longer have to keep doing this.

 

[viking_wizard_eyes]

This is inaccurate. One can be doing everything right and not get a reliable boarding pass. Many "join boarding group" buttons are not being refreshed at an identical moment despite refreshes.

That’s fair, I get it. But it’s still a better system than a free-for-all. A standby line also doesn’t guarantee that you’ll ride. The wait time could easily reach 12 hours (or more), and then when the ride inevitably goes down for a little... idk.

And let’s be honest — there are things you can do on your phone to give yourself a better chance. Close your other apps, use a friend’s hotspot and put your phone on airplane mode, make sure you have the most recent OS, etc.

If Disney's strategy was to give out groups and have people stay in the park all day to spend money, I don't think that's working out too well for them. Just watched a video where just a minute or two after the park opened and people got their boarding groups, there was a mass exodus of people leaving the park! I'm sure if this continues, they'll want to get the issues resolved quickly so that they will no longer have to keep doing this.

But those people would have had no interest in being there for anything other than RotR in the first place... If not for the ride, they likely would have just stayed home. Otherwise they wouldn’t have left the park. Disney doesn’t lose anything there. Also, people are spending hella time in GE (myself included). I think it’s fine.

 

[bob albert]

That’s fair, I get it. But it’s still a better system than a free-for-all. A standby line also doesn’t guarantee that you’ll ride. The wait time could easily reach 12 hours (or more), and then when the ride inevitably goes down for a little... idk.

And let’s be honest — there are things you can do on your phone to give yourself a better chance. Close your other apps, use a friend’s hotspot and put your phone on airplane mode, make sure you have the most recent OS, etc.

But those people would have had no interest in being there for anything other than RotR in the first place... If not for the ride, they likely would have just stayed home. Otherwise they wouldn’t have left the park. Disney doesn’t lose anything there. Also, people are spending hella time in GE (myself included). I think it’s fine.

A app lottery is a free for all in digital form at best. Also the people who left were probably passholders and there are plenty of people who probably used a ticket who are not passholders that got to the park early and got a late group or no group. Those are the bigger spenders they want in the park.

Now imagine for a minute that boarding groups are the future and that they will be booked on apps. Think about the data Disney is collecting on guests from those guests' accounts. Now they know who spends the most in the parks, who is likely to stay, who is not a local, who spent the most to get in. We have 0 accountability on this system actually being truly random even in it's current form which is why we need a system that is more straightforward and transparent. Given how Disney has operated for shareholders and not for guests in recent years I would %100 expect them to do this sort of thing.

 

[rhino4evr]

Well yeah I mean magic bands did all this stuff years ago. You basically need the app these days already. So that shouldn’t come as a surprise. The data collected on your phone and bands is extremely valuable for analytics

 

[GhostHost85]

Any ride that requires people to be in the park the second the park opens to play a digitally lottery to get a chance to maybe ride it should not be advertised as being officially open. It is not a guest friendly way to operate a brand new ride. If this was how they were handling technical rehearsals, I would be more then okay with it. However, if a ride is advertised as being officially open, then people will expect to be able to ride it just like any other ride. I would be more than okay with waiting 3 hours for a new ride. I'm not okay with a system that makes it so you have to be in the park to play a lottery the moment the park opens. To me, a ride being officially open means that I can get in line for it whenever I like as long as I get in line before the park closes and the ride isn't currently experiencing downtime.

 

[bob albert]

Any ride that requires people to be in the park the second the park opens to play a digitally lottery to get a chance to maybe ride it should not be advertised as being officially open. It is not a guest friendly way to operate a brand new ride. If this was how they were handling technical rehearsals, I would be more then okay with it. However, if a ride is advertised as being officially open, then people will expect to be able to ride it just like any other ride. I would be more than okay with waiting 3 hours for a new ride. I'm not okay with a system that makes it so you have to be in the park to play a lottery the moment the park opens. To me, a ride being officially open means that I can get in line for it whenever I like as long as I get in line before the park closes and the ride isn't currently experiencing downtime.

I have seen Disney announce a ride is closing early to cheap out on this + stand times are inflated. Cedar point will always run the ride until it is done when you get in at park close. I have seen dragster go 3+ additional hours before.But hey how could they ever afford that? That being said this ride fills capacity every day on digital reservations and a standby line is a waste of everyone time. if you get to the park 3 hours early you should be able to have a reserved spot and not a lotto chance.

 

[bob albert]

Well yeah I mean magic bands did all this stuff years ago. You basically need the app these days already. So that shouldn’t come as a surprise. The data collected on your phone and bands is extremely valuable for analytics

I just wished they used the data to make more investments and make services better in areas they were lacking In a way that could grow future profits instead of being extremely lazy and just pissing off their core market.. a large portion is probably screwed in recession because they are stretching so hard for Disney in the first place.

 

[rhino4evr]

I just wished they used the data to make more investments and make services better in areas they were lacking In a way that could grow future profits instead of being extremely lazy and just pissing off their core market.. a large portion is probably screwed in recession because they are stretching so hard for Disney in the first place.

that’s fine, but to say they aren’t investing in the parks is a little silly in the Rise of the Resistance thread. I mean they just opened two huge lands , one of most impressive attractions ever, and have a major project (mostly e tickets) under construction at every park (maybe with the exception of Animal Kingdom for obvious reasons.).
So, yes I think Disney needs to keep investing in their parks, that’s exactly what they are doing.

 

[Freak]

Here's the thing about this lottery system: It's okay for passholders like me (Even though I currently have the cheapest pass). If I don't get to go on, I can just do Space Mountain or Indy, leave, and then go to Knott's. I can come back another time for a chance to ride. What really sucks are the people who may have payed a one-day ticket to go see this new ride that's advertised as open, do everything right to get a boarding pass, end up in a backup boarding group, and they don't get to ride. I know a few people who don't even have a smartphone, so if they want to ride it anytime soon, they're screwed. There's no way they can ride until they retire this process.

There are also several people I know who want to go see it, but are not well-versed in the theme park scene or they can't afford a pass or commit to the time to do so. Sucks for them if they see the "NOW OPEN!" billboards, totally oblivious to the whole process, and find out after shelling out the cash to enter that they can't ride. You can argue that they should've done some more research before spending money to see it, but there are a good chunk of people that can only do one day. A lot of those people will just assume that they will have to show up early to get in line to ride....you know, the old-fashioned way.

My point is there has to be some cushion for the GP. Maybe have it to where only the guaranteed groups will be given to the people who showed up and are inside at 8 and then save the last ones/backup for the stragglers. At least have a stand-by system or something. It's a bit unfair to oblivious guests or people who don't have a smart phone.

 

[bob albert]

that’s fine, but to say they aren’t investing in the parks is a little silly in the Rise of the Resistance thread. I mean they just opened two huge lands , one of most impressive attractions ever, and have a major project (mostly e tickets) under construction at every park (maybe with the exception of Animal Kingdom for obvious reasons.).
So, yes I think Disney needs to keep investing in their parks, that’s exactly what they are doing.

Disney is playing catchup after a decade of mostly ignoring major investment. They would have to double down to catch up. Also they tend to do a terrible job at controlling cost so that is part of the problem of the parks not being able to meet demand. People get hung up on the cost of certain lands and dont look at the actual need of how much they really need to scale up given the growth rate of demand. I guess you could say universal took some of that growth though.

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

Here's the thing about this lottery system: It's okay for passholders like me (Even though I currently have the cheapest pass). If I don't get to go on, I can just do Space Mountain or Indy, leave, and then go to Knott's. I can come back another time for a chance to ride. What really sucks are the people who may have payed a one-day ticket to go see this new ride that's advertised as open, do everything right to get a boarding pass, end up in a backup boarding group, and they don't get to ride. I know a few people who don't even have a smartphone, so if they want to ride it anytime soon, they're screwed. There's no way they can ride until they retire this process.

There are also several people I know who want to go see it, but are not well-versed in the theme park scene or they can't afford a pass or commit to the time to do so. Sucks for them if they see the "NOW OPEN!" billboards, totally oblivious to the whole process, and find out after shelling out the cash to enter that they can't ride. You can argue that they should've done some more research before spending money to see it, but there are a good chunk of people that can only do one day. A lot of those people will just assume that they will have to show up early to get in line to ride....you know, the old-fashioned way.

My point is there has to be some cushion for the GP. Maybe have it to where only the guaranteed groups will be given to the people who showed up and are inside at 8 and then save the last ones/backup for the stragglers. At least have a stand-by system or something. It's a bit unfair to oblivious guests or people who don't have a smart phone.

It's sorta hard to say what is or isn't fair, as the ride is technically open to the public, its just a game of chance. The odds of riding would be equally poor if those 1 day ticket holders had to wait in a 12 hour standby line for a ride with frequent breakdowns. Also, as I mentioned a few days ago, there is a paper system at certain fastpass locations if you don't have a phone, you just have to ask the right cast members where to find them and be within the first few people to get there.

 

[Freak]

It's sorta hard to say what is or isn't fair, as the ride is technically open to the public, its just a game of chance. The odds of riding would be equally poor if those 1 day ticket holders had to wait in a 12 hour standby line for a ride with frequent breakdowns. Also, as I mentioned a few days ago, there is a paper system at certain fastpass locations if you don't have a phone, you just have to ask the right cast members where to find them and be within the first few people to get there.

While the last sentence is true, as Joe mentioned last page, they only gave out 50 boarding passes on opening day before they were all gone. You have a very small window of time to do that. Maybe it’s improved since day 1, but when I was at the TL kiosks by Buzz, there was a huge mob that would’ve made it impossible to get to them on time. So unless you have a smartphone to get the app, you’re screwed.

 

[viking_wizard_eyes]

I asked every cast member I could about why the park went with a lottery system, because my friends and I could just not stop debating lol. Anyway the basic answer I got each time (and take this with a grain of salt, of course — they’re just cast members) is Disneyland just didn’t want a line. They didn’t want a 12 hour standby line. They didn’t want a standby line to “get into” the virtual line, like you saw in Orlando. They wanted the team to focus on operating the ride and maintaining the condensed version of a standby line created by the tiered lottery system. (So yeah, safe to say this is definitely a soft open, despite appearances.) And, most interesting, according to two separate guest services people, it feels “more immersive” to not have a huge line snaking through GE. Not sure if that is a park policy or just their opinion, but those were there exact words both times. Another cast member (someone checking boarding passes at GE) said it will be like this for at least a few months. So idk.

Also the ride is still amazing.

 

[SailwiththeTide]

Got group 13 yesterday. Looks like they had an ok day with getting into the 100's late into the evening. The system is flawed but it is what it is. People will complain with any system out there. Rope dropping Flight of passage is ridiculous 3 years later but it is what it is. That system has flaws too. EMH give advantage to on property people and people still run to get to the ride. The Disney World fast pass system is stupid. Anyway the ride is an amazing achievement and will be very busy for a long time.

From what I have read you are going to un-board and re-board the ride vehicle several times during the ride. That sounds like a recipe for disaster. How would limited mobility people handle this? I am excited for the ride and the land but I going to error on the side of caution and expect to be underwhelmed. I know it probably is a minority opinion and I hope I am wrong.

I dug up this thought I had way back when to eat crow. I was way wrong. If anyone is underwhelmed by this ride you have no pulse. Best theme park experience by a long shot.

 

[JawsVictim]

I want to make sure I understand this correctly since I’m planning on going later next month. The reservation system opens at 8 AM. However, the gates don’t open until 9 AM. Right? So everyone’s requesting a boarding group while waiting for rope drop?

Also, if you have 2 people in your party, are you allowed to request separately? So each party member is requesting a boarding group for 2.

 

[KlownzNskullZ]

I want to make sure I understand this correctly since I’m planning on going later next month. The reservation system opens at 8 AM. However, the gates don’t open until 9 AM. Right? So everyone’s requesting a boarding group while waiting for rope drop?

Also, if you have 2 people in your party, are you allowed to request separately? So each party member is requesting a boarding group for 2.

Gates at 7ish when I went they let people in at 7:10 and then everything on Main Street is open until 8am