DHS Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Standby Line and Boarding Groups at Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Touchdown]

Agreed on that, too. I can't wait to see what happens at Disneyland.

I predict disaster, all those APs are probably frothing at the mouth after reading reviews about how great it is, I cannot imagine how crowded that park is going to be on weekends for weeks to come with people attempting to ride.

 

[disneygeek90]

We're beating a dead horse at this point. Hundreds of thousands have ridden now, and I'm sure they're glad they opened when they did.

 

[Parker in NYC]

I predict disaster, all those APs are probably frothing at the mouth after reading reviews about how great it is, I cannot imagine how crowded that park is going to be on weekends for weeks to come with people attempting to ride.

I realize I come to a lot of this from the high horse of being in the first boarding group on opening day but all I can say is... phew.

 

[relic827]

People Move has been at 35-40 for a while now. Even during supposed slow periods like October, May

I suppose. Again, I’ll blame YouTube and social media.

 

[easyrowrdw]

I agree, although I’m not sure what could’ve been done to get it ready, without an extensive testing period. I suppose this IS the testing period...
This whole trackless thing is still relatively new, especially for WDW. They’re still figuring out the best way to open these things.

If the ride wasn't ready, then I think that warrants criticism. What have they been doing for the past four years that they were having to cut it so close?

 

[relic827]

If the ride wasn't ready, then I think that warrants criticism. What have they been doing for the past four years that they were having to cut it so close?

Oh I agree. I’m just saying I personally wouldn’t be able to come up with any feasible alternatives. But then I don’t make the big bucks.

 

[jt04]

If the ride wasn't ready, then I think that warrants criticism. What have they been doing for the past four years that they were having to cut it so close?

Building something never done before.

 

[jt04]

I predict disaster, all those APs are probably frothing at the mouth after reading reviews about how great it is, I cannot imagine how crowded that park is going to be on weekends for weeks to come with people attempting to ride.

Impossible. Haven't you heard the Star Wars aren't popular anymore?

 

[Parker in NYC]

Impossible. Haven't you heard the Star Wars aren't popular anymore?

No, just bland lands. Brilliant attractions are popular.

So, how are the BG numbers going?

 

[disneygeek90]

No, just bland lands. Brilliant attractions are popular.

So, how are the BG numbers going?

At group 64. A bit on the sluggish side but I don't think there's been any extended downtime.

 

[easyrowrdw]

Building something never done before.

They're Disney; that's what they're supposed to do.

I dunno. I guess it kind of reminds me of students that want "just a couple more days" to finish their work. You had an entire semester to work on it...

 

[flynnibus]

Boarding Groups haven’t been available for more than a few minutes after official park opening EVER. This is hardly jumping to a conclusion.

Wrong

 

[jt04]

They're Disney; that's what they're supposed to do.

I dunno. I guess it kind of reminds me of students that want "just a couple more days" to finish their work. You had an entire semester to work on it...

The engineers will always always always want more time. See Star Trek.

 

[flynnibus]

Surely people need to get back to school/work soon, no? lol

This is the magic period where people can see Christmas decoration... still be on holiday break from schools/work... but not take away from christmas prep. Plus, APs.. It's been a fine time to visit DL in the past...

 

[el_super]

Might have been a perfect system for you. It was most assuredly NOT a perfect system for WDW Operations, or for DHS and Transportation CMs. The current system may not be ideal, but it's sustainable, which the "random unannounced opening times based on guesses about how early guests will try to show up today" system was not.

Both systems made perfect sense for the time that they were/are being used. Opening the gate early, when you had a massive crowd and the capacity to open, made the most amount of sense in the first few weeks. You gave a cushion of capacity for Rise that allowed more people to ride, while also accomodating the crowds with additional time for Toy Story Land. Having additional ride time is a benefit to everyone, even the people who couldnt wake up early.

When the crowds reduced a bit, and opening the park early didn't make as much of an impact, they changed the operating hours (still early, but not as early as before). That too, made sense.

In the coming weeks there will be more changes as demand dictates: eventually the park hours will be reduced back to "normal," and eventually Rise will show up on MDX for advanced fastpass bookings. Eventually the standby line will open. All of these are dependent on demand, and not necessarily on what is sustainable in the here and now. They are adapting and will continue to adapt as needed.

Agreed, although somebody decided at some point that it was acceptable to design an attraction with woefully insufficient capacity -- in that sense, it's still a self-created problem on Disney's part.

There is no such thing as perfect capacity. Most attractions are either over or under engineered and both present issues that need to be managed (as they are doing with Rise). WDI picked a perfect ride system(s) to tell their story, generate demand, and maintain relevance for their audience.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Yikes. 7:04 AM? Awful.

None of this would have happened if they had just strictly enforced arrival and opening times from the beginning instead of continuously shifting both earlier and earlier. Example: Park opens at 9? Parking lot opens at 7:30. Touchpoints and boarding passes open at 8:30. Strictly enforced, no exceptions. Anyone who thinks Disney couldn't handle this or that allowing 10,000 people to gather before the touchpoints is somehow better doesn't understand crowd control methods.

 

[disneygeek90]

When the crowds reduced a bit, and opening the park early didn't make as much of an impact, they changed the operating hours (still early, but not as early as before). That too, made sense.

I mean... have the crowds really reduced by any significance from opening days? To me it seems like not really.

 

[disneygeek90]

Yikes. 7:04 AM? Awful.

None of this would have happened if they had just strictly enforced arrival and opening times from the beginning instead of continuously shifting both earlier and earlier. Example: Park opens at 9? Parking lot opens at 7:30. Touchpoints and boarding passes open at 8:30. Strictly enforced, no exceptions. Anyone who thinks Disney couldn't handle this or that allowing 10,000 people to gather before the touchpoints is somehow better doesn't understand crowd control methods.

Wouldn't the passes all be gone in the same time frame as before the 12/18 change? In your scenario you're opening BG's at the same time as the touchpoint open, that's how it was before, and would still encourage people to be there as early as possible.

 

[Weather_Lady]

There is no such thing as perfect capacity. Most attractions are either over or under engineered and both present issues that need to be managed (as they are doing with Rise). WDI picked a perfect ride system(s) to tell their story, generate demand, and maintain relevance for their audience.

There may not be such a thing as perfect capacity -- but there is such a thing as adequate capacity. Given Disney's prior decisions to add an additional track to Toy Story Midway Mania, and create a duplicate Dumbo ride (the latter of which didn't change the ride system in any way, but simply made another copy of it), it's not like this was a new issue for the company. RoTR's lack of capacity is an issue that Disney could have anticipated (e.g., touted as Disney's biggest and best attraction ever, with commercials airing every 5 minutes to draw people to come see it, but with half the capacity of it's a small world!?) and solved long ago.

While forcing guests to scan (and potentially waste) a park ticket just to enter the park, where they'll have the chance to compete for the chance to ride RoTR may be the best way Disney can think of handle the crowds at present, it doesn't change the unfairness of the situation for those guests. Every day, dozens if not hundreds will lose out on the opportunity they've waited months for (and spent thousands of dollars to build a trip around), even though they did everything they were "supposed" to do to get into a boarding group. This is the first and only Disney attraction I can think of, in my lifetime, where this has been the case -- where no amount of time, money, preparedness or willingness to arrive early can possibly guarantee you a spot in line, and where you're nonetheless required to sacrifice a day's admission and precious rope drop time you could have spent elsewhere, just for the privilege of finding out whether you're one of the lucky ones. If that's not the result of of woefully inadequate capacity - something for which Disney has no one to blame but itself - what is it?

 

[Tom Morrow]

Wouldn't the passes all be gone in the same time frame as before the 12/18 change? In your scenario you're opening BG's at the same time as the touchpoint open, that's how it was before, and would still encourage people to be there as early as possible.

Before, getting there early enough pretty much guaranteed you a boarding pass. What they've done now is created a lottery. So now you both have to get there early AND might not get a pass, it's even worse than the already unnecessary extremely early lining up they've been allowing but didn't have to.