Any indication the virtual queue will be coming to DHS GE?

[durangojim]

Had 3 reservations in Galaxy's Edge this weekend. Hats off to the Park Ops team - it all worked perfectly, as far as I could tell.

WDW should look hard at a similar system for August. I'm not sure how they'd do it with all of the on-site hotel rooms, but the overall experience was great.

Maybe make it a smaller window like 3 hours and start at 6am and limited it to only onsite guests it might work. @lentesta could probably use his super computing math skills to figure out if it would work.

 

[SpoiledBlueMilk]

Not sure of all the variables, but I'm banking on the idea that not everyone is going to understand that they have early access with their hotel reservation which can just be chalked up to ignorance. Then I'm hoping the number who do won't want to wake up at 5am to make it to DHS to get early access. Also, it seems from the videos in DL that the land can easily handle the crowds. Even on opening day the land didn't look jammed packed. Let's hope WDW learns from the ops crew at DL and handle the opening just as well.

 

[Lensman]

Not sure of all the variables, but I'm banking on the idea that not everyone is going to understand that they have early access with their hotel reservation which can just be chalked up to ignorance. Then I'm hoping the number who do won't want to wake up at 5am to make it to DHS to get early access. Also, it seems from the videos in DL that the land can easily handle the crowds. Even on opening day the land didn't look jammed packed. Let's hope WDW learns from the ops crew at DL and handle the opening just as well.

Well, if you're not going in the first few weeks, you can wait until you hear reports of what crowds are like - maybe using touringplans.com?

I'm sure we'll be able to find out what the difference will be like between the strategy of queueing up for the 6 am opening vs going for 8 am vs going at noon. Assuming you're going for a week one could always try one's preferred strategy on day 2, but be prepared to abandon it if it proves to be a foolish one.

 

[JenniferS]

Well, if you're not going in the first few weeks, you can wait until you hear reports of what crowds are like - maybe using touringplans.com?

I'm sure we'll be able to find out what the difference will be like between the strategy of queueing up for the 6 am opening vs going for 8 am vs going at noon. Assuming you're going for a week one could always try one's preferred strategy on day 2, but be prepared to abandon it if it proves to be a foolish one.

I’m really hoping for a good old fashioned AFTER hours paid event ... I am so not a morning person.

Failing that, I guess we’ll be getting up at 4:30. Probably twice. Hubby and I really want to make our own droids.

 

[nickys]

Maybe make it a smaller window like 3 hours and start at 6am and limited it to only onsite guests it might work. @lentesta could probably use his super computing math skills to figure out if it would work.

3 hours? You won’t get much done in that time. The ride wait time at DL may be fairly short, although it has varied up to 2 hours at times. But the line for the light sabre building workshop was at 90 minutes constantly.

At DL, that’s likely OK as many visitors live locally. At WDW, not so much.

@Magic Feather has already said it will be a virtual queue though!

 

[Stevie Amsterdam]

The extra, extra magic hours are your reservations.

Ah - nothing like a 6AM reservation on vacation!

To us Europeans that actually isn't too bad lol. Due to a jetlag I'm always up at 5am whenever I visit the US

 

[LukeS7]

Maybe make it a smaller window like 3 hours and start at 6am and limited it to only onsite guests it might work. @lentesta could probably use his super computing math skills to figure out if it would work.

From a quick google search, Disney has 30,000 hotel rooms on-site. Let's take that and factor in quadruple occupancy for every room, so 120,000 guests. Now let's say the capacity of the land is the 15,000 mentioned early. 120,000/15,000 = 8, so we need 8 complete rotations of crowds within the land to cycle through that amount of guests. Now, you could do 3 hour rotations and get through that amount in a 24-hour period, but that's not a practical solution. I think a better solution would be to limit the reservation for on-site guests to a single 4-hour window per week (so for those staying longer, they can experience it more than once).

The average Disney World stay (from what I could find online) is 4-5 days, so let's say worst-case-scenario the hotel rooms completely cycle twice in a week, that's now 240,000 guests with 16 rotations of the land needed. Factoring 4 rotations/day of the land, that's 28 rotations for the week, meaning just under half of the reservations should still be available for other guests.

I think as long as you limit the on-site reservations to one/week for each room, it would be practical for them to use the same system. This is also assuming 100% of guests staying on-site will use their reservation.

 

[Magic Feather]

From a quick google search, Disney has 30,000 hotel rooms on-site. Let's take that and factor in quadruple occupancy for every room, so 120,000 guests. Now let's say the capacity of the land is the 15,000 mentioned early. 120,000/15,000 = 8, so we need 8 complete rotations of crowds within the land to cycle through that amount of guests. Now, you could do 3 hour rotations and get through that amount in a 24-hour period, but that's not a practical solution. I think a better solution would be to limit the reservation for on-site guests to a single 4-hour window per week (so for those staying longer, they can experience it more than once).

The average Disney World stay (from what I could find online) is 4-5 days, so let's say worst-case-scenario the hotel rooms completely cycle twice in a week, that's now 240,000 guests with 16 rotations of the land needed. Factoring 4 rotations/day of the land, that's 28 rotations for the week, meaning just under half of the reservations should still be available for other guests.

I think as long as you limit the on-site reservations to one/week for each room, it would be practical for them to use the same system. This is also assuming 100% of guests staying on-site will use their reservation.

The main reason why Disney won’t do that:
They are banking on ignorance. Hoping that people are unwilling to be at DHS by 5 AM. Praying that some resort guests will think GE is not worth the fuss. DL’s puny hotel capacity made it easy for them, but WDW’s monster hotel circuit would be near impossible to accomadate when taking into account varying stay lengths. Plus, giving people the option of a reservation makes them feel obligated to use it/tend to it. While they aren’t number I can share. DL hotel guest reservations have a significantly lower no-show rate compared to the normal reservations.

 

[drod1985]

How do they actually kick you out of the land?

They don't. They just stop serving you. You won't be able to get in line for Smuggler's Run, the Cantina, Savi's, etc. People still stay and walk around, but they can't do anything or purchase the big ticket items.

 

[Janir]

Virtual queue allows people to wait in a line digitally, without physically standing there. Kind of like a restaurant waiting for a table. You would show up to GE, say this is the StarBurst family of 4 and your name would get added the end of the list. If I walked up right after and said the Purduvian family of 4, my name would get placed under your name. When someone left GE (either on their on free will or Disney told them they had to), they would notify you that it is your families time to come enjoy GE. I would not get the same notification until another 4 people left and there was room for me! While we waited for our notifications we can enjoy the rest of Hollywood studios attractions, restaurants ect. This is similar to how dumbo works in the magic kingdom.

Reservation system is similar except I can not walk up to GE and asked to be placed on a list. They way it works at DLR is every reservation is in a 4 hour time block. If your block starts at noon, you have from noon to 4pm in GE, then you are kicked out and the next reservation is let in.

So the physical line now becomes the line to get a virtual line spot. Unless they come up with some reservation system or something. Line up at 3 am to get in to DHS to get to the SWGE virtual line point, get your virtual line spot at some point when the processing gets to you, then go hang in DHS or take a nap. Still doesn't deal with the lines, it just pushes the lines to an earlier time. Unless they lottery the virtual line somehow.

 

[drod1985]

Not sure of all the variables, but I'm banking on the idea that not everyone is going to understand that they have early access with their hotel reservation which can just be chalked up to ignorance. Then I'm hoping the number who do won't want to wake up at 5am to make it to DHS to get early access. Also, it seems from the videos in DL that the land can easily handle the crowds. Even on opening day the land didn't look jammed packed. Let's hope WDW learns from the ops crew at DL and handle the opening just as well.

The interesting thing is that the first few days at DHS are open to the general public at the same time - 6am. So unless a reservation system gives WDW-hotel guests an advantage we'll just be fighting the masses.

 

[danlb_2000]

So the physical line now becomes the line to get a virtual line spot. Unless they come up with some reservation system or something. Line up at 3 am to get in to DHS to get to the SWGE virtual line point, get your virtual line spot at some point when the processing gets to you, then go hang in DHS or take a nap. Still doesn't deal with the lines, it just pushes the lines to an earlier time. Unless they lottery the virtual line somehow.

But a line to get into the park is going to clear a lot faster then a line waiting to get into the land since the land may have to periodically close for capacity. Also, if I get to the park at say 9:00 PM, without a virtual queue there might be a five hour line to get into the land, with the virtual queue I check in, and come back in five hours to get in.

 

[Dave B]

They don't. They just stop serving you. You won't be able to get in line for Smuggler's Run, the Cantina, Savi's, etc. People still stay and walk around, but they can't do anything or purchase the big ticket items.

I have heard that the Storm troopers are kicking people out based on the color of your wristband

 

[Dave B]

The interesting thing is that the first few days at DHS are open to the general public at the same time - 6am. So unless a reservation system gives WDW-hotel guests an advantage we'll just be fighting the masses.

Yes but only for three days

 

[ToTBellHop]

I don't know about all that, I'm just not a morning person.

But if I'm paying for the Poly, which has rates like a Four Seasons but service like an Airport Holiday Inn, I better not have to wake up at 5am on vacation. Again, I rarely leave my room before noon on vacation, and stay out until past Midnight.

Then I guess you’re not going to Batuu.

 

[monothingie]

But a line to get into the park is going to clear a lot faster then a line waiting to get into the land since the land may have to periodically close for capacity. Also, if I get to the park at say 9:00 PM, without a virtual queue there might be a five hour line to get into the land, with the virtual queue I check in, and come back in five hours to get in.

Silly question. And sorry for the rambling.

With a standard queue they will keep admitting guests until the moment the park closes. Will they curtail the assignment of admissions to ensure a prompt closing at park closure?

Legacy FP kept dishing out return times until park close, and/or until total inventory of return times were exhausted. So does that mean unless you're in the park within the first hour or two you, you don't have a chance? Or is it possible you get a return time of 10PM when you enter the virtual queue at say 8AM?

 

[matt9112]

Silly question. And sorry for the rambling.

With a standard queue they will keep admitting guests until the moment the park closes. Will they curtail the assignment of admissions to ensure a prompt closing at park closure?

Legacy FP kept dishing out return times until park close, and/or until total inventory of return times were exhausted. So does that mean unless you're in the park within the first hour or two you, you don't have a chance? Or is it possible you get a return time of 10PM when you enter the virtual queue at say 8AM?

something on this scale has never been done before so we are not sure exactly how it will work. if they do rolling windows in the land my guess is that the last window of the night can be in line at park close and like any other ride they will close the line but let everyone in line go through and ride. if demand is as high as people think it will be i dont believe a stand by line for the land is a good idea. if you do that than you have the issue you aformentioned what if your waiting in the land line at park close? granted they could cut that line early and basically stop admittance at x time.