Fastpass+ for 7DMT...impossible to get?

[RSoxNo1]

@lentesta has postulated that they may be holding back Mine Train reservations for Resort Guests.

 

[lentesta]

@lentesta has postulated that they may be holding back Mine Train reservations for Resort Guests.

I think they don't release the entire inventory at the 60-day mark. I wouldn't be surprised if they trickle them out from 60 to 1 days, to give offsite and onsite guests some chance of seeing some.

The thing is, with demand so much ahead of supply, it's essentially a lottery system, even for those willing to get up at midnight of the 60-day mark.

On Len's Scale of Acceptable Preference Systems(tm), lotteries rank below "I prepared more than the next guy," "I'm willing to stand in line longer than the next guy," and "I paid more than the next guy." There's no reward for effort or smarts.

I ask you, is that the idea that this country was built on? When Lincoln was surrounded by zombies at Valley Forge...when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor...when we needed Michael Phelps to put down the spliff and win those Communist Olympics...did we just sit back and hope for the best? No. And it's not what we should be doing now in our theme parks. Who's with me?

 

[RSoxNo1]

I think they don't release the entire inventory at the 60-day mark. I wouldn't be surprised if they trickle them out from 60 to 1 days, to give offsite and onsite guests some chance of seeing some.

The thing is, with demand so much ahead of supply, it's essentially a lottery system, even for those willing to get up at midnight of the 60-day mark.

On Len's Scale of Acceptable Preference Systems(tm), lotteries rank below "I prepared more than the next guy," "I'm willing to stand in line longer than the next guy," and "I paid more than the next guy." There's no reward for effort or smarts.

I ask you, is that the idea that this country was built on? When Lincoln was surrounded by zombies at Valley Forge...when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor...when we needed Michael Phelps to put down the spliff and win those Communist Olympics...did we just sit back and hope for the best? No. And it's not what we should be doing now in our theme parks. Who's with me?

You know what's a crazy idea? Not booking everything 60 days in advance... maybe I'm crazy.

 

[Horizons '83]

Just curious as me and my wife will be going to MK next weekend and hope to ride this for the first time, how long have the standby wait times typically been? 2 hours ?

 

[networkpro]

Just curious as me and my wife will be going to MK next weekend and hope to ride this for the first time, how long have the standby wait times typically been? 2 hours ?

Here's a hint: Go during the parades , you'd be amazed how short the standby line gets.

 

[Horizons '83]

Great tip! Thanks, we do try to do that because neither of us are big parade fans anyway. I guess we should except to wait a minimum of an hour or so?

 

[JasonDeyoung]

Get there at rope drop its not bad, during parades and fireworks it's tolerable. During the day I usually notice it around anywhere from 45-120 mins depending on the day. More around 45-70 ish on avg I've noticed

 

[habuma]

We had FP+ for 7DMT every day that we were in the MK for our trip (4 out of 8 days) and ended up riding it twice more than that. I was up at midnight getting the FP+ selections and had no trouble whatsoever. Of course our trip was in early January in the slow-ish time between the New Years crowds and Marathon Weekend, so it may be trickier for busier times.

One thing we learned is to get in line just a moment or two before closing time. The posted wait time was 65 minutes, but the WDW Lines app said to expect 39 minutes. From the time we entered the line until the time we walked out the exit, it was exactly 30 minutes. I'd have rather used a FP+, but 30 minutes isn't bad and gave us time to try out the interactive stuff in the queue. I have a friend who tried this exact strategy last night and he reported a similar experience.

 

[10Magic]

The rope drop idea is the way to go if you can, but even then, when you arrive (even if you've made a bee-line to the attraction) you'll find a huge line outside. GET ON IT! The wait seems horrible, but within a few moments it starts moving pretty quickly. I think they wait a few moments before actually letting people on the ride. Also (and I think the MK experts can help out here) it might be better to take the route that brings you over the bridge to the right before you pass through the Castle, pass Mad Tea Party, and jump on the line from there.

 

[George]

I think they don't release the entire inventory at the 60-day mark. I wouldn't be surprised if they trickle them out from 60 to 1 days, to give offsite and onsite guests some chance of seeing some.

The thing is, with demand so much ahead of supply, it's essentially a lottery system, even for those willing to get up at midnight of the 60-day mark.

On Len's Scale of Acceptable Preference Systems(tm), lotteries rank below "I prepared more than the next guy," "I'm willing to stand in line longer than the next guy," and "I paid more than the next guy." There's no reward for effort or smarts.

I ask you, is that the idea that this country was built on? When Lincoln was surrounded by zombies at Valley Forge...when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor...when we needed Michael Phelps to put down the spliff and win those Communist Olympics...did we just sit back and hope for the best? No. And it's not what we should be doing now in our theme parks. Who's with me?

For example, my rancid flatulence line shortening technique requires forethought, planning, and extensive knowledge of how different dietary constituents impact my digestive system.

 

[englanddg]

For example, my rancid flatulence line shortening technique requires forethought, planning, and extensive knowledge of how different dietary constituents impact my digestive system.

 

[tirian]

A few things about Seven Dwarfs Mine Train:

1. Depending on expected crowd levels, SDMT sometimes opens 15 minutes before the rest of the MK. If you can arrive 45–30 minutes before rope drop, you stand a good chance of getting into the MK early for it.
2. CMs will walk the crowd over the FL bridge to the entrance. You can't choose your path at rope drop.
3. The FP+ queue is tiny, necessitating few FPs compared to other attractions.
4. The hourly capacity is too low for its prominence in FL, necessitating few FPs compared to other attractions.
5. Most importantly: it's not an E-ticket ride. The queue is pretty, the mountain is well themed, and the classy-but-lower-budget AAs are an impressive improvement to the standard Dark Ride Mannequins. But you know what? The ride is too short. It's a kiddie ride that's only popular because it's new. It should have had at least one more show scene, or been built to complement the existing Snow White dark ride. SDMT might be the most overrated attraction in WDW right now, more than Turtle Talk.

I'm not saying SDMT is horrible. It's a fun little coaster. Ride it and enjoy it, but temper your expectations.

Be aware that the long lines exist only because it's new. This is not the gentler-BTMRR-meets-Splash-Mt attraction Disney fans hoped for. Like the rest of New Fantasyland, SDMT has a lot of beautiful theming for very little substance. And unfortunately, it has spurred higher crowd levels without adding ride capacity to the MK. (All attractions replace existing ones.) In comparison, DL has lower attendance levels and more attractions than the MK.

The rope drop idea is the way to go if you can, but even then, when you arrive (even if you've made a bee-line to the attraction) you'll find a huge line outside. GET ON IT! The wait seems horrible, but within a few moments it starts moving pretty quickly. I think they wait a few moments before actually letting people on the ride. Also (and I think the MK experts can help out here) it might be better to take the route that brings you over the bridge to the right before you pass through the Castle, pass Mad Tea Party, and jump on the line from there.

 

[RSoxNo1]

A few things about Seven Dwarfs Mine Train:

1. Depending on expected crowd levels, SDMT sometimes opens 15 minutes before the rest of the MK. If you can arrive 45–30 minutes before rope drop, you stand a good chance of getting into the MK early for it.
2. CMs will walk the crowd over the FL bridge to the entrance. You can't choose your path at rope drop.
3. The FP+ queue is tiny, necessitating few FPs compared to other attractions.
4. The hourly capacity is too low for its prominence in FL, necessitating few FPs compared to other attractions.
5. Most importantly: it's not an E-ticket ride. The queue is pretty, the mountain is well themed, and the classy-but-lower-budget AAs are an impressive improvement to the standard Dark Ride Mannequins. But you know what? The ride is too short. It's a kiddie ride that's only popular because it's new. It should have had at least one more show scene, or been built to complement the existing Snow White dark ride. SDMT might be the most overrated attraction in WDW right now, more than Turtle Talk.

I'm not saying SDMT is horrible. It's a fun little coaster. Ride it and enjoy it, but temper your expectations.

Be aware that the long lines exist only because it's new. This is not the gentler-BTMRR-meets-Splash-Mt attraction Disney fans hoped for. Like the rest of New Fantasyland, SDMT has a lot of beautiful theming for very little substance. And unfortunately, it has spurred higher crowd levels without adding ride capacity to the MK. (All attractions replace existing ones.) In comparison, DL has lower attendance levels and more attractions than the MK.

Why is Turtle Talk your go to overrated attraction? Peter Pan's Flight, Space Mountain, Toy Story Mania, and Soarin' are thought of as more overrated by the masses.

Regarding the animatronics being lower budget, they have more axis of motion than Pan or Pooh, I assume they're not as complex as the Ariel figures though, is that correct? In the lower light scene, I think the faces work great.

Regarding loading, the even/odd loading is very smart. I just wish it didn't look so temporary. The Fastpass+ queue can back up into the sunlight, but rarely does - Are the issuing less than 70% of the attraction's capacity in Fastpass+?

I definitely agree that it needs about 30-45 seconds more. It needs an "Off to work we go" scene first and then the current mine scene as the main part of the attraction.

 

[tirian]

Turtle Talk:

Stand in line to hear kids ask Crush the same questions and hear Crush give the same answers.

You might think the other attractions are more overrated than Crush—and I agree with everything on your list—but for me, Turtle Talk is as boring as it gets.

Rumor has it that Peter Pan in DL will get similar animatronics as Mine Train. It's definitely a happy medium between full-out AAs and dark ride mannequins.

Why is Turtle Talk your go to overrated attraction? Peter Pan's Flight, Space Mountain, Toy Story Mania, and Soarin' are thought of as more overrated by the masses.

Regarding the animatronics being lower budget, they have more axis of motion than Pan or Pooh, I assume they're not as complex as the Ariel figures though, is that correct? In the lower light scene, I think the faces work great.

Regarding loading, the even/odd loading is very smart. I just wish it didn't look so temporary. The Fastpass+ queue can back up into the sunlight, but rarely does - Are the issuing less than 70% of the attraction's capacity in Fastpass+?

I definitely agree that it needs about 30-45 seconds more. It needs an "Off to work we go" scene first and then the current mine scene as the main part of the attraction.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Turtle Talk:

Stand in line to hear kids ask Crush the same questions and hear Crush give the same answers.

You might think the other attractions are more overrated than Crush—and I agree with everything on your list—but for me, Turtle Talk is as boring as it gets.

Rumor has it that Peter Pan in DL will get similar animatronics as Mine Train. It's definitely a happy medium between full-out AAs and dark ride mannequins.

The thing with Turtle Talk and the thing with Monster's Inc Laugh Floor is the degree of variability. When a ride like Splash Mountain offers the same show ride in and ride out we think nothing of it, but when a show is consistent we criticize it for being stale? It's a product of comedy. Louis CK doesn't do the same hour special every year, he comes up with new material. But if you follow him for that year as he works on the act, you're not going to laugh at the special.

Turtle Talk and Monster's Inc are very well done attractions (although I'm not a fan of the placement of either). The problem is familiarity, as you said. But when kids are truly interacting with Crush or a monster, that's far more memorable than your 5th ride on Splash Mountain. That doesn't make those attractions better than Splash Mountain, just different.

The likes of Soarin', TSMM, Space Mountain and Peter Pan's Flight are truly overrated because you wait in a long line for a less than perfect experience.

 

[tirian]

Somehow, I enjoy Monsters, Inc. every time I watch it. There's enough variety to keep my interest.

But I'll just have to disagree with you about Turtle Talk.

The thing with Turtle Talk and the thing with Monster's Inc Laugh Floor is the degree of variability. When a ride like Splash Mountain offers the same show ride in and ride out we think nothing of it, but when a show is consistent we criticize it for being stale? It's a product of comedy. Louis CK doesn't do the same hour special every year, he comes up with new material. But if you follow him for that year as he works on the act, you're not going to laugh at the special.

Turtle Talk and Monster's Inc are very well done attractions (although I'm not a fan of the placement of either). The problem is familiarity, as you said. But when kids are truly interacting with Crush or a monster, that's far more memorable than your 5th ride on Splash Mountain. That doesn't make those attractions better than Splash Mountain, just different.

The likes of Soarin', TSMM, Space Mountain and Peter Pan's Flight are truly overrated because you wait in a long line for a less than perfect experience.