News Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind Virtual Queue and Lightning Lane status

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I'm guessing the VQ will be in place until at least Labor Day.
This is why I made sure to book an EPCOT park pass reservation so I'd have a chance at 7am.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

So if you’re good at getting a boarding group, then you get to enter for free. But if not you have to pay for the lighting lane.

That just doesn’t make sense to me. Either make it all boarding groups or have standby as an alternative to paying.

 

[DfromATX]

So just like Rise of the Resistance was in the beginning? That was a little stressful.

 

[danv3]

That was a little stressful.

TWDC doesn't care about guest stress or dissatisfaction.

 

[gerarar]

So just like Rise of the Resistance was in the beginning? That was a little stressful.

It's a bit easier now to get a BG then it was with Rise, imo.

Before, you had to select your party on the fly, which involved a lot of clicking/tapping and error-prone.
But now, since you can reserve your party ahead of the 7am/1pm drops, that multi-step process is gone.

Pretty much all you have to do now is at the top of the hour, click the refresh button at the bottom of the screen, then tap the same area as that refresh button will turn into a join queue button, and that's it.

For ROTR I would usually get like BG 30s+, but for Rat that had this new process, I got BG 3.

 

[celluloid]

So if you’re good at getting a boarding group, then you get to enter for free. But if not you have to pay for the lighting lane.

That just doesn’t make sense to me. Either make it all boarding groups or have standby as an alternative to paying.

You called it here with that statement. Inflating the demand.

 

[NoChesterHester]

This is the new model.

Lest say the attraction does 1,400 an hour and is open for 10 hours a day.
14,000 people can ride. (Ok, aggressive, but lets just play this out.)
50% of the capacity will be Virtual Queue and 50% will be Lighting Lane Purchase at $25
$175,000 per day of operation in LL purchases

Good news is that if it works it will get Tron open quicker to recoup that cost.

 

[MisterPenguin]

This is the new model.

Lest say the attraction does 1,400 an hour and is open for 10 hours a day.
14,000 people can ride. (Ok, aggressive, but lets just play this out.)
50% of the capacity will be Virtual Queue and 50% will be Lighting Lane Purchase at $25
$175,000 per day of operation in LL purchases

Good news is that if it works it will get Tron open quicker to recoup that cost.

Yeah, but if they only just had a Standby Line, then the 30,000 people who showed up at the park would all be able to ride!!1!!!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Yeah, but if they only just had a Standby Line, then the 30,000 people who showed up at the park would all be able to ride!!1!!!

Orrrrr Disney would have to open EPCOT at ungodly hours while lines circled the park and there's nothing saying that all of those guests will even get to ride.
Don't get me wrong I would like the option to wait in a line but I fully understand after FOP why they prefer a VQ.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Orrrrr Disney would have to open EPCOT at ungodly hours while lines circled the park and there's nothing saying that all of those guests will even get to ride.
Don't get me wrong I would like the option to wait in a line but I fully understand after FOP why they prefer a VQ.

As someone who waited 4 hours for FOP shortly after it opened, I am thankful for VQs now. (Just my opinion)

 

[MisterPenguin]

and there's nothing saying that all of those guests will even get to ride.

Yeah, that was my sarcastic point to those who blindly say "let it be standby so everyone can get on" when that's an impossibility.

 

[danv3]

Pre-virtual queues, what new attractions had lines so long that people who wanted to ride were unable to do so? (Not unwilling to wait, mind you, but actually unable.)

 

[MisterPenguin]

Pre-virtual queues, what new attractions had lines so long that people who wanted to ride were unable to do so? (Not unwilling to wait, mind you, but actually unable.)

All the ones that CMs cut off new people from entering the line at night so that the park could close? Like for FoP and SR:MF?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Yeah, that was my sarcastic point to those who blindly say "let it be standby so everyone can get on" when that's an impossibility.

My apologies, Your sarcasm went over my head.

 

[solidyne]

My apologies, Your sarcasm went over my head.

It was the "!!1!!!" that sold it for me.

 

[danv3]

All the ones that CMs cut off new people from entering the line at night so that the park could close? Like for FoP and SR:MF?

Did that happen before park closing? For how long? First few days? Weeks?

Regardless, that's a much better, fairer, and less stressful system. But again, today's TWDC doesn't care one iota about guest experience.

 

[solidyne]

Did that happen before park closing? For how long? First few days? Weeks?

Regardless, that's a much better, fairer, and less stressful system. But again, today's TWDC doesn't care one iota about guest experience.

Better? That's opinion, but, yeah, I think the open cattle call is better, for a number of reasons.

Less stressful? Definitely. For most, anyway. With BG and ILL, people (i.e., me) are getting stressed weeks in advance, just preparing!

Fairer? Not sure about that. Any method will exclude some people. It's just a question of what criteria. I do happen to prefer an open "market" scenario, in which the "price" is set by willingness to wait, but that's just me. Some might say that's not "fair" to those who can't wait.

Anyway, people in a four-hour queue will not be eating Connections and buying Creations, so...

 

[doctornick]

Regardless, that's a much better, fairer, and less stressful system. But again, today's TWDC doesn't care one iota about guest experience.

there is nothing particularly better/fairer/less stressful about 3/4/5 hour standby lines. Not everyone has the opportunity or even the physical tolerance to wait in massive lines.

YMMV. Though I do agree with what some have said that a random lottery for the VQ would be fairer than this fast fingers situation. But I commend Disney for having VQs for new rides and feel it is way more guest friendly than the alternatives.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Did that happen before park closing? For how long? First few days? Weeks?

Not going back in time to document it. I was aware of it happening quite regularly for a long time. People posted about how they tried the 'trick' of getting on FoP just ten minutes before the park closed but couldn't because they closed the line so that the ride wouldn't be open an hour past park closing time.

The fact is that maybe the People Mover is the only ride with enough capacity such that everyone who showed up to the park could have chance to ride it. None of the Big Es have the capacity to handle everyone who shows up.

The claim that Standby allows everyone to ride is a lie. People either refuse or physically can't wait in a 2-4 hour line, or before the park closes, the line is cut off from new people entering.

It has happened and it's the reality.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Regardless, that's a much better, fairer, and less stressful system. But again, today's TWDC doesn't care one iota about guest experience.

I'd say they are about the same in all three categories.
You could make an argument for or against either.
Its just like what time dining reservations open.
You're gonna have someone on the west coast say its not fair and Disney doesn't care about their guest's experience meanwhile someone in the UK will say its perfect for them.
But you have to admit the VQ is less stress on the attraction itself and the CM's that have to work at the attraction and the technician that has to fix the attraction.
I think its a good option for brand new attractions for the first few months.
And that's coming from someone that was unable to obtain a VQ or ILL for Ratatouille in November.
Yes I wanted to ride but I also understand supply and demand.