Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway - Disneyland

[CaptainAmerica]

Is it not possible they adjusted the ratio of virtual queue to LL because they heard some of the complaints on social media? Or perhaps had a specific plan of LL to virtual Q spots that was predetermined for opening weekend only. I mean it very well could be an opening weekend anomaly. I’d say it’s the most likely but there could be some other factors at play.

I’d love to know if anybody else has gotten the upsell message in the last few days. With that said, there wouldn’t be really anyway to prove that those messages stopped due to lower demand or for other reasons.

The upsell has nothing to do with the virtual queue. I was getting upsell notifications in the app to buy lightning lanes for Mine Train last week and there are no VQs in Magic Kingdom. The lightning lane sell is not tied to one's inability to get a boarding group.

 

[mickEblu]

The upsell has nothing to do with the virtual queue. I was getting upsell notifications in the app to buy lightning lanes for Mine Train last week and there are no VQs in Magic Kingdom. The lightning lane sell is not tied to one's inability to get a boarding group.

Well it does because it shows their priority was to get as many people to purchase Lightning lane as possible. But to your point, that’s why I included the upsell stuff in a separate paragraph.

You didn’t address my first paragraph though.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You don't get the choice to ride Cosmic Rewind but the chance to go on it. That's what bothers me.

Maybe Disneyland Rise is an anomaly so your history with the thing is vastly different than mine but this just isn't my experience. I've never failed to secure a boarding group across Rise, Rat, and Guardians in maybe 20+ park days. Before and after Genie+, before, during, and after COVID, before and after the ability to book from outside the park gates.

We're already seeing reports of Railway queues remaining open long after the window opens, both at 7 and 1. With the exception of those very few first days, everyone who has wanted to ride has gotten to ride. It's not a gamble or a change or a fluke of your wifi connection. If you want it, you got it.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You didn’t address my first paragraph though.

No, I don't think it's plausible that Disney deployed a policy change within 48 hours of bad social media feedback. Disney can't do anything without 6 months of internal meetings and focus groups.

I do think it's likely that they organically sold way more lightning lanes the first few days as bloggers and lifestylers and Instagrammers gobbled them up.

 

[mickEblu]

No, I don't think it's plausible that Disney deployed a policy change within 48 hours of bad social media feedback. Disney can't do anything without 6 months of internal meetings and focus groups.

I do think it's likely that they organically sold way more lightning lanes the first few days as bloggers and lifestylers and Instagrammers gobbled them up.

I’m inclined to agree but also believe that it was a mistake to sell as many Lightning lanes as they did opening weekend. Don’t think it’s a nice way to treat your guests/ biggest fans. In fact, I don’t think there is ever a great time to do LL and virtual queue at the same time. Let alone opening weekend of an attraction.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

You're right, in a lot of instances everyone is restricted. So the easy workaround here is that limit to one ride for the duration of the admission media validity. One day tickets are once per day and Annual Passes are once per year. Everyone then has the same restriction.

Why would you be for that? You hate passholders that much?

 

[CaptinEO]

The upsell has nothing to do with the virtual queue. I was getting upsell notifications in the app to buy lightning lanes for Mine Train last week and there are no VQs in Magic Kingdom. The lightning lane sell is not tied to one's inability to get a boarding group.

Um, they set a large portion of their new ride capacity aside for upsells only and built a system that excludes who gets to enter the ride, with no other alternative but to pay them more money.

The next logical step in their greed path is making new rides upsell only.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

My kids are 8, 5, and 2.

Was your 2 year old disappointed about missing out on Splash? If so, congrats on raising a future NBA superstar.

Joking aside: Splash Mountain was handled the old fashioned way. The issue I have here with the VQs and with creating this type of lottery caste system is it’s deceptive marketing when you either have to 1) have a far beyond typical/remedial understanding of the Disneyland mobile app and decent cell service; and/or 2) the $$ to shell over for an ILL.

Now I’ve used these VQs quite often myself but it frankly lessons the experience in my opinion. As baseline understanding: Everyone goes to a theme park knowing they’ll wait in line or that rides may break down (for which in these instances operators should offer some form of “in kind” compensation like FoTL passes to those who waited in line). But not everyone expects that they’ll lose out on a ride simply because they didn’t have fast enough fingers to work an app, or want to pay the cost of extra ticket for a family of 5 just to reserve a spot in line. It’s just not the kind of “inclusive” experience thats easily and equally accessible to all guests that the company seems to pride itself on. That’s what’s unique.

But in all honesty I think we’ll have to agree to disagree.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Was your 2 year old disappointed about missing out on Splash? If so, congrats on raising a future NBA superstar.

It's funny you say that because his sisters both actually hit 40 inches right before their third birthdays. He's the runt of the family at "only" Mine Train / Slinky height. I'm average height but their grandfather was 6'6".

 

[mickEblu]

The next logical step in their greed path is making new rides upsell only.

Ironically I would have preferred this last Friday over not planning accordingly due to thinking I actually had a decent chance at getting a boarding group.

 

[celluloid]

IMPOSSIBLE!

I was reliably told that the only way you could possibly ride was by winning a 7am lottery within two seconds that had "extremely slim" odds of success.

You probably thought you heard that while pretending that there was a high demand for these attractions that makes this the only way....even though there is plenty of availability.

 

[mickEblu]

I rode MMRR again yesterday. As I expected, I enjoyed it more than my first ride a few days ago. It helped not dealing with all the stress beforehand. Got Group 26 at the 7am lottery. Everyone in my party of 10 seemed to enjoy it. My wife said she “loved it.” It’s fun. Just could have been so much more IMO. Just a little more emphasis on set pieces/ physical props and a better climax could have really taken it over the top. I think the Big City scene and the waterfall scene is where this attraction really shines and I would love to have seen more like that. The Big City scene is staged beautifully and the waterfall scene takes the screens to their full potential like making us feel we are in on the action.

I think the old west room and the carnival room are the worst offenders of feeling barren. The tornado/ waterfall through the big city scene is the climax of the ride for me. Which is a problem because it wasn’t designed to be. The Daisy dance studio is underwhelming and the “climax” even more so. With all of that said, the net experience is still positive.

Overall it’s another mixed bag like most everything modern Disney does. Like it kind of went 3/4th of the way and/ or is lacking a little soul. It’s hard to box some of these newer rides in. They re fun but lack the artistry of the old stuff like POTC/Mansion/Splash. On another note, we went on IASW right after MMRR and there is no denying that MMRR is the more fun experience. Will future generations think that IASW is worth the space it takes up? Rides like MMRR and ROTR are fun but they feel like they re missing something. Some times I wonder if I’m just a jaded Super fan/ AP that’s been to the park over 200+ times. Everyone else in my party really liked it. I’m also starting to see how opinions can evolve over time when I look at how I felt about GE/ ROTR in 2019 vs now. I think there’s always the element of letting something settle in and become a “classic” over time but we also can’t deny that GE and MMRR fell short in many ways. ROTR is obviously a hit and more up for debate. It’s grown on me a lot but left me cold at first because a “cold” Star destroyer isn’t a place I necessarily want to visit. Even if they did nail it.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I rode MMRR again yesterday. As I expected, I enjoyed it more than my first ride a few days ago. It helped not dealing with all the stress beforehand. Got Group 26 at the 7am lottery. Everyone in my party of 10 seemed to enjoy it. My wife said she “loved it.” It’s fun. Just could have been so much more IMO. Just a little more emphasis on set pieces/ physical props and a better climax could have really taken it over the top. I think the Big City scene and the waterfall scene is where this attraction really shines and I would love to have seen more like that. The Big City scene is staged beautifully and the waterfall scene takes the screens to their full potential like making us feel we are in on the action.

I think the old west room and the carnival room are the worst offenders of feeling barren. The tornado/ waterfall through the big city scene is the climax of the ride for me. Which is a problem because it wasn’t designed to be. The Daisy dance studio is underwhelming and the “climax” even more so. With all of that said, the net experience is still positive.

Overall it’s another mixed bag like most everything modern Disney does. Like it kind of went 3/4th of the way and/ or is lacking a little soul. It’s hard to box some of these newer rides in. They re fun but lack the artistry of the old stuff like POTC/Mansion/Splash. On another note, we went on IASW right after MMRR and there is no denying that MMRR is the more fun experience. Will future generations think that IASW is worth the space it takes up? Rides like MMRR and ROTR are fun but they feel like they re missing something. Some times I wonder if I’m just a jaded Super fan/ AP that’s been to the park over 200+ times. Everyone else in my party really liked it. I’m also starting to see how opinions can evolve over time when I look at how I felt about GE/ ROTR in 2019 vs now. I think there’s always the element of letting something settle in and become a “classic” over time but we also can’t deny that GE and MMRR fell short in many ways. ROTR is obviously a hit and more up for debate. It’s grown on me a lot but left me cold at first because a “cold” Star destroyer isn’t a place I necessarily want to visit. Even if they did nail it.

I really love that factory room and how it transforms, such a wow moment for me.

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

The lightning lane sell is not tied to one's inability to get a boarding group.

How is it not? The only options are VQ or LL. There's finite capacity available, so by saving some of those capacity slots for LL, they are reducing the number that will be available for regular guests who are unwilling or unable to pay extra. I really don't see how that isn't clear.

 

[Parteecia]

Every time I refreshed my VQ it offered to sell me an ILL (great acronym) for instant boarding. I wonder if the lack of takers is what took my entry time from 9:31 to 7:42.

 

[mickEblu]

I really love that factory room and how it transforms, such a wow moment for me.

I just don’t think people really notice it. I think it sounded great on paper but I’m not sure the execution is there. I think that’s the WOW factor they were going for and if you lose that you’re kind of not getting the climax that was intended. I don’t think many people notice it which is why the climax falls short. It’s kind of blink and you miss it. They do it with the jungle to under water transformation too except it happens behind you when you are focused on the waterfall scene. I think they serve more as “practical” ways to get additional scenes in the same space than moments/ effects that truly wow us. I would have liked for it to happen in a more obvious in your face way head on as a zany quick cut to a new location.

 

[celluloid]

I just don’t think people really notice it. I think it sounded great on paper but I’m not sure the execution is there. I think that’s the WOW factor they were going for and if you lose that you’re kind of not getting the climax that was intended. I don’t think many people notice it which is why the climax falls short. It’s kind of blink and you miss it. They do it with the jungle to under water transformation too except it happens behind you when you are focused on the waterfall scene. I think they serve more as “practical” ways to get additional scenes in the same space than moments/ effects that truly wow us. I would have liked for it to happen in a more obvious in your face way head on as a zany quick cut to a new location.

This exactly. It is practical and technical but not really a wow how did they do that moment for the audience.

It does not help that the first car has the most drama of being crushed near the machine stamping projection and the back almost notice the transformation more without much of the reason why.

The jungle to water one is a harder transformation as so much is the same shape, it is hard to appreciate that it is very different.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I just don’t think people really notice it.

How do you not notice a factory turning into a park!?

 

[el_super]

Why would you be for that? You hate passholders that much?

With all the appeals for the poor groups being left out of ride opportunities, wouldn't it just be fair to allow for more access to the groups that are willing to pay more? Since APs spend less money per visit to be in the park, shouldn't they have less access to more in-demand opportunities?

The next logical step in their greed path is making new rides upsell only.

So going back to what Walt did? Maybe they should bring back ticket books.

But not everyone expects that they’ll lose out on a ride simply because they didn’t have fast enough fingers to work an app

Have you ever been to Tokyo?

Some of these are the same arguments that were used against Fastpass when it debuted in the 1990s. People being accustomed to system A doesn't necessarily mean that system B isn't better or doesn't work.

 

[el_super]

How is it not? The only options are VQ or LL. There's finite capacity available, so by saving some of those capacity slots for LL, they are reducing the number that will be available for regular guests who are unwilling or unable to pay extra. I really don't see how that isn't clear.

Depends on how many LL slots they are selling. If the demand is high enough that they are selling 100s per hour, you might have a good argument (but again, demand is king here). Otherwise we might be talking about a low number that only means keeping the attraction open another 30 mins at the end of the night.