New Be Our Guest lunch line procedure (Test?)

[dadddio]

If a McDonalds or any other restaurant couldn't handle the demand, they wouldn't allow another site in the vacinity to remain mothballed.

Where are they hiding this other BOG?

 

[WDF]

Point --->
WOOOOSSSSHHHHH....
______________
YOU



First timers aren't going to have a hairy clue in heck about any of this - this entire MM+ system caters to those that go frequently and "know the drill" - not the folks who just think they are going on vacation to walk around and enjoy themselves without planning to such a minute level that a military drill sergeant would be proud of.

First time eating lunch at BOG...because they weren't going to stand in that line before, which includes many frequent park visitors.

Got it?

 

[dadddio]

Right, but, if they integrated it, you would just have to check your MM+ account to see what your return time is. Like everything else they use MM+ for.

Agreed. Of course, I suspect that if any of these tests that they have been doing are successful that they will integrate the process into MM+. This one is perhaps the simplest as all they would have to do is hold a percentage of FP+s back for day-of.

 

[landauh]

Where are they hiding this other BOG?

I believe he is talking about Tomorrow Terrace and the Veranda, which wouldn't solve the problem with large crowds wanting to eat at BOG.

 

[AEfx]

I don't really care if Disney is doing it for my benefit, their benefit or for the man on the moon's benefit. If it works in my favor (this does) why would I complain?

No one is asking you to complain.

However, some of us are here to discuss the broader implications of things, their potential impact on all guests, etc. -

 

[xdan0920]

Agreed. Of course, I suspect that if any of these tests that they have been doing are successful that they will integrate the process into MM+. This one is perhaps the simplest as all they would have to do is hold a percentage of FP+s back for day-of.

Frankly, the test should have been done through MM+, not around it. But, in the end, it's just another planning hurdle for guests. I don't like that style of vacation. Maybe I am in the minority.

I believe he is talking about Tomorrow Terrace and the Veranda, which wouldn't solve the problem with large crowds wanting to eat at BOG.

Correct in a broad sense. However, you want to know what WOULD cut down on the demand for BOG? A QSR equal to it.

 

[Tigger1988]

No one is asking you to complain.

However, some of us are here to discuss the broader implications of things, their potential impact on all guests, etc. -

Someone was going on about how Disney was just doing this for themselves and not "our benefit". Am I not allowed to reply?

 

[AEfx]

Someone was going on about how Disney was just doing this for themselves and not "our benefit". Am I not allowed to reply?

Never said you couldn't. You said that you aren't going to complain, like folks were asking you to - I was simply pointing out that no one thinks you should.

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

So... what should Disney do when it's faced with such high demand for restaurants/attractions/etc.?

make MORE, and BETTER, and BIGGER !!!

 

[RayTheFirefly]

Agreed, that being said an unlikely hypothetical scenario doesn't serve as a valid argument against anything.
I think that you are incorrect.

In order for your wait to be an hour with a line against 2.5 hours with the tickets is if 1.5 hours worth of guests would have declined to wait in line. This 1.5 hours worth of people count against your assertion that 'most' people would be upset by this situation. In fact, it would seem to argue that most people would actually prefer the ticket to the line.

So you're saying that the return time they give you on the tickets is exactly how long your wait would have been in line?

I really really doubt that. Especially since people were reporting that they were begin given return times to Soarin' for 3.5 hours in the future when a wait in line clearly would have been much shorter than that. I could be wrong about that. But from what I was reading about people who have experienced it, it doesn't seem like I am.

 

[CDavid]

Just for my benefit. How many McDonald's or Chick Fil-A's do you know that need to cater to the needs of 10,000+ customers for lunch? I know not all of the guests (and there are more than 10,000 at the MK per day) will want to eat at BOG, but the number far exceeds anything the other Fast Food establishments cater to for lunch.

That's not really a valid comparison. A WDW quick-service restaurant has (generally) far greater dining and service capacity than a typical McDonald's franchise; A better comparison might be between BOG and multiple McDonald's (or similar) locations within the same 'market' area, and all of them combined may sometimes approach Disney quick-service numbers. Certainly there are school, university, and workplace cafeterias which serve thousands of diners in a couple hours time, and Disney itself has done so for years without the need for 'return cards'.

I don't really care if Disney is doing it for my benefit, their benefit or for the man on the moon's benefit. If it works in my favor (this does) why would I complain

Because you are not the only guest at Walt Disney World, or the only one whose opinion matters, and one day Disney may (and probably will) make a decision in their own best interest which negatively affects you. Just because this scheme works to your advantage doesn't mean it does for everyone, and if this plan has a detrimental impact on a large number of guests, that's a problem. Will you be so quick to defend Disney, and belittle perfectly legitimate guest concerns, when the change is something you don't like?

At the end of the day, the same number of guests are happy that they got to eat at BOG and the same number of guests are bummed that they didn't. The only difference is that no guests are upset that they waited an hour in BOG's line.

That's not the only difference. While guests may no longer be upset over an extended wait in line, they are now upset when all the 'return cards' for that day have been distributed and they cannot dine at BOG for lunch. This is arguably worse; People understand the concept of a line, and it is self-regulating in that when it grows too long, people voluntarily pass on entering the queue, but people are not accustomed to 'return times' for a quick service eatery, and it creates frustration.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

So, more people are getting an opportunity to experience BoG??

Not too bad of a deal.

Why, are there more tables and faster turn round of those eating by issuing a ticket?

 

[Tigger1988]

Because you are not the only guest at Walt Disney World, or the only one whose opinion matters, and one day Disney may (and probably will) make a decision in their own best interest which negatively affects you. Just because this scheme works to your advantage doesn't mean it does for everyone, and if this plan has a detrimental impact on a large number of guests, that's a problem. Will you be so quick to defend Disney, and belittle perfectly legitimate guest concerns, when the change is something you don't like?

Everything you said also applies to those whining about "their right" to stand in line. Guess no one should be posting at all, then.

 

[dadddio]

So you're saying that the return time they give you on the tickets is exactly how long your wait would have been in line?

I really really doubt that. Especially since people were reporting that they were begin given return times to Soarin' for 3.5 hours in the future when a wait in line clearly would have been much shorter than that. I could be wrong about that. But from what I was reading about people who have experienced it, it doesn't seem like I am.

Not only am I not saying that, but I didn't say that.

I am saying that the return time that you are being given is apparently chosen because all previous slots ahead of that time have been given out. Therefore, if your return time is later than the time that you would have waited in line had this test not existed then more people are accepting return time cards than would have been willing to wait in line. Therefore, it appears that the assertion that more people would prefer to wait in line is incorrect.

 

[BrianV]

ADRs are only available for its table service dinner.

I would argue that until BOG, there were no quick service restaurants in need of ADRS. Given that demand outstrips capacity at BOG, perhaps they need to switch over to ADR's at dinner AND lunch. I still think a fast pass might be better in such a situation, which looks like the way they are going.

Responding to others, it may be true that people are used to waiting in line. People are also used to virtually waiting in line (like the pagers at a restaurant). If people don't like the latter, they won't take the return passes (akin to the pagers) and there will be availability all day long.

 

[CDavid]

Everything you said also applies to those whining about "their right" to stand in line. Guess no one should be posting at all, then.

Again, there are perfectly legitimate guest concerns being expressed over this new policy. There is no "right" to stand in line - that's almost a red herring, and utterly not the point at all.

 

[RayTheFirefly]

Not only am I not saying that, but I didn't say that.

I am saying that the return time that you are being given is apparently chosen because all previous slots ahead of that time have been given out. Therefore, if your return time is later than the time that you would have waited in line had this test not existed then more people are accepting return time cards than would have been willing to wait in line. Therefore, it appears that the assertion that more people would prefer to wait in line is incorrect.

Okay, I understand. So it just raises the demand for BOG from people. But I never said that more people would prefer to wait in line.

What I'm saying is that while that's just dandy and it's great for people who didn't want to wait in line, (regardless of the reasons) it still increases the wait time between when you get there and when you eat. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, because I understand what you're saying and the positives that you're seeing, but it doesn't make me feel any better about it. Because what I'm seeing as my choices are:

1. Wait an hour in the hot sun for a quick service meal.
or
2. Get a ticket for 2.5 hours (hypothetically) in the future so that I can go do whatever I want in the meantime.

While the freedom to go wander rather than waiting is great, the unpredictability of when you'll be able to eat just isn't a good trade off for me, personally. Maybe I'm alone in feeling that way. -shrug-

 

[Tigger1988]

Again, there are perfectly legitimate guest concerns being expressed over this new policy. There is no "right" to stand in line - that's almost a red herring, and utterly not the point at all.

The "right" to stand in line has been mentioned numerous times throughout the thread, by those against this test.

There are also legitimate benefits to this test, should it continue. But I guess only one half of the story matters.

 

[ford91exploder]

Where did these peaople wait in line for 20-40 minutes?

In the BOG 'standby for ticket' queue, Same idiotic system is being used at Soarin. They don't cutoff the queue when they are out of tickets you have to queue to find out whether you can GET a standby ticket.

 

[ford91exploder]

The "right" to stand in line has been mentioned numerous times throughout the thread, by those against this test.

There are also legitimate benefits to this test, should it continue. But I guess only one half of the story matters.

It would be better if standby guests did not need to queue for their tickets. As you note there ARE indeed benefits of not having a physical line.