News Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Standby Line and Boarding Groups at Disney's Hollywood Studios

[DCBaker]

I think that the best thing to do is just to stay away until this all gets sorted out. Its still operating at half capacity and experiencing breakdowns. The Rise at DLR isn't open yet, so all the Star Wars geeks and FOMOers across the world have to come here to get it in. Hopefully when the dust settles, it'll get put on FP+ so people will have to at least pay a price for their reservations at the cost of other rides. At least opening up the stand-by will help, as people will have to put some skin in the game, and not just get a free low wait ride on it with no real cost associated.

RoTR is open at DL.

 

[Kamikaze]

I think that the best thing to do is just to stay away until this all gets sorted out. Its still operating at half capacity and experiencing breakdowns. The Rise at DLR isn't open yet, so all the Star Wars geeks and FOMOers across the world have to come here to get it in. Hopefully when the dust settles, it'll get put on FP+ so people will have to at least pay a price for their reservations at the cost of other rides. At least opening up the stand-by will help, as people will have to put some skin in the game, and not just get a free low wait ride on it with no real cost associated.

Rise at DLR has been open for 3 weeks now.

 

[Trackmaster]

Rise at DLR has been open for 3 weeks now.

Oh OK. So that should help then. Once the capacity and reliability stabilizes I hope we get a stand-by line. I could see why they need the boarding groups now, but I think that making the queue more traditional will guarantee everyone who wants to ride to get one when its reliable.

 

[DryerLintFan]

Oh OK. So that should help then. Once the capacity and reliability stabilizes I hope we get a stand-by line. I could see why they need the boarding groups now, but I think that making the queue more traditional will guarantee everyone who wants to ride to get one when its reliable.

It has not helped. It's just as crazy out there, if not crazier. And they seem to have lower capacity.

 

[DryerLintFan]

Making my first run today, with daughter cheer comp I need to be leaving park by 2p so wish me luck on low boarding pass and smooth operating day!

Update? How did it go?

 

[RussM45]

Group 25 for me today. Started from scratch right at 8:00:00. Quite busy this morning, but I was able to do two rides on Rock and Roller (singles line) and Tower of Terror in the first hour

 

[Kamikaze]

Oh OK. So that should help then. Once the capacity and reliability stabilizes I hope we get a stand-by line. I could see why they need the boarding groups now, but I think that making the queue more traditional will guarantee everyone who wants to ride to get one when its reliable.

Here's the problem - unless reliability goes way, way, way up, there won't be standby. Can you imagine the complaints if people waited hours in line and then it broke down and you were told 'it might be a while or not at all'? Not to mention there isn't enough physical queue for long standby waits.

Its going to be BGs for a long time - then FP (possibly paid FP) long before they use standby. Its possible they go with a BG & FP system of some sort, to let people who don't want to get to the park early to have a chance, but standby is a long, long way away. I would say we are going to see BGs til at least summer. Probably adding some paid FPs to allow a different way to get on at some point.

 

[disneygeek90]

Oh OK. So that should help then. Once the capacity and reliability stabilizes I hope we get a stand-by line. I could see why they need the boarding groups now, but I think that making the queue more traditional will guarantee everyone who wants to ride to get one when its reliable.

That’s always been the idea. The problem is gauging by groups distributed if anything reliability has seemed to decrease the last few weeks, not improve.

 

[jt04]

Yup, it is and it’s not right, here’s hoping they can up capacity for a month from now when I bring my parents. Also, no groups called yet.

They need to eliminate back-up groups for starters. Have everyone inside the gates enter a limited random lottery instead of the favoring guests who know all the tricks. This would reduce repeat riders.

Those who don't win get a generic fastpass. Or possibly the option to purchase a RotR fast pass for after BGs have been completed. You are charged only after riding. Easily implemented and fair for all.

 

[Touchdown]

We appear to have paused at 14...

 

[Trackmaster]

I think at minimum, they need to get rid of the double dipping. Yeah, I get that you don't want people standing in endless stand-by lines just for the ride to break, but you shouldn't let the gate crashers get their 20 minute wait for Rise, and get their Fast Passes too. To make it more equitable, maybe only allow guests to sign up for a boarding group if they have no FP+ selections. And de-activate their FP+ ability while they wait and if they get selected for the rest of the day. They're welcome to wait in stand-by, get food, watch the shows, take pictures, etc. but there should be a reward for being one of the guests who want to go to DHS but can't make rope drop. If for whatever reason rope drop is just not possible, since they can't enjoy Rise, they should get first priority on the rest of the park, and the gate crashers shouldn't be able to park hop and clog up the rest of the parks as well (they can park hop, just no FP+'s).

 

[DryerLintFan]

I think at minimum, they need to get rid of the double dipping. Yeah, I get that you don't want people standing in endless stand-by lines just for the ride to break, but you shouldn't let the gate crashers get their 20 minute wait for Rise, and get their Fast Passes too. To make it more equitable, maybe only allow guests to sign up for a boarding group if they have no FP+ selections. And de-activate their FP+ ability while they wait and if they get selected for the rest of the day. They're welcome to wait in stand-by, get food, watch the shows, take pictures, etc. but there should be a reward for being one of the guests who want to go to DHS but can't make rope drop. If for whatever reason rope drop is just not possible, since they can't enjoy Rise, they should get first priority on the rest of the park, and the gate crashers shouldn't be able to park hop and clog up the rest of the parks as well (they can park hop, just no FP+'s).

I'm so confused by this. Because they got there early and got a boarding group, they should be punished?!?! Wow.

 

[gerarar]

I think at minimum, they need to get rid of the double dipping. Yeah, I get that you don't want people standing in endless stand-by lines just for the ride to break, but you shouldn't let the gate crashers get their 20 minute wait for Rise, and get their Fast Passes too. To make it more equitable, maybe only allow guests to sign up for a boarding group if they have no FP+ selections. And de-activate their FP+ ability while they wait and if they get selected for the rest of the day. They're welcome to wait in stand-by, get food, watch the shows, take pictures, etc. but there should be a reward for being one of the guests who want to go to DHS but can't make rope drop. If for whatever reason rope drop is just not possible, since they can't enjoy Rise, they should get first priority on the rest of the park, and the gate crashers shouldn't be able to park hop and clog up the rest of the parks as well (they can park hop, just no FP+'s).

People who do their research should not be punished. It’s not like this whole ordeal is some secret or something. Disney goes out of their way to explain the BG distribution process to all their guests anytime possible. Even at Disney Springs, they had GS CMs explaining the process to everyone getting/claiming their tickets.

When I was there Xmas week, the kind lady at GS went above and beyond explaining what exactly we have to do to secure a BG, then recommended us what to do in the meantime while waiting.

 

[Trackmaster]

I'm so confused by this. Because they got there early and got a boarding group, they should be punished?!?! Wow.

Its about balance. Not everybody wants to crash the gates at 7 AM, and not everybody has the option to do that. They should give reasonable access to paying customers who have the ability to come at different times of the day. The FP+ (in theory, I guess it doesn't work this way) has the balance of you booking FP+'s at the expense of other rides. You get three, so if you book one ride, you can only book two others.... and this is why they have tier 1's. I guess a less dramatic approach would be to just count Rise as a tier 1. I really think it goes against the spirit of the reservation system for people to be holding a Rise boarding group, but bumping off people who can't even ride Rise from reserving Slinky or Smuggler's Run.

 

[Trackmaster]

But anyway, I know that I'm just entering this conversation, but I've talked about this before. I'm more or less OK with the way they're doing it now (nothing to do with how it affects me, that's the least of my concern, what I say is just about how it affects the consumers and community as a whole) but I think that they need a better long term solution when everything settles down. The boarding groups are an adequate short-tern patch to cover up extreme unreliability (which is common with new rides, so its nothing to freak out over), but they need to get it on stand-by eventually and FP+. You guys seem to be OK with taking emotions out of it when its a system that benefits you, so I say that stand-by and FP+ allocates laps on the ride to whoever really wants it. I'd also be OK with it being on stand-by and FP+ where they still limited guests to no more than lap a day through magic band scans.

 

[disneygeek90]

But anyway, I know that I'm just entering this conversation, but I've talked about this before. I'm more or less OK with the way they're doing it now (nothing to do with how it affects me, that's the least of my concern, what I say is just about how it affects the consumers and community as a whole) but I think that they need a better long term solution when everything settles down. The boarding groups are an adequate short-tern patch to cover up extreme unreliability (which is common with new rides, so its nothing to freak out over), but they need to get it on stand-by eventually and FP+. You guys seem to be OK with taking emotions out of it when its a system that benefits you, so I say that stand-by and FP+ allocates laps on the ride to whoever really wants it. I'd also be OK with it being on stand-by and FP+ where they still limited guests to no more than lap a day through magic band scans.

I don't love getting up at 6am (now 7am?) on weekends to go ride this thing but I recognize that standby would be a disaster in it's current form. Would I enjoy the potential of heading over after work and getting in a line right before close? Absolutely. Right now I just don't see that as a viable option and I don't know if/when that will change. We're two months in and I honestly don't know how much improvement, if any, the ride's reliability has made.

 

[DCBaker]

10am - a long pause with no new groups called since 9:05am. Groups called up to 14.

 

[Trackmaster]

I don't love getting up at 6am (now 7am?) on weekends to go ride this thing but I recognize that standby would be a disaster in it's current form. Would I enjoy the potential of heading over after work and getting in a line right before close? Absolutely. Right now I just don't see that as a viable option and I don't know if/when that will change. We're two months in and I honestly don't know how much improvement, if any, the ride's reliability has made.

I'd be in heaven if I could wake up at 5:30 AM or 6:00 AM to start by epic day... but you know.... work. l love waking up early! I hate it when people make you stay up excessively late. But I'm not going to blow a vacation day on a home park, or bother with Disney on the weekend. My point is not that they should change everyone for one person, but they need more varied options. There are 100 reasons for why people can't make rope drop. You could make it 3:00 PM, it doesn't matter. Everybody has their reasons. You need to give people different cracks at it. Its why you're a fool to try to experience Disney without killer FP+ line-ups, but that's why they provide a standby line, you don't know people's situation, and you need to at least provide a crack at rides if you're willing to wait.

But I agree with your point that its an adequate short-term option. Mainly because they're dealing with EXTREME unreliability. If they ever figured out how to make it reliable, it just wouldn't make sense.

 

[MJJME]

But anyway, I know that I'm just entering this conversation, but I've talked about this before. I'm more or less OK with the way they're doing it now (nothing to do with how it affects me, that's the least of my concern, what I say is just about how it affects the consumers and community as a whole) but I think that they need a better long term solution when everything settles down. The boarding groups are an adequate short-tern patch to cover up extreme unreliability (which is common with new rides, so its nothing to freak out over), but they need to get it on stand-by eventually and FP+. You guys seem to be OK with taking emotions out of it when its a system that benefits you, so I say that stand-by and FP+ allocates laps on the ride to whoever really wants it. I'd also be OK with it being on stand-by and FP+ where they still limited guests to no more than lap a day through magic band scans.

BG's are the only way to go right now. Standby is impossible at this time because of reliability. Its difficult to argue otherwise (see previous 391 pages)…………..But as I have mentioned several times on this thread, there are ways to ensure equal opportunity without causing any disruption to the ride and not alienating any single group. Some possible options are: Limit people to 1 (or maybe 2) rides per week. Have morning EMH for a day or 2 for resort guests. implement FP along with BG's. Go back to opening park at 7am. I am sure there are some others viable options people could come up with but not having BG's isn't one of them

 

[Trackmaster]

BG's are the only way to go right now. Standby is impossible at this time because of reliability. Its difficult to argue otherwise (see previous 391 pages)…………..But as I have mentioned several times on this thread, there are ways to ensure equal opportunity without causing any disruption to the ride and not alienating any single group. Some possible options are: Limit people to 1 (or maybe 2) rides per week. Have morning EMH for a day or 2 for resort guests. implement FP along with BG's. Go back to opening park at 7am. I am sure there are some others viable options people could come up with but not having BG's isn't one of them

I mean, I agree that boarding groups make a certain amount of sense, but saying "not having them isn't a viable option" doesn't make any sense. This is an unorthodox, unusual system. The first time we've really ever seen this (without going back decades) was Smuggler's Run at DLR a few months ago. IOA didn't even have a virtual queue despite hinting that they'd do it, and Hagrids being in the same situation that Rise was in. Taking the GE rides off of FP+ from day 1 was the first time that Disney's ever done this since practically the beginning of Fast Pass years ago.

So there obviously is a lot of precedent to parks not using boarding groups, and its unprecedented to not even have stand-by lines for months on end. And no, this ride isn't special. There have been tons of ground-breaking unreliable, out of control popular rides throughout theme park history. Demand will get lower, it will get more reliable, etc. and it will become an afterthought. Saying this ride is different than any other major ride and saying that not opening standby "isn't an option" is just unfounded. Not having boarding groups now might be a bad option, but its an option. IOA never budged from stand-by only for Hagrids, its arguably taken the world by storm more than Rise.