News Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance to begin Standby September 23rd

[TrainsOfDisney]

It’ll be nice until lightning lane starts!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well, that’s frightening.

And it is on a fundamental level. The tickets have included the rides for 30 years…there’s no ambiguity there as the prices are 4-5x as much now…

…but now they really don’t? And you don’t get the day always either?

we’re a bit lost in the wilderness here…

That being said…they’ll sell enough. And lining up at 7:15 to bum rush an 8:30 opening at mgm for 30 minutes is probably more crazy

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Good to know.

People like you who would be in front with a FP illustrate exactly why eliminating FP+ will make standby waits go down - you'll never be in line competing for time against anyone else for any e-ticket built within the last 20 years.

I’ve waited over 30 minutes several times In Jeffys vaunted fastpass +…see 2017:2019

…and it’s still gone and never coming back

 

[Baloo62]

They want to evaluate the money numbers right before the holiday rush and see how high that Lightning Lane price will be able to go.

Nailed it. 1000% correct.

 

[MrPromey]

See everyone is different. I think conceptually a virtual queue is a great idea for a very high demand ride - would be terrible for every ride in a park, but a select few across property is reasonable. Personally, I think asking anyone to wait in a line for 3+ hours is completely ridiculous and there simply will be rides where demand would result in that.

The biggest question to me is how to execute a virtual queue. Any system is going to have winners and losers but I think something could be done that feels less like a lottery and is more "fair" (or at least would tend to spread the wealth to more different guests as opposed to people being able to get multiple rides). I don't pretend to know how to best run such a system, but I think getting rid of VQs altogether is a "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" situation.

Personally, I was furious when Uni opened Hagrid's and the only option was standby (especially when the ride opened hours after the rest of the park so a long line formed before it was even running for the day).

From an opperations standpoint, VQ are problematic though because they do little to help with capacity issues. If you get a VQ and only end up waiting in line 20 minutes for a 20 minute or less attraction, they've only kept you busy for 40 extra minutes with that brand new attraction (which may be the whole reason you're there) and then they've still got most of a full day to try keeping you busy.

To some extent, that is food and shopping but I think Disney has perhaps come to finally realize that food and shopping comprising 60%+ of guests time in the parks will not satisfy most.

Spending hours in line doesn't either, of course, but I think there is a bit of a feeling of self-determination in making the decision to do that on the ground if it's really how you want to spend your time.

I got in line for a posted wait time of 5 hours for FOP the first time I rode it (a year after it opened). I'd never do that again but assumed we'd land a man on Mars before that wait time ever became reasonable so did it to ride it once and didn't regret it.

I've been on since with 60 day+ FP+ and waited for shorter (two hours) but AK is a park that still can't manage to keep people for a whole day, even with a lot of them spending up to half their day in line for a single attraction - something to think about.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

…joking aside…they want everyone in a room - which isn’t many - to flood the line for the Star Wars sim spectacular before the paid goes into effect.
Fairly obviously to decode “clever” Disney management moves…let alone the dim wit that’s current.

it’s “creating a market”

 

[Rescue Ranger]

I'd say 60min is my max wait time...and it would have to be for something I really want to ride/experience. I would only consider waiting more if it's at the end of the day and I've done everything else I've wanted to do. Nothing to lose.

 

[MrPromey]

There's no such thing because you're always going to have bottlenecks. If Hollywood Studios had 20 different omnimovers with the capacity of Haunted Mansion, they still only have one Rise of the Resistance and that's what everyone wants to ride.

Disney has a minor "total capacity" problem. They have a gigantic "distribution of demand" problem.

Not to mention, with "all-you-can-eat", you also have to factor in those who will get off their favorite ride and then get right back in line for it.

Less of an issue without FP or FP+ and not going to be a factor with RISE at least for a while but even looking at whole trips, if you go for a week and do the new hotness 4 times while there are people still showing up who have never done it and can't because the single attraction doesn't have enough capacity to even let everyone do it once, you're contributing to that problem.*

*Not to say that I think any one guest has a moral obligation to not spend their time in the parks as they like but to illustrate the point that a single new hot attraction (or even a couple) does not lift a stale AND underbuilt park. It may be expensive to maintain and keep a park current but I think Disney is realizing it's a whole lot more expensive to try playing catch-up which may in part, be why they're looking for so many ways to monetize the problem, now.

 

[MrPromey]

There’s no distinction between the two…more capacity would naturally diffuse the crowd…even if one spot was insane

Well, I think if they were to replace things like the movie previews and the mermaid and B&TB shows with things people were actually willing to wait for, that would help.

INDY, despite it being hopelessly outdated in terms of excecution, still seems to be able to pack them in but it appears they acomplish that with limited daily shows...

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well, I think if they were to replace things like the movie previews and the mermaid and B&TB shows with things people were actually willing to wait for, that would help.

INDY, despite it being hopelessly outdated in terms of excecution, still seems to be able to pack them in but it appears they acomplish that with limited daily shows...

Maybe because of a lack of capacity and never a commitment to make it more than a half day park?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Not to mention, with "all-you-can-eat", you also have to factor in those who will get off their favorite ride and then get right back in line for it.

Less of an issue without FP or FP+ and not going to be a factor with RISE at least for a while but even looking at whole trips, if you go for a week and do the new hotness 4 times while there are people still showing up who have never done it and can't because the single attraction doesn't have enough capacity to even let everyone do it once, you're contributing to that problem.*

*Not to say that I think any one guest has a moral obligation to not spend their time in the parks as they like but to illustrate the point that a single new hot attraction (or even a couple) does not lift a stale AND underbuilt park.

It fits my touring style perfectly, so I'm going to be a big beneficiary in all of this. We're on-site early risers and most of our trips are 8 nights, exactly enough to rope drop the IAS rides one time each during Early Entry. Then we'll probably Genie+ one Magic Kingdom day each trip, and I don't expect I'll end up waiting very long for anything at all.

Rise going to standby is a big Dub for Slinky rope droppers. The days of that line stretching back past One Man's Dream should be over.

 

[doctornick]

From an opperations standpoint, VQ are problematic though because they do little to help with capacity issues. If you get a VQ and only end up waiting in line 20 minutes for a 20 minute or less attraction, they've only kept you busy for 40 extra minutes with that brand new attraction (which may be the whole reason you're there) and then they've still got most of a full day to try keeping you busy.

Sure, but I don't care. I'm not suggesting a VQ on all that many attractions, just the latest and greatest that would other be getting, I dunno, maybe 150 minute waits or longer otherwise. Sure, you lose the operational "benefit" of that massive long occupying the time of a large number of people but a VQ provides for much higher guest experience compared to just waiting in line. I'm looking at it from a consumer standpoint and I just think 3 hour waits for a theme park ride are insane no matter how awesome.

There still needs to be more to do in all the WDW parks and I firmly would support building more stuff (and at least re-adding the shuttered shows/parades). But that stuff isn't going to change the demand for something like Rise. So, the question for me comes down to "do you think it is okay to expect guests to wait in a multi-hour line for a new ride without doing anything about it?" My answer is that it's terrible to allow that to happen.

 

[ToTBellHop]

You’re “frightened” by how people choose to spend money at a luxury vacation destination? That seems awfully dramatic to me. By that measure, I guess I’m frightened that people are willing to stand in line for 3 hours.

I’m frightened because it is a slippery slope. If we will pay $24 for RotR this year, we will pay $30 next year. Then it will expand. Suddenly it is 2030 and you are paying $10 per person to ride Dumbo. And you already paid $200 on your ticket in.

Anyone paying now is only serving to ensure that we pay even more in the future.

 

[MrPromey]

Sure, but I don't care. I'm not suggesting a VQ on all that many attractions, just the latest and greatest that would other be getting, I dunno, maybe 150 minute waits or longer otherwise. Sure, you lose the operational "benefit" of that massive long occupying the time of a large number of people but a VQ provides for much higher guest experience compared to just waiting in line. I'm looking at it from a consumer standpoint and I just think 3 hour waits for a theme park ride are insane no matter how awesome.

There still needs to be more to do in all the WDW parks and I firmly would support building more stuff (and at least re-adding the shuttered shows/parades). But that stuff isn't going to change the demand for something like Rise. So, the question for me comes down to "do you think it is okay to expect guests to wait in a multi-hour line for a new ride without doing anything about it?" My answer is that it's terrible to allow that to happen.

Oh, as a guest, I couldn't agree more but for management, I think they may look at it as "we dumped nearly a billion dollars into this new area with a new attraction and it has now made the park even more difficult to manage because it has drawn more people in than we have the capacity to handle.

Don't get me wrong - it's entirely a problem of their own creation because they just don't have enough for those crowds to do once they've gotten that new attraction out of the way (or have a VQ and are waiting to do it) but I suspect they learn the wrong lesson from the results of that.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Oh, as a guest, I couldn't agree more but for management, I think they may look at it as "we dumped nearly a billion dollars into this new area with a new attraction and it has now made the park even more difficult to manage because it has drawn more people in than we have the capacity to handle.

Don't get me wrong - it's entirely a problem of their own creation because they just don't have enough for those crowds to do once they've gotten that new attraction out of the way (or have a VQ and are waiting to do it) but I suspect they learn the wrong lesson from the results of that.

One of the tragedies of the whole thing is that Galaxy's Edge is loaded with all sorts of neat interactive features that are rendered entirely useless when it's as constantly crowded as it is, which will likely lead to them getting switched off permanently.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You’re “frightened” by how people choose to spend money at a luxury vacation destination? That seems awfully dramatic to me. By that measure, I guess I’m frightened that people are willing to stand in line for 3 hours.

Built for the middle class…not “luxury”

try not to dislocate your shoulder on the pats

 

[dreday3]

Built for the middle class…not “luxury”

try not to dislocate your shoulder on this pats

You've probably dislocated your shoulder many, many times...

It's a luxury for most.

 

[Chi84]

I’m frightened because it is a slippery slope. If we will pay $24 for RotR this year, we will pay $30 next year. Then it will expand. Suddenly it is 2030 and you are paying $10 per person to ride Dumbo. And you already paid $200 on your ticket in.

Anyone paying now is only serving to ensure that we pay even more in the future.

I understand what you’re saying, but you can extrapolate that argument to anything. Buying park tickets leads Disney to charge more for them. Paying their resort prices may lead to the imposition of resort fees. Buying DVC leads to less advantageous terms. If people think something has value, they will pay for it.

There’s only so much you can control where other people’s behavior is concerned, especially when it comes to discretionary spending. Generally, when a poster attacks other people’s decisions, it’s always to criticize them for spending on things the poster does not consider worth it.

For me, the thing that would truly be disappointing would be if WDW went to an all standby system. I’ve experienced it in the distant past and have no desire to go back. We’ve always visited as a multi-generational family (the names have changed) and we often skipped the rides with long waits because the waits weren’t worth it for us. We’re glad there are options now. I loved FP+.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I'm happy to hear this news.

I've said many times I find the virtual queue system problematic.

People book trips to Disney to ride the newest headliner attraction. With that system, there's a non-zero chance I won't get on. It's made worse by the fact that park reservations are required I consider Studios to be a one day park. That means I'm going to have one day, one chance to get on.

I'd rather have to devote three hours in line to ride Rise than not be able to ride it at all.

This system should benefit tourists. Locals can skip it until the hype dies down or go on a quiet day, which might make it more accessible to the infrequent visitor.

I've wondered they couldn't give anyone with a four-day ticket a guaranteed ride and limit passholders to once every four visits (or whatever, depending on capacity numbers) to ensure the attraction is accessible to all, in a way that is as fair as possible.

 

[MrPromey]

This was my recent experience with Disneyland. Despite the holiday weekend crowds, the longest wait I saw for any one ride was 75 minutes for Splash. Most were 45 min or less, with several rides offering a single rider line.

Of course, the key thing being Disneyland has the actual capacity to handle large crowds.

And yet somehow sees less attendance than MK which is the most equipt out of all the Florida parks yet doesn't have anywhere close to the same attraction capacity.

... and yet, management seems to feel there is a crowd problem at DL that they don't see in Florida.

No, I get it. They say the problem is attendance but what they really mean is too-many-people-in-the-park-not-spending-enough.

DL from a guest perspective, is a dream compared to WDW.