VQ/BGs (Virtual Queues/Boarding Groups)... Yay or Nay? (Better alternatives?)

[MisterPenguin]

What if there was only one Virtual Queue...




per park

If it's going to be used, I would think, as a matter of logic as I see it, that they use it for whatever rides that need it.

For example, it could be used for what used to be Tier 1 FP+s. So, you'd just have your one to three top rides being a VG, and everything else one level of FP+.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

If it's going to be used, I would think, as a matter of logic as I see it, that they use it for whatever rides that need it.

For example, it could be used for what used to be Tier 1 FP+s. So, you'd just have your one to three top rides being a VG, and everything else one level of FP+.

What is the difference between virtual Q and fastpass? A number being called rather than a reserved time?

I’m not sure I see the advantage. I mean fastpass is a form of “a” virtual Q already.

In California it seems it would work pretty much just like the fastpass system there. Technically Rise isn’t any different than getting a cars fastpas on maxpass is it?

Now in Florida it’s a totally different animal... the fastpass system is used as a benefit for on-site hotel guests. So I can’t imagine they want to take that away by giving the advantage to rope-droppers.

 

[MisterPenguin]

What is the difference between virtual Q and fastpass? A number being called rather than a reserved time?

I’m not sure I see the advantage. I mean fastpass is a form of “a” virtual Q already.

In California it seems it would work pretty much just like the fastpass system there. Technically Rise isn’t any different than getting a cars fastpas on maxpass is it?

Now in Florida it’s a totally different animal... the fastpass system is used as a benefit for on-site hotel guests. So I can’t imagine they want to take that away by giving the advantage to rope-droppers.

Disney *could* make a VQ function exactly as a FP+. But for now, there are differences:

1. VQ is day-of only. While FP+s can be scheduled ahead of time (30/60/90 days for regulars, resort guests, club member purchase).
2. VQ doesn't have stand-by.
3. VQ has 'guaranteed' and 'back-up' classes wherein if you're in the first category, you'll be comped in some way if you don't get it. FP+ has no such guarantee.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Disney *could* make a VQ function exactly as a FP+. But for now, there are differences:

1. VQ is day-of only. While FP+s can be scheduled ahead of time (30/60/90 days for regulars, resort guests, club member purchase).
2. VQ doesn't have stand-by.
3. VQ has 'guaranteed' and 'back-up' classes wherein if you're in the first category, you'll be comped in some way if you don't get it. FP+ has no such guarantee.

But this is on the California App, which makes it more confusing as that takes #1 away as a difference (same day).

Taking standby away doesn’t seem necessary (outside of the virus issue)

FP has a guarantee unless it breaks down and never reopens.

 

[Markiewong]

People have brought this up before, and it's impossible.

The parks do not have that kind of capacity. The only way this would be even remotely workable is if they severely capped the number of people allowed inside each park daily; they're designed to have large numbers of visitors in queues at any given time. If there were no queues, every other area in the park would be packed shoulder to shoulder at all times and it would be an absolutely miserable experience. Think about how busy it is on Main Street right now (well, not RIGHT now, for obvious reasons) and then, say, triple it (which is probably an underestimate) and carry that crowd level throughout every single shop, restaurant, and walkway in the park. People would be lined up just to be allowed inside a store.

Considering the number of hotels they've built and run, they can't possibly cap the number of daily guests at a few thousand. The hotels would be full of guests who couldn't use their tickets.

But this is on the California App, which makes it more confusing as that takes #1 away as a difference (same day).

Taking standby away doesn’t seem necessary (outside of the virus issue)

FP has a guarantee unless it breaks down and never reopens.

I should have been more clear. I proposed the above scenario looking at the current situation with the Coronavirus where it is indesirable to have too many people cramped up together. The BG in combination with capping the attendance (which problaby wouldn't be necessary with the number of people afraid of going out) would make it possible to open the parks and mitigate the health concerns as much as possible. Remove all the extended queues outside and only use a small portion of the queueu to leave as much space as possible between people.

So the update of the California app could be a preparation to remove all standby lines as temporary solution for the virus issue.

 

[winstongator]

That depends on having an accurate count of how many people are in queues at any one moment. For each ride that averages an hour long queue or longer, you have other rides only 10 minutes long.

Consider that DHS, DAK, and EPC each have less than 10 rides each. So, how many people are in queues, 1,000? 10,000?

While there are considerably less people in the park at rope drop than at midday, traditionally (not counting DHS for the past few months), just how crowded is the park with all those people in the park but not in queues? The park is able to hold them.

And then let's consider DHS for the past few months packed at rope drop... it's not like there weren't large swaths of the park still wide open with almost none of the guests in the restaurants or shows.

All I'm saying is that using intuition to gauge just how impossibly crowded the parks would be if all the queues were closed isn't reliable. People don't have a natural intuition for gauging how many people are in a crowd and how an X number of people would make Y space too crowded or not.

You can make pretty good estimates, likely down to the nearest 50-100. Say Slinky Dog has an hourly ridership of 1500, and 2/3 goes to FP+. For every hour of your standby line, you have about 500 people. Scale from there. Say SDD, smugglers run, Mickey and minnie’s, rock n roller coaster and tower all have the same capacity and 2 hr waits (simplifying the math), you’ve got 5,000 people in line. I’ve been wondering for a while: when a park goes from a 1/10 to 10/10, how many more people are in the park, and say you add a new ride, how many more people can be accommodated with minimal other changes?

Three things impacted DHS in the morning: the crush looking for BGs, people not really going to restaurants, and the meet & greets and shows not being open.

 

[flutas]

So, something interesting about the VQ update that isn't necessarily visible in the app yet.

There are now config items in the app for the Virtual Queue to require you to give Location and Bluetooth access, so they could theoretically do a lot more detection of if you are in the parks / a certain area of the parks vs in DTD for example.

I have no clue what they are going to be using those for, if anything. But it's interesting to see.

Side note, something else they are working on in the DLR app is "apw" or Attraction Preview Wall. I know the DLR/DCA servers send responses for this currently, but they are empty.

Preview Attraction Photos

Select the attraction to find photos you want to keep.

See Photos from Your Ride!

Select all the photos you want added to your gallery.

You’re All Done!

Any images added will soon appear in your Disney PhotoPass gallery.

 

[Magic Feather]

Disney *could* make a VQ function exactly as a FP+. But for now, there are differences:

1. VQ is day-of only. While FP+s can be scheduled ahead of time (30/60/90 days for regulars, resort guests, club member purchase).
2. VQ doesn't have stand-by.
3. VQ has 'guaranteed' and 'back-up' classes wherein if you're in the first category, you'll be comped in some way if you don't get it. FP+ has no such guarantee.

And the biggest, and arguably most important difference. Fastpass has a fixed time interval and throughout, while time and total number of people can be variable with boarding groups.

 

[rreading]

It will be interesting to see what happens during Covid reopening. If it goes well, then I wonder if they will move away from boarding groups in the future. Separate question would be how/if to incorporate FP+. We'll be there in late July so I'll be interested in seeing how it goes!

 

[disneygeek90]

It will be interesting to see what happens during Covid reopening. If it goes well, then I wonder if they will move away from boarding groups in the future. Separate question would be how/if to incorporate FP+. We'll be there in late July so I'll be interested in seeing how it goes!

I still have a lot of doubt on its overall reliability. I know we seem so far removed from those days, but remember it wouldn’t be unusual to see hour+ periods of downtime several times a day.

 

[rreading]

I still have a lot of doubt on its overall reliability. I know we seem so far removed from those days, but remember it wouldn’t be unusual to see hour+ periods of downtime several times a day.

The Indiana Jones ride at DL seemed down all the time on our visits 20 years after its opening. I don't know if it's better lately but I suppose that there are rides that just have issues.

 

[PrinceCharming617]

I don't like the virtual queuing. You have to be super quick to get in a top level group or you're out of luck. Plus I have one of the cheapest phones in the galaxy where I can't do anything on it.