You can. Just get in a virtual line for a boarding group
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
VQ/BGs (Virtual Queues/Boarding Groups)... Yay or Nay? (Better alternatives?)
- Thread starter MisterPenguin
- Start date
DarkMetroid567
Well-Known Member
Studios? Maybe, but that's because it's still such a small park. Disneyland? Nah. If it runs at normal capacity, people could absolutely be accomodated normally.
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
You can’t be serious.
Every guest who enters any Disney theme park has the opportunity to ride any ride they want to. They get to choose if they want to wait in the line or not, but they get to make that choice at anytime from the moment they enter the park until the moment the park closes when the line closes to new guests.
HoustonHorn
Premium Member
I've been thinking about that, because I agree with you. I think the difference is that for the BGs, you don't know (a) if you'll get one; (b) if you do get one, whether you'll actually get called; or (c) if you get called, when it will be. So you make all of your plans in advance and decide what to do if/when you get called to ride. It's an inherently uncertain process.
On the other hand, Disney has conditioned us that FP are guaranteed rides, and the fact that you can make them 90/60/30 days out means that they are part of your planning, and when you play the game and then something gets yanked out from under you at the last minute, you are, in my opinion, completely justified in being upset. Especially if it's something that's hard to get so you push it toward the end of your trip without the ability to replace it later.
It seems that a hybrid FP/BG process might work. Let's say the worst day had 6000 riders. Allow 2-3k FPs to be booked, but instead of being for specific times, they would entitle you to a BG (or let you pick a BG). Then let the remaining capacity go the park open BG route.
NormC
Well-Known Member
Is that when you will go to a park again?
I know someone brought up losing all of your FP+ selections if you want a boarding group, which I think is a bad/terrible idea, but a fairer trade off could be you have to swap your tier 1 FP+ selection, essentially putting ROTR as a Tier 1 ride, but only get the FP day of instead of planned. If you don't have a tier 1 booked, you can drop any of your tier 2's after it confirms you got a spot. This could be only for the initial boarding groups, and if you get a backup, you don't need to drop the tier 1.
It still helps with allowing Disney to control when people are called due to operational issues with the ride, but does have a trade off. I do believe, to a certain degree, more people are joining a boarding group, then are willing to join a long standby queue (might not be huge star wars fans, or have already ridden ROTR). If they have to lose their tier 1 ride, they may have second thoughts.
Another way to think of this proposal is this. You have a FP for Na'vi. The day you get to AK, you noticed someone dropped FOP. Even if it is later in the day, you are willing to switch because you rather have a FP for FOP vs Na'vi.
I do believe BG is the way to go for the foreseeable future though, and would be OK with it continuing exactly as it is today.
It still helps with allowing Disney to control when people are called due to operational issues with the ride, but does have a trade off. I do believe, to a certain degree, more people are joining a boarding group, then are willing to join a long standby queue (might not be huge star wars fans, or have already ridden ROTR). If they have to lose their tier 1 ride, they may have second thoughts.
Another way to think of this proposal is this. You have a FP for Na'vi. The day you get to AK, you noticed someone dropped FOP. Even if it is later in the day, you are willing to switch because you rather have a FP for FOP vs Na'vi.
I do believe BG is the way to go for the foreseeable future though, and would be OK with it continuing exactly as it is today.
nickys
Premium Member
So in this scenario, what happens if you get a regular boarding group, drop a tier 1 FP, but then your BG doesn’t get called?
Every few days this is happening, in that not even all the regular BGs are getting called. So then you’re out of a BG and a tier 1 ride. So now they really ought to compensate you for both, since you’ve waited all day with no major ride at all.
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
I wonder if this system would work well if Guaranteed boarding groups were tier 1 fastpasses and backup boarding groups were tier 2 fastpasses. They could be released at 7am each day the day before and people would be able to join either a back up or a guaranteed boarding group by modifying one of their FPs.
disneygeek90
Well-Known Member
For everyone concerned about the vacationers and "once a year/lifetime" experience, there sure are a lot of suggestions that would make the vacation experience even worse, lol. Taking away Fastpasses from someone isn't the answer. And, what if you don't even have any fastpasses booked? Not everyone has 3 fastpasses scheduled before they even walk into the park. I personally wouldn't care, but that feels terrible for someone with only one day at HS that booked a MMRR 60 days ago.
nickys
Premium Member
So why not just have it as an FP then? What exactly would be the difference?
You’re still left with the fact that they cannot guarantee that BGs will get called. Otherwise they would not need BGs in the first place.
That is why it would only apply to regular boarding groups and not backup. With regular boarding group you are almost guaranteed a ride, and if not, they have been giving out anytime FP and an extra ticket. From my standpoint, that recovery would be no different then if the Tier 1 FP selection you made 60 days out was down.
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
They can not guarantee a time that the boarding groups will be called... which is a huge difference over FP+. However, every day they are guaranteeing a select number for boarding groups (that number has dropped recently, but it is still there). I think they haven't missed guaranteed boarding groups in a long time?
If you don't have 3 fastpasses booked, then what is the problem? It doesn't matter. If you only booked a single Tier 1, what is the difference if you booked for MMRR or SDD or ROTR? You have to make a choice. At least if A) you don't get a BG for ROTR you still have it for MMRR or B) if you are able to get one, you have to prioritize which ride you prefer doing
disneygeek90
Well-Known Member
Because it's not a FP and not taking up the space of a FP. You can't put the same weight in a FP that, barring significant weather delays for an outdoor ride, will be open with a guaranteed time to ride. BG's have a lot more risk to them already, how does penalizing guests by removing a FP help?
nickys
Premium Member
Just checked.
Jan 17th - last BG called was #70, the fist BBG was #116
Jan 23rd - last BG called was #79, the first BBG was #81
nickys
Premium Member
That was my point. The suggestion was you had to replace an FP with a boarding group.
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
Correct, it has happened twice in the past month... back when the back up boarding groups were 80+.
The first BBG for the last 9 days has been: 65, 66, 64, 74, 63, 63, 63, 63, 64. Their worst day that happened recently was on 2/5 where they only called up to group 65. It seems to me that giving away ~60 BGs that take up a tier 1 fp would probably be pretty safe.
disneygeek90
Well-Known Member
Ahh, yes. I think we were actually agreeing there, I may have quoted the wrong post or thought you had quoted a different one.
flynnibus
Premium Member
All this talk about a BG consuming a FP elemet are missing the point that it’s not people talking all the BGs because its simply free. No one is there and going, “hey look, a freebie... lets take one even if we don’t need it..”.
When you give things away and want to attach consequences to it... the point is to shape behavior... like discourage waste or abuse. That’s a non issue here. Plus, the thousands that are showing up everyday are illustrating they are willing to make the commitment..so there is no point in making some artificial tradeoff as a form of “cost”... they are going to “pay it” no matter what. You will not reduce demand by attaching a small penalty.
So it does nothing to change behavior, instead all it does is punish people... for participating in something that Disney had to do... not because guests asked for it.
The oainful irony is its one of the most guest friendly things the park has done in AGES and all anyone can do is talk about making it less guest friendly. No wonder disney gets away with highway robbery
When you give things away and want to attach consequences to it... the point is to shape behavior... like discourage waste or abuse. That’s a non issue here. Plus, the thousands that are showing up everyday are illustrating they are willing to make the commitment..so there is no point in making some artificial tradeoff as a form of “cost”... they are going to “pay it” no matter what. You will not reduce demand by attaching a small penalty.
So it does nothing to change behavior, instead all it does is punish people... for participating in something that Disney had to do... not because guests asked for it.
The oainful irony is its one of the most guest friendly things the park has done in AGES and all anyone can do is talk about making it less guest friendly. No wonder disney gets away with highway robbery
Last edited:
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
Very true. I’m actually surprised at how fair and open it is. At the very least I would have expected Disney to give away a few fastpasses to the hotel guests and have less available for day guests.