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

GhostHost1000

Premium Member
That would be a disaster for Disney operations. There's no way they want thousands of people showing up at each separate park prior to opening every single day just to try to get a BG for whatever ride they want most.

exactly this would be an expensive security and operations disaster
 

DarkMetroid567

Well-Known Member
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Post I just saw from a former co-worker. Unfortunately, interactions like this were all too common for my pals and I.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
This is my opinion of how it could go. Pure!y hypothetical.....

The BGs are only for a few select attractions. For those that don't get their preferred choice or are waiting for their boarding time, all other attractions would have standby lines open and available.

Some may choose to forego trying to get a BG and just hit as many standby queues as possible. Should be short wait times if any for many attractions as many people will be focused on their BG time.

Strategy will be part of the fun. But for those who may have limited time on property, a BG time may be their best chance to experience the signature attraction of their choice. Everyone wins!
 

Purduevian

Well-Known Member
Some may choose to forego trying to get a BG and just hit as many standby queues as possible. Should be short wait times if any for many attractions as many people will be focused on their BG time.

Why would anyone forgo trying to get a BG for RotR? A BG does not prevent them from jumping from Standby queues as fast as possible just like those that don't have a BG.
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
Why would anyone forgo trying to get a BG for RotR? A BG does not prevent them from jumping from Standby queues as fast as possible just like those that don't have a BG.

RotR is the exception to all rules and is a unique category. My plan would bring this system to all 4 parks. Attractions with BGs would release times to ensure queues are full but moving. Eager guests would willingly join the queues as soon as they are called. Show times could be narrow enough that people would not chance missing them by being on another attraction when called. For example, you wouldn't want to be on the Jungle Cruise when your Tron BG gets called. In this scenario if you miss your window your BG pass expires. ⌛
 

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
This is my opinion of how it could go. Pure!y hypothetical.....

The BGs are only for a few select attractions. For those that don't get their preferred choice or are waiting for their boarding time, all other attractions would have standby lines open and available.

Some may choose to forego trying to get a BG and just hit as many standby queues as possible. Should be short wait times if any for many attractions as many people will be focused on their BG time.

Strategy will be part of the fun. But for those who may have limited time on property, a BG time may be their best chance to experience the signature attraction of their choice. Everyone wins!
I think you invented Fastpass.
 
My second post, new here.
After 16 years since my last visit from Alaska to WDW and from first hearing of this new ride and waiting until dec 5th and the initial reports i made a quick decision and booked a week in Orlando, it was centered to see this ride and anything else new. And of course Harry Potter....
I was actually at the parking lot toll booths before 6am, finally a cast member told me to proceed in, so i was way up in front in the lines, this was two weeks ago thursday. Used my Galaxy S10+ with wi fi off after lurking a bit on these boards, considered myself lucky to get a 123 boarding group, got on ride i think around 6:30pm. Wasnt disapointed at all with the process, the next day i was in line of FOP for almost 4 hours and at 63 years old i can say this....i hate lines!
And here is something else, my wife is in a wheelchair and on almost every show and ride we get the best treatnent, better seating, minimal waits. I feel guilty.... But because of the extreme popularity i wholeheartedly agree boarding groups is the way to go. If i didnt get it one day i would have tried again. And on that note i had bought the 4 Day Magic Pass tickets, the 3 hour wait on Smugglers Run, the massive crowds etc didnt allow us to fully enjoy Hollywood Studios, so i called Disney and requested they drop Epcot as my 4th day and give me a 2nd day at Studios, which they did, we were not interested in Epcot what with closures and construction.

It was an awesome trip and i might say i favor FOP over RotR a bit. Loved the new Pandora!
And RotR has so much more they can add in the future.
 

A Noble Fish

Well-Known Member
My husband is battling Lyme disease and has a complicated morning protocol he has to follow. If he doesn't follow it, he'll feel horrible and the rest of his day will be ruined. He cannot physically be anywhere by 7 AM. We schedule all of our fastpasses after 10 or 11 AM. The only time we can rope drop is at Disneyland because we live on the east coast -- so he stays on east coast time and is awake 3 hours early the whole time we're in California. That way he has time to follow his morning protocol. If BGs are always gone in the 7 AM hour, we will never ever get to ride RotR. I wish they had just done Fastpass+ like every other popular ride. Then we'd have the same chance as everyone else to ride. We're coming to Disney next month for 8 days, and I've already resigned myself to the fact that we just won't get on RotR.
That's an anomaly that is an insignificant con that in no way outweighs the pros for its usage. In addition to that, BG's are only being used because Rise is unreliable and would make operations a disaster, and having to turn people waiting in an enormous queue away after hours of waiting to ride. Plus, 5-10 hours in a line would not be fun, period. Lotteries prevent people who planned their trips for it who really want to ride it from doing so. I'm in favor of Standby only for super popular new rides, but Rise is almost like it's in previews the way it's operated. Treat it as such. There's still an entire park to enjoy.

You could literally go in the morning alone, to guest relations and explain the situation after you personally get a boarding group. They almost always will help fix medical issues, let you in early if you have a plane ticket (if you already got a BG), or confusion if it's reasonable and if the person is just rude, there are tons of 'Guest Experience Teams' that can fix it if you encounter a stubborn Cast Member. I feel sorry for your husband, but it is an awful argument for allowing this ride to have unmanaged ops issues. The human touch regarding each specific case is what's needed and it exists in guest relations.

My grandmother has diabetes. high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, seemingly anxiety as well, and is as old as the hills, so she came an hour after park opening after the rest of the party was there (except someone to help her). We explained the situation when she got in the park, and they were 100% okay with adding her to the group/giving her a Rise Fastpass (effectively what they give people for breakdowns). They just don't want the entire party afterward.

This system prevents abuse, prioritizing high-paying hotel guests, huge queues, and an ops disaster.

Only on Christmas week crowded days will you risk not getting a boarding group if you are in the park by rope drop, and it's not stressful since they let people in ahead of time.

You can't change people's opinions on something, it's theirs. If I tell you not to think of apples, you can think of apples as you please. You can, however, use objective evidence to logically argue (I don't like the word argue because it allows contrary arguments to be unfairly legitimized, or that the point of an argument is to win) for something. If you understand how things work, you can get things done and you make good choices, that's how the best CEOs run things. However, that doesn't mean it's all opinions. If the goal was to have control over ride ops, then this system objectively works better than all the others they have used and has been beneficial to them so far. That's their main goal, and due to that, the benefits allow access without unfairly helping/targeting any impactful group, and letting the people who really want to ride it while still being able to enjoy the park. It also works better for most people regardless of their opinion that Fastpass+ would fix everything.

This entire thing is temporary as the ride is again, not able to maintain uptime. They don't want 10 hour waits as hagrid's had, and they don't want Fastpasses to blow up the queue times and take people from enjoying the rest of the park. It's a no brainer.
 
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techgeek

Well-Known Member
Well, this whole conversation can be seen in a much different light today....

Boarding groups / Virtual queues for everything in order to help minimize guest contact and proximity in lines? Suddenly sounds like a good idea...
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Well, this whole conversation can be seen in a much different light today....

Boarding groups / Virtual queues for everything in order to help minimize guest contact and proximity in lines? Suddenly sounds like a good idea...

It could actually make that worse. Everybody showing up before opening to try to make sure they're in the parks in time to get a boarding group; you'd have thousands of people all packed into a relatively small area (like some of the photos at DHS prior to opening).
 

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
you'd have thousands of people all packed into a relatively small area (like some of the photos at DHS prior to opening).

Pre-opening of dhs for Rise is the most claustrobhic And disorganized mess I’ve ever seen at a Disney park or event. Including D23.
D23 looks like a well oiled machine compared to what I saw at dhs.

To be fair, I think it’s been improved, this was the week of New Years. But it was really really bad.

No joke a girl in line near me started to vomit because she felt too closed in by all the people packed in around her. (She was close enough to me that I had to check my clothes to see if I had any vomit on me.).

So yeah... let’s not suggest more BG’s
 

disneygeek90

Well-Known Member
It could actually make that worse. Everybody showing up before opening to try to make sure they're in the parks in time to get a boarding group; you'd have thousands of people all packed into a relatively small area (like some of the photos at DHS prior to opening).
To be fair, there’s lots of places you can go before park open to get a group. I think I’m usually at least 6 feet away from any other groups when I book and show up at 7:20 after the park is open so no standing in mass crowds at the turnstiles.
 

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