So . . . Yeah

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12-11-2019, 10:51 AM
Cinderelley

So . . . Yeah

We got up early this morning and headed to DHS to be there for the 8 am opening. I wanted to be sure to be there to get into the park and get a boarding group. I was watching the app since 7:30 am and it kept saying there weren’t any more boarding groups. I figured it was because the park hadn’t opened, so the system hadn’t reset from the night before. Multiple things here tell you that you can’t get into a boarding group until you are in the park. Park opens at 8 why would the boarding groups be full?

Well, when we got to the park, signs were up all over the place that the boarding groups were full. Hmmm. How can that be when the resort TV, times guides, app, etc all day the park opens at 8 am?

We went to Galaxy’s Edge anyway to look for Baby Yoda stuff (there isn’t any) and happened to strike up a conversation with someone just coming out of the ride. He told us that they opened the park at 6:30.

After looking all over for Baby Yoda stuff, we hit TSMM. After that, I figured the line at Guest Services would be down. The first cast member went and verified that the park did indeed open at 6:30. He offered me a way to send a card to guest services or something or other. I asked to speak to a manager. The manager came out and said it was a safety issue due to the number of people who were waiting. I asked him why they would punish the people who were doing as they were told. I asked him why wouldn’t they use the notification system that has been annoyingly alerting me on my phone for every little thing or put the opening hour change on the resort TV. He said that not everyone was interested in Star Wars. I told him that I wasn’t interested in the fireworks last night, but I still got that notification. He offered me fast passes for another ride which I declined. He offered me park tickets for another day, which I declined. We leave today and I have an annual pass. He said he couldn’t get us on Rise of the Resistance. I think he probably could have. We left, and it left a very bad taste in my mouth for Hollywood Studios.
12-11-2019, 11:32 AM
faline

Sorry to hear you missed out on the ride. I'm guessing so many people arrived early that they has a mass of people waiting at the turnstyles so made the decision to open the park early. I'm sure there were many others who also missed out on their chance to get a boarding time due to the unannounced early opening but that certainly doesn't help you feel like your complaint was resolved satisfactorily.
12-11-2019, 12:04 PM
Cinderelley

Yeah. I am sure that was the reason for the ridiculously long line at Guest Relations. The guy who told me that the park opened at 6:30 also told me that he was able to get his boarding group while waiting outside of the park. If I had known that, I would have stopped by DHS after MVMCP got out at 1 am to get us in a group.
12-11-2019, 05:25 PM
The Hitchhiking Ghost

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinderelley

Yeah. I am sure that was the reason for the ridiculously long line at Guest Relations. The guy who told me that the park opened at 6:30 also told me that he was able to get his boarding group while waiting outside of the park. If I had known that, I would have stopped by DHS after MVMCP got out at 1 am to get us in a group.

Supposedly though you can't get a boarding group until all members of your party have had their park tickets scanned. I'd be a little skeptical of the guy that said he got his boarding group without getting his ticket scanned. They also implemented a one boarding group per person policy.
12-12-2019, 12:08 AM
Cinderelley

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Hitchhiking Ghost

Supposedly though you can't get a boarding group until all members of your party have had their park tickets scanned. I'd be a little skeptical of the guy that said he got his boarding group without getting his ticket scanned. They also implemented a one boarding group per person policy.

I doubled checked what he said with Guest Relations before filing a complaint.
12-12-2019, 08:11 AM
magicofdisney

Yes, I'd be extremely dissatisfied with that situation. I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm mad right now just thinking about it, so I can only imagine the feelings you had.
12-12-2019, 09:20 AM
DisneyDadfromPittsburgh

**** - don't know what everyone is talking about boarding group. We are going in January. What is this boarding group that no one can get in?
12-12-2019, 10:54 AM
OfficeNut

Just posted this in another thread...

From another website that I trust implicitly, here is what you HAVE to do if you plan on riding Rise of the Resistance anytime in the near future...

- A Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group is currently required in order to experience the ride. There is no standby line for those without a valid boarding group.

- To be eligible to join a boarding group, you must have scanned your valid ticket/MagicBand at the Park entrance. This is true for all members of a party who plan to join a boarding group. One person can’t go to the Park, scan in, and sign everyone in their party up for a boarding group if the other members are back in the room sleeping. Or even if they’re just farther back in line and haven’t yet scanned.

- To join a boarding group, you either press the “Join Boarding Group” button on the first screen that opens on the My Disney Experience app, or see one of the Guest Experience Team/Guest Services cast members, who will be standing just inside the Park.

- In the week since Rise of the Resistance opened, all boarding group spots have filled before 9am every day.

The author recommends getting to the Studios around 5:45 if you want to be in the earliest possible boarding group... they start letting people through the tapstiles at 6:30 am. After 12/22 when the Christmas crowds start rolling in they will probably let people in by 6:00am.
12-12-2019, 11:03 AM
OfficeNut

Also important to note, just because you have a boarding group doesn't guarantee you will get to ride. Boarding Group numbers (for some reason) start at 10. If you get a 10 you are in the first group of the day. But if you have a higher group number, if the ride has gone down during the day, it is possible your number will not be called. In which case you are out of luck. Hence the reason for wanting to be in one of the first boarding groups of the day.
12-12-2019, 04:07 PM
sorcerer fan

not totally out of luck we had a boarding number of 110 and the attraction went down for the day at 7 pm at a boarding group of 85. we were automatically given a fast pass for the next day that was good any time we wanted to go in. It was put right on my iPhone and the next day the cast member scanned my phone and away we went
12-12-2019, 04:12 PM
sorcerer fan

and on opening day they estimated they had 5000 or more people waiting at the turn styles people started lining up at 2:30 in the A.M.
12-12-2019, 04:16 PM
Cinderelley

Quote:

Originally Posted by OfficeNut

Just posted this in another thread...

From another website that I trust implicitly, here is what you HAVE to do if you plan on riding Rise of the Resistance anytime in the near future...

- A Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group is currently required in order to experience the ride. There is no standby line for those without a valid boarding group.

- To be eligible to join a boarding group, you must have scanned your valid ticket/MagicBand at the Park entrance. This is true for all members of a party who plan to join a boarding group. One person can’t go to the Park, scan in, and sign everyone in their party up for a boarding group if the other members are back in the room sleeping. Or even if they’re just farther back in line and haven’t yet scanned.

- To join a boarding group, you either press the “Join Boarding Group” button on the first screen that opens on the My Disney Experience app, or see one of the Guest Experience Team/Guest Services cast members, who will be standing just inside the Park.

- In the week since Rise of the Resistance opened, all boarding group spots have filled before 9am every day.

The author recommends getting to the Studios around 5:45 if you want to be in the earliest possible boarding group... they start letting people through the tapstiles at 6:30 am. After 12/22 when the Christmas crowds start rolling in they will probably let people in by 6:00am.

Which website is that? I would lie to cite that in my letter to Disney.
12-12-2019, 09:20 PM
CaptSmee

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinderelley

Which website is that? I would lie to cite that in my letter to Disney.

Some of it is right off Disney’s app. They made changes Monday that I read about all over the internet about having to be in the park and everyone must be present to get a boarding group, Disney reacted because they found people were abusing the system and nabbing multiple boarding groups from the parking lot. I followed everything that’s listed here and we were able to ride today. The only thing I don’t like is that they keep opening early. Not everyone follows fan blogs like we do
12-13-2019, 08:11 AM
magicofdisney

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptSmee

Some of it is right off Disney’s app. They made changes Monday that I read about all over the internet about having to be in the park and everyone must be present to get a boarding group, Disney reacted because they found people were abusing the system and nabbing multiple boarding groups from the parking lot. I followed everything that’s listed here and we were able to ride today. The only thing I don’t like is that they keep opening early. Not everyone follows fan blogs like we do

Yeah, I think the "opening early" information should, at minimum, be given to anyone staying onsite.
12-13-2019, 10:44 AM
TheVBs

Wow. Just... wow. So, in spite of having an 8am opening time, they opened at 6:30am only because there was a crowd at the front?? So, you had no way to even know this was an option because there was nothing official about it and therefore missed out on even a chance to ride? That's crazy.
12-13-2019, 10:48 AM
CaptSmee

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheVBs

Wow. Just... wow. So, in spite of having an 8am opening time, they opened at 6:30am only because there was a crowd at the front?? So, you had no way to even know this was an option because there was nothing official about it and therefore missed out on even a chance to ride? That's crazy.

They have been doing it consistently since opening day. They keep changing park hours yet still opening early. 2 weeks ago opening time was 9am, last week they changed them to 8am, this week changed to 7am but sill opening early. I didn’t care we planned on waiting to get in but it was minimal when we got there a little after 6
12-13-2019, 07:43 PM
Cinderelley

Quote:

Originally Posted by magicofdisney

Yeah, I think the "opening early" information should, at minimum, be given to anyone staying onsite.

Right? They have those notifications on your cell phone. It would have been good if they changed the time on the resort tv or at least sent out a notification.
12-13-2019, 07:51 PM
SodaPopMGK

I hate when they open earlier than indicated, I get why they do it crowds can get angry quickly. They could also just open only some of the boarding groups so that those who are following the posted times could still get in a boarding group. Luckily for me I'm not a big Star Wars fan but I would be upset.
12-13-2019, 09:20 PM
Cinderelley

Quote:

Originally Posted by SodaPopMGK

I hate when they open earlier than indicated, I get why they do it crowds can get angry quickly. They could also just open only some of the boarding groups so that those who are following the posted times could still get in a boarding group. Luckily for me I'm not a big Star Wars fan but I would be upset.

They could have even opened the rest of the park and not let anyone do anything with Star Wars until the posted time. They could have not opened the parking lot at 3 am. There are so many other things they could have done. Then the guy totally lied about it being a security issue forcing them to open early. I found out afterwards it had been going around on Disney boards. I only come here to Intercot, and I usually don't do that while I'm there. Why would I waste my time on my phone when I can be enjoying myself?
They are only worried about the money though. More people in the park means more money for them.
Baby Yoda stuff would have meant more money for them also, but they don't have that.
12-13-2019, 09:23 PM
Cinderelley

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptSmee

They have been doing it consistently since opening day. They keep changing park hours yet still opening early. 2 weeks ago opening time was 9am, last week they changed them to 8am, this week changed to 7am but sill opening early. I didn’t care we planned on waiting to get in but it was minimal when we got there a little after 6

The resort TV still said 8 am.
12-16-2019, 12:01 PM
The Hitchhiking Ghost

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorcerer fan

not totally out of luck we had a boarding number of 110 and the attraction went down for the day at 7 pm at a boarding group of 85. we were automatically given a fast pass for the next day that was good any time we wanted to go in. It was put right on my iPhone and the next day the cast member scanned my phone and away we went

That works out great if your schedule is completely flexible. We generally do not do the Park Hopper and our Park days are basically set (by necessity) before we even go down. They could give me 10 fastpasses and a free dinner for the next day, but it doesn't do much good if you can't be there to use them. We had that happen when Soarin went down. Here, take some fastpasses for tomorrow or later. Became a souvenir.
12-18-2019, 10:45 AM
TheVBs

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinderelley

They could have even opened the rest of the park and not let anyone do anything with Star Wars until the posted time. They could have not opened the parking lot at 3 am. There are so many other things they could have done. Then the guy totally lied about it being a security issue forcing them to open early. I found out afterwards it had been going around on Disney boards. I only come here to Intercot, and I usually don't do that while I'm there. Why would I waste my time on my phone when I can be enjoying myself?
They are only worried about the money though. More people in the park means more money for them.
Baby Yoda stuff would have meant more money for them also, but they don't have that.

Yes, they could have easily not allowed a crowd to form at the entrance, therefore not having the pressure to open early.
12-20-2019, 11:25 AM
CaptSmee

more changes again...now you can’t join a boarding group until park opening regardless of what time you arrive. You’d think they would have figured this all out ahead of time, no? They expected big crowds
12-20-2019, 04:02 PM
Cinderelley

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptSmee

more changes again...now you can’t join a boarding group until park opening regardless of what time you arrive. You’d think they would have figured this all out ahead of time, no? They expected big crowds

Right? This isn't their first rodeo. They've opened how many new rides since 1971?
12-21-2019, 08:16 PM
SodaPopMGK

They have changed it to park opening so even if they open early no one can join a boarding group until official opening. It worked out well, we just got home a couple of hours ago and we got to the park on Monday at opening and couldn't get a boarding group, we didn't get in early because we didn't care. On Thursday after they changed it my husband and son were able to get a boarding group as soon as they entered the park and were done by noon I know the time because they had a reservation at Oga's at 12:10. @Cinderelley thank you for taking the time to speak with them when you were there, I'm sure your comments as well as others forced the changes.
12-22-2019, 06:26 PM
Cinderelley

I'm glad to hear that it is working like it is supposed to. I had my doubts.
12-25-2019, 06:38 PM
TheVBs

Cinderelley, did you ever get any kind of satisfactory response on this?
12-26-2019, 02:15 AM
Cinderelley

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheVBs

Cinderelley, did you ever get any kind of satisfactory response on this?

I contacted an attorney about a class action lawsuit shortly after returning home. I'm advised not to say anything. The new system they have is definitely more satisfactory though.
12-27-2019, 12:26 PM
John

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinderelley

I contacted an attorney about a class action lawsuit shortly after returning home. I'm advised not to say anything. The new system they have is definitely more satisfactory though.

Seems like a tough case - I doubt riding on any attraction is guaranteed as part of park entry. It is kind of amazing though about how poorly this was handled. Seems like this should have been anticipated in advance.
01-01-2020, 01:49 PM
TheVBs

I'm really surprised this wasn't handled better as well. Sounds like they were making reactive decisions and not working within a set plan.
01-01-2020, 04:41 PM
DisneyDadfromPittsburgh

The stress and angst of going to WDW World and trying to get on certain rides is really unbelievable!
I still go but wrestling with where the " enjoyment" comes in.
01-01-2020, 05:46 PM
Cinderelley

Quote:

Originally Posted by DisneyDadfromPittsburgh

The stress and angst of going to WDW World and trying to get on certain rides is really unbelievable!
I still go but wrestling with where the " enjoyment" comes in.

I understand the sentiment, but our trip was enjoyable other than DHS. Admittedly, riding all the rides wasn't the biggest priority for us.
01-02-2020, 08:08 AM
magicofdisney

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinderelley

I understand the sentiment, but our trip was enjoyable other than DHS. Admittedly, riding all the rides wasn't the biggest priority for us.

Why would you seek a lawyer for a class action law suit if that wasn't your biggest priority?
01-03-2020, 11:30 AM
azcavalier

I'm really, really hoping that this is all back to (somewhat) normal when we go in May. Really looking forward to Rise of the Resistance. I'm also hoping that it takes some of the crowds away from Toy Story Land, which we also have yet to see. Our last trip to Walt Disney World was in October of 2017.

BTW, we don't have an imminent trip planned, but even we knew that the park was opening at 6am every day. We've been telling people that we know who did have trips planned.
01-24-2020, 03:58 PM
Anthony

I had a similar experience to the OP. First Saturday after opening and the scheduled park opening time was 8am or 9am. I knew something was up when I saw that everyone was inside the park at 6:30 when I arrived. I still got a boarding pass of 88. Not knowing how slow groups would be called we spent all day in the park. We got a push notification about an hour before closing that it was not going to happen and they gave us a free ticket which really perked us up.

Thank goodness they are now sticking to the 7am opening time. Still too early, but it works. Maybe not the best thing that we all now know that we can force a park open at any time we want by just bringing 4000 people to the gates.