BOG Special Invitation!

[TwinkleKS]

DME - Disney's Magical Express. When we got off the plane at the airport and went to the check in line to ride the bus to the resort, they were handing out the cards there.

 

[BayGirl22]

DME - Disney's Magical Express. When we got off the plane at the airport and went to the check in line to ride the bus to the resort, they were handing out the cards there.

Yes, that's exactly how we got involved. We arrived on Sunday evening, the 12th. The DME arrival area was nearly empty but there was one CM handing out cards after we checked in. It didn't seem to be tied to resort or anything, although they could have subtly signaled based on where we were staying. (We were at GF.) Obviously DME is only open to resort guests, but other than that it seemed kind of random.

There was no tie in from the card to whom it was handed to, you needed to go to a website and enter your travel ID number (which the front desk provided). It wouldn't be hard for others to get into the trial were the site posted here, just sayin'.

I had issues using the website, I had to keep refreshing the browser. Then I forgot to check in at Mickey's Philharmagic, and when I did they had to restart their iPads because the app froze or something. Then the CM who checked us in at BOG didn't know how to have us pay on her iPad so I had to wait at the registers - she wasn't properly trained. Then we had the allergy confusion listed above. I think that was it - I counted 5 snafu's during the process. Unfortunately Disney never asked for feedback so maybe not the most robust trial.

Otherwise it was a fairly straightforward process, and if you could use it a day or so in advance or the morning of, I'd think most people would prefer it to waiting in the line on the bridge.

 

[Sophiesmom]

I was wondering if this was posted here yet. When I arrived for DME on 5/12 I got the invite too. It was a FP+ trial.

You had two choices:
- Select a prearranged time online, similar to TS ADR, that bypasses the standby line
- Select a time and pre-order your meal, so when you arrive you go straight to your table and your food is brought to you. In other words you bypass the ordering process.

I selected the 2nd option because I was curious about the process and the trial and wanted to see the ordering site. I have a few screen shots I can post later if anyone is interested. I selected the meals online, we got there and paid at the greeter CM then were taken to our table. You could change your meal after pre-selecting, up until you arrived I assume, we changed the night before after I consulted DH.

The process itself was not too complicated but I had some kind of glitch every step of the way, which confirms to me they are not ready for prime time yet. It was an easier way to do BOG at lunch. (I still preferred BOG at dinner, the atmosphere was nicer, but we are TS people anyway.)

If anyone is interested I can post screen shots and give more detail on the process and glitches I encountered. Not interested in starting another FP+ debate here, but I did like the process assuming it all went smoothly. But again I prefer to make an ADR and not wait for a CS table anyway so I don't mind planning when I'll eat, especially if it eliminates the wait.

OP here. Got back last night and finally have a minute to update on our experience, which sounds pretty similar to that of above quoted poster.

• logged onto website and entered hotel reservation number
• given the choice of either selcting time and pre-selecting meal or just selecting time and bypassing line ( I chose to pre-select meal)
• was given a choice of 5 days (beginning the folowing day) of having lunch - 3 days were past our departure date
• was given a choice of 2 different 15 minute periods for our lunch time arrival ( I chose 1:15-1:30)
• chose meals for each member in my party ( I chose braised pork, daughter chose turkey sandwich), beverages and deserts
• we were allowed to make modifications ( daughter wanted plain turkey sandwich and I was able to do that)
• confirmed the reservation and order - you are allowed to change selections up until the time you check in
• checked in at city hall in the morning - they reviewed the reservation and food selections with us and then handed us a yellow rose to present at the time of check in at BOG
• checked in at 1:15 and paid; were told we could select our own seat wherever we'd like and to get our own drinks and silverware
• we chose our table, got our beverages and sat at our table enjoying the atmosphere

Here is where our "glitch" comes in. We sat and waited for 15 minutes and still had no food. In this time, 2 other parties sat down close to us and both had their meals delivered. One of the dining room attendants noticed that we had been waiting for quite a while and approached our table and said he had noticed our long wait. Asked what we had ordered and said he would call back and have it out to us ASAP. We sat and waited another 5-10 minutes and still no food. At this point, he approached us again, and apologized and said that he was going to go back and find our food himself. A few minutes later, our food was delivered to our table. Unfortunately, there was a mistake, and my daughter's sandwich was not plain, but had the dijon mayonnaise slathered on with all the other toppings. Up until that point, I was really not very upset by the delay, because we were enjoying the atmosphere and were in no hurry. However, I was perturbed when my daughter's food arrived incorrect. They promised to have it right out as we had ordered it. While we were waiting, a manager came to our table and apologized. Said that they are still getting everything figured out, etc... She gave us 2 Fast Passes to use that day. Sandwich came a few minutes later and we both thoroughly enjoyed the food.

Sorry for the long post and if this is too detailed! Please feel free to ask any questions!

 

[ses1230]

OP here. Got back last night and finally have a minute to update on our experience, which sounds pretty similar to that of above quoted poster.


[*]logged onto website and entered hotel reservation number
[*]given the choice of either selcting time and pre-selecting meal or just selecting time and bypassing line ( I chose to pre-select meal)
[*]was given a choice of 5 days (beginning the folowing day) of having lunch - 3 days were past our departure date
[*]was given a choice of 2 different 15 minute periods for our lunch time arrival ( I chose 1:15-1:30)
[*]chose meals for each member in my party ( I chose braised pork, daughter chose turkey sandwich), beverages and deserts
[*]we were allowed to make modifications ( daughter wanted plain turkey sandwich and I was able to do that)
[*]confirmed the reservation and order - you are allowed to change selections up until the time you check in
[*]checked in at city hall in the morning - they reviewed the reservation and food selections with us and then handed us a yellow rose to present at the time of check in at BOG
[*]checked in at 1:15 and paid; were told we could select our own seat wherever we'd like and to get our own drinks and silverware
[*]we chose our table, got our beverages and sat at our table enjoying the atmosphere


Here is where our "glitch" comes in. We sat and waited for 15 minutes and still had no food. In this time, 2 other parties sat down close to us and both had their meals delivered. One of the dining room attendants noticed that we had been waiting for quite a while and approached our table and said he had noticed our long wait. Asked what we had ordered and said he would call back and have it out to us ASAP. We sat and waited another 5-10 minutes and still no food. At this point, he approached us again, and apologized and said that he was going to go back and find our food himself. A few minutes later, our food was delivered to our table. Unfortunately, there was a mistake, and my daughter's sandwich was not plain, but had the dijon mayonnaise slathered on with all the other toppings. Up until that point, I was really not very upset by the delay, because we were enjoying the atmosphere and were in no hurry. However, I was perturbed when my daughter's food arrived incorrect. They promised to have it right out as we had ordered it. While we were waiting, a manager came to our table and apologized. Said that they are still getting everything figured out, etc... She gave us 2 Fast Passes to use that day. Sandwich came a few minutes later and we both thoroughly enjoyed the food.

Sorry for the long post and if this is too detailed! Please feel free to ask any questions!

Thanks for reporting back, sounds interesting! So did you by pass the line of people waiting to go in, or was there no line at that time?

 

[focusondisney]

OP here. Got back last night and finally have a minute to update on our experience, which sounds pretty similar to that of above quoted poster.

• logged onto website and entered hotel reservation number
• given the choice of either selcting time and pre-selecting meal or just selecting time and bypassing line ( I chose to pre-select meal)
  [*]was given a choice of 5 days (beginning the folowing day) of having lunch - 3 days were past our departure date
  [*]was given a choice of 2 different 15 minute periods for our lunch time arrival ( I chose 1:15-1:30)
• chose meals for each member in my party ( I chose braised pork, daughter chose turkey sandwich), beverages and deserts
• we were allowed to make modifications ( daughter wanted plain turkey sandwich and I was able to do that)
• confirmed the reservation and order - you are allowed to change selections up until the time you check in
• checked in at city hall in the morning - they reviewed the reservation and food selections with us and then handed us a yellow rose to present at the time of check in at BOG
• checked in at 1:15 and paid; were told we could select our own seat wherever we'd like and to get our own drinks and silverware
• we chose our table, got our beverages and sat at our table enjoying the atmosphere

Sorry for the long post and if this is too detailed! Please feel free to ask any questions!

So you could only use this on certain days & only for certain time periods? I hope if they actually do this you'll get much more flexibility. There would be no benefit of this having fastpass if you can't eat when you want to. Or if you had plans to be in a different park the day they have available for you.

And your post wasn't too long at all! Thanks for taking the time to update us!!

 

[JimmyV]

This sounds like way, way, way more trouble than it is worth for both WDW and the guest. Is is so gosh-danged important to Disney to allow guests to pre-order food? I can certainly see the benefit of a FP to cut the line. But the whole ordering in advance thing has way too many places where things could go off the rails. If prepared too far in advance, the food will get cold or stale under a heat lamp. If not prepared soon enough, the wait will be longer than regular customers. The order might get fouled up. This just seems like a really bad idea that is being executed badly. I would suggest that anyone who is given a choice should select the "bypass the line" option and order once you get there.

Question: How long did you have to wait in line at City Hall to get your order arranged? I have seen 15 minute lines (or longer) at City Hall all the time. If you get to the park at RD with the idea of heading off to some of the most popular attractions, killing 20 minutes of valuable time at City Hall seems like it could erode any benefit that they are trying to bestow. And if you skip City Hall first thing in the morning and come back later, well, at what point of the morning when you are at ETWB, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain is it convenient to head all the way back to City Hall?

This whole thing leaves me shaking my head. What's next? Ordering in advance and having the Beast pre-chew your food for you?

 

[Sophiesmom]

Thanks for reporting back, sounds interesting! So did you by pass the line of people waiting to go in, or was there no line at that time?

Sorry, should have been more clear with this. Either option allows you to bypass the line. You arrive during your pre-selected 15 minute window ( after having checked in), confirm your order once again (or place your order if you have not done so), then pay and select your table.

 

[Sophiesmom]

So you could only use this on certain days & only for certain time periods? I hope if they actually do this you'll get much more flexibility. There would be no benefit of this having fastpass if you can't eat when you want to. Or if you had plans to be in a different park the day they have available for you.

And your post wasn't too long at all! Thanks for taking the time to update us!!

Yes, I was only given a choice of 5 days ( but, it included our whole length of stay and a few days beyond our check out). After selecting the day, I was given two 15 minute time periods to choose from - which wasn't great. Not sure if all the other available times had been booked, or if these limited selections are part of the plan.

 

[BuzzBelleMom]

Thanks to all who posted their experiences! This sounds really cool!

 

[BayGirl22]

Yes, I was only given a choice of 5 days ( but, it included our whole length of stay and a few days beyond our check out). After selecting the day, I was given two 15 minute time periods to choose from - which wasn't great. Not sure if all the other available times had been booked, or if these limited selections are part of the plan.

When I went on a couple weeks earlier I could choose from the next couple weeks. I assume the days available have more to do with the trial than with Disney limiting when FP+ will be available. This may have been a 3-4 week trial and OP is arriving toward the end. As for times, there were at least 3 time options on the day I chose, all close to popular lunch times. I think I could request more options if I didn't like those. I may have been at the beginning of the trial so there were more open spots, but it didn't feel constrained at all. At the time we entered BOG the standby line was beyond the bridge to Gaston's fountain.

As for the check in and ordering ahead - I believe checking in at Philharmagic or City Hall is also for the trial. That was a temporary table set up, not part of the permanent process.

The Pre-ordered food was not prepared before we arrived. It seemed that once we arrived and paid the food went into the queue to be delivered. The alternative (snon-preorder) process would be to go to the ordering kiosks and place your order, then your food goes in the queue for delivery to the table. I don't think that affects the food prep process, just whether you stand in line and order/pay at a kiosk or not. I see a benefit (especially with small kids) to just go pick out a table and have food show up, skipping ALL the lines entirely.

 

[Sophiesmom]

This sounds like way, way, way more trouble than it is worth for both WDW and the guest. Is is so gosh-danged important to Disney to allow guests to pre-order food? I can certainly see the benefit of a FP to cut the line. But the whole ordering in advance thing has way too many places where things could go off the rails. If prepared too far in advance, the food will get cold or stale under a heat lamp. If not prepared soon enough, the wait will be longer than regular customers. The order might get fouled up. This just seems like a really bad idea that is being executed badly. I would suggest that anyone who is given a choice should select the "bypass the line" option and order once you get there.

Question: How long did you have to wait in line at City Hall to get your order arranged? I have seen 15 minute lines (or longer) at City Hall all the time. If you get to the park at RD with the idea of heading off to some of the most popular attractions, killing 20 minutes of valuable time at City Hall seems like it could erode any benefit that they are trying to bestow. And if you skip City Hall first thing in the morning and come back later, well, at what point of the morning when you are at ETWB, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain is it convenient to head all the way back to City Hall?

This whole thing leaves me shaking my head. What's next? Ordering in advance and having the Beast pre-chew your food for you?

We actually only waited in line for about 5 minutes at City Hall. There were 2 people ahead of us when we got in line. If there had been a huge line (as is often the case), we likely would have gone to Mickey's Philharmagic to check in as this was listed as the other option.

LOL @ having Beast pre-chew your food! I would definitely NOT opt for that!

 

[BayGirl22]

We actually only waited in line for about 5 minutes at City Hall. There were 2 people ahead of us when we got in line. If there had been a huge line (as is often the case), we likely would have gone to Mickey's Philharmagic to check in as this was listed as the other option.

LOL @ having Beast pre-chew your food! I would definitely NOT opt for that!

Yes, there was no one at Philharmagic when we went there. In fact I forgot to "check in" because I was not going to do it at rope drop. I went to BOG first then ran over to Phil to check in and get my rose. Its right across so really not an issue.
Again I think this step is just part of the trial though, the regular BOG check in people are not really equipped to deal with anything outside the usual process.