BOG breakfast for Mine train warning! Early ride not guaranteed

[midnightlouise]

Wow. That's hardcore making people get at the end of the line. Of course you'd expect to wait until the official opening time, but if you're already there in the park because you had a reservation at a restaurant that was open for business... It's not like you were trying to cut in a line of people already waiting. Disney knew you were there in the park prior to RD. Did they expect you to leave the restaurant and walk back to the entrance?

 

[magicbob]

Wow. That's hardcore making people get at the end of the line. Of course you'd expect to wait until the official opening time, but if you're already there in the park because you had a reservation at a restaurant that was open for business... It's not like you were trying to cut in line or cheat anyone. Disney knew you were already there. Did they expect you to leave the restaurant and walk back to the entrance? Meh.

Precisely. The guests exiting the restaurant arrived at the ride entrance but were held until after ALL of the RD herd was allowed in ahead of them. It's one thing to not allow "early" rides (which they have done) and another thing altogether to punish the people paying big bucks for breakfast by making them wait while guests who haven't even arrived yet are all allowed to go in front of them.

 

[KarmaCat]

I have no problem with cast members making early ADR guests wait until the park is officially open to get in line for rides... but after the clock strikes 9, they should be free to get into whatever line they choose. Holding them back after that point would feel like being *punished* for having pre-RD ADR, so in my opinion, the OP has a perfectly legitimate complaint.

This is not a matter of someone wanting special treatment by getting more than they paid for; this is a matter of wanting to be treated like a REGULAR GUEST once the park is officially open. At the very least, they should be allowed to merge with the rope-droppers and enter the line together. That seems absolutely fair to me.

 

[cakebaker]

And this is why it's so difficult for CM's to allow any guests any special perks or little bits of magic now and then.

If EVERYONE can't have it, then no one can.

BOG adr's are for eating breakfast at BOG. Anything else you get is a bonus and you're not guaranteed. I'm quite sure if enough people complain, they'll put a stop to letting anyone get a jump on riding or A&E and then no one can complain.

 

[alvernon90]

Laugh all you want at people saying you only paid for breakfast, but I mean sorry, Disney doesn't advertise pre-park ADRs as a means to hit the rides before the crowds. Thus, they don't have to make sure that pre-park ADR people get to go first. You did pay for breakfast. You were allowed in BOG. You ate. That's all that was promised. Yes, a leg up on rides would have been nice, but that wasn't what you booked. You booked breakfast, which you got.

Breakfast should be expected, since that is what you paid for. A rides advantage is a common perk, but nowhere says it's guaranteed - because it isn't.

IMO there is nothing valid to complain about.

As others have noted, the BOG guests were not merely denied an advantage, but actively punished for having eaten breakfast in the park. At the very worst, they should have been allowed to merge with the RD crowd. Why in the world should you be forced to stand in one spot while people stream past you in line just because you woke up extra early to give an absurd amount of your money to Disney?

Put another way, unless they are released at the same spot at the same time, somebody has to go first, either BOG or RD crowd. I can think of no reason (besides jealousy of those who couldn't get the ADR or afford the meal) why the RD crowd should be first. There are many more of them and they have given significantly less to Disney.

 

[alvernon90]

And this is why it's so difficult for CM's to allow any guests any special perks or little bits of magic now and then.

If EVERYONE can't have it, then no one can.

BOG adr's are for eating breakfast at BOG. Anything else you get is a bonus and you're not guaranteed. I'm quite sure if enough people complain, they'll put a stop to letting anyone get a jump on riding or A&E and then no one can complain.

If Disney puts a stop to the policy of restraining people and forcing them to watch as people who arrived after them stream past and get in line for rides before them, I think everyone will be happy. Especially the people who paid big bucks to eat at BOG in exchange for that particular form of punishment.

 

[PrincessCin]

Thanks for the warning because it prompted me to re-check what time the park opens the day I want to go and it now opens at 8:00 am. I could have sworn it didn't open until 9:00 when I first checked weeks ago! I scheduled a 8 am breakfast because I wanted empty park photos in front of the castle but now seeing that everyone can enter at 8:00 am, I'd rather ride the rides then eat. Plus, you just saved me money I can use towards something else at the parks

 

[lindsmom]

I would be one of the first to say OP isn't entitled to extra privileges; however like others have noted, that is not the complaint here. OP was punished for paying for an overpriced breakfast early in the morning. Not cool, Disney. I am not a regular early morning ADR person, but I'm wondering if you got the earliest ADR for a breakfast, and you finished significantly before RD - are they now going to make you walk back to the front gate and get out behind everyone who has been waiting for 45 minutes?

I think it would be reasonable, at most, to tell OP that they had to wait until the RD people were coming. I mean, really - what difference is it going to make to those rope droppers if a car or two goes before they arrive? At best, I would think Disney should turn a blind eye to the unspoken benefit of early ADR's getting an extra ride or two on a ride that is already sold out to the doors. That is how they will keep their morning ADR's full at a significant profit to the company.

 

[cakebaker]

Thanks for the warning because it prompted me to re-check what time the park opens the day I want to go and it now opens at 8:00 am. I could have sworn it didn't open until 9:00 when I first checked weeks ago! I scheduled a 8 am breakfast because I wanted empty park photos in front of the castle but now seeing that everyone can enter at 8:00 am, I'd rather ride the rides then eat. Plus, you just saved me money I can use towards something else at the parks

This happened to us as well- had to change to a day that opened at 9. They change park opening frequently and without much notice so it's always best to keep an eye on park hours.

 

[PrincessCin]

This happened to us as well- had to change to a day that opened at 9. They change park opening frequently and without much notice so it's always best to keep an eye on park hours.

Can you tell me why you changed your day to a park opening at 9? Is park opening at 8 am crazier?

 

[Baklava]

#F

Sometimes it's a burden being right all the time.

For the record... 11 minutes.

#FirstWorldBoblems

 

[DisneyWishes14]

OP, thanks for posting the warning! I agree with other PP's, if the park opens at 9 am, then at 9 am EVERYONE should be free to walk through the park and get into any line they want. CM's should NOT be holding people back from entering lines once the park is open. Yes, it sounds like you were punished for eating breakfast at BOG. NOT COOL!

 

[magicbob]

Can you tell me why you changed your day to a park opening at 9? Is park opening at 8 am crazier?

I can't speak to the PP's specific reason. But, in general, the reason is because, in order to get to breakfast and still beat the RD crowds, you need the park to open later. Otherwise, while you're at breakfast, other people are already being let into the park.

If the park opens at 9 am, only people with ADRs are let in at 8 am. But if the park opens at 8 am, you will be fighting the RD crowds just to get to the restaurant and then they will already be getting on rides while you're having breakfast. So you'll experience longer lines when you finish breakfast compared to if you were finishing breakfast and it's not even time for RD yet.

 

[jcarwash]

In addition to the OP's experience...here's another reason why your 8am BOG breakfast ADR may not get you on to SDMT early...

...when you are still waiting for your food to magically be delivered at 8:20am and it doesn't get to you until closer to 8:30, that whole possible advantage of riding early slips away. By the time we got outside at 8:50, the line for SDMT was in full swing with the regular park guests.

I was disappointed, however, as the morning progressed I did come to grips with the fact there was no guarantee we'd get on to SDMT early. We did have a FastPass for later in the day, so any early riding was a bonus. I also made up for my disappointment by rope-dropping MK at an 8am opening a few days later and being in the first group to be walked to SDMT -- that was fun.

 

[cakebaker]

Can you tell me why you changed your day to a park opening at 9? Is park opening at 8 am crazier?

If the park opens at 8, having an 8am adr doesn't get you anything but breakfast. It also eats up valuable time when you could be taking advantage of lighter crowds.

We made the adr for several reasons. One was to get the experience of walking thru the MK with few people there , to get a possible first ride on SDMT and to not have to enter the park with the masses. We wanted to eat there but that was way down on our priority list.

None of that would be accomplished with an 8am opening. When we were at the MK for an 8 am opening I noticed the adrs were only let in minutes before the crowd was.

 

[Trinity88]

I think Disney will see a large decline in BOG breakfasts if this become their standard. People are willing to pay that price to get in the early line, but I don't see a ton of people willing to do that if it guarantees them the end of the line.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I am going to keep close watch on this situation. We have an 8:05 am reservation at BOG which I made for the sole purpose of minimizing our 7DMT wait. I had no expectations of riding early or riding multiple times. I would, however, like to be able to get in line at park opening which, I believe we are entitled to with our paid admission! We have ridden 7DMT with FP+ and DAS many times, but my DS would like to do the games in the queue and I wanted to try to avoid the RD crush and the fast walk through the park. If RD guests now have the advantage over BOG guests, we may just attempt RD. IMHO, if they want to even the playing field, there should be no advantage to either. Park opens at 9 am, everyone should be able to get in line! If I were held back from joining a line at park opening, I would be livid, too.

 

[suebedo]

I'm complaining about the inconsistency. I have seen post after post after post with stories about people getting to ride Mine Train early after breakfast. There were only about 20 of us waiting after breakfast. It wasmt a huge mass of people. It would have been nice but it won't ruin my trip. I mentioned that the other family was livid because the opposite happened to them a few days before. They were at the front of the RD herd and the BOG breakfasts got to ride first. Now today, they werBOG, and they had to go to back of line behind hundreds of people. I won't complain to guest services because I realize how inconsistencies happen all the time. I have the worst luck so I thought it might happen. I just wanted to let others know that it isn't a guarantee.

 

[Kaimo]

Laugh all you want at people saying you only paid for breakfast, but I mean sorry, Disney doesn't advertise pre-park ADRs as a means to hit the rides before the crowds. Thus, they don't have to make sure that pre-park ADR people get to go first. You did pay for breakfast. You were allowed in BOG. You ate. That's all that was promised. Yes, a leg up on rides would have been nice, but that wasn't what you booked. You booked breakfast, which you got.

Breakfast should be expected, since that is what you paid for. A rides advantage is a common perk, but nowhere says it's guaranteed - because it isn't.

IMO there is nothing valid to complain about.

My thought exactly. The perk is having an adr at the park around opening thereby saving time commuting from somewhere else within WDW. When I make an adr I am thinking 'meal'. I think people have gotten so use to trying to figure out how to get around the system that when it doesn't work they try to find fault with the system. Try to work with the intent in which the process is intended. Otherwise we'll be discussing why they no longer have adr's available until after rope drops.

 

[GaryDis]

I have to ask the OP, how long was the wait once you got to the back of the RD line?

I've only ever done rope drop once, and that was at DL, to buy tickets for the Fantasmic Chocolate Buffet, back when it was being held at the Disney Gallery balcony. But IIRC, there was a CM with a sign on a stick who made it clear to the RD hoards going in the same general direction that no one who was in front of him would be allowed on the Indiana Jones ride until after all the people who calmly walked behind him. This was after IJ had been open several years, but it was still the leading RD attraction.

Where that gets me is that if Disney is trying to do crowd calming on the RD crowd, it makes things awkward for them when a well behaved group of RD people arrives at a prime ride and sees that there are already people there. I have no idea whether that's what happens at the MK, or if it's everyone for themselves once they drop the rope. But it does seem like a no-win situation for them. The RD people are just as likely to complain that they're already paying high prices, they got extra early to get to the park before the crowd, they were clever enough to avoid an early EMH day, and Disney still let people with more disposable income on the ride first. I'm not saying they're right, I'm just saying that's what they have to contend with.

I wonder if a better compromise would be to include an extra FP+ for all the BOG guests who book before opening (and actually show up to eat).