BOG breakfast for Mine train warning! Early ride not guaranteed

[aretha30]

They're testing letting people through the gates early and holding them in the Oasis until official opening.

Thanks! That doesn't sound to bad, I think we can handle that. It may be a different story when we get there but we shall see. We usually don't get there (AK anyway) until about 15 minutes before they open anyway so for us it won't make that much of a difference, at least I don't think it will.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think they should just stop pre-park-opening ADRs then.

 

[cakebaker]

Well I'm with the group that says that if it's park opening time, then you should not be restricted in your movement in the park by a CM. Granted many want to head to SDMT but not everyone. So why is it OK for someone at RD at front of park able to head directly to SM but someone at BOG isn't allowed to head directly to HM (or anywhere)? OP had to exit the "holding area" to head in a different direction--the CM was holding everyone after park opening.

Everyone's movements are restricted by CM's at park opening until you reach a certain point in the park. When we enter at rope drop, we are not free to go anywhere we want at first. It's to control a crowd that would be insane if not limited in their movements.

 

[mom2rtk]

Ah, that makes sense. I can see people abusing that and getting time in an empty park. So they let you kind of wander over to BOG and then you can hang out and enjoy the empty park.

I agree it's an abuse of the system to schedule an ADR and not eat there.

But do keep in mind the park might be "empty", but there are no attractions open yet.

And while you might be ok with them doing something about it, are you ok with them holding back the people who paid for an expensive breakfast until AFTER the rope drop crowd lines up ahead of them? That's the issue here. Keep in mind it's not just the "abusers" being held back, but the paying guests who played by the rules as well.

 

[cakebaker]

Ah, that makes sense. I can see people abusing that and getting time in an empty park. So they let you kind of wander over to BOG and then you can hang out and enjoy the empty park.

Only in a specific route, but yes. We walked very slowly- stopped and had photographs taken a couple of times, took some ourselves as well. Even without the first ride, it was well worth the experience.

For the record, on the face of it, it seems pointless to hold BOG guests back until the rope drop crowd enters, but I wasn't there so I'm confused as to how that actually happened. It's not as though there is one mass of people from rope drop that you wait for, then get put at the back of the line. It will be interesting to hear more reports and see if this was a mistake on the part of the CM or if it's actually policy at this point.

 

[jcarwash]

Thanks! That doesn't sound to bad, I think we can handle that. It may be a different story when we get there but we shall see. We usually don't get there (AK anyway) until about 15 minutes before they open anyway so for us it won't make that much of a difference, at least I don't think it will.

FYI -- last week we were allowed to enter the Oasis at around 8:30am and then the group held at Discovery Island was released into the park at around 8:45. That fifteen minutes of being held on the bridge to Discovery Island, when it was already a hot sunny morning, could have been better if they let guests filter into the park instead.

 

[aretha30]

FYI -- last week we were allowed to enter the Oasis at around 8:30am and then the group held at Discovery Island was released into the park at around 8:45. That fifteen minutes of being held on the bridge to Discovery Island, when it was already a hot sunny morning, could have been better if they let guests filter into the park instead.

Thanks! Maybe we just won't get there until 9. That 15 minutes won't make a huge difference anyway and the less time in the blazing August FL sun the better This is why I love the DIS!

 

[wdwobsessed]

It creates two giant masses of people heading to either Kilimanjaro Safaris or Expedition Everest instead of staggering them out as they pass through the turnstiles. Some people may not see it as an issue, but it's how things used to be at AK and they stopped doing it for a reason.

See http://www.easywdw.com/uncategorize...-flame-tree-reopens-with-jamaican-jerk-63015/ for a detailed report on it.

Thanks. I haven't been since 2011 so I "think" that was how it was done when I was last there.

 

[anniemae]

What I don't understand is why Disney is cracking down on some things, but not others. Guests kind of find ways to wiggle around the system to get a perk, yet some things are allowed and others are not.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

We have an 8am BOG breakfast on a day the MK opens at 9am. If we can ride SDMT early I would love it. But, if we can't I have FP+ for later in the day. We'll just head to PP instead!

 

[M2J3]

As many people have commented many times on this thread, the OP (& those who sympathize with her) is not complaining about not getting "extra", pre-opening rides on SDMT. She is upset that the BOG patrons were made to wait until after RD crowds got all the way to the back of the park and into ride lines before the CM let the BOG patrons go. That is the point; not that pre-opening ADR holders "expect" pixie dust, do or do not "pay for" early ride access, or any of these other rather bitter accusations being hurled about.

To wit: if front-gate guests are allowed into the park to head (calmly) to the attractions of their choice at 8:45am (or 8:50 or 9, or whenever the gates open that day), then restaurant guests should be allowed to do the exact same thing at the exact same time, the only difference being they are starting off from CP or CRT or BOG instead of the front gate.

I don't see how that's unfair, or a difficult plan to understand and implement. Does it give restaurant patrons a minute or 2 advantage? Well, depends on where they're headed, of course, but generally, sure. Of course, so does the fact that "I" got stuck behind a group of 12 walking abreast down Main Street while "you" didn't; or your kid suddenly needed to go potty just as you were about to be the first in line for A&E while my kid has a superhuman bladder; etc., etc. It's called "Life", & it happens.

 

[cakebaker]

What I don't understand is why Disney is cracking down on some things, but not others. Guests kind of find ways to wiggle around the system to get a perk, yet some things are allowed and others are not.

Honestly, I don't think abuse is why this was done. Until I read more reports that this is happening, I'm assuming it was a rogue CM, who for whatever reason- decided this was the way it should be done.

This particular abuse, while annoying to guests who want adr's and can't get them- doesn't seem to be a massive issue. We aren't privy to that kind of information, but I'd be really surprised to find that was the reason this happened.

I'd love to know what the experience for those headed to A&E was that day. As I understand it, they've usually been held until the crowd is actually there and then blended in. I wonder if it was any different for them.

 

[Ladyfish77]

To wit: if front-gate guests are allowed into the park to head (calmly) to the attractions of their choice at 8:45am (or 8:50 or 9, or whenever the gates open that day), then restaurant guests should be allowed to do the exact same thing at the exact same time, the only difference being they are starting off from CP or CRT or BOG instead of the front gate.

This was my point in my previous comment. I think it should be equal.

 

[anniemae]

Honestly, I don't think abuse is why this was done. Until I read more reports that this is happening, I'm assuming it was a rogue CM, who for whatever reason- decided this was the way it should be done.

This particular abuse, while annoying to guests who want adr's and can't get them- doesn't seem to be a massive issue. We aren't privy to that kind of information, but I'd be really surprised to find that was the reason this happened.

I'd love to know what the experience for those headed to A&E was that day. As I understand it, they've usually been held until the crowd is actually there and then blended in. I wonder if it was any different for them.

Well, the abuse would be more the people who book the ADR then don't use it. They do it for the perk of getting into the empty park. They take their licks and pay the no-show fee but never use the breakfast in exchange for a perk, fully aware of what they are doing. Kind of like another thing people pay for and don't use to get a perk.

I am thinking in this case it was a rogue cm, but there is another person on the first page who said this same thing happened to her friend.

 

[cakebaker]

Well, the abuse would be more the people who book the ADR then don't use it. They do it for the perk of getting into the empty park. They take their licks and pay the no-show fee but never use the breakfast in exchange for a perk, fully aware of what they are doing. Kind of like another thing people pay for and don't use to get a perk.

I am thinking in this case it was a rogue cm, but there is another person on the first page who said this same thing happened to her friend.

Exactly the same type of abuse anniemae.

I read that, but it was confusing because she spoke about everyone entering the park in a mass of people and that doesn't happen with pre-opening adr's unless it's a case of your adr being at the same time or just minutes before park opening. So I'm not sure if that experience was quite the same.

 

[LaurenT]

well, it's 9:40 am now - i guess sometime in the near future we'll hear from someone who had preopen BOG this morning! I have a couple for my upcoming trip. I'll be fine with waiting until the rope drops to head from BOG to 7DMT, but I won't be fine with waiting until everyone from the front of the park has gotten in line before I'm allowed to.
I prefer a relaxing, airconditioned morning having a nice breakfast and then strolling out to get on a ride, and I'm willing to pay for that, but not if they're going to intentionally put me at a disadvantage to everyone else....

 

[anniemae]

well, it's 9:40 am now - i guess sometime in the near future we'll hear from someone who had preopen BOG this morning! I have a couple for my upcoming trip. I'll be fine with waiting until the rope drops to head from BOG to 7DMT, but I won't be fine with waiting until everyone from the from of the park has gotten in line before I'm allowed to.
I prefer a relaxing, airconditioned morning having a nice breakfast and then strolling out to get on a ride, and I'm willing to pay for that, but not if they're going to intentionally put me at a disadvantage to everyone else....

The more I think about it, the more I think it was a rogue cm. I don't think holding folks from BOG back until the rd crowd passes will be the norm.

 

[GaryDis]

Then why not be upfront with guests and list that?

If indeed it's a test (which I doubt), then notifying people upfront could distort the results. For example, they may be interested in how many people actually complain (one way to measure customer satisfaction), but if people knew in advance, the complainers would simply not do this.

What I don't understand is why Disney is cracking down on some things, but not others. Guests kind of find ways to wiggle around the system to get a perk, yet some things are allowed and others are not.

They can't fix everything all at once. Something has to go first.

Plus, not every abuse has a simple solution. Even things that seem like serious abuses or that we think have a simple fix may, in reality, be much harder to solve.

 

[leebee]

What is the policy for those doing pre-park ADRs at CP or Cinderella's? Are they allowed to roam freely through the park before rope drop, riding whatever is up and running? I know they used to have a rope across the area right outside the castle exit towards Fantasyland, and that's as far as you could go until rope drop. Yes, you paid a lot to have a few minutes jump on the RD crowd, but you weren't allowed into FL to ride Dumbo before the official park opening. Is there some area near BOG that can be blocked off, as a waiting area for those pre-RD ADR guests who finish breakfast early? They could wait there until park opening, just like the guests from CP or the Castle, getting a head-start on rope droppers but not riding pre-park opening, not waiting until all rope droppers are in line.

If too many people push the issue and skip their BOG ADR, simply to get into the park early/ride before rope drop, BOG will start being a set price, pre-paid reservation, like at the Castle.

 

[Sybernova]

If indeed it's a test (which I doubt), then notifying people upfront could distort the results. For example, they may be interested in how many people actually complain (one way to measure customer satisfaction), but if people knew in advance, the complainers would simply not do this.

But how on earth could they factor in guest that don't complain but still didn't like it? Or at least ones that complained to the CM and not formally? Does the CM report "I got yelled at four times and three different parents approached me" to a superior? Unless the results of a 'test' yield results or can be measured, then there is no reason to test anything. In fact, without someone there to actually record the results, I doubt it was a test at all. Just a CM on a power trip.