D23 GOTG Previews?

[karen4546]

My daughter unfortunately was not able to get tickets for her and her fiance but she upgraded to Gold D23 last week.

I was able to get tickets for a grandson and I under my account and another grandson and my husband under his account. I had 3 ipads, my phone, on PC on Firefox and one PC on Chrome.... on the ipads, I was on the countdown screen and then it popped into waiting room and the green bars went up in less than a minute on each. I was longed into each D23 account already. They both went to the purchase option almost at the same time (it said 7 minutes but less than a minute). I quickly bought two one ipad and then the other 2 on the other ipad. the computer screens, phone and other ipad still had me in the que but shortly went to the ticket purchase page but it said SOLD OUT.

I have been Gold 23 member since 2016 and my husband Gold since 2017. Of course now we have the one Gold and affiliate membership.

Like I said above, my daughter just became Gold last week.

 

[Dug720]

I managed to get one today - I've been Gold for a while and this is the first event I've been able to go to. It just happened to coincide with the cruise I'm going on with my parents for a belated celebration of my dad's birthday. Cruise leaves on Monday and I'm flying down first flight of the day on Sunday. I had two browsers on my computer open - Firefox started in the waiting room to get into the queue just after 10am eastern time, Chrome started in the waiting room at around 12:45 eastern time, iPhone app started right at 1 eastern. Chrome immediately had a 6 minute wait, phone 18 minute, Firefox over an hour. I snagged it on Chrome!!

I'm super excited!! Guardians are my favorite - I rode Mission: Breakout like 25 times during my DL/DCA trip in February.

 

[mistysue]

I just joined D23 (gold duo so we had a crack at 3 tix total) and of course didn't get tix. i wonder if there is a cold feet refund on D23. no use for it. not a great way to kick off my may 12-23 trip. now i am just waiting to see what happens with the crowd calendar for may. if it explodes like recent months in time for me to postpone disney indefinitely, i will. i am unexpectedly annoyed that the GoTG opening 3 days after my trip ends is affecting me so much. I am wondering if epcot will be more crowded in the weeks beforehand due to the preview events.

I would try not to overthink it- I had a moment of panic that this was going to mess with our EPCOT too as we'll be there at the same time. Just remember this is really going to pull the locals, and if they are keeping capacity capped (AP reservation availability suggests they are) this may actually help... I mean if 1,000 extra people show up that day, and ALL of them are there to go to this one thing, they are diverting some of the capacity so now they are out of your way. It might even keep some locals out of the other parks for us.

 

[cw517]

How does it work after checking in? I was able to get 2 tix, but my husband lost the lottery. We’re already there on vacation with another couple, friends of ours visiting WDW for the first time. Would I be able to check in and then give our friends both tickets to ride? DH and I will be back again, but they probably won’t (they’re from AZ and go to Disneyland).

 

[bloomcruisers]

I don't understand why only 500 tickets. They will process through the ride in less than an hour. Who else will be riding that day? If it is a preview, that suggests general parkgoers are not yet allowed on. Will the ride simply be down the rest of the day?

 

[brightlined]

How does it work after checking in? I was able to get 2 tix, but my husband lost the lottery. We’re already there on vacation with another couple, friends of ours visiting WDW for the first time. Would I be able to check in and then give our friends both tickets to ride? DH and I will be back again, but they probably won’t (they’re from AZ and go to Disneyland).

I'm guessing based on previous events - I suspect they'll check D23 ids at check-in and put wristbands on each person. I wouldn't consider it entirely likely that you'd be able to transfer your tickets, but if they're both D23 members, you could see what you could wrangle at check-in.

 

[brightlined]

I don't understand why only 500 tickets. They will process through the ride in less than an hour. Who else will be riding that day? If it is a preview, that suggests general parkgoers are not yet allowed on. Will the ride simply be down the rest of the day?

Because it's an event, and the space that they're holding for HarmonioUS likely only holds that many.

 

[Karin1984]

I don't understand why only 500 tickets. They will process through the ride in less than an hour. Who else will be riding that day? If it is a preview, that suggests general parkgoers are not yet allowed on. Will the ride simply be down the rest of the day?

Maybe they will let in regular guests, whoever passes by. I had that with the Storytime with Belle show in 2012 with new Fantasyland. I had passed by the gate a few times during my visit and at a certain point the door opened and yhey let people in. Pure luck to catch a soft opening.

 

[brightlined]

Maybe they will let in regular guests, whoever passes by. I had that with the Storytime with Belle show in 2012 with new Fantasyland. I had passed by the gate a few times during my visit and at a certain point the door opened and yhey let people in. Pure luck to catch a soft opening.

They haven't done a soft opening like that since then. Doing that for GOTG would be absolute chaos on whatever day they tried it. All of the AP/CM/DVC/D23 previews are what they do instead.

 

[cw517]

I'm guessing based on previous events - I suspect they'll check D23 ids at check-in and put wristbands on each person. I wouldn't consider it entirely likely that you'd be able to transfer your tickets, but if they're both D23 members, you could see what you could wrangle at check-in.

They aren’t D23. This will be my first D23 event. It made me enter a guest name during check out. Will they hold me to that, or do you think they’d let me bring anyone I want? I couldn’t decide in the moment! Now I have to choose my husband or my best friend.

 

[brightlined]

They aren’t D23. This will be my first D23 event. It made me enter a guest name during check out. Will they hold me to that, or do you think they’d let me bring anyone I want? I couldn’t decide in the moment! Now I have to choose my husband or my best friend.

I'm completely guessing, but I'd wager that as long as you're there at check-in, I doubt they would hold you to the specific person you wrote in.

I'm actually a little confused by the fine print on the event page. I thought that you had to be a D23 member to attend the event at all (and I know I'm not the only one who believed that), but I noticed that the fine print only says that you need to be a D23 member to buy tickets, and that the member who bought the tickets needs to bring their D23 ID and tickets to the event to get in. It could just be badly worded, but there's a least a loophole there.

If it were me, I'd probably check with husband and see how he feels about it - if he's cool with letting your best friend ride, maybe the three of you can go to check-in together and see what happens (ie, see if they'll let a non-D23 person into the event, and he can take the spot if they won't allow it).

 

[karen4546]

I'm completely guessing, but I'd wager that as long as you're there at check-in, I doubt they would hold you to the specific person you wrote in.

I'm actually a little confused by the fine print on the event page. I thought that you had to be a D23 member to attend the event at all (and I know I'm not the only one who believed that), but I noticed that the fine print only says that you need to be a D23 member to buy tickets, and that the member who bought the tickets needs to bring their D23 ID and tickets to the event to get in. It could just be badly worded, but there's a least a loophole there.

If it were me, I'd probably check with husband and see how he feels about it - if he's cool with letting your best friend ride, maybe the three of you can go to check-in together and see what happens (ie, see if they'll let a non-D23 person into the event, and he can take the spot if they won't allow it).

The park is open until 9pm on the 15th of May. Anyone with a park reservation for that day can stay. Those who purchased the preview have a reservation included in their ticket.

I got 4 tickets to the event. ( 2 from my D23 and 2 from DH’s affiliated membership). We already had our par reservation for Epcot.

The extra tickets were for our grandsons. One will not meet the height requirement to ride. So, if grandsons names are not on the event credentials/lanyard, then I will let my daughter ride GotGCR on their ticket. I paid for 4 people and hopefully 4 people will get to ride.

I read the terms and conditions, so we will see on the 15th.

If she can’t ride, we are DVC and APH so hopefully she will get one of the early opportunities.

 

[BarbossasWench]

I just spoke with a supervisor named Brant who didn't even answer that it was a lottery - I gave him several opportunities. He kept evading my questions and had the empathy of an ice cube. Even the D23 supervisors don't care about providing good customer service. If the guy seemed to care, I'd understand - but no care and no empathy, gees Disney - you used to act like you cared.

 

[Dug720]

I just spoke with a supervisor named Brant who didn't even answer that it was a lottery - I gave him several opportunities. He kept evading my questions and had the empathy of an ice cube. Even the D23 supervisors don't care about providing good customer service. If the guy seemed to care, I'd understand - but no care and no empathy, gees Disney - you used to act like you cared.

If you clicked on "What does this mean?" when you got into the waiting room area, it was clear that you would be randomly assigned a place in line as would everyone else in the waiting queue when the sales started. With over 100,000 D23 members you had to know that there was no way they were letting 100,000 people into the event.

I'm sorry that those who did not get in did not get in, but you knew going in this was not an unlimited event. I'm not quite sure what you wanted them to do about it.

 

[Alan1972]

I'm not quite sure what you wanted them to do about it.

to be told I am so sorry sir, your complaint moved my heart so I have given you a special spot for our most special member, I am sure.

 

[BarbossasWench]

Customer Service should have said something like 'Sorry, I understand your concern and I will tell management that there are members that are not happy' or' I understand that Disney pixie dust was not brought to you today, please don't give up on us. You'll find that D23 does deliver special opportunities and that magic you are looking for'- something like that instead of a lack of concern and a cold disregard for helping bring what was known as good customer service which was a part of the Disney touch in the past and isn't any more.

I kept asking what would help if faced with a similar situation in the future - he could have said - use multiple devices if you have them, have several people try at the same time, use different browsers as some might work better, try using your phone and your computer too, etc. - tips I just learned from reading this. Like I said I kept asking if I should have tried to sign in earlier and wait for the count down and he didn't once say that it was a lottery.

 

[Dug720]

Sorry, but when something is a limited event - extremely limited as this one is - people are going to be disappointed. People have not been able to get tickets to LOTS of things. Not just D23 events.

And as for them not saying it was a random "lottery" for where you were put in the queue, they don't have to. The website itself said it. That you would be randomly placed in a queue along with everyone else.

ETA: Yes, I was lucky enough to get a ticket, but had I not been, I would not have been calling and complaining. It was clear that the queue would be random. And it's not like I paid any money to enter. I'd never have joined D23 just for this.

 

[brightlined]

Customer Service should have said something like 'Sorry, I understand your concern and I will tell management that there are members that are not happy' or' I understand that Disney pixie dust was not brought to you today, please don't give up on us. You'll find that D23 does deliver special opportunities and that magic you are looking for'- something like that instead of a lack of concern and a cold disregard for helping bring what was known as good customer service which was a part of the Disney touch in the past and isn't any more.

I kept asking what would help if faced with a similar situation in the future - he could have said - use multiple devices if you have them, have several people try at the same time, use different browsers as some might work better, try using your phone and your computer too, etc. - tips I just learned from reading this. Like I said I kept asking if I should have tried to sign in earlier and wait for the count down and he didn't once say that it was a lottery.

It's possible that he didn't know how the Queue-It system worked. If he's Customer Service, he may not have had any involvement in this.

But it's clear from the first page that it's a lottery. The DVC one has the same description. It's also in Queue-It's business pitch: "Prevent early visitors from overwhelming your site and neutralize any advantage to arriving early. Capture early visitors on a countdown page and randomize them just like a raffle once the sale or registration starts. Later visitors are added to the end of the line in a first-in-first-out order."

Since it's a lottery - I'm not sure there's anything he can say. That's unquestionably the most fair method they could use. (Imagine, for example, if they'd given D23 Charter Members early access to registration.)

Even then, he can't really give you "tips" - those are workarounds that would arguably qualify as "cheats". We figured them out - that doesn't mean that D23 condones them.

The truth is - he didn't need to tell you them because you now know them. You're ready for the next time. Nearly every one of us has had to learn something like this by missing out on something we wanted. That pretty much describes the Disney life - figuring out the tricks to get what you want. (It's no different than people finding out that ADRs go live at 6am and Enchanting Extras go live at midnight, neither of which is common knowledge or spelled out by Disney.) But, even knowing the tricks, we still don't always get the score.

 

[BarbossasWench]

It's possible that he didn't know how the Queue-It system worked. If he's Customer Service, he may not have had any involvement in this.

But it's clear from the first page that it's a lottery. The DVC one has the same description. It's also in Queue-It's business pitch: "Prevent early visitors from overwhelming your site and neutralize any advantage to arriving early. Capture early visitors on a countdown page and randomize them just like a raffle once the sale or registration starts. Later visitors are added to the end of the line in a first-in-first-out order."

Since it's a lottery - I'm not sure there's anything he can say. That's unquestionably the most fair method they could use. (Imagine, for example, if they'd given D23 Charter Members early access to registration.)

Even then, he can't really give you "tips" - those are workarounds that would arguably qualify as "cheats". We figured them out - that doesn't mean that D23 condones them.

The truth is - he didn't need to tell you them because you now know them. You're ready for the next time. Nearly every one of us has had to learn something like this by missing out on something we wanted. That pretty much describes the Disney life - figuring out the tricks to get what you want. (It's no different than people finding out that ADRs go live at 6am and Enchanting Extras go live at midnight, neither of which is common knowledge or spelled out by Disney.) But, even knowing the tricks, we still don't always get the score.

Thank you for being kind (unlike the others).

 

[goaljira]

Will any resort transportation still be running when this finishes?