If you want to ride RSR . . .

[mrswh]

We are on trip #2 since CL opened. Both busy holiday weekends. Here is what I have learned about RSR. If you want to ride, get to the parks right at opening and get a fastpass. Do NOT get greedy and try to ride just once and still get in line for the FP. Do NOT show up an hour early to be the first person at the gates, assuming that you will be among the first on the ride. When you enter DCA (which might as well be at regular opening time rather than an hour early, so go ahead and get that extra hour of beauty sleep), go *immediately* to the RSR FP line. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. When you get your FP, kiss it and put it away somewhere safe. Then, when you see the ride is running, USE your fastpass!! Do not ever assume you are going to go back later and use it when it's cooler, or when it's lit up at night, or after your lunch break, or whatever. Go on it when it's operating, because you never know when it might go down. I am sure some people have read the posts here and think it's an exaggeration, but RSR is crazy temperamental. I would never, ever set foot in a standby line for RSR that is more than 20 minutes long. It goes down several times a day and your 90 minute wait could turn into a three hour wait.

It's a *great* ride, not to be missed. But don't ruin your day over it when you can just get a fastpass!!

 

[DharmaLou]

I'd add, go there immediately at rope drop and do single rider. I was 30th in line and was on within 5 minutes - this was on Thanksgiving Day. DH went later in the day and had a single rider wait of over an hour.

 

[kevdo]

Do NOT show up an hour early to be the first person at the gates, assuming that you will be among the first on the ride.

Getting there an hour ahead lets you be one of the first to get that FastPass, though, allow you to move on to other attractions while others are still in the FP line.

 

[mrswh]

Getting there an hour ahead lets you be one of the first to get that FastPass, though, allow you to move on to other attractions while others are still in the FP line.

True, but you've now waited 60 minutes for your fastpass instead of 30, and you had to wake up an hour earlier. The lines for most of the other popular attractions at DCA stay reasonably short for a good hour or two, so I don't think the extra 30 minutes puts you too far behind.

My original point, though, was not to get up at the crack of dawn to be the first on RSR, because even if you are first in line at rope drop, you are far from guaranteed to ride RSR without a wait. And now you're going to end up at the back of the fastpass line (that is, if you are lucky and the ride is down at opening, rather than breaking down 10 minutes after opening when you are next in line )

 

[joeyandangiesmom]

Does DL not enforce FP return times as WDW does???

 

[SeaDis]

Yikes. This is solid advice, thank you.

I am starting to get very concerned about them taking the ride in Jan/feb to work on the bug list and be ready for spring/summer. Just my own fear, NOT a rumor or anything. Hopefully they can fix some things overnight as the hours shorten up after new years.

 

[Zbugz]

I would add that this is a good strategy for non-early entry days. If you are staying onsite and can do early entry, it is not necessary to get in the fastpass line until 15 - 10 minutes before official opening.

We were able to ride it three times in one day by being early. We rode it 5 minutes after the early opening, got a fastpass by jumping into the FP line at 10 minutes to official opening, then hopped back in the FP line at 10:40 because there were still some FPs available, and we were eligible to get another.

Amen to taking advantage of RSR when it is open. In this case procrastination does not pay off.

 

[Zbugz]

Does DL not enforce FP return times as WDW does???

On RSR they do. Other rides they do not enforce the end time... yet.

 

[sonnyjane]

Does DL not enforce FP return times as WDW does???

Not yet. Don't know when/if they will. There are a million other threads on the subject right now which you can search for so that we don't crowd this post up with replies about it

 

[JenniSurf]

YES! Get the FP! I was there at the end of Aug, DBF and I got in the FP line as soon as we entered the park around 730am and were almost at the end of Carthay Circle. Distribution started at 8am exactly and we got a return time of 9:35am - 10:35am, so we rode Mater and Luigi's. Anytime we wanted to ride RSR after that we just went in the SR line, it was just the 2 of us, so as long as we rode it together once it wasn't a big deal to be separated for 5 mins. More times than not we were in the same car, one in the front row and one in the back...me...always in the back! All 5 times! I swear, I will never get to ride up front I still love it though!

I don't know if they are still enforcing it, but the lady behind us wanted to get FPs for her husband and son, who weren't currently in the park but had activated tickets, and a CM told her everyone had to be present in order to receive the FP. Hopefully, that's not the case anymore.

 

[joeyandangiesmom]

Not yet. Don't know when/if they will. There are a million other threads on the subject right now which you can search for so that we don't crowd this post up with replies about it

Sorry...we are WDW vets and DL newies and here right now so doing a crash course. WE know DL is different but I thought I had read that DL was going to enforce also....will go back and hide....................

 

[mrswh]

On RSR they do. Other rides they do not enforce the end time... yet.

They do not enforce return times on RSR or any other ride at DLR, unless you show up too early. Then they will send you away.

 

[mrswh]

I don't know if they are still enforcing it, but the lady behind us wanted to get FPs for her husband and son, who weren't currently in the park but had activated tickets, and a CM told her everyone had to be present in order to receive the FP. Hopefully, that's not the case anymore.

The policy is that you need to be in the park (either park, last I checked), but not in the line. In fact, in some FP lines (WOC comes to mind) they ask that only one person per party get in line.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Sorry...we are WDW vets and DL newies and here right now so doing a crash course. WE know DL is different but I thought I had read that DL was going to enforce also....will go back and hide....................

No need to hide. There has been a lot of rumors about FP times being enforced at DLR, but nothing official from Disney and at this time, it is nothing more than rumor.

Sonnyjane was just trying to let you know that if you ran a search, you would find LOTS of threads answering the same question because it has been asked a LOT lately.

Please feel welcome here. Again, no need to hide.

- Dreams

 

[sonnyjane]

Sonnyjane was just trying to let you know that if you ran a search, you would find LOTS of threads answering the same question because it has been asked a LOT lately.

- Dreams

Thanks for clarifying for me, Dreams.

Yes, I didn't want to discourage posting! I just didn't want to clog the OP's thread about RSR with stuff about FP return times since there have been tons of posts about it lately and I didn't want to veer off course

 

[Rhonna]

We had EMH at DCA two of our days and were able to do standby and then single rider first thing and THEN get a FP for later. One day RSR was a 1/2 hour late in opening but we still got on it (we were near the front of the line at the gate and at rope drop) and were able to get our FP for later. (We also fit in Mater's and Luigi during EMH.)

We managed to ride RSR 5 times in the two days we had EMH at DCA by using EMH standby, FP and single rider and we didn't feel like we were trying that hard or always over in CL hovering for it to open.

However, we were also there in a relatively slower time, the beginning of Nov. - not on holiday weekends like OP was.

It seems like some either have a good experience with RSR or a really bad experience with it "always" breaking down during their entire trip.

Personally I wouldn't tell people NOT to be there early. It can make a big difference unless something dramatically interferes.

 

[Torgue]

We just returned and rode RSR on Monday,Wednesday, and yesterday. Monday we arrived a bag check at 6:30am but they did not even start letting everyone go to the gates until 6:55am and so it was 7:05am before the gates opened. We missed rope drop but still only waited in line for 20min. We then rode single rider with no wait. On Wednesday we had our best day. We arrived at back check at 6:20am and ran to the gates. We were in the front and got our tickets scanned before opening. We uses the wide right technique and were the second family in line. After getting on at 7:15am we went through single rider with no wait. I got in the FP line at 7:45am and by 8:30am had FP's! We did return about 7:00pm to ride at night and they were not checking times! Friday we arrived about 6:45am and did not make rope drop and waited 30 min and then about 15 in single rider. So 7 times on RSR during the week of Thanksgiving! Not bad!

 

[Disney Dreams]

We just returned and rode RSR on Monday,Wednesday, and yesterday. Monday we arrived a bag check at 6:30am but they did not even start letting everyone go to the gates until 6:55am and so it was 7:05am before the gates opened. We missed rope drop but still only waited in line for 20min. We then rode single rider with no wait. On Wednesday we had our best day. We arrived at back check at 6:20am and ran to the gates. We were in the front and got our tickets scanned before opening. We uses the wide right technique and were the second family in line. After getting on at 7:15am we went through single rider with no wait. I got in the FP line at 7:45am and by 8:30am had FP's! We did return about 7:00pm to ride at night and they were not checking times! Friday we arrived about 6:45am and did not make rope drop and waited 30 min and then about 15 in single rider. So 7 times on RSR during the week of Thanksgiving! Not bad!

Thank you for outlining the timing you experienced. Here's my thought on the entire "rope drop=no wait" concept, for whatever it's worth.

Using the above situation as an example, each time that is described above, Torgue waited approximately an hour. Whether at the gate, bag check, or FP line, it still totaled an hour wait.

Just my view of the world,
Dreams

 

[coaches24]

I don't see the harm in trying to do standby ( with my family who all want to ride) and then going for FP. If we get to the ride que and the ride is down I can just go to FP then. FP may run out quickly but it doesn't sound like they run out fast enough for me to miss out on them because I tried to ride once first. I may have to wait longer in FP line but DW and DD can go on other rides while I get the FPs so not a big deal to me. I think it's worth it trying to ride first thing and then get FPs for later. If that jeopardized my ability to get a FP I would change my strategy but it doesn't sound like that would be an issue unless I waited too long to go to the FP line.

 

[Torgue]

My DW commented on all 3 mornings that they never started before 7:15am and she thinks it's on purpose. I am sure others have mentioned this too but RSR feels so different at night. Very cool!