Rise of the Resistance BOARDING GROUPS Superthread Part 1 *No Ride Spoilers Please* *PLEASE READ POSTS 1-4*

[emchen]

Sat 2/1 experience.
Family of five...3xDDs (11,13,14).
6 phones total (iPhones two 7s, one 8, two XRs, Huawei Mate20 Pro)
T-mobile family plan. All reported 4bars at time of attempt.
Extra iphone 8 was on Disney Wifi.

-Left parents’ home around 6:30am.
-Parked at Toy Story (TS) Parking in the Woody section by 7:00 am.
-Through Harbor security line by 7:20am (no security check at TS Parking Lot that morning).
-Thru turnstiles by 7:40am (chose a center line adjacent to a tree planter for optimal 2.5:1 turnstiles:line ratio).
-Pre-planned dispersing of phones: DW w/ DD11 to train station platform. DD13 w/ DD14 to first Main St hub. Me to DCA Buena Vista St, Carthay Circle bench by 7:50am.
-Scored BG17 by DD14 on her Huawei phone with 4 bar T-mobile signal.
-All others except DW had red button and got to the “already in boarding group” message.
-This “race for a BG” experience was quite exciting and memorable, especially for my family who were on Main St. witnessing the novel scene of the hush descending followed by bursts of cheer. They reported witnessing a couple instances of young kids crying tears of disappointment, which made them appreciate their good luck even more.

All in all a remarkably fun experience even with all the stress. If the tension seems too much for you, I can report that it was definitely a lot more relaxed trying for a BG inside DCA. A caveat, my AP was rejected at DCA at first, but CM let me in when I explained that I had checked into DL not more than 5 min ago and that I was trying for the ROTR BGs. She said, “oh you’re doing that thing” and let me thru.

May the force be with you, always!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I am so grateful to you all!! I was able to snag boarding group 6! Sitting in front of train station.

Hooray!

BOARDING GROUP 1!!!!!
YES!!!

Victory!!! So glad for you and your boys!

Group 22 for us today! Yay!!

Yippee! Did your new group member like the ride?

I should've bookmarked so sorry for the ask again. Top 3-5 spots for great cell reception, full bars and ping to get a BG?

I'm hearing Train Station (steps?), IASW, Mad Hatters and Submarines...others within DL?

There aren't any "guaranteed, sure fire" spots because the crowds around you can interfere with everything. You will need to walk around a bit to find good reception on your own, away from any crowds -- that's what's important.

Sorry if this has been covered.
Can I enter DCA during EMH and try to get a boarding pass while inside DCA when DL opens, or do I have to head over to DL to try my luck?

Other posters have already answered you, but I would encourage you to read the first few posts on page one (as the title of this thread says) -- that's where the most important information is put (right up front!). Those first few posts are updated regularly, so the info is accurate.

Should I spill the beans that group 6 was on Disneyland wifi was infinitely faster ping speed than cellular.
Also, did not close apps or change phone settings. Just an iPhone XS that hasn’t been rebooted in probably 6 months with every app open in the background lol old habits die hard.

Thank you! Non-techie me finds this very encouraging!

I also got group 1!!...

Congratulations!

What do you think are the chances to get a boarding group on Feb 18 (Tuesday) if I can't show up there until about 3pm? None point none?

Please read the first few posts on page one -- your question is answered there -- and there is so much helpful information in those posts.

People! Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinions, and the Dis is wonderful, but can you please, please move this discussion to the other thread, as previously requested? One thing that isn’t fair (or fun) is for those looking for tips on this thread to have to scroll through 3 pages of discussion on whether or not BG’s are fair....again!...

Amen and amen. Those posts have been moved to: https://www.disboards.com/threads/boarding-group-issues-resolution-thoughts.3787676/. Anyone wanting to continue the argument can go to that thread. Please don't continue the argument in this thread. Thank you.

... Clearly Mr. Fix-It Tech was back on duty today. They need to give that guy a raise!...

I have a feeling that Mr./Ms./Team Fix-It has quite a fan club here. I want to arrange a M&G so we can get photos and t-shirts signed.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

To Everyone Participating in This Thread:
Please take the discussion on fairness to the other thread: Boarding group issues resolution thoughts.
This is not the right thread for this discussion, and people looking for help with BGs don't need to get bogged down in an argument about what is and isn't someone's idea of "fair."
Thank you.
Now, back to the topic at hand and our awesome superthread!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

For Newcomers to this Superthread:
Welcome! Please take a minute to read the first few posts on page one (as the title of this thread suggests). There is a lot of very helpful information there -- updated frequently -- which may answer your questions. If you cannot find the answer to your question on page one, post here.

 

[montreid]

Sat 2/1 experience.
Family of five...3xDDs (11,13,14).
6 phones total (iPhones two 7s, one 8, two XRs, Huawei Mate20 Pro)
T-mobile family plan. All reported 4bars at time of attempt.
Extra iphone 8 was on Disney Wifi.

-Left parents’ home around 6:30am.
-Parked at Toy Story (TS) Parking in the Woody section by 7:00 am.
-Through Harbor security line by 7:20am (no security check at TS Parking Lot that morning).
-Thru turnstiles by 7:40am (chose a center line adjacent to a tree planter for optimal 2.5:1 turnstiles:line ratio).
-Pre-planned dispersing of phones: DW w/ DD11 to train station platform. DD13 w/ DD14 to first Main St hub. Me to DCA Buena Vista St, Carthay Circle bench by 7:50am.
-Scored BG17 by DD14 on her Huawei phone with 4 bar T-mobile signal.
-All others except DW had red button and got to the “already in boarding group” message.
-This “race for a BG” experience was quite exciting and memorable, especially for my family who were on Main St. witnessing the novel scene of the hush descending followed by bursts of cheer. They reported witnessing a couple instances of young kids crying tears of disappointment, which made them appreciate their good luck even more.

All in all a remarkably fun experience even with all the stress. If the tension seems too much for you, I can report that it was definitely a lot more relaxed trying for a BG inside DCA. A caveat, my AP was rejected at DCA at first, but CM let me in when I explained that I had checked into DL not more than 5 min ago and that I was trying for the ROTR BGs. She said, “oh you’re doing that thing” and let me thru.

May the force be with you, always!
View attachment 470918

Welcome to the Resistance!

 

[Erin M]

[QUOTE="theluckyrabbit, post: 61519368, member: 437135


Yippee! Did your new group member like the ride?

[/QUOTE]

She did! She’s going to try again today! She actually secured the BG yesterday so she felt like she won the lottery.

ETA: sorry for the formatting on that! My phone is being a jerk this morning. I think it’s tired of pulling fast passes.

 

[natebenma]

We’re here at turnstiles.

 

[ironband74]

I have a feeling that Mr./Ms./Team Fix-It has quite a fan club here. I want to arrange a M&G so we can get photos and t-shirts signed.

Rare exclusive pic of the main tech fixing the attraction yesterday:

Apparently sometimes out and about in the land, but unable to sign t-shirts.

 

[ironband74]

We’re here at turnstiles.

Keep us posted! May the Force be With You!

 

[Aurora0427]

Well group 22 went off without a hitch. Only two in our group will try for BGs tomorrow. I will not. I loved the ride, thought it was incredible but I honestly can’t handle how the process kind of controls my day. The return time made our park hopping a little wonky and we got way less done today than we normally do. We were definitely out of our normal rhythm.

I feel very fortunate to have ridden it twice. Maybe if three of us refrain tomorrow someone else will get lucky.

This was our experience as well..... it threw off our entire day even though we were done with the ride by 9:40. I think all of the stress made everyone in our group just feel off and I found us kind of wandering trying to figure out what to do even though we’ve done Disneyland at least ten times since June!

 

[NorthernCalMom]

Rare exclusive pic of the main tech fixing the attraction yesterday:

Apparently sometimes out and about in the land, but unable to sign t-shirts.

So does that mean that on Sundays all the droids get drunk on motor oil and dance like no one is watching, while the substandard 2nd tier human techs try their best to keep things running...?

 

[pokee99]

Nothing bothers me more than poor crowd control and order in lineups. I don't mind waiting in long lines, but my blood boils when I see line cutters and people from the back running to be first when a line opens!

I keep seeing more and more reports of these unruly crowds in the am at DLR since the opening of ROTR and I think it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

Is there anything we can do as a group to put the spotlight on it? Or does DLR know they have a problem, but just chooses to let it slide? Perhaps they just don't have the staffing to help get it under control? Maybe they can't do much because of the physical space limitation at the gates? Or they like the crowds because it creates a frenzy! More visitors = more money?!

I can understand that they may have reasons why they can't always open up early enough to keep lines at a minimum, but good lord they need some crowd control if they can't!

 

[natebenma]

Let us in at 7:33. We are resort guests. At Main Street rope

 

[ironband74]

Let us in at 7:33. We are resort guests. At Main Street rope

Is that new for a Magic Morning? I thought that they usually let the MM people in starting at park opening minus 1 hour...Possibly a measure to try and alleviate congestion in the esplanade?

If it is...I think it is a good move.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

See, and I think that is part of the design of the thing. For people who are used to a certain ebb and flow, this changes things enough to be too much of a hassle to do more than a few times. It becomes self-limiting, in a way. Sure, there will be die hards who want to do it every time. But for each of them I think there are a few folks like Erin who will be "over it" after 2 or 3 times.

This was us, too. We decided not to go for it on Sunday a couple weekends ago after success on Saturday. (2of us had also ridden at WDW a few weeks before). The stress of early morning and waiting around most of the day weren’t worth it to us. But we are relatively frequent travelers to both parks so there wasn’t a sense of urgency. I also wasnt as wowed by the ride the second time around so that had something to do with it.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I don’t think it’s as big of an issue as you’re suggesting.

Disney has been very wise in that their BG system doesn’t prioritize who’s in the park first, because you’re correct that many people don’t get into the park remotely in proportion to the time they arrived (more on that in a minute). Other than Sunday, Jan. 26, though, when the backup didn’t clear by park open, it hasn’t mattered. The fact that they’ve suspended photos at morning park entrance is HUGE and I credit them for that.

The planter placement makes it impossible for the lines to be truly orderly. On Sunday, my husband, daughter, and I got into three different lines to see how they behaved. The line I was in, near the right facing DL, won by a MILE. First, they opened the park gates off to the side (by the strollers), so tons of people fled over there. Then, the line I was in turned out to feed into a space between planters and actually was hitting FIVE turnstiles. Super lucky!

Then you’ve got families joining their group after fetching Starbucks, people meeting up after getting separated at security... it’s just a lot of movement, even with no one intentionally “cutting” or anything.

So I got into the park while they were still behind the monorail track... but it didn’t actually matter because we were all in by 7:40, plenty of time to get a BG. THIS is the key point. I was very concerned about the inequitable entrance procedures at DL prior to ROTR opening, but it just hasn’t been a problem. Thank goodness!

 

[Peachy0118]

I know people have said that they are understanding of reservations for Oga's and droid building and so on if you stop by and tell them you have a BG if there is a scheduling conflict... but what do you do about other reservations? I'm thinking Blue Bayou for example.
We are planning on booking WOC dessert party too, but since that is a specific time not much to do about that.
Anyone have any experience with other scheduling conflicts?

 

[Pickles2000]

Quiet on this thread for opening! They’re boarding Group 1 already. Good sign.

 

[dina444444]

What time did backups run out?

 

[ironband74]

Regular groups appeared to run out in about 45 seconds. Backups out at 9:03. 72 is the first backup, so we should see early-ish boarding at group 1.

Edit: Groups 1-4 are already boarding. brilliant!