Slinky Dog Rope Drop is a Living Hell

[wdw&sonny]

I offered a solution to alleviate some of the issues but have not heard a counterargument that makes sense as to why it wouldn't work.

Here's why your idea wouldn't work. CM: "Sorry, no one can ride yet. We are still waiting for the first person who showed up at the gate to show up here at the ride. We'll give them another hour or so."....what? Hand out numbers at the tapstiles?

 

[Jcon]

Here's why your idea wouldn't work. CM: "Sorry, no one can ride yet. We are still waiting for the first person who showed up at the gate to show up here at the ride. We'll give them another hour or so."....what? Hand out numbers at the tapstiles?

It ends 15 minutes after RD (or 10 minutes or 5 minutes - whatever is the appropriate amount of time is takes to get a from RD to the ride) and they would load the standby line if there is no one redeeming their RD FP, as they normally would.

 

[StageTek]

I experienced it for the first time on Feb20. Never done a rope drop before.

Adults pushing children. Adults fighting - and I mean physically hitting each other. Children crying.

That was my last one. I would rather wait two hours in line than get elbowed in the ribs by a mother carrying a five year old. I would rather not ride a roller coaster at all than watch an adult push a child down to the ground.

 

[wdw&sonny]

It ends 15 minutes after RD (or 10 minutes or 5 minutes - whatever is the appropriate amount of time is takes to get a from RD to the ride) and they would load the standby line if there is no one redeeming their RD FP, as they normally would.

So, how are they sorted at the ride so that guests that arrived first, ride first, as you propose? In your scenario, the OP would have received a FP at the gate, as would all the other guests that arrived at the gate after her but arrived ahead of her in that 90 minute line. She arrives 5 minutes later because of kids-in-tow. She still would have been at the back of a 90 FP line.

Your premise is based on your statement of "the appropriate amount of time [it] takes to get from RD to the ride". There is no "appropriate amount of time". What was appropriate to the OP, was not appropriate to the rest of the crowd. That's why they moved ahead of them.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I’m sorry you experienced this kind of behavior. It is dangerous, annoying and rude.

We love rope drop because our kids are early risers. We love the parks in the morning. But ... we never head to the busiest/most popular ride so don’t normally deal with the crazies. I think we’ll keep it that way!

I hope your day got better.

 

[Jcon]

So, how are they sorted at the ride so that guests that arrived first, ride first, as you propose? In your scenario, the OP would have received a FP at the gate, as would all the other guests that arrived at the gate after her but arrived ahead of her in that 90 minute line. She arrives 5 minutes later because of kids-in-tow. She still would have been at the back of a 90 FP line.

Your premise is based on your statement of "the appropriate amount of time [it] takes to get from RD to the ride". There is no "appropriate amount of time". What was appropriate to the OP, was not appropriate to the rest of the crowd. That's why they moved ahead of them.

Please go back a read everything I've written on this. There would be a limited number of these RD FP handed out. I threw out 100 but I'm not sure what the right number would be, maybe 50. After that, you would have to head to the standby line.

So, the OP and fam would be, at worst, 100th in line at the ride. That's not 90 minutes on top of the 90 minutes she's already waited. They wouldn't be behind everyone else.

And, yes, it would be pretty easy to calculate how long it would take someone with mobility issues or a stroller to get to the ride. You can't cover every scenario but I think 15 minutes would be the absolute max.

It's just an idea to help alleviate a real problem that comes up time and time again on this forum.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

They started to ameliorate this by having soft opening...i.e. before 9am official. But now people are on to that. Maybe they should just open at 5am...but i guess people would then queue up at 4:45am. I suppose it will have to be CMs controlling the chaos.

 

[Praying Colonel]

What's the old quote: "Hell is other people."

It always seems to be that way with every hot new attraction. I remember 15 years ago being at EP and being in the churning wall of humanity hurtling toward...Mission: Space. It's kind of funny now to think of it being in such high demand.

The only time I was generally scared at WDW was getting swept up in the RD mob heading for 7DMT/Frozen Meet and Greet. Such a large group of people speed-walking around and past you and everybody getting compressed into that very small area going through the castle or through that small walkway to the attraction. I felt like I was getting lifted off my feet for a second, and I'm not a small person. I was genuinely concerned about DW getting trampled if she tripped and went down.

Now we usually zag at RD when everybody else zigs. It's just too scary.

 

[Peppeperoni]

It's Disney's job to add more CMs if needed. It sounds like they are needed.

With all do respect, it won’t control rude people which even if they doubled their cm would still our number they insanely

 

[maxiesmom]

Sorry I haven't read thru all 5 pages, but it sounds like they don't do any sort of rope/walking people towards the ride? I know they have done something similar in the past.

I do need to add though that I wouldn't be at the front of any crowd and not expect people to try and get by me.

 

[Mome Rath]

When you are in line to go through the park entrance tapstiles, you are in an actual line. When in line at a ride, you are in an actual line. Between those two things you are not in a line. I don't power walk between the two either, so people are always going to pass me, and that's just the way it is. Now, I do think when there is a line of CM's holding a literal rope, and walking the herd to the ride, that does help, because it keeps everyone at one pace. I do think it is a good idea for them to do that, and they do off and on. I suppose everyone with a bad experience should email and let them know, so it is documented and they can keep track of where/when problems are...

 

[SaintsManiac]

Sorry I haven't read thru all 5 pages, but it sounds like they don't do any sort of rope/walking people towards the ride? I know they have done something similar in the past.

I do need to add though that I wouldn't be at the front of any crowd and not expect people to try and get by me.

I don't mind MK RD, because it is very controlled. I've never experienced this kind of insanity there. I will say we have never done 7DMT at RD, though.

From all the videos, blogs, photos I have seen of HS it looks like chaos. Not sure why they can't get a handle on it.

 

[Tink_83]

They started to ameliorate this by having soft opening...i.e. before 9am official. But now people are on to that. Maybe they should just open at 5am...but i guess people would then queue up at 4:45am. I suppose it will have to be CMs controlling the chaos.

They could just make the parks 24/7! Then the new strategy would be where best to nap during the high touring times. The new loophole could be just never leaving the park and staying in for a week on a one day pass clearly I’m kidding about making the parks 24/7... not unless the add a place for people to shower! Of course that would add a whole new dimension to the bagless vs bag debate!

 

[wdw&sonny]

Please go back a read everything I've written on this. There would be a limited number of these RD FP handed out. I threw out 100 but I'm not sure what the right number would be, maybe 50. After that, you would have to head to the standby line.

So, the OP and fam would be, at worst, 100th in line at the ride. That's not 90 minutes on top of the 90 minutes she's already waited. They wouldn't be behind everyone else.

And, yes, it would be pretty easy to calculate how long it would take someone with mobility issues or a stroller to get to the ride. You can't cover every scenario but I think 15 minutes would be the absolute max.

It's just an idea to help alleviate a real problem that comes up time and time again on this forum.

When you said "you get there first, you ride first" sounded like you expected to retain the order of arrival down to the individual. But I do understand now that you would be giving a limited number of FPs to a set group of early arrivals such that they would enter FP line, while those that arrive after that set number would be diverted to standby even if they arrive to the ride entrance ahead of that early arriving group, up to a short time limit after park opening.

OK, I understand your concept more clearly now. I'll admit it. I don't hate it.

 

[b5sgqueen]

I am very sorry to the OP for this experience and I think there is a mix of things that could be done. I like the idea of numbers or passes handed out. However, I also agree that I don't want to lag behind some people when I could walk past them. I am a fast walker so move quickly but I would never push, shove or hurt anyone.

However, I think nothing will change until someone gets seriously hurt. It's unfortunate, but if someone gets trampled, breaks a leg, or a child get a huge injury, there will be press and potentially inspectors looking at the procedure. It may take a few in fact. I think Star Wars may bring this to a head and I cannot imagine what the Disney attorneys go through every morning wondering if "today's the day."

I'm not entirely sure there is a simple fix for this. I love these boards, but the thing I think people on them sometimes forget is that Disney is a once in a lifetime trip for most people. I know there are a lot of people on these boards who go regularly, or even bemoan that they can only get there every 3-5 years, but that is not the reality for a majority of guests. There are a large number of guests who are there for the first time.
I haven't been in 25 years. We went for 4 days. My parents were teachers and it was made very clear to us that we were not going to be doing this again.
I will have a few days for a conference, but if I have children, it will be a one time thing. I can tell you every person I know who has children under 2 has begun saving to go when the children are 10 and up. They can't justify the expense on something when a child is young.
This can put blinders on posters who assume that people will catch FP, got to EMM or rides the next time around. They talk about just skipping things or getting in line at the end of the night. Families don't want to skip anything. They want to see the fireworks, fantasmic, ROL etc. This is such an expensive endeavor that the family is only going to do this once. They can't spend more on EMM or DAH because they have spent so much already.

Because of that, I think a lot of people want to do everything. SDD is the hot ride. It's hard to get a FP for it. You've spent so much money getting there, getting into the park, staying, food, souvenirs that you WILL ride SDD. When you are paying that much, it does seem fair. But you also need to do A2S, TSMM, ToT, RnR and EVERY OTHER THING in the park. So you will go there at rope drop and try to get on then so you have time for everything else. And maybe you weren't going to run, but everyone else is. And someone just rammed their stroller into you so now you are more aggressive which gets the person next to you worked up and so on and so on.

I'm not saying it's ok, but it is textbook mob mentality. The behavior feeds and builds off one another until things that you would never do at the grocery store(run in front of someone, check a stroller) become ok because everyone else is. I have no idea how you fix that with Disney getting more expensive and selling more things EMM, DAH, viewing areas etc. They are monetizing every single thing and I can well imagine that will start selling FP at some point, throwing things more out of whack.

 

[mom2rtk]

With all do respect, it won’t control rude people which even if they doubled their cm would still our number they insanely

Then why have any? Just make it a Survivor themed free for all.

 

[fla4fun]

When you are in line to go through the park entrance tapstiles, you are in an actual line. When in line at a ride, you are in an actual line. Between those two things you are not in a line. I don't power walk between the two either, so people are always going to pass me, and that's just the way it is. Now, I do think when there is a line of CM's holding a literal rope, and walking the herd to the ride, that does help, because it keeps everyone at one pace. I do think it is a good idea for them to do that, and they do off and on. I suppose everyone with a bad experience should email and let them know, so it is documented and they can keep track of where/when problems are...

I would not be surprised if they dedicate specific tapstiles and walk people in a line to SWGE when it opens. I would also not be surprised if they walk that line into the park ahead of the other tapstiles to keep entering orderly. It is harder to control a group that can be going anyplace in the park than if they know specifically where an entire group is headed. If they staggered the entrance, the same CMs could cycle back to handle regular entry, which would cut down on additional expenses. I am looking forward to seeing how they handle it at DL to get an idea what we are in for.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I don't mind MK RD, because it is very controlled. I've never experienced this kind of insanity there. I will say we have never done 7DMT at RD, though.

From all the videos, blogs, photos I have seen of HS it looks like chaos. Not sure why they can't get a handle on it.

I think it's more controlled now. It used to be chaotic. Or at least the few times I was there it was running, pushing, people falling, etc.

 

[Gentry2004]

SDD isn’t even a great ride. It’s fine, I’ve ridden twice with FP, but if I couldn’t get a FP, I probably wouldn’t ride at all, at rope drop or otherwise. We either rope drop Alien/TSMM or RNRC/Tot. Both combos are easy to rope drop.

 

[Jcon]

I would not be surprised if they dedicate specific tapstiles and walk people in a line to SWGE when it opens. I would also not be surprised if they walk that line into the park ahead of the other tapstiles to keep entering orderly. It is harder to control a group that can be going anyplace in the park than if they know specifically where an entire group is headed. If they staggered the entrance, the same CMs could cycle back to handle regular entry, which would cut down on additional expenses. I am looking forward to seeing how they handle it at DL to get an idea what we are in for.

Stormtroopers marching you to the back in an orderly manner.