Soarin' SB+ test...Fail

[ucfknight]

Oh wow, it just occured to me:

So the way to fix the new FP system is to bring back the old FP system?

Looks like they think the way to fix it is using a Frankenstein's monster version of the old FP system to replace standby while using the new FP+ to take the place of the old FP system.

 

[jade1]

Oh wow, it just occured to me:

So the way to fix the new FP system is to bring back the old FP system?

That sure looks like a paper FP to me.....

Come Back Later!

Actually it kind of is, but really just for SB (and it will be integrated into MB IMO). The rest is set in stone, just what % is FP+ vs SB is remaining. And now they are going after the SB wait.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

So the way to fix the new FP system is to bring back the old FP system?

This sure looks like a paper FP to me: Come Back Later!




.

Go check out the A & E standby thread and check out the pics ilovetink posted. They are installing "something" there.

But that's a great idea right?

 

[rdearth]

It's alll a math problem, so some people are going to hate it immediately and no matter what.

It sounds like the real issue in the test is that they passed out too many SB+ cards, or maybe they passed out cards to people who didn't have as long of a wait time as they projected.

At some point, all rides like Soarin' can only carry so many passengers from "x" time until the park closes. If they miscalculated the number of SB+ cards to pass out, then they would obviously need to shut down the regular stand by line to accomodate all the SB+ because at some point, even those people wouldn't have time to get on the ride.

Hypothetically, say you have a ride that can run a 1000 seats from now until close. 100 are designated as FP+. 500 people in standby creates a 1 hour wait for person 501.

The idea is that of the 1000 seats you have available, 400 people are going to have to wait at least an hour to ride (100 FP+ and persons 1-500 in standby line).

So, do you start giving out SB+ to person 501 and tell them to come back in an hour for a shorter wait?

And how many do you give out? You could give out 400, but then you would have to immediately put out a sign stating the ride has reached capacity and close standby.

You could give out 200, but then only take an additional 200 standby people, which means either way, at some point you're going to have to put out a sign that says standby is closed because the ride has reached capacity.

The odd thing is, and I think I predicted this would happen somewhere around here or maybe it was just in my head, Fastpass systems, no matter what their incarnation actually create longer lines for the main attractions...at least as long as there is a tiered system. The reason it worked so well before is exactly because guests weren't that educated on it and few people knew how to effectively utilize it.

Now with the MagicBands, competition is way more fierce for the premiere rides because "everyone's" doing it. And it doesn't take a disney vet to know how to research or talk to someone about the must do rides in each park and get some help reserving a time.

If we can't have more rides, they need to create a new queue system. There should be say 10 queues at each ride. If you are in line 1, you get a card with a number on it (1-100) and a return time; line 2 (101-200 and a different return time)...sort of like what Southwest Airlines does. When your return time is up, you just get back into your assigned number line and all 100of you go in together on the next available ride. If you miss it, maybe they take a couple from Line 2 and so. Seems less chaotic to me and would "eliminate" getting back into a long line of regular people in standby and others without return times.

 

[mom2rtk]

But that's a great idea right?

That depends.

Legacy FP was great because its overflow still had standby as an option.

There is no option for overflow with SB+.

I suppose the reports that they opened the line back up at 8 is somewhat helpful. But I still haven't heard that they actually told guests they were going to open it back up, so only helpful to the ones who stayed that late and stumbled across it. And if word does get out that they are opening the line late in the day and that line gets crazy long again, forcing them to stay open even later, I doubt that will continue.

Remember when the only "inside information" people had to worry about was that they could use FPs late? Man, there's so much inside information with FP+ I can't keep up. And I have more than 28K posts on the DIS!

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

That depends.

Legacy FP was great because its overflow still had standby as an option.

There is no option for overflow with SB+.

I suppose the reports that they opened the line back up at 8 is somewhat helpful. But I still haven't heard that they actually told guests they were going to open it back up, so only helpful to the ones who stayed that late and stumbled across it. And if word does get out that they are opening the line late in the day and that line gets crazy long again, forcing them to stay open even later, I doubt that will continue.

Remember when the only "inside information" people had to worry about was that they could use FPs late? Man, there's so much inside information with FP+ I can't keep up. And I have more than 28K posts on the DIS!

Well, we try and keep up literally on a real time basis and that makes it frustrating and kind of impossible.

 

[lucas]

Guess I am out of it. But, what the heck does SB+ stand for?

 

[mjhannaf]

Guess I am out of it. But, what the heck does SB+ stand for?

Standby+

A term coined here as a play on FastPass+

 

[ucfknight]

Guess I am out of it. But, what the heck does SB+ stand for?

FP+ = FastPass Plus

So someone coined SB+ to refer to this new system: Standby Plus

 

[surferdave]

Guess I am out of it. But, what the heck does SB+ stand for?

It's a name someone in this thread had given to this project - Standby Plus.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Guess I am out of it. But, what the heck does SB+ stand for?

Standby +. Because + makes everything better.

 

[Patience]

Add me to the people glad they are not planning a Disney trip right now. We used magic bands and fastpass+ on our trip last September. We really liked the magic bands and both the bands and fastpass+ worked fine for us BUT the whole thing was still in testing and I knew that when everyone was using it, it would likely not work as well. During the test when only a few resort guests were using the technology, I was able to change fastpass+ times easily on the fly and had no problems getting fastpasses for everything I wanted and there were no tiers. After our trip, they started the tiering thing and people aren't able to get/switch fastpasses as easily. Now we have Disney testing the elimination of standby lines for popular attractions and who knows what else.

Honestly, a trip to Disney World is starting to sound like too much hassle. I just don't want to have to plan my days in the parks so far in advance and I don't want to wake up at 1:00 am to make my fastpass+ reservations and I sure don't want to have to choose between Fast Track and Soarin', the only two rides in Epcot that I really enjoy. Not to mention having to make dining reservations 180 days out and planning ride times around those too. So we chose a non-Disney cruise for our next vacation instead of another trip to Disney World and I'm very happy about it.

 

[mm1971]

Have given everything the benefit of the doubt. Now after reading this, my head is starting to hurt.

We are heading down in August, FP+ booked for what we could. Honestly, I'm not even sure we'll use all of the booked FP+ as we tend to go off script by day 3. Now I have to plan my standby lines? I think we'll go and have fun in August and we'll put off any future bookings until they figure this stuff out, better or worse. Maybe we'll look to 2017. It has to be done by then, right?

While I understand that these ideas need to be tested, but couldn't they wait until the FP+ stuff was figured out and working well to start throwing new variables in? MDE still isn't even working consistently for god's sake. Last week all my FP+ disappeared for a couple of hours. Of course I didn't panic or call Disney, just waited for the next rolling blip to restore what I had lost and yup there they were.

Everyone should be able to wait standby in my opinion whether it be 5 minutes or 5 hours. Communication could be better as well. How about letting people know as they enter the park that this type of testing is being done and it may cause changes throughout the day. At least those ticks off would have some type of knowledge ahead of time and be able to choose to go elsewhere.

The problem, as others have stated, is not enough headline attractions at Epcot, HS and AK. Until this is solved, capacity problems will exist. For some reason, I remember waiting in line for an hour or so when I was a kid and it was the best vacation ever.

 

[BrianL]

I have been a supporter of FP+ in general and really like the system, however this going to paper cards for all standby is a bad idea. It's basically like having only FP+ or Legacy FP and nothing else.

The fact is, the long wait problems stem from bandwidth, and no amount of crowd direction will prevent that. Add another big attraction to Epcot and it won't be such a problem. This is why MK doesn't really have these issues (A&E excepted of course).

 

[AmyB2006]

Bottom line though.... Disney wouldn't need FP+ tiers and SB+ whatever the flop it is, if there were MORE RIDES!!! They need to kick this into high gear and get some rides into EPCOT that people actually want to ride.

Epcot has needed help for a long time.

 

[johde]

I've not read the entire thread, although I read most of it. What strikes me as funny is Disney already has the solution to a Soarin' virtual Standby line. It's over in the Magic Kingdom in the form of Dumbo. I've never done the Dumbo virtual Standby line but I beta tested it many years ago on RnR. At the entrance to the RnR area (about where the upside down car is) They handed you a ticket with a letter on it. You could wait in that area until your letter was called. If you left that area, you left the line.

With Soarin' you could do something similar, but limit people to the entire land pavilion. That way, if the standby line is an hour or two, you could eat, go on living with the land, see the movie, shop etc, until it was about time to board. Getting notification in that big of an area would be the trick.

Unlike the current test, the return time would be unlikely to get 4 or 5 hours in the future because you're limited to the land pavilion. Just like on Dumbo you need to stay in the play area.

 

[ChristineNic]

Standby +. Because + makes everything better.

But it should be SB- because it is literally subtracting the ability to wait in the standby line from the equation.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I know of Roller Coaster Tycoon whenever I built more rides I attracted more guests, I think the "problem" WDW has is they are attracting more guests anyway!

 

[jco_direwolf]

Standby +. Because + makes everything better.

My group of friends we always say ".. Of Death" makes everything better. So + and "Of death" must be even better.. *smile*

At anyrate to answer the OP of the question. I think it was in responsive to my plea that we stop calling this system FP. Because it's really has no bearing on the old FP system (out side of paper tickets). The mechanics are different.

FP you could only hold 1 at a time (with some exceptions) - currently you can hold more than 1 for A&E. There is no checking against a central service. You can also hold both a StandBy Pass and FP+ for them.

FP ran all the time (Regardless of the expect SB time) - currently only runs when queue wait time exceeds 30(?)minutes?

FP entered you into a queue with approx 10 minute wait - Currently gets you into the SB line with a ~30 minute wait

FP had a 1 hour return time - Return time window is 30 minutes

 

[flicx]

I think everyone on disboards could see this blunder coming! Honestly what did they expect. Whoever came up with this idea should be fired immediately. Disney not spending the money on new attractions is gonna bite them in the butt real soon! Hey they made their bed now its time to lie in it!