Soarin' SB+ test...Fail

[Angel Ariel]

Well my opinion is going to be unpopular I'm sure, but I get why they implemented this, I had suggested it in a post myself for A&E and was flamed.

I don't think Disney's aim is to be controlling but to attempt to make guests day more enjoyable because standing in a line for 3+ hours is not enjoyable and for Disney the happier the guest the more they spend and the more likely they are to return (and spend more) and recommend a Disney vacation to others (who will spend more)

Even the headliners do not frequently have 3 hr waits. ETA: according to.MDE right now the highest wait time.in any of the 4 parks on a Saturday in the height of summer is 85 mins. Well short of 3 hrs.

This is absolutely about Disney locking in guests..they have already shown how much of a goal this is for them.

If they do go to what is essentially 100% ride reservation, we will vacation elsewhere. I have no desire to plan out my vacation down to that detail.

I don't see it as removing the standby option, everyone has the option to ride, with a wait you just get to wait while enjoying other parts of the park.
The rides have always had a daily capacity, this hasn't changed that.

No, it hasn't changed daily capacity - it just changes.who that capacity is available to. If this becomes standard and well known, the sb+ slots will likely be gone before noon. Late sleepers, park.hoppers....people who have always had the standby option available to them, will.not have sb+ access unless they no.longer sleep.in or park.hop. you may not see it as removing SB as an option, but that person who arrives at epcot at 3pm and always had the option to get in the sb line for soarin will likely feel that way when they arrive at their typical 3pm time and are told they are.not *allowed* to get in line at all.

 

[ArwenMarie]

So they could look at how many slots are taken by FP the night before let's say
Print out cards for the rest. Eventually though I think the goal is to load all of the ride slots into MDE.

I think that change in language in MDE this week is significant. Not writing "Standby Available" anymore...wow
I remember when this first got going there was a lot of talk about the FAQs, and they all said Standby will still be available.

Now, getting people used to seeing "FP Selections are distributed for the day" Both in the app and on signs at the rides (Soarin had one this week)

I also think that Pooh thing that slipped into MDE where Pooh in Epcot was going to be FP only...also significant, whether a test or not.

Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if even these cards went away and relatively quickly .

 

[natatomic]

A) does it matter if people get to ride
b)Split the passes and hand them out in 3 or 4 hour blocks.

(Just FYI, the following question is not meant to be snarky, though I'm sure it sounds like it is.) Is 'A' half a question? Like, "Does it matter if [other] people get to ride [so long as I get to?] So many people on this board have such confidence that they'll never be turned away, that they'll never get there too late. I'm telling you, once it's public knowledge that these tickets are the new procedure, those tickets are going to be gone in no time. Standby capacity is ONE-FOURTH of FP's. Soarin' legacy FPs gone before 11am? Try Soarin' SB+ passes gone by 9:15!
I know someone else has already said this, but lines are self-regulating. The longer the lines get, the more "casually-interested" people it will weed out. That is, only the people who have their heart SET on that ride will get in a long line. If you guarantee a 30 minute wait for everyone, so long as they have that ticket, well, suddenly a LOT more people are interested in that ride, even if their interest is relatively mild compared to others'. You could say, "Well, if it were that important to them, they would get there first thing in the morning." Sure. But there are some guests who might only be able to afford 1-2 days at WDW, meaning they might do two parks a day. Oftentimes, guests will save the best (whatever they consider that to be) for last. If that "best thing" for one family is Epcot (specifically Soarin', but the whole park is their favorite, say), and their plan is to start the day at Animal Kingdom, then head to Epcot where they'll spend however long the line is for Soarin' even if it's 3 hours because it's so important to them and they want to finish their once-every-5-year-vacation at their favorite park, it's gonna suck when they get there and are not allowed to ride any of the headliner attractions due to the SB+ tickets being fully distributed hours ago*. I guess the only solution there is to then cut out Animal Kingdom altogether. Well, there goes that park-hopper revenue.

(*Sorry, that was a beast of a sentence...)

As for part B, I don't understand how that would solve anything at all. The number of seats on a ride do not fluctuate no matter how often you distribute those passes. If you do it in chunks, you're just gonna create a mass of people clumping in front of the attraction waiting for the next set of tickets to be distributed. (If I understood your suggestion correctly, anyway...)

 

[crazycatlady]

(Just FYI, the following question is not meant to be snarky, though I'm sure it sounds like it is.) Is 'A' half a question? Like, "Does it matter if [other] people get to ride [so long as I get to?] So many people on this board have such confidence that they'll never be turned away, that they'll never get there too late. I'm telling you, once it's public knowledge that these tickets are the new procedure, those tickets are going to be gone in no time. Standby capacity is ONE-FOURTH of FP's. Soarin' legacy FPs gone before 11am? Try Soarin' SB+ passes gone by 9:15!
I know someone else has already said this, but lines are self-regulating. The longer the lines get, the more "casually-interested" people it will weed out. That is, only the people who have their heart SET on that ride will get in a long line. If you guarantee a 30 minute wait for everyone, so long as they have that ticket, well, suddenly a LOT more people are interested in that ride, even if their interest is relatively mild compared to others'. You could say, "Well, if it were that important to them, they would get there first thing in the morning." Sure. But there are some guests who might only be able to afford 1-2 days at WDW, meaning they might do two parks a day. Oftentimes, guests will save the best (whatever they consider that to be) for last. If that "best thing" for one family is Epcot (specifically Soarin', but the whole park is their favorite, say), and their plan is to start the day at Animal Kingdom, then head to Epcot where they'll spend however long the line is for Soarin' even if it's 3 hours because it's so important to them and they want to finish their once-every-5-year-vacation at their favorite park, it's gonna suck when they get there and are not allowed to ride any of the headliner attractions due to the SB+ tickets being fully distributed hours ago*. I guess the only solution there is to then cut out Animal Kingdom altogether. Well, there goes that park-hopper revenue.

(*Sorry, that was a beast of a sentence...)

As for part B, I don't understand how that would solve anything at all. The number of seats on a ride do not fluctuate no matter how often you distribute those passes. If you do it in chunks, you're just gonna create a mass of people clumping in front of the attraction waiting for the next set of tickets to be distributed. (If I understood your suggestion correctly, anyway...)

I agree.

We were thinking of a Disney trip for next year since we are skipping it for a Universal trip this year, but I just mentioned to DH that maybe we will put it off for another year. I don't like the way Disney is screwing with people's vacations with little to no warning. We are park hoppers and if we were told we couldn't choose to enter a stand-by line at our 2nd or 3rd park of the day, I would be livid! This is nuts.

 

[Laz]

I agree.

We were thinking of a Disney trip for next year since we are skipping it for a Universal trip this year, but I just mentioned to DH that maybe we will put it off for another year. I don't like the way Disney is screwing with people's vacations with little to no warning. We are park hoppers and if we were told we couldn't choose to enter a stand-by line at our 2nd or 3rd park of the day, I would be livid! This is nuts.

These are pretty much our thoughts. We are staying away from WDW until such time as we feel that things have stabilized and is to our liking. We are also park hoppers who will change plans and parks frequently due to any number of numerous factors. Sometimes we will go to EPCOT just to ride Soaring and do not mind a long wait in an A/C line. The same holds for other rides around WDW. I am not saying we will not go back if SB is gone, but the alternative will have to meet our needs and standards for an enjoyable vacation at WDW. Until then, DLR will be our Disney destination.

 

[ilovemk76]

Well my opinion is going to be unpopular I'm sure, but I get why they implemented this, I had suggested it in a post myself for A&E and was flamed.

I don't think Disney's aim is to be controlling but to attempt to make guests day more enjoyable because standing in a line for 3+ hours is not enjoyable and for Disney the happier the guest the more they spend and the more likely they are to return (and spend more) and recommend a Disney vacation to others (who will spend more)

I don't see it as removing the standby option, everyone has the option to ride, with a wait you just get to wait while enjoying other parts of the park.
The rides have always had a daily capacity, this hasn't changed that.

Why given the option of standing in line for 3 hours twiddling your thumbs or going on another ride, grabbing some food and coming back to ride would you pick standing in line?

When a standby line is 3+ hours, you will have a significant number of people who will need to use the restrooms. This becomes a problem too. One can go before the get in line and then again before they ride. When the SB is an hour or so, this problem is greatly reduced. It will never be zero, unless you just walk on the ride.

 

[sethschroeder]

Except that people are conjecturing that these SB+ passes will likely run out pretty quickly once people become more familiar with them. So you hit rope drop and get one for whatever in MK. I'm still wondering if you will only be allowed to have one at a time like Legacy? If all rides end up requiring a FP+ or SB+ to ride you would then have a total of four rides scheduled. You might not be able to do anything else while you wait to ride those, again if everything has to have a pass of some sort. Isn't that what 100% reservation system means? Will anything be left over to do without passes? And if there are some attractions omitted then won't those likely be inundated with people who have nothing scheduled?

I know that I'm rambling but all of this is just mind-boggling.

Am I missing something here?

Not every single ride will be SB+, they ONLY hand out SB+ ONCE the SB line has filled up in the morning. If Little Mermaid is a 5 min wait all day there will never be a SB+ handout. Same with a large majority of rides.

They are not locking down a ride to SB+ only until it fills up. This is the reason it works out that SB+ tickets are being handed out right away for A+E and Soarin because these rides spike over 30 min waits right at opening.

 

[sethschroeder]

Not going to flame you but here are my thoughts: CHOICE If I choose to stand in a line so be it. Don't dictate to me what I have to do to experience what I want to at WDW. Yes it is a choice to go there but once there can I decide nothing for myself ?

I had an interesting Live Chat on the website with a CM after I purchased a ticket for MNSSHP. The options were print it at home, will call, or have delivered. As in previous years, I chose print at home. I choose not to stand in a will call line and I choose not to pay the nominal fee to mail it to me.

His attitude was " Oh sorry the website should not have given you the option of print at home that was an error. It will be automatically linked to your MB, I don't see why you have a problem with that. Why did you need/want a ticket in hand ? " I promise you my jaw almost hit my desk when I read that

Again choice...I did call the ticket office and they did understand my concern IF MB didn't show the MNSSHP ticket ( because those things ALWAYS work right ) They are Fedex sending free of charge. I know she wasn't just trying to appease me, she really was kind, and today I got an email with the tracking number.

Again choice

You can print your MNSSHP ticket though.... Just print screen the tickets page on your MDE....

Also about choice, so its fine if you want to stand in a line for 2 hours. Just stand right by the SB+ return for the 2 hours until your ticket time comes up. The point of SB+ is that you can wait ANYWHERE basically. If you want to wait in the bathroom for 2 hours go for it, if you want to wait at BOG go for it, if you want to wait on Splash Mountain go for it, if you want to wait right next to the SB+ return got for it.... The only place in the entire world you just can't wait is in the 30 min or less wait area (or however long it normally takes when you have SB+).

I think its crazy you would rather wait in a line for 2 hours instead of at least being able to find a shady spot and sit down for the same amount of time basically...

 

[Luvchefmic]

You can print your MNSSHP ticket though.... Just print screen the tickets page on your MDE....

Also about choice, so what if you want to stand in a line for 2 hours. Just stand right by the SB+ return for the 2 hours until your ticket time comes up. The point of SB+ is that you can wait ANYWHERE basically. If you want to wait in the bathroom for 2 hours go for it, if you want to wait at BOG go for it, if you want to wait on Splash Mountain go for it, if you want to wait right next to the SB+ return got for it.... The only place in the entire world you just can't wait is in the 30 min or less wait area (or however long it normally takes when you have SB+).

I think its crazy you would rather wait in a line for 2 hours instead of at least being able to find a shady spot and sit down for the same amount of time basically...

You're not understanding re- print the screen the tickets page. You would then still have to go to will call/guest relations whatever for that actual ticket if for some reason your MB didn't show the ticket.

As far as everything else my point is it is feeling more and more like being told what we can and cannot do. The CM on the live chat reflected the attitude, it really came across as " silly guest we know what is best for you "

Look just my experience and my feelings, As others have said though I really think it is going to end up as all reservations only for everything.

 

[wookiebeck]

"We must find a way to fix that and then it will all be perfect! I want 10 suggestions from everyone on how to get rid of the long lines. Everything is on the table except adding more attractions. NOW GO!"

Ooo. Ooo. Pick me!

Yes, you, executive with the solid gold neck tie.

We could build more hotel rooms and DVC resorts so that the guests will have a place to enjoy and NOT be in the parks.

Well, done! Here have some more stock.

 

[ougrad86]

Quote:
Originally Posted by mom2rtk View Post
I think it was actually started in the A/E Standby Line thread. This is really just an extension of that discussion I think.

Yes but coined earlier in this thread.

Standby+. Coined in another thread and used very early in this thread.

Just to give credit where credit is due, SB+ was actually coined by wn01aa in the thread "No more Standby line for A&E?" It was on 7/24, almost a week before this thread was started. I remembered reading that because I liked the abbreviation. Although mom2rtk did bring it up a couple days before that we needed another name for it!

After I posted this it came up again, so this was posted before I had read that part!

 

[wn01aa]

No one is suggested it for Buzz or COP. Only for those with waits of several hours 2 or 3+
Also getting these passes does not change your planning, before you would walk up to Soarin and see a 3 hour wait and either decide to wait and ride or decide to skip it and leave for your rest. Now you can do the same-except depending on your resort and how long your rest break is you could grab a pass go for your break and return to ride

But what happens if they sell out of SB+ tickets and you cannot ride on it for that day because it is closed to only those with FP+ or the SB+ tickets. That is a big change.

 

[mummabear]

(Just FYI, the following question is not meant to be snarky, though I'm sure it sounds like it is.) Is 'A' half a question? Like, "Does it matter if [other] people get to ride [so long as I get to?] So many people on this board have such confidence that they'll never be turned away, that they'll never get there too late. I'm telling you, once it's public knowledge that these tickets are the new procedure, those tickets are going to be gone in no time. Standby capacity is ONE-FOURTH of FP's. Soarin' legacy FPs gone before 11am? Try Soarin' SB+ passes gone by 9:15!
I know someone else has already said this, but lines are self-regulating. The longer the lines get, the more "casually-interested" people it will weed out. That is, only the people who have their heart SET on that ride will get in a long line. If you guarantee a 30 minute wait for everyone, so long as they have that ticket, well, suddenly a LOT more people are interested in that ride, even if their interest is relatively mild compared to others'. You could say, "Well, if it were that important to them, they would get there first thing in the morning." Sure. But there are some guests who might only be able to afford 1-2 days at WDW, meaning they might do two parks a day. Oftentimes, guests will save the best (whatever they consider that to be) for last. If that "best thing" for one family is Epcot (specifically Soarin', but the whole park is their favorite, say), and their plan is to start the day at Animal Kingdom, then head to Epcot where they'll spend however long the line is for Soarin' even if it's 3 hours because it's so important to them and they want to finish their once-every-5-year-vacation at their favorite park, it's gonna suck when they get there and are not allowed to ride any of the headliner attractions due to the SB+ tickets being fully distributed hours ago*. I guess the only solution there is to then cut out Animal Kingdom altogether. Well, there goes that park-hopper revenue.

Well I can tell you I have never arrived in park before midday (we have an 8 hour time difference so its not worth messing with the kids that much). I would think if Soarin was this hypothetical once in a lifetime families favourite ride they would FP+ it.
Think of the other family who has never done it because they don't want to invest 3 hours to do so (say they had one child under 40') this will allow those to ride, as with anything some will win, some will lose.

As for part B, I don't understand how that would solve anything at all. The number of seats on a ride do not fluctuate no matter how often you distribute those passes. If you do it in chunks, you're just gonna create a mass of people clumping in front of the attraction waiting for the next set of tickets to be distributed. (If I understood your suggestion correctly, anyway...)

Exactly the capacity does not fluctuate, the # of people riding Soarin remains the same pass or not

I still think Disney is attempting to do a positive thing to help people see the attractions without spending so much time in line.

 

[wn01aa]

Quote:
Originally Posted by mom2rtk View Post
I think it was actually started in the A/E Standby Line thread. This is really just an extension of that discussion I think.






Just to give credit where credit is due, SB+ was actually coined by wn01aa in the thread "No more Standby line for A&E?" It was on 7/24, almost a week before this thread was started. I remembered reading that because I liked the abbreviation. Although mom2rtk did bring it up a couple days before that we needed another name for it!

I thought of that abbreviation since Disney now likes putting "+" after everything. Like FP+ (why not go back to just FP since the machines are now gone). SB+ is making the Standby lines a "+" too since they already did that with fastpass.

 

[Rosanne]

Oh, legacy FP... how I miss your simplicity... your spontaneity... how you understood my family's need to meet up with extended family on a whim.

You were so good to me. If there was anything I could say or do to make you come back to me I would

 

[blackmamba10000]

This sounds like a mess.

It is a mess!!!

 

[GotLabradors]

Oh, legacy FP... how I miss your simplicity... your spontaneity... how you understood my family's need to meet up with extended family on a whim.

You were so good to me. If there was anything I could say or do to make you come back to me I would

 

[Angel Ariel]

You can print your MNSSHP ticket though.... Just print screen the tickets page on your MDE....

Also about choice, so its fine if you want to stand in a line for 2 hours. Just stand right by the SB+ return for the 2 hours until your ticket time comes up. The point of SB+ is that you can wait ANYWHERE basically. If you want to wait in the bathroom for 2 hours go for it, if you want to wait at BOG go for it, if you want to wait on Splash Mountain go for it, if you want to wait right next to the SB+ return got for it.... The only place in the entire world you just can't wait is in the 30 min or less wait area (or however long it normally takes when you have SB+).

I think its crazy you would rather wait in a line for 2 hours instead of at least being able to find a shady spot and sit down for the same amount of time basically...

It's not about choosing where you wait...it's about being that person to arrive at Epcot at 3pm in the afternoon and be told that they are *not allowed* to ride Soarin'. At all. because all of the SB+ tickets were handed out earlier in the day.

I firmly believe that yes, that will happen if SB+ becomes the norm for the headliners. That person arriving at 3pm prior to SB+ would have had the option to wait in line. The line may have been 90-180 mins and many people may have *chosen* not to join that line - but the point is they had that choice. Under SB+, if/when the SB+ tickets run out early in the day - and I have a hard time imagining they won't if this becomes the norm - that person arriving 6 hours prior to park closing could very easily be told they have no option to ride Soarin' at all.

Is it really so hard to understand why people don't like the choice being taken away?

 

[Luvchefmic]

It's not about choosing where you wait...it's about being that person to arrive at Epcot at 3pm in the afternoon and be told that they are *not allowed* to ride Soarin'. At all. because all of the SB+ tickets were handed out earlier in the day.

I firmly believe that yes, that will happen if SB+ becomes the norm for the headliners. That person arriving at 3pm prior to SB+ would have had the option to wait in line. The line may have been 90-180 mins and many people may have *chosen* not to join that line - but the point is they had that choice. Under SB+, if/when the SB+ tickets run out early in the day - and I have a hard time imagining they won't if this becomes the norm - that person arriving 6 hours prior to park closing could very easily be told they have no option to ride Soarin' at all.

Is it really so hard to understand why people don't like the choice being taken away?

THANK YOU I was getting so frustrated I wasn't getting my point across. and yes the frustration started with that CM acting like how dare I want a choice too

 

[Angel Ariel]

Well I can tell you I have never arrived in park before midday (we have an 8 hour time difference so its not worth messing with the kids that much). I would think if Soarin was this hypothetical once in a lifetime families favourite ride they would FP+ it.

And what if one child in that family's favorite ride is TT and the other is Soarin'? They can't FP+ both. Disney already took that option away from them.

Think of the other family who has never done it because they don't want to invest 3 hours to do so (say they had one child under 40') this will allow those to ride, as with anything some will win, some will lose.

Can we please stop talking like 3 hours is the regular wait for the headliners? It does happen, but not with the frequency being alluded to by some posts in this thread.

IMO, this has nothing to do with Disney trying to make the guest experience better. This has to do with them trying to make more money, that's it. I don't begrudge them that, but I'm not about to buy that they want me to plan my vacation down to the hour for my benefit.