Soarin' SB+ test...Fail

[Mad Hattered]

I'm not sure what you mean by "history." If you're asking how often I go, I go every year for a week. And I live in Chicago and yes, we plan everything out to the T.

There have been times in the past where I've booked a trip, gotten time off from work, paid for the airfare, only to find out months later that one of my favorite rides is undergoing a refurb/closure and I wouldn't be able to ride it. Disappointed? Yes. Did I fall to the ground and start pounding the pavement? No. I thought about all the other cool rides I would get to go on.

Think of all the kids out there who would love to go to Disney just to ride Dumbo. If all they got to ride was Dumbo, they would be thrilled and so happy. So people who were turned away from Soarin or A&E aren't going to get my sympathy.

Here. This may help you on future trips.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/rehab.htm

It's a different situation when the information is readily available and you still book a trip. It's another story to show up and find out they changed the rules overnight with no warning.

 

[mom2rtk]

Maybe it would help if we all just view the parks as a big mall. With a really high cover charge.

 

[Laketravis]

Big boy pants. LOL!

Right. How dare I spend thousands of dollars and even begin to have expectations as to what I should/could/will get for it.

Would I wait 2 hours in a line for any attraction? No. Should I be able to if I wanted to after paying park admission and the ride is functional? Yes. I don't care if Disney wants to artificially eliminate long wait times and the accompanying bad press by simply turning people away.

 

[wn01aa]

Here. This may help you on future trips.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/rehab.htm

It's a different situation when the information is readily available and you still book a trip. It's another story to show up and find out they changed the rules overnight with no warning.

Exactly. It is about them flying by the seat of their pants and changing and testing things day by day with no notice. Imagine reserving all your rides through FP+ for Christmas and then you get to the part at 11am for your first FP+ only to be told they are testing no FP+ today and only SB+ and that all the rides have massive waits or closed standby lines. Over-exaggeration yes, but it is the not knowing what is going to happen day by day with "tests".

 

[Angel Ariel]

Sure I can. This is a "test." Not a permanent solution (at least not yet). Tests are done randomly and without warning, that's why it's a "test."

People can be disappointed about not being able to ride something but they need to put on their big boy/big girl pants and move on.

Who said they weren't moving on? I said you can't expect them to assimilate thr new procedure immediately...I.e. know that this is the new.procedure, and know that you need to do xyz to be able to do.something that you used to have to do ABC for. I said nothing about not being able to be an adult and move on. Had I been there last week, I would hace.moved on. And when I returned home, I would have sent my complaint to guest services.
When you have unannounced tests, Disney can't expect its guests to just know that the test is happening.

 

[TraderE]

Here. This may help you on future trips.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/rehab.htm

It's a different situation when the information is readily available and you still book a trip. It's another story to show up and find out they changed the rules overnight with no warning.

So you fail to read my post in detail and then you offer up "help" that I'm already fully aware of.

I said that there have been times where I've already booked the trip (6 to 10 months out in advance), and then found out at some later time that a ride would be closed. So my trip had already been booked and then the bad news came later. You follow?

And I only found out about those closures because I browse the boards often enough. I'm sure there were people like me who only found out that one of their favorite rides were closed when they arrived in Disney. Very similar situation to what's happening now (In both cases, people were given little or no notice that a big ride would be closed).

Even if Disney posted a notice on their website about the test, 90% of visitors wouldn't know about it until they had their heart broken. The people who come to the Disboards make up a very tiny fraction of the people who actually go to the parks.

 

[Cielei]

Must.Not.Feed.Trolls.

 

[Angel Ariel]

There have been times in the past where I've booked a trip, gotten time off from work, paid for the airfare, only to find out months later that one of my favorite rides is undergoing a refurb/closure and I wouldn't be able to ride it. Disappointed? Yes. Did I fall to the ground and start pounding the pavement? No. I thought about all the other cool rides I would get to go on.

Please tell me who here is talking about falling on the ground and pounding pavement because they didn't get to ride.something?

As for the comparison to a ride being down for refurb, please tell me how it is.comparable? With a refurb *no one* gets to ride. This absolutely falls under the whole idea that entry doesn't guarantee you a ride on a specific attraction. If it is down it is down. With SB+, the ride is fully operational. The person being denied entry is watching others go in and ride it. But because they weren't there early enough in the day, it is OK to tell them they are not allowed to ride at all, even though it is 4pm and there are at least 5 hrs of park time left? Outside of Christmas week, wait times don't get to 4-5 hrs+...so how is this system better?

You know,.I recall so so many posts when fp+ came out saying how it was so great because Disney was evening things out, giving those who sleep.in a chance to get.fps. I also remember myself and others saying that this wasn't about making anything even, that was just a byproduct Disney didn't really care about. Considering this new test and how it once again puts the emphasis on early arrival if you want to ride at all, I think we were right about Disney not giving a whit about making things even.

 

[Mad Hattered]

So you fail to read my post in detail and then you offer up "help" that I'm already fully aware of.

I said that there have been times where I've already booked the trip (6 to 10 months out in advance), and then found out at some later time that a ride would be closed. So my trip had already been booked and then the bad news came later. You follow?

And I only found out about those closures because I browse the boards often enough. I'm sure there were people like me who only found out that one of their favorite rides were closed when they arrived in Disney. Very similar situation to what's happening now (In both cases, people were given little or no notice that a big ride would be closed).

Even if Disney posted a notice on their website about the test, 90% of visitors wouldn't know about it until they had their heart broken. The people who come to the Disboards make up a very tiny fraction of the people who actually go to the parks.

Cubs fan, I assume?

 

[Jennasis]

Smells like socks in here. OLD socks.

 

[TraderE]

Please tell me who here is talking about falling on the ground and pounding pavement because they didn't get to ride.something?

Didn't a few folks post that people were having meltdowns at the Soarin entrance when they were told they couldn't ride?

As for the comparison to a ride being down for refurb, please tell me how it is.comparable? With a refurb *no one* gets to ride. This absolutely falls under the whole idea that entry doesn't guarantee you a ride on a specific attraction. If it is down it is down. With SB+, the ride is fully operational. The person being denied entry is watching others go in and ride it. But because they weren't there early enough in the day, it is OK to tell them they are not allowed to ride at all, even though it is 4pm and there are at least 5 hrs of park time left? Outside of Christmas week, wait times don't get to 4-5 hrs+...so how is this system better?

Do you complain when you arrive at a restaurant at 4pm and are told that the restaurant is fully booked the rest of the day? Despite that there is 5 hours+ of restaurant time left.

You know,.I recall so so many posts when fp+ came out saying how it was so great because Disney was evening things out, giving those who sleep.in a chance to get.fps. I also remember myself and others saying that this wasn't about making anything even, that was just a byproduct Disney didn't really care about. Considering this new test and how it once again puts the emphasis on early arrival if you want to ride at all, I think we were right about Disney not giving a whit about making things even.

I was never one of those people. This isn't about fairness. This is about making money. Disney wants people in the parks at 9am and leaving at 9pm. That will maximize food, beverage, and souvenir revenue.

 

[TraderE]

Cubs fan, I assume?

Ha! Baseball is my least favorite sport but if you a put a gun to my head, I'd take the Cubs over the Sox.

 

[cassiejo2711]

Did Pluto get a new username?

 

[Mad Hattered]

Did Pluto get a new username?

You missed our sing-a-long earlier today. I can't believe no one sang any Fleetwood Mac.

 

[Elizamarie763]

Ah yes....... the "vacation as character building experience" defense.

Gotta love it.

I can stay home and do that for free.

Life is a "character building experience." Vacation shouldn't be.

 

[glamdring269]

Hmm looking at that rehab list I see the MK train will be closed again when we visit this fall. This was the same case when we visited last year at ~ the same time (first week October). I guess either this is cyclical or we're just that lucky.

 

[Mad Hattered]

Hmm looking at that rehab list I see the MK train will be closed again when we visit this fall. This was the same case when we visited last year at ~ the same time (first week October). I guess either this is cyclical or we're just that lucky.

A lot of rides are refurbed annually. Take Splash for example....it's typically closed every January/February for a lengthy refurbishment due to "colder weather" and "low attendance".

 

[Angel Ariel]

Didn't a few folks post that people were having meltdowns at the Soarin entrance when they were told they couldn't ride?

Honestly, I don't know. But no one that you have been talking back and forth with in this thread has advocated or even discussed throwing temper tantrums, nor said anything that could be construed as saying they are an acceptable way of dealing with it.

Do you complain when you arrive at a restaurant at 4pm and are told that the restaurant is fully booked the rest of the day? Despite that there is 5 hours+ of restaurant time left.

That would depend on the restaurant. If it were a restaurant that had always required reservations at any time of day, then no I wouldn't complain.

If it were a restaurant that had never taken reservations for lunch before, and I showed up at 12pm and I was told they just started requiring reservations for the entire day that morning, and they hadn't made any announcement of the change anywhere, and that I couldn't be served because it was booked for the day? Then yes - in that case, I would make a complaint. Not because I couldn't eat lunch, but because of the lack of communication being unprofessional.

Disney wants people in the parks at 9am and leaving at 9pm. That will maximize food, beverage, and souvenir revenue.

Disney's actually made it quite clear they don't want people in the park from opening to close. I distinctly recall them touting the benefits of FP+ being that they could get an extra 3000 people through MK over Christmas (when MK is at capacity) with it. FP+ didn't give MK a 3000 person boost in physical capacity...so to serve 3000 more guests, that meant that people who were using FP+ were leaving the parks earlier, and the park could allow more people through.

Disney's made it pretty clear, IMO, that they want people to get what they feel is their money's worth in the parks in as short amount of a time as they can, in the hopes that they'll spend more money shopping, eating, or partaking of the other resort offerings (boats, parasailing, minigolf, downtown disney, etc....)

 

[jsgrand0]

Wow. So today I posted something on my fb page about disliking the FastPass+ system and all of the people that commented (some local, some vacationers) said that they loved it! Was weird to hear after reading through all this! I dislike it overall, because I should not have to plan my ride times so far in advance, (I know I don't HAVE to). I REALLY enjoyed the fastpass legacy (that's what you're all calling the original fast pass right?) and so wish they would go back to that, but I know they won't.
Oh well, just was throwing out the opposite viewpoint here! Again, was shocked that everyone jumped on me saying how great it was!

 

[TraderE]

(boats, parasailing, minigolf, downtown disney, etc....)

That's not going to happen. If people aren't in the parks, they are likely to be at the swimming pool during their downtime. At least that's where I will be. Folks will go to Downtown Disney like always but minimally.