Arrived at park 7:17 thru taps by 7:26. Waited 2 seconds after 8am and pressed the “find out more” got BG 3. On my way to ride at 8:20
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Stop the presses! The Washington Post is on the case! https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/star-wars-rise-of-the-resistance-is-popular--and-wonky-heres-how-to-score-a-seat/2020/03/05/36e2010a-5a6d-11ea-9000-f3cffee23036_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_first_reads&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
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If you look at the crowd calendar on a small screen or click the link for heatmap version to see the hourly crowd levels.
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I have the same frustration, especially at DLR. The morning hours should at least be part of the CL equation. It should be tracked and included. The purpose of CL is to give guests an idea of what to expect, even if it’s off, it should still give a prediction. That’s what TP is all about–predicting. At DL the evenings should also be included because so many locals show up in the evening. To have a CL 4 for the day then 10 at night that’s not represented doesn’t help newbies who rely on the TP. Veterans know but also know that a TP isn’t reliable at DL. It would be great to have a night CL but I don’t think that’s reasonable, but the wait times after 5 should be taken into consideration, especially at a park that is regularly open for an additional 7 hours after TP stops tracking wait times for CL.
I actually had what I felt to be my most successful practice run this morning. But I’ve had mornings where it was more glitchy like that. So, I’d think, don’t worry…it’s not likely an issue with your set-up, just an overall glitchy thing outside of our control. Good luck for a great boarding group on your ACTUAL day!
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Thank you and same to you!
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If you’re really worried that this error could repeat itself, take a screen capture video of the process when you are there. Then if something goes wrong, show the video or the relevant stills of the error message to guest services. They will likely add you to a BG (or an earlier BG if you got one).
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Glitched this am. Bbg 85. They were blowing through bgs until ab an hour ago. No same day drops either, so we are just sitting.
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In my opinion, it is hard to predict a CL these days:
- Hard to predict when people will show off for new stuff (september/october was dead in WDW for opening of SWGE, while january/febuary was full in WDW for opening of RotR ;
- Hard to predict what will the staff used by WDW. Because CL are based on wait time, a ride running at a lower capacity (because lower staff) will result by an increase in the wait time and impact the CL, even though there’s not more people in the park ;
- Hard to predict if WDW will increase park hours. Right now, HS would benefit of earlier opening hours or later closing hours, but WDW decides not (it’s all about money… and they’ve been burned last automn with XXMH where it was a ghost town)
Like you, I don’t rely on CL Calendars (from any sites btw).
We still have some certitudes:
- September is the lowest crowded month of the year ;
- Christmas / Easter / Spring Break / Other major holidays will be crowded ;
For the rest, your guess may be as good as anybody.
As for the CL calculated by TP, I also think it should take into account the new rides. Right now, MMRR is not calculated in the CL, and is the highest wait time from opening to closing.
In addition, because RotR doesn’t have any wait time, it as also not calculated in the CL. However, with prohibive wait times at all the attractions and no FP+ availability, there’s A LOT of people just roaming around waiting their BG to be call, especially in SWGE and TSL (it was really unpleasant and oppressive this week, even with a calculated CL of 3).
Those people still want to do something, putting pressure on the shows. Without FP+, I would not recommand trying to see Indiana Jones or Frozen Sing-Along without arriving at least 30 minutes before the show. Yesterday, the lines were very long for these shows and CM where “yelling” 30 minutes before the show that without a FP+, you were garanteed to enter the new show. That, too, is not taken into account in the CL.
However, I understand it is very hard (impossible?) to take into account all these things (new rides, people waiting to ride RotR, increase demand for the shows that doesn’t have a posted wait time).
The CL works well for a park that doesn’t have any major change in the last 12 months, for example MK right now.
For any park “in transition”, it is virtually useless.
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Bbg group 85 today, called at 335, in line at 335 (lol), off by 420, 2 hour return window.
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I slow played it a bit too much this morning because I wasn’t sure when my brother-in-laws were going to show up (we were giving them our bands to ride) and got BG48. They were evacuated off the ride twice before getting all the way through, but said it was worth it for the payoff.
More interestingly, though, is the fact that my husband had to stay behind at the hotel due to a stroller mix-up - didn’t tap in until 8:05. I didn’t bother getting him a BBG, but I did ask a GET cast member later if it was possible to add him to the group and they did it no problem. Mileage may vary, but this guy didn’t even blink when I asked.
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I found my screenshot of boarding group 14 from 2/29/20. They started with boarding group 10 that day.
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As another interesting data point, I have been watching lately when Disney is offering hotel discounts… I figure that if Disney is offering a discount, they are experiencing and expecting lower crowds.
However, that information is mostly useless for planning a particular day in the parks, but may help in deciding when to go around 8 or 9 months out…
I wanted to say this information is super helpful! We RD’d DHS on 3/4 (so definitely when it was still a 10), and we were able to get BG 3.
Both my husband and I had been practicing beforehand (I have iPhone X, he has Google Pixel 3, using Verizon LTE). Per a CMs suggestion, we arrived at DHS at 6:30 a.m. and were pretty close to the front of the crowd. At about 7 a.m. they let us tap in (the far right tapstile was definitely the fastest), we followed the signs and joined the line being held near the Muppets outside of SWGE.
At 7:59, my phone alarm went off and I began watching time.gov. At 7:59:53, I refreshed MDE and pressed “Find Out More,” but the Boarding Group button was not lit. I backed out and hit “My Status,” and was able to select “Join a Boarding Group,” and get through.
I know there’s been some discussion and conflicting information about using the same MDE account. My husband used mine as well and what we did was have another member of our party watch over our shoulders and yell when one of us had gotten through (to keep both of us from getting in and it from glitching). That worked really well for us and as I said, we got BG 3, while others around us got 78 and even BBGs.
This information was so helpful and the ride was really the highlight of our trip! Best of luck as you all continue to try!!
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So, what the hell happened today? Went on at 7.55 to show my missus how it worked, and they were already out of boarding groups, and calling groups 2 - 5. They must have opened registration early!
Oh hang on, did the clocks change in the US last night?
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Yep. At 2am they spring forward to 3am.
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Phew, thought they’d changed the flipping process again!
I’m in the UK and the don’t change here till the end of march
