It seems to me that under the current system you have to do two things.
First, you have to get to DHS very early in the morning. I don’t want to do that — not because I’m lazy, but because I have a number of very late nights and I’m just not going to burn the candle at both ends. I’ve done that before at WDW and one night ended up so exhausted I went back to my room at 9pm, missing a dessert party because I just couldn’t stay awake. And another time I skipped out on a DAH halfway through because I was simply too tired.
Second, you have to have a loose enough schedule that you can return to DHS at an undetermined time with relatively short notice. Although I’ve tried (and probably failed) to plan a relaxed trip, I just can’t drop everything to rush back to DHS to ride this one five-minute ride, no matter how good it is.
I had actually blocked a four hour window during which I was willing to stand in line, on the assumption that that was how it would work. That window is now pretty useless to me. I’d still have to get to DHS really early, and then I’d have hope that my BG gets called during that four hour window. There’s no guarantee it would — first because who knows which group you’ll get, second because who knows how much downtime the ride will suffer.
I have one definite trip booked and paid for next June and another possible in October. So it does seem to me the most sensible thing to do is pretend that ROTR isn’t even open yet. A week ago that was true.
I’m taking this trip because I took it last year and Disney at Christmas is genuinely magical. It melts even my cynical heart. That’s what it’s about and that’s what I want it to be about.
Fantastic attitude!! We loved every bit of HS last month without ROTR for all the things you mention. I loved Lightning McQueen and TSL did not disappoint. I tend to blame myself when I miss things, though; and may have let it ruin my day. I’m so glad you did not!!!
I agree - I wouldn’t bother arriving before 6am unless you need a morning BG. But I wouldn’t arrive after 7:30am at the absolute latest. 6:30am would be the sweet spot.
I believe that if I knew I was going to be back six months later I would not mind missing one five minute ride at all. It’s like you are giving yourself permission to not stress out about it.
On a related, if tangential, note — I’m suffering from similar problems with Hagrid at UOR. I have a UOR day planned, half of which is a DAH-style event with allegedly very short lines (but also free food and drink). I rode Hagrid twice during the summer and I’d like to do so again. But what’s the strategy? I could get in line (and enjoy the theming) during the day before the event (Express Passes are not valid) or I could try during the paid-for event. But I suspect Hagrid will be crazy popular during that event and it seems a waste to pay extra for the exclusive access and spend the time in line for one ride, when I could do half a dozen others in the same time.
I feel like this is only going to get worse as Disney (and UOR) add more and more new “even better” rides over the next few years. This is literally how you addict people.
I like your points as well! There are lots of ways they could do this appropriately. If they’re going to do it they way they are, they just need to be more transparent and make a few tweaks.
Based on my most recent data, it appears BGs are back to 2 hours now. They must have had a longer grace period for the afternoon after the breakdowns. But if anyone has further data this afternoon, let me know.
Hi Liners! Long time no post! Hope you all are well!
Our trip (we leave tomorrow morning) was also supposed to be about Christmas and atmosphere etc. Relaxing. Reconnecting. AND THEN ROTR!
Our September trip was the same. Fall low crowds, Halloween party, Food and Wine events. AND THEN MFSR!
Fall went really well though. We fit in MFSR and it was great fun being marched into that wonderfully immersive land by Storm Trooper to music in the dark. A GREAT experience. Oh and I met Joe Rhode in Oga’s. So, yeah. pretty good!
But the current situation over there, I don’t know…
I rearranged everything so we could try for RotR again on Thursday if we were so excited by it or completely failed in our first attempt etc, that we would go again.
Your post convinced me. Nope. We will do Tuesday and get there at 5 am and unless we end up with a paper FPP for another try, that will be it. There will be other trips to see it again!
I’m in the same boat as you @sanstitre_has_left_the_building We don’t go often to with Disney or UO and I have this stinging pressure to plan a perfect trip next month. Between Hagrid and SWL, I don’t want to waste too much precious time both physically standing in line or waking up early and also emotionally weighing me down with stress. I know the trip will be magical even if my family doesn’t get to experience everything. It always is. We did just fine when TSL didn’t even exist a few years ago and I’m sure we’ll be back.
I’m going to declare now that these two rides don’t further weigh me down and ruin the (Christmas) magic in me!
It’s kind of amusing to me that, as mind blowingingly amazing as it reportedly is, if RotR just didn’t exist, some people (maybe me?) would enjoy their trip more. It’s like when my kids are happily eating their dinner until they find out there is ice cream for dessert and then suddenly they don’t want their dinner anymore and just want ice cream.
(Not picking on anyone, just observing the human nature we all share.)
@sanstitre_has_left_the_building I leave Saturday and have thrown out my DHS and Epcot plans because of RotR. Previously planned two nights (Saturday and Monday) and one full day (Thursday) for DHS. Now one full day (Thurs) and a 6 AM arrival on Monday morning to get a boarding pass and hope it doesn’t keep me from my 10:10 Garden Grill breakfast. We will be at Epcot Monday and have a Soarin FP after the GG breakfast. Monday is totally up in the air now. Figuring I can do whatever I miss at Epcot on Monday on Thurs instead after I’ve used my Slinky Dog FP.
Just a heads up in case anyone was curious - I plan to continue updating this thread for the short term as long as I’m interested and have enough time to. At least for the next few days. I’m hoping if at some point a pattern emerges, I can slow down. Probably just snag the key stats for the day.
But for now it’s either do this or get back to my mundane civilian life, so …
Thanks Jeff_AZ this means a lot to our family, we are arriving on December the 17 at HS, and without something like this that may be able to expose a pattern, we may end up showing up too early or too late, specially at the time that we are going, that is getting closer to the Christmas days.
