Hollywood Studios Strategies

[yulilin3]

I can only imagine the parking lots, roads & any "nearby" area of Disney property filled with AP holder vehicles as they try to get boarding groups & then sit there for 3 hours waiting for the park to open.

Someone on Twitter already clarified that you have to be close, where you can be at the park in one hour once your bg gets called, otra not really that big of a deal

 

[LizzyDragon]

I'm definitely curious to see how close "nearby" is. It also looks like one person can stil request a BG for a whole group- makes me wonder if everyone has to be nearby, or just the requestor. Also, I wonder if MDE will autoselect a party- maybe picking everyone on the F&F list that has an HS reservation? It'll be interesting to see how things play out.

 

[heapmaster]

There's always someone that's going to not like something, i think this change will be well received by most

Ya I would assume there are the few that like to sleep in (we dont have kids either), but we already wake up hours before the sun rises when not on vacation, so we prefer to sleep in a bit while on vacation and actually like the new park hours for however long they stay. I would be okay with 2 hours before park opening time.

 

[heapmaster]

I'm definitely curious to see how close "nearby" is. It also looks like one person can stil request a BG for a whole group- makes me wonder if everyone has to be nearby, or just the requestor. Also, I wonder if MDE will autoselect a party- maybe picking everyone on the F&F list that has an HS reservation? It'll be interesting to see how things play out.

Ya that should have made that a feature already. Make a setting in the settings area to auto select these people when getting a boarding group/FP, easier to unselect (happens less frequent) then to select each one by one.

 

[subtchr]

Ya that should have made that a feature already. Make a setting in the settings area to auto select these people when getting a boarding group/FP, easier to unselect (happens less frequent) then to select each one by one.

The system was already updated to do this a while ago.

I assume it will retain the auto-selection for the new process, just choosing those who have a park reservation that day.

 

[Trackmaster]

Why would you assume that? I don't read it that there will be any location determination at all. Anyone with a ticket and park reservation can get a boarding group.

Its about paying attention to details:

"This can be done before you leave your Disney resort hotel, or wherever else nearby you might be at that time."

We'll need more information for sure before we know the final facts, but I think its pretty telling that they threw this word in. If there were no location restrictions, it would be a completely unnecessary word, and confusing for people who know to look for details. Clearly the implication is that there will be location restrictions. If I were a betting man, my money is on you having to be onsite. It'll probably be like Universal with Hagrids. Where to join the VL they just want you have to be onsite. Which pretty much means that you can start if you're in the hotel, or when you get to the parking garages. That's a fair precedent to look at.

 

[Crusader10hky]

I can't help but laugh at the ambiguity in the language in that announcement though! "...This can be done from you Disney resort hotel, or wherever else nearby you may be at the time," You know, wherever you may be....but nearby! So, not Europe...

I have (heavily salted) faith that the spirit of the announcement is closer to a 'on property-ish' reality, but that is based on nothing really.

That said, I am totally for this. If a BP for RotR is the lynchpin to your day at HS, maybe you know by a 710AM failure that you would rather change your park reservation to somewhere else. Or maybe you decide to only show up in the afternoon. I think its great to alleviate a bit of AM front gate madness. If nothing else, it keeps you from having a bunch of immediately angry/disappointed guests milling about for hours.

 

[yulilin3]

This issue was already addressed, you need to be within an hour of DHS to get to your bg when called, lets not make a bigger deal out of the language than what it is
Any additional discussion on how to get into a bg for rotr should be done in the SWGE subforum and leave this thread to the OP question

 

[Disneymom1126]

I think this is a positive change as it will change the rush of people trying to be in the park by 10 to try for a boarding group and spread out park entrance for the day. Given reports of how crowded it is at entry and long lines at rope drop more recently I think this is good from a planning perspective as well as for COVID.

 

[Dug720]

I think this is a positive change as it will change the rush of people trying to be in the park by 10 to try for a boarding group and spread out park entrance for the day. Given reports of how crowded it is at entry and long lines at rope drop more recently I think this is good from a planning perspective as well as for COVID.

Agree. It's actually making me MORE likely to keep Studios as my departure day park (as opposed to Epcot a second time or Animal Kingdom a third) because if it plays out as I think they are hoping, I'll be able to get the stuff I want to (ie: NOTHING in Star Wars Land and probably nothing in Toy Story Land) done without dealing with hordes of people hanging out.

 

[pooch]

Who wants to wake up before 7am on vacation

I get the distinct impression under the former system, you'd have to be up well before 7am to get to and in DHS for BG eligibility. At least this way, only one person has to be awake. And you can still be in your jammies!!!

 

[PanchoX1]

Who wants to wake up before 7am on vacation

At Disney on a park day? Me!

 

[Lumpy1106]

I'm going to ask a cynical question here; does anyone else think that the change in BG procedure was a reaction to the inadequate transportation? I know we tried to get on a bus 1:15 before park opening and were not even close to getting on the only bus that would get us to DHS by RD. Having the BG's distributed while you are still in your hotel takes some of the pressure off the bus (and skyliner) system.

 

[yulilin3]

I'm going to ask a cynical question here; does anyone else think that the change in BG procedure was a reaction to the inadequate transportation? I know we tried to get on a bus 1:15 before park opening and were not even close to getting on the only bus that would get us to DHS by RD. Having the BG's distributed while you are still in your hotel takes some of the pressure off the bus (and skyliner) system.

That and the crazy line for mmrr in the am

 

[heapmaster]

I get the distinct impression under the former system, you'd have to be up well before 7am to get to and in DHS for BG eligibility. At least this way, only one person has to be awake. And you can still be in your jammies!!!

lol, ya I know, going to disney is not the "sleep in and do nothing vacation".....the issue is waking up 3+ hours before the park opens what ever time that is. Two hours would have been better, since we would have already been awake getting ready for the park opening. I think like @Lumpy1106 said that it might be to reduce transportation strain of the rush to get there, and then the people that dont get a BG stuck there when they may have come later in the day.

 

[CarolynFH]

This issue was already addressed, you need to be within an hour of DHS to get to your bg when called, lets not make a bigger deal out of the language than what it is
Any additional discussion on how to get into a bg for rotr should be done in the SWGE subforum and leave this thread to the OP question

Yes, DH and I both got the email today. We have tickets and park passes for DHS in mid-November, and WDW knows quite well that we do not have a WDW resort reservation for that date. I think the email would have said we need to be onsite at 7 AM - and it didn’t.

 

[Krisshay13]

I get the distinct impression under the former system, you'd have to be up well before 7am to get to and in DHS for BG eligibility. At least this way, only one person has to be awake. And you can still be in your jammies!!!

exactly how I was thinking.....we would normally be up by that time, just to wait for transportation an hour or so.

 

[subtchr]

I'm going to ask a cynical question here; does anyone else think that the change in BG procedure was a reaction to the inadequate transportation? I know we tried to get on a bus 1:15 before park opening and were not even close to getting on the only bus that would get us to DHS by RD. Having the BG's distributed while you are still in your hotel takes some of the pressure off the bus (and skyliner) system.

I don't think it's cynical at all, because I think this is the EXACT primary motivation for the change.

With AoA opening this week, the demand on the Skyliner in the mornings would be even higher than it is now, just serving Pop. Lots of frustrated guests! I think they may still have to add buses as a second option, but this change will likely alleviate enough of the demand to make it manageable.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Why would you assume that? I don't read it that there will be any location determination at all. Anyone with a ticket and park reservation can get a boarding group.

Not anyone...the location of where you are at will definitely matter...how much and where that location still remains unkown.,

This can be done before you leave your Disney resort hotel, or wherever else nearby you might be at that time.

Until "nearby" is defined we don't really know alot but we know not anyone will be able to get a BG

 

[LSUfan4444]

This issue was already addressed, you need to be within an hour of DHS to get to your bg when called, lets not make a bigger deal out of the language than what it is

Who is "someone on twitter" that said this that resolves the issue and how is that determined? What if I am in the queue at Hagrids at 5 pm on a Friday, can I make it to RotR in an hour?