That's my point. With RSR, you still had the opportunity to wait in a 2 or more hour standby line. You did not have to be in the park prior to opening, then get lucky in making it into a boarding group, and then possibly wait up to 12 or 13 hours until your group gets called. You can't roll up to the park at Noon, and get in a standby line, be it 2 hours, 4 hours or 10 hours.
None of that is mentioned in the advertising for the new ride. Not everyone is looking at all the tips on message boards, and they are being given a false impression of what it takes to even have a chance at riding, and the longer that goes on, the more it makes it look like Disney just couldn't care less. Which is not really a surprise, they're all about getting $$$ from unsuspecting guests.
I would encourage park guests or future park guests who are upset with the current boarding group method to consider contacting Disney directly in order to voice their concerns. Call Disneyland. Send them an email. Do both. If boarding groups are still underway for ROTR the next time you go to DL, stop at City Hall and provide some in person feedback as well.
With everything these days as a consumer, you have to go into things with a little "Buyer Beware!" Consider this example as food for thought. Last year, a chain of movie theaters in our area switched over to the "reserve a specific seat ahead of time" method instead of the previous seating configuration in which it was every man, woman, and child for themselves.
With the previous seating assignment method, if you wanted to be sure that you got to sit in a certain part of the movie theater, then you know what you did? You get there early enough to get the seat you want. That's how it was for years. If you show up last minute or late? you get what's left and you don't get upset.
So imagine my surprise when one day, we went to our local movie theater to see a movie and suddenly now you have to actually pick your seats. Only now the only seats that are left have a horrible view (way in front and way off to the side). Oh my gosh, no thanks! Forget it.
I was annoyed. Was I mad at the movie theater? Well, no. I COULD have chosen to be mad at them for their "false advertising" by not putting all sorts of disclaimers in TV, newspaper, and online ads...for not shouting it on the rooftops that their ticketing system had changed. I was irritated that one time. And then I adjusted and we saw the movie another time.
The same applies to this boarding group thing at Disneyland, in my opinion.
Consider, also, how many people go to WDW each year and do zero planning ahead of time. That's fine. It's a free country. In WDW online and TV ads, they do not include all sorts of disclaimers about stuff like:
- Hey! If you want to eat at a TS restaurant, like Be Our Guest, you better reserve 6 months ahead of time or you're out of luck!
- Hey, kids! Don't forget to tell Mom & Dad that they can book FP+ 2 months ahead of time!
- Hiya folks! Don't forget that all of the food & merchandise here is expensive!
- Don't forget that buses from Art of Animation & Pop Century resorts now only go to HS & Epcot once an hour when the Skyliner is running!
Yet every year, thousands of people travel to WDW thinking they've got it covered by booking airfare, hotel, and buying their tickets ahead of time. Thousands of people go to DL & WDW thinking that FP is something you have to pay for. None of THAT is in the advertising either. Neither is the boarding group info.
Heck, some people don't even know there's a smart phone app you can use to check wait times.
Google and Yahoo are everyone's friends and all it takes is a simple online search on just about any electronic device for ANY park guest to do <5 min of research ahead of time to find out a TEENY bit of info about ROTR boarding groups...which would increase their odds of getting a boarding group. Disney has made the information available on their website, in Disney Parks Blogs posts, on social media, on the DL & WDW apps, etc.
If a guest chooses to not do any homework ahead of time, that is NOT Disney's problem.
