Chiming in with my account of yesterday's issues. I have detailed notes b/c I was updating FB as I went as the day spiraled into more and more absurdity.
Jan 15th - In line at the "turnstyles" at 6am, pretty far back in line, but easily tapped in just after 6:30. BG 15, got called at 7:30, rode Rise with no problem, Star Tours, Single Rider MF:SR and Single Rider RnR all by 10:30am.
Jan 17th - Plan : HS in the AM w/ Star Tours and SDD FP+ (also VotLM, but not planning on actually going), hop to Epcot for
Festival of the Arts, 11:45 ADR for guaranteed seating at the first Disney on Broadway show.
In line a little later b/c it's my last day and I had to pack the car and empty the room before catching the bus, still tapped in before 6:45am.
BG 38
7am - single rider RnR, standby Star Tours, up to BG 20 - leisurely Breakfast at Docking Bay 7
10am - somewhere around BG 30, meander over to Rise entrance to be ready to board, BGs stall out at 36.
10:45 - murmurings in the crowd around me about the ride being down. I'm so close to the next BG that I figure I should stay around. Plus I'm worried if I head to Epcot, I won't have much notice when it does start to board again, so I might not make it back in 2 hours, especially if I've just been seated at my ADR. I've waited this long, might as well stick it out - call and cancel my 11:45 Coral Reef Disney on Broadway ADR. Pretty sad, but I'll just have to give up some walking around WS time to stand in the standby line for the Disney on Broadway show.
11am - leave my spot by the ride entrance to use SDD FP+, ROTR still down.
Noon - finally get a notification that ROTR is down and my BG will be delayed. Eat lunch at Woody's lunch box, ROTR still down. Eat ice cream, ROTR still down.
1pm - I give up. I'm going to FotA in Epcot. Walk to HS entrance from Toy Story land, ROTR still down. About to board Skyliner, still down.
About to transfer to Epcot Skyliner, still down. Bag check, tap in to Epcot.
1:30 - 10 steps into Epcot, just out of morbid curiosity, check the app again - BG 37! A moment later I get my notification for BG 38. I waited this long, might as well go ride the thing. Turn around, back on the Skyliner, back through bag check, tap in to HS, walk to GE.
2pm - Approach GE. It's down again. It was only running for about 20 minutes. CM says it's usually only down about 45 minutes and it's already been down about 20 at this point. Sat down in Batuu feeling silly and sorry for myself for a while, and typed a fb post about all my first world HS problems.
3pm - boarding again! Hustle over and FINALLY get through the entrance.
3:30 - still waiting in the regular line
3:50 - got pretty close, but them CMs were on the phone. It's down again. We staged a short sit in while they waited to see if it would come back up quickly, but after a bit we were led out the exit and given a FP.
4:30 - GR wants to give me a HS FP+, but I'm sick of HS and I just want to go to FotA and see the Broadway show. Of course it's my last day, but I can't get a one day ticket b/c technically my BG was called. And they can't get me a guaranteed seat at the show b/c I canceled my ADR. They'll book me another ADR (for $67), but it's 4:30, the show is at 5:30 and I've saved 9 snack credits to use at FotA. A dinner ADR is useless, so I declined. GR can't do anything else for me.
5pm - sad and fed up and on my way to exit HS. ROTR is boarding again. I'm a stubborn capricorn, so I head back over.
5:15 - sent through the recovery FP line, but even that line is long. We're all laying bets on if we actually get to ride this time and comparing how many times we've each been through the queue today and asking each other how far we got before we were kicked out.
5:40 - down again after standing in line again. Stand in long line for GR again to see what they're offering this time.
6:20 - GR was a bit more helpful at this point, got a FP, giftcard, and single day ticket so I could attend FotA later (it's my last Disney day, but I'll still be in Orlando for several days for a conference. I can go to FotA in the evening after the conference, but I can't be at HS at 7am and wait for a BG again).
6:20 - 6:40 - clearly don't have time to really see FotA at this point as it would be nearly 7pm by the time I get back to Epcot, so I wait by ROTR entrance, just in case
6:40 - it's up again. A mad, crushing rush of people to get in. We all know it could be mere minutes before it breaks down again.
7:14 - exited ROTR FINALLY having ridden it all the way through (BG 38). Thunderous applause from the ride vehicle. I did see 2 empty vehicles being sent through the ride while we were going through.
7:30 - ice cream, 8pm - fireworks.
Edited to remove any possibility of spoilers