The lines in my state have been hours long to get the RealID. They will take appointments, but often you have to call around to find a DMV that has any available and that office might be a half hour or more away from your location.
Our DMV just announced couple days ago that they’ll start doing ‘express’ days on chosen Saturdays to try and keep up with the demand.
Ordinarily I can just renew by mail or on the website. With the RealID, I had to send away for a certified copy of my birth certificate, dig up my W-2 to show my SSN, dig up my mortgage and a paper bill to show my address, and go to the DMV in person. (And then my mortgage had my SSN on it, so they said they didn’t need the W-2).
So it wasn’t onerous, but it wasn’t as easy as mailing back an auto-renewal. The soonest appointment was three months out, which wouldn’t work because my regular license would expire before then. So I crossed my fingers and was there when they opened. I was surprised that the line was so short, even at seven AM. I was finished before work.