Misted Compass
Well-Known Member
Does WDW's land even have a single nighttime show? Meanwhile ours has two.
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News Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Historical Construction/Impressions
- Thread starter BrianLo
- Start date
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Zip.
Zero.
I love what Disneyland does with their nighttime enhancements at Galaxy’s Edge.
For us Star Wars nerds, it really adds a nice plus to the area.
And it is unique to DLR…which I also love.
The fact that they use the same fireworks for two completely different presentations in two different areas of the Park at the same time is just sheer genius.
Whoever had that idea needs a promotion.
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SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
A lot of this is my opinion, but from how I see it,
-The complete removal of the Disney Look
-No more Splash Mountain, and a replacement that didn't really satisfy anyone.
-No more 'Ladies and Gentleman'
-Vast cuts to entertainment
-Vast cuts to menu offerings and portion sizes
-Lightning Lane, no more free fastpass or reasonable 'maxpass'.
-No more early entry for hotels
-Fantasmic is the worst it's ever been, but hasn't really been amazing since before SWGE
-A mediocre Walt Show
-No more Zip a Dee Doo Dah, a song that's a bona fide Disney classic.
-Tiana's Palace, no more French Market- and Tiana's Palace has already suffered menu cuts.
-SWGE still hasn't really taken off, except for Rise which is universally beloved.
-No show in the Eo theater.
-The Tomorrowland Terrace is underutilize.
-Star Wars Launch Bay is basically closed.
Disneyland has evolved, and it's definitely still a great place to visit. I probably spent more time there than anyone else on this forum in 2025. But it's not the version of Disneyland that existed pre 2019, and for me, the whole thing falls a bit flat.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
And that basically sums up Univeral v Disney vs the last 15 years or so.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
Despite many claims to the contrary, I still don't feel like Disneyland cast members look like hobos post dress code relaxation-not removal, relaxation. It's the 21st century and I don't really care what people look like as long as they provide good service, kindness, efficiency, and safety. I for one have not noticed a dramatic decline in any of those things, but then, I'm not a local. Perhaps if I had a larger sample size I would feel differently.
Admittedly, this doesn't affect me as much as it affects you or the many people who had/have much more love for Splash than I ever did. If they ripped out Haunted Mansion and replaced it with Maui's Rockin' Victorian Oasis, I imagine I'd also feel pretty strongly that the place was ruined forever. In retrospect, that whole thing shouldn't have happened.
With that said, Splash was at the bottom of my list (particularly the DL version) of all the E-Tickets (see also: DCA TOT) and was a once-a-trip ride for me at the best of times, so it just doesn't affect me the way it affects many others. I actually did give TBA a second ride over Christmas, and I enjoyed myself a lot more than I expected. An all star of Disney attractions it isn't, but I don't think it's the complete failure that some on here might say, and perhaps part of that is the flume pathway left over from Splash, but I don't think every new idea was a failure either. If it was a new build, Splash stayed, and this was built at, say, Hong Kong Disneyland instead, I imagine there would be far fewer complaints about it. I do think in time that TBA might well come to be seen as a park classic by some and will demonstrate more staying power than many here may expect. But I understand that we simply will feel differently here.
Again, to me a vastly overstated impact.
As I've said, in 100% agreement here. This is my big sticking point for the place currently, particularly at DCA.
True to a point, though I personally haven't noticed this more than a handful of times. That said, this is currently not just a Disneyland problem, this is an everywhere problem. Go out to eat and you'll find plenty of places with higher prices, smaller portions, and in many instances lower quality ingredients than they did a few years ago. I know my grocery bill is up, and I get the sense it's true for every person and business out there right now. So I understand this to a point as simply a reality of doing business at the moment.
I will grant that the menus were once larger and probably should be larger than the four-ish items they tend to have on them now. But I look around at everything going on and understand why they have opted, at least for the moment, to keep things simpler.
Everyone else in the industry has been charging for this for eons and it was only a matter of time before Disney did the same thing. Surely no-one really MaxPass would stay reasonable forever, right? I don't love it, but I get it.
Agreed, this is stupid. That said, I wasn't staying there, so...
Again, I understand that this has always been your show and it's never really been my show. I'd much rather be watching a night parade or fireworks than Fantasmic. I agree that they should, at minimum, fix the dang dragon, if not straight up re-imagine parts of it. But given that I wasn't exactly watching Fantasmic all that much even in its heyday, this just doesn't affect me much.
It's not a home run, I'll grant you that. I don't care for the downgrade of the Lincoln set that came about for this. But I also can't entertain this as a serious demerit on the place either. They added an option when they didn't have to, and they did it fairly tastefully at the end of the day.
Yes, it's a good song, but it's a song. There's plenty of other excellent music still there at the park.
French market was sad and tired in its last few years. I did eat at Tiana's last year and had an incredible meal-far, far better than anything I'd ever had at French Market.
And they're trying to fix it! Granted, we agree (presumably) that not leaving Rise open to park close is stupid. It certainly isn't my favorite land either. But it's not as if they're just sitting on their hands here; there are plenty of changes on the way. Am I convinced that it will make the land a home run for me? Well, no, but I'm also not much of a Star Wars fan. Even though the land as a whole does little for me, it does benefit me by drawing people out of the rest of the park, providing another way to get around, and providing new nighttime options that didn't exist before. And Rise is pretty darn good.
I miss EO, and I've said in the past that they could easily rotate their back catalog of 3D shows in here. But I'd also be lying if I said that I have a huge desire to watch 3D movies at a theme park in 2026. Frankly, I'm at the point where the removal of 3D glasses from the parks entirely would be a net positive.
Ugly too.
Agreed, do something with this space. Better yet, do something with 95% of Tomorrowland.
I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that we simply use the parks differently, and unfortunately they seem to have disproportionately carved away things that you cared a great deal about while leaving much of "my stuff" intact. I'm sure the day will come where they rip out something that I feel deeply passionate about and I'll feel as frustrated as you. But for me, that day has not quite arrived yet (mostly it's been on the DCA side of things, something I gather that you largely ignore, which is fair). I don't know if it's fair to say I'm an optimist, because I can be quite pessimistic in my day to day, but for me it's still relatively easy for me to throw cares to the wind when I'm at Disneyland and not let the park's imperfections get to me. I'd still rather be at Disneyland than almost anywhere else at the end of the day.
Professortango1
Well-Known Member
I thought they were just swapping out the meet & greet characters for half of the land. Are they actually improving the land as well or just changing the clothes?
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
They've also introduced a nighttime projection show, co-opted another (the fireworks) to build foot traffic back there, and they're re-doing Smuggler's, in addition to the timeline stuff.
I'm under no illusion that this will totally fix the land, but to me they are clear examples of positive changes. At the very least I do think it's disingenuous at this point to say or imply that they aren't trying anything to make it better when they are demonstrably making active choices aiming to improve the reception of the land.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
I think the Smugglers Runs updates are much needed so that should help change the perception of the attraction at the very least. As far as the land/ atmosphere, I can only get so excited for face characters even if they are from the OT. Wish they’d focus on some easy wins like having a lot more droids rolling around and a few aliens. Would love to see an AA creature somewhere in a cool walk through attraction that creates a sense of discovery. The music I’m cautiously optimistic about but hope it doesn’t turn out like Avengers Campus. Some live entertainment would be great. Can’t the Modal Nodes be the Bootstrappers of Galaxies Edge? They have to unpaywall lightsabers asap.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
The droids have popped in and out. Why they don't stay is beyond me.
Face characters certainly aren't the be-all end all (and I certainly won't be lining up for them as someone who doesn't give a rats about Star Wars in general), but I do think they can't hurt and tangibly effect the atmosphere and the feel of an area.
More live entertainment and a table service restaurant seem like obvious wins.
The lightsabers have gone down in price and I don't see it as something that will be forever sustainable, but I don't think we're quite there yet.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
I don’t mean to make Savis free. What I mean by unpaywall lightsabers is to add them to the land in a meaningful way. Maybe with a little stunt show that happens 5 times a day or something on that platform they don’t use.
The face characters actually can hurt IMO. Did you see that awful Luke Skywalker last year? One of them was pretty bad. No Skywalker is better than that Skywalker.
Professortango1
Well-Known Member
The fireworks show has been around for some time. The projection show is cute, but lifeless with no actors or physical elements. Smuggler's Run was supposed to open with multiple missions, so I guess it's good that we are finally getting to almost opening day promises.
GE needs entertainment and better use of the land. These band-aid "shows" (music and lighting flipped on) help, but are not fixing the land. I'd rather have the Doctor Strange magic show with a guy in a Jedi robe than either of the original "shows."
The lands lack life. And projecting lights onto lifeless walls is a trick that only works when someone in the foreground has your attention.
DrStarlander
Well-Known Member
I just checked the wait times and Smuggler's Run is at 15 minutes, and Star Tours is at 25. And that seems right because Star Tours is just better, and I have a hard time believing SR will improve greatly. As far as I'm concerned, they should just gut two of the simulator carousels of Smuggler's Run and move Star Tours back there for a third attraction in SWGE. That would create more energy and demand back there, and a real spaceport feel, rather than the quiet, depressed vibe. Bring in the crane, let's move this thing!
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Professortango1
Well-Known Member
It's also amazing how the Star Tours queue is so much better than either GE queue. Let's replace fun quippy droids and kinetic energy with intercoms and cold lifeless sets.
SWGE suffers from the same issues that SW has in general, people got focused on trying to make these things deeper and more meaningful instead of fun popcorn spectaculars. And this is coming from a man who loves Andor. Entering GE feels like we are entering a shrine to Star Wars. It's like walking into a church; open, quiet, a self-important reverence in the air.
Walking into the original Star Tours felt like walking into a quirky sci-fantasy spaceport with ship repairs, maintenance workers, travel ads, conveyor belt-like systems (what kid doesn't love a good conveyor belt??), cute sassy characters cracking jokes, and a preshow video that made the whole world feel so real and physical. It felt like all of those weird aliens just might be in our next boarding group. And R3X!
Remember when Star Wars was fun and goofy? That's why the Rebel Spy moment is the best thing from the new updated version. It is fun and goofy and based on physical things in the space that we recognize as real. Bring that energy to SWGE. Stop trying to make Star Wars cool and mature across the board.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Interesting idea. I don’t think it would ever happen but interesting nevertheless. Star Tours has always felt like it could be somewhere like Coruscant. A bustling city. Which is one of the reasons it’s kind of always worked at TL - the land on the move. I’m not sure that thematically Star Tours setting up shop on Batuu (at the galaxies edge) makes sense but definitely not the biggest obstacle here and that can be remedied.
I think the most likely thing is that they ll just let Star Tours exist where it is in TL for as long as possible ( surviving a land redo isn’t out of the question IMO). Even if the new Smugglers Run updates are successful I don’t see how that makes Star Tours obsolete as some people say. They re different ride experiences and it’s much easier to update Star Tours than Smugglers Run. And let’s define successful as after the dust settles i can see Smugglers Run averaging 35 minute waits at best. Of course Star Tours location being right off the hub does help it out a bit but it’s definitely the better experience of the two and will probably remain that way even after the new updates unless they can crank up the simulation and range of motion. I mean it does have potential. Popular characters. Locations that Star Wars fan give a damn about. But I think inherently the ride is so flawed that it can only be so popular no matter how great these updates are executed. Two people can still only be pilots. You re still pressing a button to shoot. The thrill level is lacking for the ride concept etc.
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mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Smugglers Run is like Mario Kart at USH. Theres really no saving it. Concepts that sounded great on paper but executed poorly.
Admittedly both tough to pull off and both prioritized the gameplay aspect to the detriment of the overall ride experience. Mario Kart needed to be a racing ride first and the gameplay needed to be secondary and work around that. And if that wasn’t possible then you scrap the gameplay component or cancel the project. I can play Mario Kart at home.
Admittedly both tough to pull off and both prioritized the gameplay aspect to the detriment of the overall ride experience. Mario Kart needed to be a racing ride first and the gameplay needed to be secondary and work around that. And if that wasn’t possible then you scrap the gameplay component or cancel the project. I can play Mario Kart at home.
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DrStarlander
Well-Known Member
I agree with what you're saying, though I have never enjoyed Rex's voice by Paul Reubens, as it felt very '80s Saturday Morning Cartoons. Minor quibble though, yes SWGE needs to be way more FUN!
Smuggler's Run will get a burst of popularity when the revision opens, and maybe for a few years. Ultimately I don't think it's going to justify that 87,000 sq. ft. full show building demand-wise 5 or 10 years from now, there's too much working against it as you point out including the fundamental ride and being at the back corner of the park. If they ever re-do Tomorrowland necessitating Star Tours leaving, I think it would be a big fan service to add Star Tours to SWGE, and they can "save face" keeping half of SR capacity but also pumping up the wait time for respectability which is important in managing the IP's "perception of popularity."
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
I just don’t think a TL redo necessitates Star Tours leaving. It’s not like it’s still not going to be IP central. It’s just going to look more modern, futuristic or retro futuristic and still contain a hodge podge of IP rides that barely make any thematic sense. I’ve said this many times but I believe as long as that building and ride system are standing so should Star Tours. Nothing they can squeeze in there would be better. Only way I’d sign off on Star Tours being replaced would be if the land is being flattened. But yes if my option was lose Star Tours or move it to Galaxies Edge I’d go with the latter. In a vacuum. If those resources being spent meant that it costed us an original OT ride in GE. Than probably no.
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coffeefan
Well-Known Member
SR disappointed, but it's not in the same category as MK. SR is also improvable, whereas I don't see how MK can be improved in any meaningful way.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Don’t disagree that MK disappointed more and that SR can be improved but they are in the same category in the context I provided. They both disappointed and they are both inherently flawed.
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PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
Sure.
I think walkaround face characters are typically hugely additive to the experience and one of the things that really puts Disneyland above Walt Disney World, even if I have no real idea who the character is. I have seen far more excellent face characters than awful ones.
And if there is an awful one? Easy. Fire the bad one and bring in a new one. Swap it out for something new. You know, adapt like any competent business should be able to do.
The Star Wars specific fireworks presentation hasn't even been around for two full years. And they're not just presenting the exact same show either-they've had to produce, by my count, at least five different versions of the Star Wars fireworks show by virtue of having to match MMM, TF, WJ, HS, and BIHM.
Would you have preferred they did nothing? And at any rate, clearly the fireworks is meant to be the big deal back there, hence why the dining packages (that admittedly don't have the demand to really necessitate their existence, granted) are oriented around the fireworks rather than the projection show.
Again, not disagreeing with any of these things. But "they aren't doing the things that I want them to do" isn't the same thing as "they're doing nothing."