Star Wars Land announced for Disney's Hollywood Studios

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DISnewjersey

New Member
Are there any hints of a soft opening? We'll be in Florida until 25th. I know the 17th to 21st is Passholder Previews. I'm assuming 1-2 days for the media to explore. Does anyone know what the rest of the days are scheduled as? DVC preview?

Probably been asked 1000 times so I apologize.
 
nickys

nickys

Premium Member
DISnewjersey said:
Are there any hints of a soft opening? We'll be in Florida until 25th. I know the 17th to 21st is Passholder Previews. I'm assuming 1-2 days for the media to explore. Does anyone know what the rest of the days are scheduled as? DVC preview?

Probably been asked 1000 times so I apologize.
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No DVC previews.

The media have been invited over 4-5 days. Plus the official launch the day before it opens to the public.
 
pdude81

pdude81

Well-Known Member
nickys said:
No DVC previews.

The media have been invited over 4-5 days. Plus the official launch the day before it opens to the public.
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Have you seen anywhere the timing or announcement information for the dedication? I've heard that they're doing this the day before but haven't seen any information on when it will happen or if we can attend
 
Mike S

Mike S

Well-Known Member
flynnibus said:
No it was part of a promotion. Don’t put the cart before the horse.

Remember when st opened, it was not only the first ride of its kind... but also the first time there was a crossover between a big external IP and Disney in the theme parks. And the very first Star Wars attraction anywhere.
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You’d think a billion dollar project would’ve caused as much buzz.
 
Darth Snips

Darth Snips

Well-Known Member
I was fortunate enough to have a cast preview today with a friend. I’m gonna be fully honest here: I just do not understand the distaste for this land. I’m gonna try and break down my thoughts into 4 sections: the ride, the cantina, the shops, and the general atmosphere.

The Ride
I was really impressed! I went into it with my expectations in check, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Is it an E ticket? Of course not. Is it groundbreaking? Not really. Is it fun? Heck yes! I thought it had a really infectious energy that made it an absolute blast to ride. That said, I have two major complaints: the ride feels really short, and it really needs more than one mission. I rode it a total of 5 times today, and I can’t help but feel I would have ridden even more if there had been a series of random missions to go on. On a side note, I feel like that bouncy jetway onto the Falcon doesn’t get enough attention. What a neat little effect!

The Cantina
I guess I don’t actually have a whole lot to say about this. Most of it has been covered by now. It’s really small and crowded. It’s got a fun nightclub vibe. The drinks are good but overpriced. You’ve heard this all before. I will just mention that I personally feel that DJ Rex is a much better source of entertainment than Fingrin Dan; he’s got a lot more variety.

The Shops
Full disclosure: I am a HUGE Star Wars fan, so my thoughts here may not reflect the general audience. That said, I wanted to buy everything! I ended up walking away with a tunic and belt from the marketplace. Word of warning: the tunic sizes are very confusing. I’m pretty sure I wound up with a tunic two sizes bigger than I need. I’ll probably exchange it once the land is open.

The Land/Atmosphere
This is where I’m honestly left scratching my head at the online reactions. I would use many words to describe this land: large, beige, confusing, etc. But I would never use the word dead. And yet, that is the word I’ve been seeing over and over. I would honestly describe it as the exact opposite: alive! The sound design is probably the best I’ve ever seen (or heard). The ships flying overhead, the voices coming out of windows, the droids beeping and booping, DJ Rex’s music pulsing from the cantina, the machinery turning on and off, the voices coming through the Resistance and First Order radios, the animals in the forest. It was incredible! I understand the desire for John Williams’ score, I really do. But I think they absolutely made the right call on this one. I also got to spend some time with Chewie, Rey, Vi, and the stormtroopers, which is something you can’t really do in WDW these days.

All in all, this land is fantastic! Of course it’s not perfect, but no theme park land is. And yeah, it sucks that so many interactive characters and effects got cut. But you know what? Without those elements, we still got something on the same level as Pandora, Cars Land, Hogsmeade, and Diagon Alley. At the end of the day, what more can you ask for? 😊
 
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doctornick

Well-Known Member
Hawg G said:
The interactive parts they were suggesting were essentially undoable anyway. You really thought they were going to do personal interactions with 20,000 guests each day?
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Well, exactly, that's why I was fascinated by how they would pull it off - or at least try to do so.

Personally, I envisioned some sort of "opt in" which would prevent guests who weren't interested in being harrassed and would keep the numbers lower. I envisioned maybe something like seperate Resistence and First Order recruitment stations where you sign up and are able to play.

Another idea I had in my mind was having a formal M&G in the land with, say BB-8 or R2-D2 or Chewbacca and as part of the encounter they unlock "secret" missions for you to do - you scan your MB or your phone with the app or whatever and get a quest that you can't get on your own. Would be a sensible way to tie things together and make the M&G "themed" by establishing it as a meeting to get the mission. I dunno, just a thought...
 
D

doctornick

Well-Known Member
Incomudro said:
Arguably Star Tours offered riders the most iconic moment of Star Wars - attacking the Death Star.
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And arguably Galaxy's Edge offers guests the most iconic "location" of all the Star Wars films - seeing and riding the Millennium Falcon.

Dunston said:
So many people are saying over and over again that there's nothing from the original trilogy in the location and experience... Am I the only one who remembers that you can sit in the chess room and cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, and will be boarding a Star Destroyer? Before somebody says it, yes I know the Star Destroyer is a First Order one rather than an Empire one, to which I say they are literally the same, save for how the Storm troopers look.
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And there are X-Wings and Tie Fighters and AT-ATs (not yet, but soon enough). The idea that the land doesn't easily connote Star Wars is very bizarre to me.
 
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EPCOTCenterLover

EPCOTCenterLover

Well-Known Member
Darth Snips said:
I was fortunate enough to have a cast preview today with a friend. I’m gonna be fully honest here: I just do not understand the distaste for this land. I’m gonna try and break down my thoughts into 4 sections: the ride, the cantina, the shops, and the general atmosphere.

The Ride
I was really impressed! I went into it with my expectations in check, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Is it an E ticket? Of course not. Is it groundbreaking? Not really. Is it fun? Heck yes! I thought it had a really infectious energy that made it an absolute blast to ride. That said, I have two major complaints: the ride feels really short, and it really needs more than one mission. I rode it a total of 5 times today, and I can’t help but feel I would have ridden even more if there had been a series of random missions to go on. On a side note, I feel like that bouncy jetway onto the Falcon doesn’t get enough attention. What a neat little effect!

The Cantina
I guess I don’t actually have a whole to say about this. Most of it has been covered by now. It’s really small and crowded. It’s got a fun nightclub vibe. The drinks are good but overpriced. You’ve heard this all before. I will just mention that I personally feel that DJ Rex is a much better source of entertainment than Fingrin Dan; he’s got a lot more variety.

The Shops
Full disclosure: I am a HUGE Star Wars fan, so my thoughts here may not reflect the general audience. That said, I wanted to buy everything! I ended up walking away with a tunic and belt from the marketplace. Word of warning: the tunic sizes are very confusing. I’m pretty sure I wound up with a tunic two sizes bigger than I need. I’ll probably exchange it once the land is open.

The Land/Atmosphere
This is where I’m honestly left scratching my head at the online reactions. I would use many words to describe this land: large, beige, confusing, etc. But I would never use the word dead. And yet, that is the word I’ve been seeing over and over. I would honestly describe it as the exact opposite: alive! The sound design is probably the best I’ve ever seen (or heard). The ships flying overhead, the voices coming out of windows, the droids beeping and booping, DJ Rex’s music pulsing from the cantina, the machinery turning on and off, the voices coming through the Resistance and First Order radios, the animals in the forest. It was incredible! I understand the desire for John Williams’ score, I really do. But I think they absolutely made the right call on this one. I also got to spend some time with Chewie, Rey, Vi, and the stormtroopers, which is something you can’t really do in WDW these days.

All in all, this land is fantastic! Of course it’s not perfect, but no theme park land is. And yeah, it sucks that so many interactive characters and effects got cut. But you know what? Without those elements, we still got something on the same level as Pandora, Cars Land, Hogsmeade, and Diagon Alley. At the end of the day, what more can you ask for? 😊
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing! I love reading different opinions than my own.
 
Incomudro

Incomudro

Well-Known Member
Darth Snips said:
I was fortunate enough to have a cast preview today with a friend. I’m gonna be fully honest here: I just do not understand the distaste for this land. I’m gonna try and break down my thoughts into 4 sections: the ride, the cantina, the shops, and the general atmosphere.

The Ride
I was really impressed! I went into it with my expectations in check, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Is it an E ticket? Of course not. Is it groundbreaking? Not really. Is it fun? Heck yes! I thought it had a really infectious energy that made it an absolute blast to ride. That said, I have two major complaints: the ride feels really short, and it really needs more than one mission. I rode it a total of 5 times today, and I can’t help but feel I would have ridden even more if there had been a series of random missions to go on. On a side note, I feel like that bouncy jetway onto the Falcon doesn’t get enough attention. What a neat little effect!

The Cantina
I guess I don’t actually have a whole to say about this. Most of it has been covered by now. It’s really small and crowded. It’s got a fun nightclub vibe. The drinks are good but overpriced. You’ve heard this all before. I will just mention that I personally feel that DJ Rex is a much better source of entertainment than Fingrin Dan; he’s got a lot more variety.

The Shops
Full disclosure: I am a HUGE Star Wars fan, so my thoughts here may not reflect the general audience. That said, I wanted to buy everything! I ended up walking away with a tunic and belt from the marketplace. Word of warning: the tunic sizes are very confusing. I’m pretty sure I wound up with a tunic two sizes bigger than I need. I’ll probably exchange it once the land is open.

The Land/Atmosphere
This is where I’m honestly left scratching my head at the online reactions. I would use many words to describe this land: large, beige, confusing, etc. But I would never use the word dead. And yet, that is the word I’ve been seeing over and over. I would honestly describe it as the exact opposite: alive! The sound design is probably the best I’ve ever seen (or heard). The ships flying overhead, the voices coming out of windows, the droids beeping and booping, DJ Rex’s music pulsing from the cantina, the machinery turning on and off, the voices coming through the Resistance and First Order radios, the animals in the forest. It was incredible! I understand the desire for John Williams’ score, I really do. But I think they absolutely made the right call on this one. I also got to spend some time with Chewie, Rey, Vi, and the stormtroopers, which is something you can’t really do in WDW these days.

All in all, this land is fantastic! Of course it’s not perfect, but no theme park land is. And yeah, it sucks that so many interactive characters and effects got cut. But you know what? Without those elements, we still got something on the same level as Pandora, Cars Land, Hogsmeade, and Diagon Alley. At the end of the day, what more can you ask for? 😊
Click to expand...

Thank you for the insights.
Many bits of information there that are often left out.
 
rsm

rsm

Well-Known Member
doctornick said:
And arguably Galaxy's Edge offers guests the most iconic "location" of all the Star Wars films - seeing and riding the Millennium Falcon.

And there are X-Wings and Tie Fighters and AT-ATs (not yet, but soon enough). The idea that the land doesn't easily connotative Star Wars is very bizarre to me.
Click to expand...

Not to mention Chewie, astromechs, gonks, ithorians, probe droids, wampas, smelter droids, R2D2, sarlaccs, worts, dianoga's, oil baths, landspeeders ... If GE were a film, fan's of the OT would gripe about how it had TOO MUCH fan service shoved in their faces.
 
RobWDW1971

RobWDW1971

Well-Known Member
rsm said:
Not to mention Chewie, astromechs, gonks, ithorians, probe droids, wampas, smelter droids, R2D2, sarlaccs, worts, dianoga's, oil baths, landspeeders ... If GE were a film, fan's of the OT would gripe about how it had TOO MUCH fan service shoved in their faces.
Click to expand...

You act as if those things are active, living, exciting parts of the land. The Wampa is a head on the wall. R2D2 is for sale in the back of a merch store. The probe droid is blown to bits and hanging on a wall in a junkyard. The landspeeder looks abandoned behind a rusted fence, etc.

The Falcon, Chewie (when it's his shift), and the Dianoga are all active parts of the land. The rest are exactly why the land is so depressing - they are broken, dead (in many cases literally), static, relics.

I doubt if you went to Wizard of Oz Land at Disneyland and saw the Cowardly Lion's head mounted on a wall and the Tin Man lying rusted in a planter, you'd call that "fan service".
 
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J

Jobacca

Active Member
Which is absolutely your opinion and you are entitled to it....but heres mine. I'm 43 years old. I grew up with the OT. Star Wars is was and always will be MY LIFE....I read all the EU and the comics,played all the games,went to SW Weekends...and I think Galaxys Edge looks AMAZING. This is the kind of theme park I've dreamed about since my family took me to HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS and I saw the COMING SOON wall for Star Tours complete wit the At-At and the Ewok Village. I couldnt be more thrilled with what I've seen and NONE of the complaints that people have seem like deal-breakers to me. I honestly think some people are so outraged at Disney and the current state of SW that they've decided to hate this land no matter what. Its like psyching yourself into being sick....if you want to hate it and be mad at Disney,you're going to find a reason. Me? I'd rather enjoy it and lose myself in the world of Star Wars in a way thats never been possible before.
 
mikejs78

mikejs78

Premium Member
RobWDW1971 said:
You act as if those things are active, living, exciting parts of the land. The Wampa is a head on the wall. R2D2 is for sale in the back of a merch store. The probe droid is blown to bits and hanging on a wall in a junkyard. The landspeeder looks abandoned behind a rusted fence, etc.

The Falcon, Chewie (when it's his shift), and the Dianoga are all active parts of the land. The rest are exactly why the land is so depressing - they are broken, dead (in many cases literally), static, relics.

I doubt if you went to Wizard of Oz Land at Disneyland and saw the Cowardly Lion's head mounted on a wall and the Tin Man lying rusted in a planter, you'd call that "fan service".
Click to expand...
🙄
 

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