Galaxy's Edge vs. Pandora....

[Trackmaster]

I see Disney World as a "increasing the size of the pie" type of park when it comes to crowds. Yes, at amusement parks and other theme parks, new additions to existing parks and sister parks seem to siphon crowds away -- as they pull from a finite regional pool of people. But as Disney pulls from all over the world, the more they put in better and better stuff, the more people in general flock to the parks. Its why the four parks in Orlando (middle of nowhere) outdraws the other parks that are all in major cities across the world that only have 1-2 parks. It doesn't matter where the parks are.... people have the ability to book plane tickets. Its just about giving them a reason to go.

 

[LAKid53]

I was thinking the turnpike exit on I-75 south...

That's another 50 or so miles before the Disney exit. And that interchange is a mess with all the construction.

 

[padlock]

I think in the 'short' term (2 years or so), the opening of Galaxy's edge will raise attendance in all parks as people flock to the the resort. Longer term, it may actually reduce the waits as crowds return to normal, but with the added capacity.

 

[draybook]

The line will start back at the US192/World Drive interchange.

Florida/Georgia, Florida/Alabama state lines would be more like it...

 

[LAKid53]

SWL is going to change wait times for all attractions in DHS in a BAD way. When people can't get into SWL, they will end up getting in line for anything including Frozen Sing Along or Disney Jr...LOL.


It will be a nightmare. I hope anyone that currently works in DHS guest relations, has the common sense to transfer to another park prior to SWL opening.

Im not too far from I-10. Maybe I'll set up a snack and beverage stand alongside the outer lane.

 

[Raineman]

Im not too far from I-10. Maybe I'll set up a snack and beverage stand alongside the outer lane.

Get a CM's uniform and stand beside the road with a "FastPass line starts here" sign.

 

[LAKid53]

Get a CM's uniform and stand beside the road with a "FastPass line starts here" sign.

I've got my name badge from SW weekends. Tempting, very tempting.

 

[WDWmazprty]

 

[Trackmaster]

Common sense would indicate that wait times WILL drop in Pandora once SW:GE opens.

Comparing it to Mine Train isn't really fair because Pandora and Mine Train are aimed at different audiences. Mine Train is a super draw for little kids/young families (and, yes some adults) while Pandora is more teen/adult oriented in terms of general appeal. SW:GE is aimed squarely at the same audience as Pandora.

Attendance will probably rise, but not by a massive %'s as the price of WDW is now at a level where a significant chunk of the population is priced out. SW:GE also brings along with it a sizable CAPACITY increase. The land is at least double the physical size of Pandora and has two E-Tickets instead of one, along with other minor attractions (the Cantina, among others).

Bottom line... I would expect a bit of a moderation of FOP lines when SW:GE (and MMRR) open at DHS.

I'm not really banking on Galaxy's Edge affecting FoP's wait times very much:

• They're at separate parks. A group will go to AK one day, and Hollywood Studios another day, so they won't be fighting for the same FP+ reservations or choosing between them.
• More people will come for Galaxy's Edge, and while they're on the trip, will also visit AK, thus adding to the line.
• Even if GE was siphoning interest from FoP, I'd imagine that many people would be riding FoP now, but the lines reach a breaking point where the interest in riding isn't enough to overcome the line. If some people have a breaking point of three hours, and the line gets down to 2 hours, 40 minutes, more people will jump in bringing it back up to three hours.
• Kind of relates to #1, but remember that there's a 4:1 priority ratio for FP+ over stand-by. So if FP+ is filled to capacity, it doesn't take much for the stand-by to get out of control. If FoP is still the #1 attraction at AK, its FP+ will always be at capacity and unavailable before the park opens. So stand-by is always going to get hosed.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Common sense would indicate that wait times WILL drop in Pandora once SW:GE opens.

Comparing it to Mine Train isn't really fair because Pandora and Mine Train are aimed at different audiences. Mine Train is a super draw for little kids/young families (and, yes some adults) while Pandora is more teen/adult oriented in terms of general appeal. SW:GE is aimed squarely at the same audience as Pandora.

Attendance will probably rise, but not by a massive %'s as the price of WDW is now at a level where a significant chunk of the population is priced out. SW:GE also brings along with it a sizable CAPACITY increase. The land is at least double the physical size of Pandora and has two E-Tickets instead of one, along with other minor attractions (the Cantina, among others).

Bottom line... I would expect a bit of a moderation of FOP lines when SW:GE (and MMRR) open at DHS.

Nah.

 

[SirWillow]

I'm not really banking on Galaxy's Edge affecting FoP's wait times very much:

• They're at separate parks. A group will go to AK one day, and Hollywood Studios another day, so they won't be fighting for the same FP+ reservations or choosing between them.

I think you're dead on here. Not sure why people are seeming to think that GE is going to reduce lines at other parks. WDW is a multiple day destination for almost every visitor. Will it increase attendance at Studios? Absolutely! But I'm also expecting it to boost attendance at least a little bit in all of the parks. While a few people will come just to visit Studios and SWGE, those are people that are likely local anyways. But the ones traveling for it? They're making a vacation and are going to be visiting all of the Disney parks as part of it. Which means all will likely receive some sort of boost from it.

As I recall, the same thing happened when Pandora opened, though on a smaller scale. Attendance numbers and line waits didn't go down at Magic Kingdom or Studios because of Flight of Passage. They went up because Pandora brought more people to visit all of Walt Disney World.

 

[monothingie]

Why not EFCOT Center?

 

[Trackmaster]

I think you're dead on here. Not sure why people are seeming to think that GE is going to reduce lines at other parks. WDW is a multiple day destination for almost every visitor. Will it increase attendance at Studios? Absolutely! But I'm also expecting it to boost attendance at least a little bit in all of the parks. While a few people will come just to visit Studios and SWGE, those are people that are likely local anyways. But the ones traveling for it? They're making a vacation and are going to be visiting all of the Disney parks as part of it. Which means all will likely receive some sort of boost from it.

As I recall, the same thing happened when Pandora opened, though on a smaller scale. Attendance numbers and line waits didn't go down at Magic Kingdom or Studios because of Flight of Passage. They went up because Pandora brought more people to visit all of Walt Disney World.

The only glimmer of light I can see is people getting really fed up with 2-3 hour lines for all of the new attractions, and choosing attraction walk-on options just to get some production in when they see FoP. But granted, if that makes FoP go from 2 hours to 1.5 hours, it'll just mean that people will see it at 1.5, and fill in the difference.

I think that traditional amusement park logic just doesn't work at Disney. Yes, at most amusement parks, when a star attraction is brought in, it will steal lines from older rides, but Disney just doesn't use traditional logic. It uses its own logic.

 

[winstongator]

Indeed, the masses of people who wont be able to get into SW:GE will then pour into all the other parks.

I think mostly into the park where there is a shiny new transportation system to get to.

 

[Trackmaster]

I think mostly into the park where there is a shiny new transportation system to get to.

But if you think about it, the utility of the gondolas is pretty limited. Its pretty awesome if you happen to stay at the hotel that it goes right to... pretty cool if you stay at one of the ones that you can transfer to... "I guess it siphons away some congestion" if you don't stay at one of the few hotels that its relevant for.

 

[Minthorne]

I've got my name badge from SW weekends. Tempting, very tempting.

Off-topic - I love your avatar!

 

[LAKid53]

Off-topic - I love your avatar!

Thanks. I stole it from a NASA t-shirt.

 

[joshjoned]

SWGE will be by far the most popular thing Disney has ever done in any of their parks. This is why I believe Disneyland in CA has potential to surpass MK in Florida in attendance. And Hollywood studios will go from being known as the "half day park", to the one park that reaches capacity most often, at least for the next couple of years. Howvever, I agree with someone who said that FOP will likely probably be better than any ride coming to SWGE, but Pandora overall will be crushed by SWGE in popularity.

 

[I am Timmy]

So, does anyone think Disney will sell fastpasses to the GE attractions? They would hopefully still offer regular FP as well. That said, not sure if GE will take away from FoP, or just make more crowds across the board. Plenty will come for GE, and stay to go to the other parks as well.

 

[winstongator]

But if you think about it, the utility of the gondolas is pretty limited. Its pretty awesome if you happen to stay at the hotel that it goes right to... pretty cool if you stay at one of the ones that you can transfer to... "I guess it siphons away some congestion" if you don't stay at one of the few hotels that its relevant for.

DHS and Epcot are the two Orlando parks you can walk back and forth to and from. I know I'm in a minority of people that enjoy that. I can see people doing a Star Wars morning and then retreating to a calmer spot at Epcot for a nice sit down dinner. We rode gondolas in Jackson Hole and the views are amazing. I enjoy the views of the resort when I'm on the coasters, and am looking forward to them on the skyliner.