Per Jim Hill, the Star Wars restaurant is coming.

[Villains0501]

Is it wrong that I am getting great deal of satisfaction for the fact that TWDC Parks and Resorts is going through hell over this.

No, sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way. The optimist in me hopes that Disney is starting to learn that these half-baked land "additions" (New Fantasyland, Toy Story Land, etc.) just won't cut it anymore and will up their game in future. The pessimist in me knows that Disney's response will be to cut, cut, cut from future projects. As usual, the wrong lesson will have been learned.

 

[Villains0501]

As I’ve said before, I don’t believe galaxy’s edge is a failure at all. After rise opens then we can see also when WDW opens that would be more fair. I really do think this Jim Hill rumor could come true.

EDIT: Savi’s and Oga’s already make hand over fist profits so...what’s the problem here?

Perhaps insufficient capacity?

 

[ToTBellHop]

Perhaps insufficient capacity?

If only a land based on a popular franchise had opened in 2010 at a competitor park with woefully-small dining and retail that forced a second land four years later.

At least WWoHP has the excuse that they were building locations fans had seen in films and needed to be small. They set SWGE on a made-up planet. Oga’s could have been as big as they damn well pleased. I guess we should plan on a x-wing-looking monorail in the future to get from SWGE: Batuu to SWGE: Coruscant at Epcot?

At least then we could divide up the characters so we don’t have seemingly every famous character from a galaxy far, far away on the same planet we’ve never heard of. Imagine if they had gone this route in WWoHP. Kid who vaguely looks like Harry Potter in Honeydukes while Voldemort poses for pics outside Zonko’s shouting “Avada kedavra!” every time the camera flashes. And oh there’s Severus Snape in the Owlrey alternating between shouting “Potter!” with a sneer and whining “I think about your Mum every night when I’m alone in the dungeons...”

 

[Villains0501]

If only a land based on a popular franchise had opened in 2010 at a competitor park with woefully-small dining and retail that forced a second land four years later.

At least WWoHP has the excuse that they were building locations fans had seen in films and needed to be small. They set SWGE on a made-up planet. Oga’s could have been as big as they damn well pleased. I guess we should plan on a x-wing-looking monorail in the future to get from SWGE: Batuu to SWGE: Coruscant at Epcot?

Let the record show, I didn't bring Universal into this. Both companies should know better. Oga's size is fine if it's supporting a larger dining establishment. I'd like to think Imagineering of the past could have found a way to preserve the intimacy of the space without sacrificing guest capacity. More and more evidence seems to point to today's Imagineers not having adequate appreciation of the average guest experience or for the customer service banalities of running a theme park.

 

[Surferboy567]

If only a land based on a popular franchise had opened in 2010 at a competitor park with woefully-small dining and retail that forced a second land four years later.

At least WWoHP has the excuse that they were building locations fans had seen in films and needed to be small. They set SWGE on a made-up planet. Oga’s could have been as big as they damn well pleased. I guess we should plan on a x-wing-looking monorail in the future to get from SWGE: Batuu to SWGE: Coruscant at Epcot?

Yes, but and I hate to be that guy but, historically cantinas are small intimate spaces. It also makes sense that canonically speaking the gatherers would be in a small area to avoid detection.

But...yes they could of just baked the larger area into a story. Another thing remember the restaurant was planned to be in the land and if it was here at launch Oga’s wouldn’t have that much of a problem.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Let the record show, I didn't bring Universal into this. Both companies should know better. Oga's size is fine if it's supporting a larger dining establishment. I'd like to think Imagineering of the past could have found a way to preserve the intimacy of the space without sacrificing guest capacity. More and more evidence seems to point to today's Imagineers not having adequate appreciation of the average guest experience or for the customer service banalities of running a theme park.

You didn’t, but WDI certainly tours competitor lands to try and learn from their errors.

 

[Villains0501]

You didn’t, but WDI certainly tours competitor lands to try and learn from their errors.

They could have saved themselves the admission and paid an extra stunt performer.

 

[NormC]

The main attraction missing, the AP blackouts, and the hype for the crowds all have to do with the current crowds being down. It has nothing to do with the mishandling of the Star Wars brand as some have made it out to be.

Correct

 

[WDW Pro]

The fallacy here is it doesn’t need to be planned by WDI. It already was. They just need to approve building it when they are ready. WDI already designed it.

WDI is highly compartmentalized, and I'm not in-the-know when it comes to the restaurant. That said, if the interior, kitchen, and menu made it beyond iteration, I'm not aware. They could be, but I haven't heard that until you suggesting here that the whole building is fully designed. I do know the footprint, the facade, and the utility connections were all designed out.

 

[monothingie]

Correct

This is mishandling of the theme park end that has damaged the Star Wars brand.

TDA thought they could have their cake and eat it too. Jack ticket and AP prices to unheard of levels, lockout all by the most expensive APs and still expect people to break the doors down with their wallets in the air.

Shockingly (lol) it didn’t happen.

Now it’s time for round 2 with TDO. No blackouts, but the record increases in ticket and APs. Add to the mix absolutely no incentives such as dining or rack rate discounts. (Seriously we’ve been so conditioned to hotel discounts, does anyone book rack rate anymore?). More bungling by morons.

But when those quarterly growth numbers are negative, it’s going to be a hoot of a show.

 

[monothingie]

EDIT: Savi’s and Oga’s already make hand over fist profits so...what’s the problem here?

The rest of the park outside of SWGE that’s empty.

 

[Surferboy567]

The rest of the park outside of SWGE that’s empty.

Again, it’s empty because of those variables mentioned before. Many people have said it better then I have including (but not limited to):

I said it once and I’ll say it again, this whole low attendance thing is a perfect storm of many variables. It is momentary once Rise opens everyone will see this land be a crazy success and the words flop will never be used in the same sentence as galaxy’s edge. The other variables such as the reservation system narrative driving people away, blocking out the AP’s and CM’s also contributes to this low attendance. Another thing WDW’s hasn’t even opened yet too early to make any statements regarding attendance.

There honestly is no "Star Wars problem". It'll be fine. Once they open the big ticket RotR, all will be good. We need to view these early months as previews.

Could lack of crowds be because the main ride is not even done yet? Why rush to a land that could not even get all of it done in time to open! Sorry but if you go only a few times a year in CA why waste a trip just wait.

Yes. I’ve already shared on these boards that management is very concerned at DL’s attendance. However, they are incompetent morons.

Back here in the land of the sane, everything will be fine by next year and there will be a restaurant at some point. The losers in charge out west will have been moved somewhere else after surely making draconian cuts this fall. I’ve seen this episode before.

They are begging guests to come to DL with deals and social media marketing that shows the wait times, say the parks are dead, so please come. There are no fewer than four news posts on DPB today, including one en español, that basically say, “did you know we opened one of our Star Wars Lands? We bet you didn’t know. You didn’t know, right? Please tell us you didn’t know. ¿Tú no lo sabias? ¡Por favor ven aquí ahora!” That’s unprecedented. However, anyone with common sense (which MBAs often lack) can see why.

I don't think the low numbers at DL are cause for concern nor should they be used as a benchmark for overall success of the land. No matter how you cut it, DL is a regional park with a high annual pass rate from local repeat park guests. People aren't flying into Anaheim to visit GE. Now WDW is a totally different beast. I fully expect that land to be packed to the gills.

 

[Surferboy567]

It that it’s not the case with all, but how many of these social media people are bribed/paid/etc by Disney?

And another thing...Disney doesn’t bribe the bloggers. They are given free trips to report on a land they can say whatever they want to say. The feedback has been great on the land.

 

[monothingie]

And another thing...Disney doesn’t bribe the bloggers. They are given free trips to report on a land they can say whatever they want to say. The feedback has been great on the land.

Of course the feedback has been positive, because if it wasn't they wouldn't be invited back for future Disney events as guests of TWDC. (Specifically, they wouldn't be comp'd for future Disney events and would have to pay their own way and not get VIP access.)

 

[WDW Pro]

And another thing...Disney doesn’t bribe the bloggers. They are given free trips to report on a land they can say whatever they want to say. The feedback has been great on the land.

That's pretty darn naive. "Influencers" are given free trips, free tickets, free food, the opportunity to talk to celebrities, items of high value that they often sell, and if said "influencer" were to say negative things about the experience / product, that would be the last time they were invited.

 

[monothingie]

Again, it’s empty because of those variables mentioned before. Many people have said it better then I have including (but not limited to):

The typical Disney guest doesn't even know what ROTR is. TBH that excuse is a cop out. What they do know is that unless you fork over $150 per person or pay for the top AP you're SOL and people aren't willing to do that, especially since it was hyped to be the busiest attraction opening in history.

TDO so far has made all the same mistakes so far that TDA did, but they still have time to make them less worse.

 

[MisterPenguin]

At least WWoHP has the excuse that they were building locations...

..in two separate parks to bilk Potter fans out of a Universal hopper ticket.

(FTFY!)

No, sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way. The optimist in me hopes that Disney is starting to learn that these half-baked land "additions" (New Fantasyland, Toy Story Land, etc.) just won't cut it anymore and will up their game in future.

Umm, actually, TSL is doing very well.

 

[danlb_2000]

No, sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way. The optimist in me hopes that Disney is starting to learn that these half-baked land "additions" (New Fantasyland, Toy Story Land, etc.) just won't cut it anymore and will up their game in future. The pessimist in me knows that Disney's response will be to cut, cut, cut from future projects. As usual, the wrong lesson will have been learned.

How exactly is New Fantasyland "half baked"?

 

[monothingie]

How exactly is New Fantasyland "half baked"?

The quiche I got at BOG was kinda under done.

 

[Surferboy567]

The typical Disney guest doesn't even know what ROTR is. TBH that excuse is a cop out. What they do know is that unless you fork over $150 per person or pay for the top AP you're SOL and people aren't willing to do that, especially since it was hyped to be the busiest attraction opening in history.

TDO so far has made all the same mistakes so far that TDA did, but they still have time to make them less worse.

I have to disagree that Disneyland guests don’t know what Rise is...lots of them are locals and know EXACTLY what every new addition is.