So what changes will we see at DHS GE based on DL GE?

[jt04]

I totally agree. I can't believe that Disney missed the mark on Blue and Green Milk. I've yet to see a review that liked them both. And Disney is arguing that "Well we couldn't make something one person imagines to be Blue Milk because everyone is imagining something different" which would be a good argument if it wasn't for the fact IT HAS MILK IN ITS NAME. Something which implies it will taste like MILK to everyone.

The key in my humble opinion is either make the items look otherworldly but taste familiar OR taste otherworldly but be familiar in presentation to what people are used to.

Trying to do both is quite a challenge.

 

[sedati]

I totally agree. I can't believe that Disney missed the mark on Blue and Green Milk. I've yet to see a review that liked them both. And Disney is arguing that "Well we couldn't make something one person imagines to be Blue Milk because everyone is imagining something different" which would be a good argument if it wasn't for the fact IT HAS MILK IN ITS NAME. Something which implies it will taste like MILK to everyone.

They liked both.

 

[sedati]

They liked both.

And does Butterbeer really evoke beer other than the faux foam top?

 

[the_rich]

I had the green milk today and I thought it tasted like a papaya milkshake. Very good.

 

[justintheharris]

They liked both.

I had the green milk today and I thought it tasted like a papaya milkshake. Very good.

Well that's reassuring to know it pleases some people. I'm just a little anxious that I've already seen so many people dislike it. And of the four friends I've had visit Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland already, none liked either...

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Mickey Bars shaped instead like Yoda made of green milk. Chocolate coating over mint ice cream.

Saw this on Reddit..They could go everywhere with it..

 

[bclane]

Saw this on Reddit..They could go everywhere with it..

I would buy every single one of those...but please not in Galaxy’s Edge. Sell them outside of Star Tours or at Disney Springs and they’d have something fun for the whole family.

 

[erasure fan1]

Well that's reassuring to know it pleases some people. I'm just a little anxious that I've already seen so many people dislike it. And of the four friends I've had visit Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland already, none liked either...

Liking it isn't the problem. I see a lot of people who like it. The problem is I'm not seeing many who LOVE it. Should have been a grand slam.

 

[RSoxNo1]

People seem to be staying away from Disneyland in droves since the opening of GE. On our wait-time based scale of 1 to 10, DLR has been a '1' every day, and DCA has averaged 1.5.

I suspect this is because of the reservation system - locals who know they can't get in to GE, are staying home.

There's some evidence that Disney is scrambling to address this. PR started reaching out to travel writers last week, pitching article ideas for things like the new brunch at Lamplight Lounge. And we've already seen relaxation of the guest reservation rules for GE.

All of this makes me think it's less likely that WDW will see a pre-opening reservation system. A virtual queue may be more likely.

We'll really know the "why" when the reservation system is over. I'm guessing the locals are treating this as a preview and will flood the area at the end of June.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I know Iger pointedly said that they weren't going to advertise much. Can anyone out in California comment on what the television ads have been? I haven't seen anything on the East Coast. Conversely, I've been seeing ads for Hagrid's coaster for at least two months.

 

[TP2000]

What's the source on these claims? This isn't exactly something Disney would be advertising.

The source is a CM poster on Micechat. Take it with a grain of salt, but the overall thesis appears to be correct just by looking at the Disneyland App and the Disney Parks Blog over the past week. Disneyland has been incredibly slow since Star Wars Land opened, and now TDA is in panic mode and spent the last week trying to convince people to go to Disneyland.

There are several threads on these topics in the Disneyland forum here.

 

[the_rich]

Well that's reassuring to know it pleases some people. I'm just a little anxious that I've already seen so many people dislike it. And of the four friends I've had visit Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland already, none liked either...

One thing I will say is that I only drink almond milk at home. So the fact that this is coconut and soy wasn't a problem for me.

 

[britain]

5th gate. Planets as lands. Solved.

Edit: I know for some people that is the low-brow, uncreative, easy approach, but sometimes the most obvious (or most simple) solution is the best. I think Disney was "too smart by half" or whatever the expression is.

I know the corporate line about creating a new planet is that they wanted to put you in your adventure, not Luke's or Padme's or anyone else's adventure...

BUT

I've always felt there was a more practical aspect to this decision...




"Okay! Welcome to our 5th WDW park / 3rd DL park Star Wars planning session! First I say, let's build a land based on Hoth!"

"Well, concrete painted as snow is always amusing at theme parks, but it's never convincing. You can't hide the fact that you're actually in a warm climate."

"Okay, let's build a huge, climate-controlled show building for the Hoth land!"

"Fine, how cold should it be?"

"Super cold! I want to see foggy breath!"

"Like, uncomfortably for anyone who got a little wet on some flume attraction elsewhere?"

"Uh, yes..."

"Even if we adjust how cold is authentically cold, you're going to see guests walking around in tank tops, shorts and sandals. It's one thing to see earthly T-shirts in a Star Wars land, it's another to see guests dressed for summertime fun in the middle of a hostile ice planet."

"Eh..."

"Besides, there isn't supposed to be any much life on that iceberg. So all there would be to recreate is the rebel base. I mean the abandoned and destroyed rebel base. Or are we going to hop around time periods and build a Millennium Falcon in each of the lands?"

"Well not the prequel-based lands."

"Uh huh."

"Well, let's build a land based on Endor! That will be easily recreated in both the California and Florida climates!"

"Yes it will - what part of Endor do we build?"

"The Ewok village of course..."

"Of course... perfect place for a Redwood Creek challenge trail clone. Hmm, well good for Florida. A little duplicative for California. But fine."

"...And the imperial base."

"Right, just like Endor Vendors used to be before it was changed to Tattooine Traders. Next?"

"Um, where are some prequel locations... Naboo, baby! Let's build Naboo!"

"Right... so let's rebuild a lot of the locations that actually exist in Italy where George shot a lot of Naboo. Fans sure loved how Star Warsy that all felt in the films - oh wait a minute, they didn't."

"Well you don't need to get snippy about it. There's also the underwater realms of Naboo. That's very otherworldly. We could build a huge show building and put lots of glass windows wrapping around the guests, making it look like they are inside the ornate gungan bubbles."

"Welp - good luck justifying a hefty budget for what most people will see as 'Jar Jar Land'."

"Coruscant, we could build Coruscant!"

"Any particular buildings in Coruscant?"

"Sure! You got your Jedi Temple..."

"The size of an Egyptian pyramid."

"Your Senate building..."

"The size of a football stadium."

"Fine, those can be forced perspective recreations behind other smaller buildings."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, whatever was in the films."

"So like, generic Tomorrowlandy skyscrapers?"

"Um, yes."

"With a 50's diner and a sports bar?"

"Right."

"And continuous criss-crossing speeder traffic in the sky. How are we going to do that again?"

"Well we could either put it all in a showbuilding..."

"Again?"

"Or we could say that the traffic is very light today. Oh! Maybe it's a holiday! Maybe it's Life Day!"

"Moving on, what other lands?"

"Mustafar!"

Silence.

"You know! That volcanic place where Vader was born!"

"Look, I love volcanos as much as the next theme park fan. But that planet is always oozing with lava. Not only would that be a challenge to pull off effectively, it's narratively Lucas' version of hell itself. Smokey, ashy air, it's not a place we'd want to dedicate a full land to."

"sigh... fine."

"Maybe a brief virtual experience or something, but not a whole land."

"How about a Death Star?"

"Well, again, like we were discussing about Coruscant, scale is going to be a challenge here. You could do a 'Top half of the Death Star out there looming over the trees' sort of thing."

"Yeah but I mean put me on a Death Star."

"Ok, and... do some shopping and eating?"

"Uh, I was thinking more like get arrested, or get in a battle? And then have to escape?"

"Good ideas there. Let's write those down and save them."

"But the centerpiece land of the whole park, the planet most ripe for potential rides and attractions is... Tattooine of course! You gotta let me saddle up at the Mos Esley Cantina and watch a Bith band! Smugglers, rebels, stormtroopers, they all come to Tattooine!"

"Yes yes, now you're talking! First 'Escape from the Death Star' and now this, you are on a roll buddy!"

"Gracias!"

"Any trees there on Tattooine?"

"No, why?"

"It's just that trees help with shade and are naturally cooling. Any vegetation at all?"

"No, it's a desolate desert planet."

"Ok, so it looks like we're talking a lot of orange rockwork."

"No problem, we just did that for Carsland!"

"Uh yeah, we just did that for Carsland! And that was already a little duplicative of Frontierland's southwest landscape."

"Fine, we'll cut that part out of DL's Star Wars park. It will be unique for Florida."

"So no Tattooine (the land you said was most ripe with potential for rides and experiences) for Disneyland. Check. So that's lots of concrete with no natural cooling... we'll have to hit guests with AC whenever we can. Maybe we can say those moister vaporators spew out cool air too."

"Don't worry about it. The alley ways of Tattooine villages and its rocky wilderness... It's so atmospheric... plenty of experiential possibilities!"

"Sure, and not a piece of refreshing greenery or a trickle of soothing water in sight."

"Well you could go to Degobah land for that stuff."

"Yes, the very Animal Kingdom-like Degobah land. Except no structures to house anything. Just all jungle all the time."

"Um... yeah. You know, I'm starting to realize that most of these planets are just climates found on earth pushed to an uncomfortable extreme, or a style of city found on earth pushed to an easy-to-multiply-with-special-effects-hard-to-build-in-a-theme-park scale."

"Very true."

"You sure we can't just build a whole Tattooine land but include trees and water and call it something else?"

Writes it down.

"Noted."

 

[GlacierGlacier]

The irony is that burgers and fries are not exactly that common around WDW counter service restaurants.

Only one location at DAK, 2 locations at Epcot, and 2 location at MK have burgers on the menu. So 4 out of nearly 20 locations at those three parks. Studios food service is and always has been a mess.

Quick thing - DAK has two locations. Resturantosaurus has traditional cheeseburgers while the QS Yak & Yeti location has Kobe cheeseburger.

If wanted to be more abstract, Satu'li has "Cheeseburger Pods" but that's not quite a cheeseburger.

 

[solidyne]

I know the corporate line about creating a new planet is that they wanted to put you in your adventure, not Luke's or Padme's or anyone else's adventure...

BUT

I've always felt there was a more practical aspect to this decision...




"Okay! Welcome to our 5th WDW park / 3rd DL park Star Wars planning session! First I say, let's build a land based on Hoth!"

"Well, concrete painted as snow is always amusing at theme parks, but it's never convincing. You can't hide the fact that you're actually in a warm climate."

"Okay, let's build a huge, climate-controlled show building for the Hoth land!"

"Fine, how cold should it be?"

"Super cold! I want to see foggy breath!"

"Like, uncomfortably for anyone who got a little wet on some flume attraction elsewhere?"

"Uh, yes..."

"Even if we adjust how cold is authentically cold, you're going to see guests walking around in tank tops, shorts and sandals. It's one thing to see earthly T-shirts in a Star Wars land, it's another to see guests dressed for summertime fun in the middle of a hostile ice planet."

"Eh..."

"Besides, there isn't supposed to be any much life on that iceberg. So all there would be to recreate is the rebel base. I mean the abandoned and destroyed rebel base. Or are we going to hop around time periods and build a Millennium Falcon in each of the lands?"

"Well not the prequel-based lands."

"Uh huh."

"Well, let's build a land based on Endor! That will be easily recreated in both the California and Florida climates!"

"Yes it will - what part of Endor do we build?"

"The Ewok village of course..."

"Of course... perfect place for a Redwood Creek challenge trail clone. Hmm, well good for Florida. A little duplicative for California. But fine."

"...And the imperial base."

"Right, just like Endor Vendors used to be before it was changed to Tattooine Traders. Next?"

"Um, where are some prequel locations... Naboo, baby! Let's build Naboo!"

"Right... so let's rebuild a lot of the locations that actually exist in Italy where George shot a lot of Naboo. Fans sure loved how Star Warsy that all felt in the films - oh wait a minute, they didn't."

"Well you don't need to get snippy about it. There's also the underwater realms of Naboo. That's very otherworldly. We could build a huge show building and put lots of glass windows wrapping around the guests, making it look like they are inside the ornate gungan bubbles."

"Welp - good luck justifying a hefty budget for what most people will see as 'Jar Jar Land'."

"Coruscant, we could build Coruscant!"

"Any particular buildings in Coruscant?"

"Sure! You got your Jedi Temple..."

"The size of an Egyptian pyramid."

"Your Senate building..."

"The size of a football stadium."

"Fine, those can be forced perspective recreations behind other smaller buildings."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, whatever was in the films."

"So like, generic Tomorrowlandy skyscrapers?"

"Um, yes."

"With a 50's diner and a sports bar?"

"Right."

"And continuous criss-crossing speeder traffic in the sky. How are we going to do that again?"

"Well we could either put it all in a showbuilding..."

"Again?"

"Or we could say that the traffic is very light today. Oh! Maybe it's a holiday! Maybe it's Life Day!"

"Moving on, what other lands?"

"Mustafar!"

Silence.

"You know! That volcanic place where Vader was born!"

"Look, I love volcanos as much as the next theme park fan. But that planet is always oozing with lava. Not only would that be a challenge to pull off effectively, it's narratively Lucas' version of hell itself. Smokey, ashy air, it's not a place we'd want to dedicate a full land to."

"sigh... fine."

"Maybe a brief virtual experience or something, but not a whole land."

"How about a Death Star?"

"Well, again, like we were discussing about Coruscant, scale is going to be a challenge here. You could do a 'Top half of the Death Star out there looming over the trees' sort of thing."

"Yeah but I mean put me on a Death Star."

"Ok, and... do some shopping and eating?"

"Uh, I was thinking more like get arrested, or get in a battle? And then have to escape?"

"Good ideas there. Let's write those down and save them."

"But the centerpiece land of the whole park, the planet most ripe for potential rides and attractions is... Tattooine of course! You gotta let me saddle up at the Mos Esley Cantina and watch a Bith band! Smugglers, rebels, stormtroopers, they all come to Tattooine!"

"Yes yes, now you're talking! First 'Escape from the Death Star' and now this, you are on a roll buddy!"

"Gracias!"

"Any trees there on Tattooine?"

"No, why?"

"It's just that trees help with shade and are naturally cooling. Any vegetation at all?"

"No, it's a desolate desert planet."

"Ok, so it looks like we're talking a lot of orange rockwork."

"No problem, we just did that for Carsland!"

"Uh yeah, we just did that for Carsland! And that was already a little duplicative of Frontierland's southwest landscape."

"Fine, we'll cut that part out of DL's Star Wars park. It will be unique for Florida."

"So no Tattooine (the land you said was most ripe with potential for rides and experiences) for Disneyland. Check. So that's lots of concrete with no natural cooling... we'll have to hit guests with AC whenever we can. Maybe we can say those moister vaporators spew out cool air too."

"Don't worry about it. The alley ways of Tattooine villages and its rocky wilderness... It's so atmospheric... plenty of experiential possibilities!"

"Sure, and not a piece of refreshing greenery or a trickle of soothing water in sight."

"Well you could go to Degobah land for that stuff."

"Yes, the very Animal Kingdom-like Degobah land. Except no structures to house anything. Just all jungle all the time."

"Um... yeah. You know, I'm starting to realize that most of these planets are just climates found on earth pushed to an uncomfortable extreme, or a style of city found on earth pushed to an easy-to-multiply-with-special-effects-hard-to-build-in-a-theme-park scale."

"Very true."

"You sure we can't just build a whole Tattooine land but include trees and water and call it something else?"

Writes it down.

"Noted."

I get your point, but all you're doing is reminding me of what could have been!

 

[TP2000]

Here's a summary of actual changes to the Disneyland operation of Star Wars Land after the first 10 days, in no particular order;

The custom sporks at the various dining locations have gone away after only one week. They were being stolen by the hundreds and were for sale on Ebay for up to $75 per piece. Stay classy Star Wars fans!

The sporks were replaced by regular shiny American silverware like you'd find at a Denny's.

The Cantina is by reservation only now, and it's still messy. There's a one-drink minimum, two-drink maximum and a 45 minute time limit that no CM seems willing or able to enforce. The Cantina CM's have been reported by multiple websites, and many types of casual to professional observers, as being snippy, rude, overworked, or just plain over it. It's barely been 10 days, and the land has been subject to stringent crowd capacities, so I'm not sure how those CM's are going to handle the real demand to come later this year.

Savi's Workshop is also by reservation now. The presentation by the CM's has been described as "cringey", and God bless 'em they are trying but they aren't actors. They are shopclerks given a long script to act out as the customers build their light sabers. The general consensus is that they need to get a real AGVA actor in there doing the show, or slim down the CM script substantially.

Shop CM's have been given portable tablets this past weekend to ring up sales, to avoid overcrowding at the very small shops in the land. Traffic flow in and around the village area and shopping bazaar is said to be congested and chaotic, even with small numbers of people per reservation window.

Disneyland reservation system seems to have worked a bit too well. Disneyland attendance is down in June, employee blockouts were lifted, extra reservation slots were opened, Disneyland Guest Relations and management are offering day-of reservations to Star Wars Land for anyone who complains about anything, and the Disney Parks Blog and media team unleashed a series of interviews in SoCal newspapers and on YouTube late last week encouraging people to come to Disneyland NOW!

I imagine this has turned off the Orlando execs to any sort of reservation system for DHS. It's unclear how the virtual queue to enter the land will work on June 24th onward, but that could be another rocky voyage of discovery for Anaheim.

Reliable CM reports from another site have said that 4,000 people were allowed in for each 4 hour reservation window, that the Millennium Falcon ride gets about 1,600 riders per hour at best, and Disneyland has seen no-show rates of 30% or higher for reservation windows. The wait time for Millenium Falcon: Target Run has averaged 15 to 25 minutes throughout the day for the past week. The same CM and an Imagineer on another message board revealed in their conversation that the best case scenario now for opening the Resistance ride at Disneyland is October, but that could slip to November or December.

 

[truecoat]

Clearly the combination of crowd fear, the reservation system, only one of two rides open, interactive element cutbacks (no roaming droids or flying drones initially due to crowd fears), AP and cast member blackouts, and the 4 hour time window created a perfect storm that really backfired on them. A lot of people on these boards said they were gonna wait on going for those very reasons. I just hope this doesn’t teach Disney all the wrong lessons and now we don’t get any more big immersive lands or Star Wars expansions in the future.

I also wonder if this lost some general audience appeal by not being set in a more familiar Star Wars movie setting vs the outer rim planet that no one had ever heard of before. For me, I absolutely love the idea of a create your own Star Wars story location, but maybe that is less appealing for the average Joe Public kinda fan. Who knows? But Disneyland at level 1 crowd levels for multiple days in a row is incredible.

Finally, I don’t believe this will be the situation in Florida at all and I’m fearful that they just let it be a free for all and we’ll be stuck with the 8 hour lines just to get into Batuu we’ve been envisioning since they announced this thing.

Another big problem was letting people reserve without having tickets. It should have been the other way around. Anyone who had internet access could reserve a spot or many spots without having any idea of whether they would really be able to go.

 

[RSoxNo1]

One thing I will say is that I only drink almond milk at home. So the fact that this is coconut and soy wasn't a problem for me.

I wonder though if the attempts to make it vegan friendly hurt the flavor profile of the beverage to the point that it won't sell as much as if it wasn't vegan friendly.

 

[nol_dur]

I heard the green milk was more citrusy and the blue milk tasted like coconut

 

[Movielover]

I wonder though if the attempts to make it vegan friendly hurt the flavor profile of the beverage to the point that it won't sell as much as if it wasn't vegan friendly.

Which is why they should have made different versions including non vegan ones. Punish the ones who choose to go vegan, not the other way around.