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News Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Disneyland opening reports/reviews
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Anjin
Well-Known Member
No no no. That's not how this works. You're supposed to go, have a great time, gloat about how much better WDW is than DLR, and start a massive forum war. We're counting on you.
TROR
Well-Known Member
Check it out for ten minutes for Rex if you already have a reservation.
mdcpr
Well-Known Member
But that's not true. It depends on where you live. Every city has neighborhoods, and each neighborhood is different. I've always been in cities, Miami, NY, Boston, San Fran, and I have experience what you have experienced in the South--ok, so not at the same degree, but it is there.
No Name
Well-Known Member
There are positives and negatives to different places. I’m more of a city person myself but I can see why TROR would like the south and west more. Depends a lot on how you’re raised.
Just be glad you don’t live on Batuu, where you would presumably have no neighbors because they’ve all been cut.
Just be glad you don’t live on Batuu, where you would presumably have no neighbors because they’ve all been cut.
Old Mouseketeer
Well-Known Member
While that's clever and witty, it's also viewing the past through rose colored blinders that are not at all accurate.
I know, because I was around in the mid to late 20th century. This guy is even younger than me, judging by his Disco haircut at age 25.
He didn't "buy" a house at age 22. He got a 30 year mortgage for a 3 bedroom/1.5 bath house that had no central AC, no dishwasher, a clothes line instead of a clothes dryer, and cheap polyester carpet and vinyl fake wood paneling. The house was full of products that not even a Home Depot clearance sale would sell today, and no Millennial would be caught dead owning or Instagramming.
Ignore the live baby bear, look how cheap and tacky those drapes are!
We used margarine not because it was healthy, which it turned out it wasn't, but because it was much cheaper than butter.
We kept an old Folger's can in the kitchen to collect nails and tacks and staples not because we were "sustainable", but because those metal things could be reused and would be cheaper than buying new ones made in China from Home Depot.
We drank Tang not because the Astronauts drank it, but because it was dramatically cheaper than real orange juice. Which back then was sold in frozen tubes that you mixed up yourself, which is much cheaper than a carton of OJ today, but back then Tang was even cheaper than the frozen tube. You got to buy the frozen OJ tubes once or twice a year, often at Christmas or when family came to visit.
Ladies always wore nice dresses and two-piece casual separates out in public to Disneyland not because they were fancy rich folks, but because that's what they could afford to sew themselves from Butterick patterns. A ladies closet circa 1965 had only a couple of trendy dresses bought off the rack at a department store, which she kept for years and adjusted the hemline upward as the style changed, while the majority of her wardrobe was hand made from a 59 cent pattern and a Singer that your grandma passed down or they got as a wedding gift. Men wore slacks and buttoned shirts out in public not because they were formal, but because that's the only type of clothing they had and it took them from their workday on Tuesday to their big trip to Disneyland on Saturday. Yes, the result was a classier and more attractive audience at Disneyland, but it was all because it was much cheaper for them and that's what they could afford.
These men at Disneyland aren't wearing suits because they are fancy rich guys, but because suits are the only clothing they have to wear beyond the bedroom. The women likely made these casual separates themselves on their sewing machine. They couldn't afford to buy this stuff off the rack all the time.
You bought a big American car on credit, and it looked great. But it didn't have air conditioning; it had venti-pane windows instead. It had an AM radio with one speaker in the dash if you paid for that upgrade, or an AM/FM radio with a second speaker behind the rear seats if you were a wealthy doctor who bought a Buick or a Lincoln. You had to pay extra to get a rear view mirror on the passenger side. Most cars were dowdy four door sedans, with vinyl bench seats that weren't comfortable. Even fancy Buicks had roll down windows instead of electric switches. It was big, but it was hot and sticky and loud. Seriously, those vinyl seats were sticky!
OMG! I remember those details from the Babes in Toyland unit in Fantasy On Parade (the xmas parade in the '60s). Thank you!
LukaLand
Active Member
Just went back for a 2nd visit. First visit was opening (reservation required) day. This time I took a friend who grew up in Southern California and has been to Disneyland many times. Her reaction? Pretty, but there's nothing to do. We went into every shop, rode the ride, had a reservation for the Cantina. She wanted a few pictures in front of the ships (MF and the one by the First Order store) and thought the Storm Troopers yelling at people from above was interesting for about a minute. We both enjoyed the cantina. Her comment was that it was the only Star Wars experience in Star Wars Land. Honestly, we didn't stay long and we didn't go back during our 3 day trip. Outside of the bar, in which we had 1 drink apiece and both 'food' items for something like $70, we didn't buy anything.
Just spent a day at GE and I'm positively puzzled by all the negativity on this thread.
I guess I'm lucky that I had the complete opposite experience of most people here, particularly in regards to the cantina.
I'm not saying that people are being untruthful when they talk about harried hostesses or inattentive servers. But it also seems like a negative attitude may have colored their experience. I also freely admit that my week-day visit was arguably less crowded and hectic than it would have been on a week end.
I went to Oga's three times during my visit, in the late morning, afternoon and at night and each experience was perfect.
We had to wait outside for a bit, it varied between about 12 minutes to less than five at night. We stood at the bar twice and were mercifully seated in a booth at the end of the day, when we were quite exhausted.
(On our first visit, we were briefly shown to one of the small standing tables, but when I noticed room at the bar and asked to be moved, the host cheerfully complied with my request. Those tables look like the worst place to be.)
During our first visit, we chatted constantly with an extremely friendly and attentive bartender. Though she was constantly busy making drinks, she still was very bright and conversational and made time to make us feel very welcome and well taken care of.
The drinks were very tasty, though they were out of one or two items (The Bespin Fizz had an issue with the dry ice. Oh, well.)
At no point did any CM track the time we spent there, warn us about the ticking clock or ask us to leave. We definitely overstayed the 45 minute period, but not by much, as we didn't want to be selfish. This was true on each of our three visits, we received not a single nudge about the time allotment.
During our second visit, we stood basically at the same place. Our old bartender was around, but a bit further away. Our new bartender was just as polite and friendly, but not quite as chatty. We wound up making a friend next to us on the bar who was there on her own. The three of us became instant best friends, laughing, sharing drinks, taking pictures, having fun. Nearby, another party took pictures of us taking pictures and said it look like we were having fun. Which we were. But basically, everyone at the bar was having a blast and there was a terrific communal vibe throughout the entire place.
When Rex "broke down" during this visit and a CM pulled the mallet out to "fix" him, the entire bar started chanting and cheering along.
On the third visit, we were seated at a booth, initially at those small stools. Not the best place to sit, but they made for a perfect photo opportunity spot. We moved onto the leather seats when room opened up.
As before, we made instant friends with everyone seated all around us. We didn't feel crowded, though the booth was at capacity. And everyone there was in a wonderful mood. At this point, we switched up our drink orders with a beer or two to take a break from the tasty, but sweet cocktails. As an infrequent beer drinker at best, I was extremely impressed by the quality of the beers and would definitely order one next visit without hesitation.
The service at the booth was fine. The server was definitely under pressure, but was always there when we needed him and we faced no undue delays with ordering or receiving our drinks.
Yeah, you "pay as you go", but big whoop. I've been to plenty of real world bars that have that policy, too.
With so many things about GE, you have to be a more active participant that you might be used to to get the most out of your experience. Maybe that's not for everyone, maybe that's too much effort for some, but for me, that's the definition of "interactivity" and immersion. Take control of your own narrative and you can have a wonderful time.
Does GE still have some work to do? Of course? It is perfect? No. But I still give it high marks and our visits to Oga were easily the highlight of the trip.
I guess I'm lucky that I had the complete opposite experience of most people here, particularly in regards to the cantina.
I'm not saying that people are being untruthful when they talk about harried hostesses or inattentive servers. But it also seems like a negative attitude may have colored their experience. I also freely admit that my week-day visit was arguably less crowded and hectic than it would have been on a week end.
I went to Oga's three times during my visit, in the late morning, afternoon and at night and each experience was perfect.
We had to wait outside for a bit, it varied between about 12 minutes to less than five at night. We stood at the bar twice and were mercifully seated in a booth at the end of the day, when we were quite exhausted.
(On our first visit, we were briefly shown to one of the small standing tables, but when I noticed room at the bar and asked to be moved, the host cheerfully complied with my request. Those tables look like the worst place to be.)
During our first visit, we chatted constantly with an extremely friendly and attentive bartender. Though she was constantly busy making drinks, she still was very bright and conversational and made time to make us feel very welcome and well taken care of.
The drinks were very tasty, though they were out of one or two items (The Bespin Fizz had an issue with the dry ice. Oh, well.)
At no point did any CM track the time we spent there, warn us about the ticking clock or ask us to leave. We definitely overstayed the 45 minute period, but not by much, as we didn't want to be selfish. This was true on each of our three visits, we received not a single nudge about the time allotment.
During our second visit, we stood basically at the same place. Our old bartender was around, but a bit further away. Our new bartender was just as polite and friendly, but not quite as chatty. We wound up making a friend next to us on the bar who was there on her own. The three of us became instant best friends, laughing, sharing drinks, taking pictures, having fun. Nearby, another party took pictures of us taking pictures and said it look like we were having fun. Which we were. But basically, everyone at the bar was having a blast and there was a terrific communal vibe throughout the entire place.
When Rex "broke down" during this visit and a CM pulled the mallet out to "fix" him, the entire bar started chanting and cheering along.
On the third visit, we were seated at a booth, initially at those small stools. Not the best place to sit, but they made for a perfect photo opportunity spot. We moved onto the leather seats when room opened up.
As before, we made instant friends with everyone seated all around us. We didn't feel crowded, though the booth was at capacity. And everyone there was in a wonderful mood. At this point, we switched up our drink orders with a beer or two to take a break from the tasty, but sweet cocktails. As an infrequent beer drinker at best, I was extremely impressed by the quality of the beers and would definitely order one next visit without hesitation.
The service at the booth was fine. The server was definitely under pressure, but was always there when we needed him and we faced no undue delays with ordering or receiving our drinks.
Yeah, you "pay as you go", but big whoop. I've been to plenty of real world bars that have that policy, too.
With so many things about GE, you have to be a more active participant that you might be used to to get the most out of your experience. Maybe that's not for everyone, maybe that's too much effort for some, but for me, that's the definition of "interactivity" and immersion. Take control of your own narrative and you can have a wonderful time.
Does GE still have some work to do? Of course? It is perfect? No. But I still give it high marks and our visits to Oga were easily the highlight of the trip.
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mdcpr
Well-Known Member
How long did it take you to do all of these? 3-4 hours?
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
You nailed this on the right on the head. This is what I tried to allude to earlier.
Some people have an attitude going into GE, and those people will always be impossible to impress or sway. I've had it many times in restaurants I work at, if someone comes in looking for things to be wrong/go wrong, they probably will.
The_Mesh_Hatter
Well-Known Member
I can only imagine it’s possible to spend a day in GE without getting bored by riding a steady alcohol buzz. Which it sounds like you did.
Not even close, but if that's what you'd like to believe, I can't stop you.
Look, there's no doubt it stinks to have poor service, especially at Disney, which prides itself on its customer interactions. But you can let that ruin everything for you or you can try to take it in stride.
As I said, I was lucky to have terrific service at Oga's, but sometimes the stress of a job like that is going to wear on an employee despite the best of intentions.
BTW, referring to a post from a couple of pages ago - if you're dead set on not sitting in a booth with strangers, you can always request seating at the bar. You may have to wait a little bit, but the CMs I personally spoke to and witnessed were very accommodating about this kind of thing.
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
Totally,
As in any restaurant, if you have a specific area you just don't want (or do want), and are willing to wait a bit longer to be accommodated... they'll do it.
LukaLand
Active Member
I don't think that long. Probably closer to 2 to 2 and a half hours. We did do single rider for MF but were sat in the same group. So we waited only about 5 to 10 minutes.
Old Mouseketeer
Well-Known Member
I think it's going to be interesting to see what adjustments Disney makes going forward. Stepping back, it looks to me like their "high-concept" approach of "allowing people to create their own adventures" falls far short of the mark. Without more atmo characters out and about interacting with guests, there's no hope whatsoever. The stormtroopers approaching guests and interrogating them is pretty useless without a Resistance spy or First Order recruiter following up.
One of the biggest flaws I see is in the CM training and compensation. If they expect frontline CMs to play a character role, they need to be trained and paid a premium. They are asking for more than any attraction host, including Haunted Mansion. There's definitely a disconnect in the stated intention of the Imagineers and the result. My first visit was on a CM preview day. While they had loaner smart phones available (because we had to seal our phones in plastic bags), there was no orientation on how to use them to interact and the CMs weren't ready. This was their perfect test audience and they weren't ready. They made a huge mistake in blocking out APs completely. They had the technology to allow APs to pick one day out of the summer. They could have primed them to be their test audience, but they didn't.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
One of the biggest flaws I see is in the CM training and compensation. If they expect frontline CMs to play a character role, they need to be trained and paid a premium. They are asking for more than any attraction host, including Haunted Mansion. There's definitely a disconnect in the stated intention of the Imagineers and the result. My first visit was on a CM preview day. While they had loaner smart phones available (because we had to seal our phones in plastic bags), there was no orientation on how to use them to interact and the CMs weren't ready. This was their perfect test audience and they weren't ready. They made a huge mistake in blocking out APs completely. They had the technology to allow APs to pick one day out of the summer. They could have primed them to be their test audience, but they didn't.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
choco choco
Well-Known Member
I feel bad, because here I am going to pile onto Star Wars Land some more despite me actually thinking their high-concept "allowing people to create their own adventure" is a noble and exciting goal, and I highly encourage Disney to continue designing parks with that intent in mind.
The problem is that "Allowing people to create their own adventure" isn't some new concept. That was something Walt always had in mind for Disneyland from day one. So all they had to do was take his blueprint. Besides the "no life" aspect of it, there's nothing really to explore on Star Wars Land. Look at Tom Sawyer Island. The place originally was full of stuff to pull and push and turn and hidden caves and big treehouses and cabins that looked used and lived in and things around corners and rickety bridges that crossed to nowhere and nice little lookouts and a fort that had no reason and no story and needed none...it was just there to be climbed and used. The guest provides his own story. All the designer has to do is provide a backdrop for him to dream.
There's no sense of Star Wars Land as a lived in place, nor the feeling that this is a "home" for any of the supposed characters or even that its a place with a real industry or whatnot. There isn't anything to "explore" that doesn't feel like it isn't asking for money first as a condition of you having fun. Which is why it feels like a mall. They need significantly more playground elements. They needed significantly wittier ideas about the life of the place or the things that an alien would need at a marketplace.
RobWDW1971
Well-Known Member
Well said. This is a current trend to just proclaim something is an entirely new concept when it is just a (usually much poorer) version of something that already was created.
I was much more "immersed" and "living my own adventure" paddling canoes around the Rivers of America, climbing the Swiss Family treehouse, and running around the bridges and caves and (God forbid) shooting the guns in the fort on Tom Sawyers Island to repel the Indian attackers than I have ever felt for a single second in the abandoned movie set of SWGE.
Poor Walt, he didn't have all the fancy, nonsensical buzzwords of today's WDI. He was left with just the inspired genius of how to genuinely entertain people and spark their imagination and emotions.