News Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Disneyland opening reports/reviews

BubbaQuest

BubbaQuest

Well-Known Member
Mickeyboof said:
To see the magic leave this guy’s eyes was heartbreaking. Especially in a place *usually* full of wonder.

It reminds me of my own moment- I was standing outside Savi’s with a friend. The courtyard outside the store was absolutely barren. No one there. The CMs were trying to get people to come explore their operation. Those who did wander over truly couldn’t comprehend what “scrap metal” was, and why the CMs were practically winking when they spoke about it.

As I turn to leave, a CM waves me back. She tells me the story of the wishing tree. You tie a ribbon, make a wish, tie a knot. Someday, when the knot breaks and the ribbon floats away the wish will come true.

She was trying so very hard to act out this cute monologue. It was sweet. But then she had the unfortunate position to tell me, no, I could not tie my wish to the tree.

Why even tell me the story then? It’s a real physical thing in arms reach, but like practically everything else in the land there’s an invisible fence around the interesting potentially interactive aspects.

It is not the responsibility of a Cast Member to truly act, with given monologues or scripts. Simply said, there is a very small population on the planet who have the skills and the practice to perform.

An even smaller population have the practice of performing on a stage such as Batuu, where the audience is simultaneously asking where the bathroom is AND seeking meaningful story interactions. Frankly it’s irresponsable and wrong for an employer to put that responsibility on them. For Chapek to put the national spotlight on them with talk of backstories and character development is ridiculous.
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When I dragged some friends to Diagon Alley, they specifically commented on the great team members. They commented how well the employees treated us as fans and as guests at the same time. The team members were willing to help us as "wizards" when we were pointing our wands at the various windows. They took the same time with us (way-too-old-to-be-doing-this) as they did with any one else experiencing it for the first time. And they were happy to break character and treat us as adults when we asked where we could get some beers.

The best story was when I, the clueless Harry Potter fan, asked "where's that dark alley thing". The team member was happy to walk us over to the area and have a nice conversation with us asking about our trip. That would have been much different if I had been forced to listen to some fake muggle backstory the whole time.
 
Mickeyboof

Mickeyboof

Well-Known Member
BubbaQuest said:
When I dragged some friends to Diagon Alley, they specifically commented on the great team members. They commented how well the employees treated us as fans and as guests at the same time. The team members were willing to help us as "wizards" when we were pointing our wands at the various windows. They took the same time with us (way-too-old-to-be-doing-this) as they did with any one else experiencing it for the first time. And they were happy to break character and treat us as adults when we asked where we could get some beers.

The best story was when I, the clueless Harry Potter fan, asked "where's that dark alley thing". The team member was happy to walk us over to the area and have a nice conversation with us asking about our trip. That would have been much different if I had been forced to listen to some fake muggle backstory the whole time.
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I know that employees of Disney are called cast members, but Galaxy’s Edge is a reminder that these people are our hosts. They are not and should not actually be the “cast.”

I actually would prefer going back to the original Disneyland term, Hosts, rather than cast members.

Perhaps it sounds too restaurant-like, but “Host” is polished and polite. They’re our guides to an experience, our help through the experiences.

Harry Potter’s team is often great. I love that there are people in themed costumes stationed through Diagon Alley to host and guide us through the wacky land, help us learn magic (I was so greatful for all the wand tips, it’s pretty hard to get it right!)

I often prefer Cast Members/ Team Members either not strike up conversations about real world things- like sports or traffic or their shifts, or talk only about experience related topics (like hotel, dining, what’s your favorite ride, ect). But I also don’t enjoy the constant pretending they’re actually cast as entertainment to the land. It’s a difficult balance, and people are often on different ends of the spectrum in their interaction preference.
 
SSG

SSG

Well-Known Member
This ‘CM's with backstories’ nonsense reminded me of a story a Disney vlogger told recently. She said back when DCA first opened, Disney execs instructed the Paradise Pier CM’s to speak to guests in an exaggerated, old-timey carnival barker style. This didn’t last long as the CMs hated it and managers didn’t like enforcing it.

She said she heard this story from CMs and couldn’t independently confirm it was really a thing, but it sounds dopey enough to be true.

Anyway, I’m making my initial GE in February 2020, and I imagine this ‘backstory’ business will have faded into nothing by then.
 
SuddenStorm

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
Mickeyboof said:
I know that employees of Disney are called cast members, but Galaxy’s Edge is a reminder that these people are our hosts. They are not and should not actually be the “cast.”

I actually would prefer going back to the original Disneyland term, Hosts, rather than cast members.

Perhaps it sounds too restaurant-like, but “Host” is polished and polite. They’re our guides to an experience, our help through the experiences.

Harry Potter’s team is often great. I love that there are people in themed costumes stationed through Diagon Alley to host and guide us through the wacky land, help us learn magic (I was so greatful for all the wand tips, it’s pretty hard to get it right!)

I often prefer Cast Members/ Team Members either not strike up conversations about real world things- like sports or traffic or their shifts, or talk only about experience related topics (like hotel, dining, what’s your favorite ride, ect). But I also don’t enjoy the constant pretending they’re actually cast as entertainment to the land. It’s a difficult balance, and people are often on different ends of the spectrum in their interaction preference.
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I absolutely hate when I see groups of CM's huddled together on stage talking about the latest work gossip.

Incredibly unprofessional, and way too casual.
 
Mickeyboof

Mickeyboof

Well-Known Member
SuddenStorm said:
I absolutely hate when I see groups of CM's huddled together on stage talking about the latest work gossip.

Incredibly unprofessional, and way too casual.
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On cast member brought my boyfriend and I up to the wheel of the Mark Twain. I didn’t really want to talk, but instead enjoy the unique view. It was a treat.

However she wanted to talk about how she likes Knotts better.

Groan.
 
The Grand Inquisitor

The Grand Inquisitor

Well-Known Member
lifeisgoodboy said:
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The Grand Inquisitor

The Grand Inquisitor

Well-Known Member
BubbaQuest said:
When I dragged some friends to Diagon Alley, they specifically commented on the great team members. They commented how well the employees treated us as fans and as guests at the same time. The team members were willing to help us as "wizards" when we were pointing our wands at the various windows. They took the same time with us (way-too-old-to-be-doing-this) as they did with any one else experiencing it for the first time. And they were happy to break character and treat us as adults when we asked where we could get some beers.

The best story was when I, the clueless Harry Potter fan, asked "where's that dark alley thing". The team member was happy to walk us over to the area and have a nice conversation with us asking about our trip. That would have been much different if I had been forced to listen to some fake muggle backstory the whole time.
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That is why Universal in my opinion is more fun to visit on trips. I honestly had more fun at Universal last year than I had at Disney this year. It gets annoying having to plan everything out at Disney but Universal you do not have to. I still love Disney and Disney World but I am getting annoyed with Disney raising prices and cutting budgets for amazing things like Star Wars.
 
SuddenStorm

SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
The Real Buzz Lightyear said:
That is why Universal in my opinion is more fun to visit on trips. I honestly had more fun at Universal last year than I had at Disney this year. It gets annoying having to plan everything out at Disney but Universal you do not have to. I still love Disney and Disney World but I am getting annoyed with Disney raising prices and cutting budgets for amazing things like Star Wars.
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Excellent point. With Fastpass, Maxpass, dining packages, reservations for lightsabers + cantina, two different app downloads, etc. Disneyland is shifting further and further away from a spontaneous experience.

I feel bad for tourists who come and aren't able to experience everything because they don't understand all the weird things Disney's added the last 5 years that complicate the Disney experience.

There's something to be said about the old way of doing things. Only having one line instead of standby+fp, reserving a spot first come first serve for shows, and not having two tiers of fastpass that significantly alter the park experience
 
Old Mouseketeer

Old Mouseketeer

Well-Known Member
Mickeyboof said:
On cast member brought my boyfriend and I up to the wheel of the Mark Twain. I didn’t really want to talk, but instead enjoy the unique view. It was a treat.

However she wanted to talk about how she likes Knotts better.

Groan.
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OMG! I think I know who you mean. A Cast Member I knew got me and a friend up in the wheelhouse and because we were friends with a CM, she thought she could say anything she wanted to. Among her incessant talking was that she couldn't be fired because her mother was an HR manager. Next thing I knew, I heard she was fired. LOL
 
Anjin

Anjin

Well-Known Member
Here is one of the most unique (and enthusiastic) reviews of SWGE that I've read.

kotaku.com

Three Months Of Prep Made Our Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Trip Amazing

The marketing pitch for Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge promises superfans the chance to “live their Star Wars adventure.” For our anniversary this year, my wife and I decided to visit with that tagline in mind, dressing in costume and role-playing as original Star Wars characters. But if...
kotaku.com kotaku.com
 
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Q

Quinnmac000

Well-Known Member
Anjin said:
Here is one of the most unique (and enthusiastic) reviews of SWGE that I've read.

kotaku.com

Three Months Of Prep Made Our Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Trip Amazing

The marketing pitch for Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge promises superfans the chance to “live their Star Wars adventure.” For our anniversary this year, my wife and I decided to visit with that tagline in mind, dressing in costume and role-playing as original Star Wars characters. But if...
kotaku.com kotaku.com
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Unfortunately the average person doesn't have three months to get into character to go on a Disney vacation.
 

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