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

[SuddenStorm]

Yesterday I had the privilege of going to Disneyland with my teenage cousin who had never been, and my adult cousin who has only been a few times when he was younger. The only amusement park he had been to is Lagoon (in Utah), and he grew up in a household that didn't watch any Disney movies... so he hasn't seen any of the animated classics.

I was actually really curious to see his reactions to everything, and in typical SuddenStorm fashion, I tried to make sure we hit everything I'd consider 'essential' to Disneyland, and hit rides like Big Thunder and Splash twice- during the day and again at night, since it does change the feel of those rides.

I didn't even consider Galaxy's Edge until around 7:30 pm. I guess my cousin is a Star Wars fan, and his reaction to seeing the Falcon in person was easily the most excited he was all day. At the end of the day, Smuggler's Run was his favorite ride. Yes, I made sure he was right pilot.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Yesterday I had the privilege of going to Disneyland with my teenage cousin who had never been, and my adult cousin who has only been a few times when he was younger. The only amusement park he had been to is Lagoon (in Utah), and he grew up in a household that didn't watch any Disney movies... so he hasn't seen any of the animated classics.

I was actually really curious to see his reactions to everything, and in typical SuddenStorm fashion, I tried to make sure we hit everything I'd consider 'essential' to Disneyland, and hit rides like Big Thunder and Splash twice- during the day and again at night, since it does change the feel of those rides.

I didn't even consider Galaxy's Edge until around 7:30 pm. I guess my cousin is a Star Wars fan, and his reaction to seeing the Falcon in person was easily the most excited he was all day. At the end of the day, Smuggler's Run was his favorite ride. Yes, I made sure he was right pilot.

it’s almost as if... being surrounded by constant information, knowledge, and opinions on SWGE can influence how people feel about... but the more general public, who aren’t influenced, seem to love it. Go figure.

thanks for sharing his experience!

 

[Phroobar]

Yesterday I had the privilege of going to Disneyland with my teenage cousin who had never been, and my adult cousin who has only been a few times when he was younger. The only amusement park he had been to is Lagoon (in Utah), and he grew up in a household that didn't watch any Disney movies... so he hasn't seen any of the animated classics.

I was actually really curious to see his reactions to everything, and in typical SuddenStorm fashion, I tried to make sure we hit everything I'd consider 'essential' to Disneyland, and hit rides like Big Thunder and Splash twice- during the day and again at night, since it does change the feel of those rides.

I didn't even consider Galaxy's Edge until around 7:30 pm. I guess my cousin is a Star Wars fan, and his reaction to seeing the Falcon in person was easily the most excited he was all day. At the end of the day, Smuggler's Run was his favorite ride. Yes, I made sure he was right pilot.

I love Lagoon. Their two dark scary rides are totally cheese. Pioneer village is pretty close to Knott's ghost town. Good times there.

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Yesterday I had the privilege of going to Disneyland with my teenage cousin who had never been, and my adult cousin who has only been a few times when he was younger. The only amusement park he had been to is Lagoon (in Utah), and he grew up in a household that didn't watch any Disney movies... so he hasn't seen any of the animated classics.

I was actually really curious to see his reactions to everything, and in typical SuddenStorm fashion, I tried to make sure we hit everything I'd consider 'essential' to Disneyland, and hit rides like Big Thunder and Splash twice- during the day and again at night, since it does change the feel of those rides.

I didn't even consider Galaxy's Edge until around 7:30 pm. I guess my cousin is a Star Wars fan, and his reaction to seeing the Falcon in person was easily the most excited he was all day. At the end of the day, Smuggler's Run was his favorite ride. Yes, I made sure he was right pilot.

Was he upset about the ramp too?

 

[mickEblu]

it’s almost as if... being surrounded by constant information, knowledge, and opinions on SWGE can influence how people feel about... but the more general public, who aren’t influenced, seem to love it. Go figure.

thanks for sharing his experience!

People can be influenced but it’s not going to make someone think the most fun ride in the world is boring or vice versa.

 

[MoonRakerSCM]

Time for Star Wars Land Review episode... 3... 4? Whatever I'm on.

I FINALLY made it to the Cantina. Per one of my earlier posts months ago, my friends had previously gone and absolutely HATED it. Rude service, took forever to get drinks, two people being crammed into a space meant for half a person and being ordered by CMs to "Move over so we can put more people in!"...

But what was it like on Friday night for me and my friends?

It was a great time! The joint was lively, the service great, the experience overall a good one. After an initial bit of awkwardness with the hostess asking us to scoot down inch by inch 4 times... everything else was great. I tried a few things and it was all interesting and fun... some moreso than others. The Jedi Mind trick wasn't bad, but it was just kind of meh. The dagobah slug drink was ok, a bit herby for my taste. Oga's Obsession... that was honestly a fun little snack. The textures of the popping boba vs the pop rocks was fun and put a little smile on my face. It was a weird little bite that everyone had fun trying a bite of.

The star for me though... those Fuzzy TaunTauns... man... that buzzing/numbing foam is AWESOME. It's so weird and much stronger than I thought it would be. I'm honestly surprised it's as strong as it is... there has to be some guests who freak out a bit after getting it on their lips for as long as the effect persists. I thought it was great and just had fun drinking it due to the uniqueness.

We had our drinks, nibbled some balls, buzzed our lips all while listening to the non-descript music that fit the experience. I will gladly return to have a bit of Oga's Obsession and that lip numbing stuff when in the mood for something fun and funky.

 

[Travel Junkie]

People can be influenced but it’s not going to make someone think the most fun ride in the world is boring or vice versa.

Agreed, but it is important to note that those expressing opinions on message boards like this one are a very very small percentage of the overall visitor base. If you based your opinion of GE purely on what has been seen on this board you would think the it was a massive failure. Meanwhile, Disney stock surged on better than expected earnings during GE's first quarter in operation. Park's division revenue was up 8% and they reported GE satisfaction ratings are very high with guests.

 

[mickEblu]

Agreed, but it is important to note that those expressing opinions on message boards like this one are a very very small percentage of the overall visitor base. If you based your opinion of GE purely on what has been seen on this board you would think the it was a massive failure. Meanwhile, Disney stock surged on better than expected earnings during GE's first quarter in operation. Park's division revenue was up 8% and they reported GE satisfaction ratings are very high with guests.

I’m not sure I agree. I’m pretty nuanced in my assessments and I feel that most are here as well. I think most people here understand what they got right and didn’t get right with SWL. If Joe Schmo stumbled onto this forum then yeah I guess I can see where you re coming from.

Didn’t we determine the revenue increase was just from increasing prices (something not sustainable on its own) and that all other meaningful numbers were down?

Overall I feel that the reaction to SWL is meh. Maybe not as bad as we make it out to be here but definitely not a HIT...at least not yet. The Public is certainly not going crazy for it

 

[TP2000]

Overall I feel that the reaction to SWL is meh. Maybe not as bad as we make it out to be here but definitely not a HIT...at least not yet. The Public is certainly not going crazy for it

Yup! The public is not going crazy for Star Wars Land, on either coast. That is the shocking story of 2019.

Another busy holiday weekend at Disneyland for Veteran's Day! Sunny and beautiful fall weather. The crowds are big, and yet Disneyland's first E Ticket in 25 years has a wait time equal to that of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Thank goodness they cancelled Fastpass for Pirates at the last second, or this comparison wouldn't work so perfectly.

E Ticket wait times just before 4:00pm today...

Submarine Voyage - 30 Minutes
Grizzly River Run, Splash Mountain, Jungle Cruise - 35 Minutes
Millennium Falcon: Target Run (1,600 riders per hour) - 40 Minutes
Pirates of the Caribbean (2,800 riders per hour) - 40 Minutes
Small World Holiday, Chase-A-Baby! - 45 Minutes
Star Tours - 55 Minutes
Haunted Mansion Holiday, Soarin', Guardians of the Galaxy - 60 Minutes
Hyperspace Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain - 80 Minutes
Matterhorn Bobsleds - 95 Minutes
Radiator Racers - 120 Minutes

 

[Kram Sacul]

Yup! The public is not going crazy for Star Wars Land, on either coast. That is the shocking story of 2019.

Another busy holiday weekend at Disneyland for Veteran's Day! Sunny and beautiful fall weather. The crowds are big, and yet Disneyland's first E Ticket in 25 years has a wait time equal to that of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Thank goodness they cancelled Fastpass for Pirates at the last second, or this comparison wouldn't work so perfectly.

E Ticket wait times just before 4:00pm today...

Submarine Voyage - 30 Minutes
Grizzly River Run, Splash Mountain, Jungle Cruise - 35 Minutes
Millennium Falcon: Target Run (1,600 riders per hour) - 40 Minutes
Pirates of the Caribbean (2,800 riders per hour) - 40 Minutes
Small World Holiday, Chase-A-Baby! - 45 Minutes
Star Tours - 55 Minutes
Haunted Mansion Holiday, Soarin', Guardians of the Galaxy - 60 Minutes
Hyperspace Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain - 80 Minutes
Matterhorn Bobsleds - 95 Minutes
Radiator Racers - 120 Minutes

The day is not complete without Troy’s wait time analysis.

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

The day is not complete without Troy’s wait time analysis.

Who doesn't enjoy a good analcist now and then.

 

[Mickeyboof]

The day is not complete without Troy’s wait time analysis.

It’s my favorite part of the day. Like reading a favorite column in the newspaper with a cup of tea.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The day is not complete without Troy’s wait time analysis.

Some people won't be happy until the line is long enough to complain about how long the line is.

 

[Mickeyboof]

Some people won't be happy until the line is long enough to complain about how long the line is.

That’s certainly a place where Disney would love to be.

 

[TP2000]

That’s certainly a place where Disney would love to be.

Bingo! That's the real story here.

This isn't a thread dedicated to tourists worrying about wait times and dining plans and t-shirt sizes. It's devolved (rather charmingly) into an ongoing discussion of Star Wars Land's faults and successes, the implications of various creative and executive decisions, and how it is working day-to-day within the broader context of Disneyland's 64 year history. With the reality hanging overhead that TDA and Burbank had planned for this to go very, very differently in 2019.

It's quite interesting to watch, really.

And thank God they never added Fastpass to Pirates, or else the wait time comparison wouldn't be so easy between a brand new low-capacity ride and a very old high-capacity ride.

 

[TP2000]

It’s my favorite part of the day. Like reading a favorite column in the newspaper with a cup of tea.

Thank you. The real star is the Disneyland App who is kind enough to offer all those wait times instantly and remotely.

And I am still jealous of your avatar! Such a brilliant selection that is.

 

[Mickeyboof]

Thank you. The real star is the Disneyland App who is kind enough to offer all those wait times instantly and remotely.

And I am still jealous of your avatar! Such a brilliant selection that is.

Wouldn’t you know- my avatar is actually a video of Ms. Channing riding radiator springs racers!

 

[Phroobar]

Wouldn’t you know- my avatar is actually a video of Ms. Channing riding radiator springs racers!

I thought she was dead.

 

[Travel Junkie]

I’m not sure I agree. I’m pretty nuanced in my assessments and I feel that most are here as well. I think most people here understand what they got right and didn’t get right with SWL. If Joe Schmo stumbled onto this forum then yeah I guess I can see where you re coming from.

Didn’t we determine the revenue increase was just from increasing prices (something not sustainable on its own) and that all other meaningful numbers were down?

Overall I feel that the reaction to SWL is meh. Maybe not as bad as we make it out to be here but definitely not a HIT...at least not yet. The Public is certainly not going crazy for it

I would disagree that most are nuanced in their assessment on this forum. It's been extremely negative IMO. Overly so. Calling for the head of the parks division and/or the lead on the GE project over the "disaster of GE" is hardly a nuanced position and which is a feeling shared by several here.


Disney itself admitted that higher growth was due to both higher prices and increased guest spending. I would wager that the increased spending is largely due to GE. On the earnings call Iger believes that many are putting off their visit until the land is "fully open." He pointed to an increase in hotel bookings post ROTR opening as one reason for that belief.

As I mentioned earlier, Disney beat Wall St. expectations by a healthy margin. The stock is soaring. I'm going to take those as meaningful numbers.

 

[mickEblu]

I would disagree that most are nuanced in their assessment on this forum. It's been extremely negative IMO. Overly so. Calling for the head of the parks division and/or the lead on the GE project over the "disaster of GE" is hardly a nuanced position and which is a feeling shared by several here.


Disney itself admitted that higher growth was due to both higher prices and increased guest spending. I would wager that the increased spending is largely due to GE. On the earnings call Iger believes that many are putting off their visit until the land is "fully open." He pointed to an increase in hotel bookings post ROTR opening as one reason for that belief.

As I mentioned earlier, Disney beat Wall St. expectations by a healthy margin. The stock is soaring. I'm going to take those as meaningful numbers.

Chapek needed to go before SWL. SWL was the death knell