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

[SoCalMort]

Sun 1/19, SoCal passes blocked, access via Flex.

6:40 - Arrived early due to do carpooling with a friend working NAMM. No real need to get here at that hour. In turnstile line, standing just below monorail track.

Cast Member instructing people to CLOSE APP IMMEDIATELY AFTER PASSING TURNSTILES, WAITING A FEW MINUTES, THEN REOPEN APP TO ENSURE APP NOW SEES YOU AS HAVING ENTERED. I keep app off, enter using my plastic AP card.

7:15 - Gates Open. End of line now nearly at DCA but moving quickly.

7:50 - Early rope drop to disperse moderate crowd. Proceed to Autopia entrance to be near Harbor Blvd for strong cell tower access. Surrounding area nearly empty. Open app on AT&T iPhone 6.

8:00 (according to iPhone, can’t hear any announcements) - click on RoR FIND OUT MORE button. JOIN BOARDING GROUP button grayed-out. Slightly panicked, hit back arrow, hit FOM button once more. JOIN BUTTON activated, hit it, get Group 56.

8:01-4:50 Stuff

4:50 - At Lamplighter Lounge having Irish Coffee when my BG is called.

4:55 - Proceed to order second Irish Coffee. It’s called ‘priorities’ people.

5:09 - Leave and proceed to Battu.

More later.

 

[MoonRakerSCM]

One point I just realized I left out: Music.

RotR has actual Star Wars music and scoring the entire time. This includes a scoring que taken directly out of a New Hope when they are escaping the Death Star. George Lucas has said that half of a movie going experience is sound, and I agree.

This is the biggest thing to me and an epic failure on Disney's part for the land imo. Star Wars music is iconic... recognizable to practically anyone on the planet and undoubtedly anyone visiting Disneyland... and a 'rule' they came up with for the first ever Star Wars land was NO music??? I can't fathom how they worked that out in the meetings... bunch of idiots, immersion be damned.

 

[TP2000]

I can't fathom how they worked that out in the meetings... bunch of idiots, immersion be damned.

It's been very obvious that WDI execs over-thought a lot of the design and storytelling decisions about Star Wars Land. The no music rule throughout the land itself is one of the most glaring examples of this failure.

We make fun of Mr. Chapek a lot here, and he deserves almost all of it, but the WDI execs can't be blameless.

I think the Imagineers just got so wrapped up in believing how cool they are, and how high concept they wanted to make this thing, that they forgot they are really just theme park designers playing to middle America (Anaheim, Orlando) and those foreigners who want to experience middle America (Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong).

Walt always had this intuition about who his audience was and what they would like, and some of the great Imagineers that came after Walt also had that knack. It's a talent that seems to have become rarer in recent years, not just in Star Wars Land. I think the current Imagineers need to reign their egos in just a tad and spend some time in the parks watching how people interact with the product they design. Because it's become apparent they don't quite get it. Bright Suns!

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

The biggest issue since day 1 with Galaxy Edge is the lack of fun. It's boring. Rise is a step in the right direction, but obviously a huge mess.

I just don't understand what the thought process was in designing the land. It's massive and there just isn't anything to do. Sure, you can shell out for a robot or laser sword, but what if we don't want to do that?

I guess we can look at the rundown props parked next to the rundown buildings behind railings. We can buy food and eat in a shipping container? Smuggler's Run is mildly amusing but pretty much of a letdown from WDI. There's just nothing to do there and I don't see how it even justified such an enormous expansion. I like to hope they laid the groundwork for exciting things to be added in the future, but this seems to be it.


Compare to the smaller yet similar Avatar land at WDW. It's far more pleasant and downright inspiring alien sci-fi world, with James Horner music being piped in on the muzak and glowing at night. The flying ride was way cooler than the Falcon. There's even a charming boat ride thrown in. I came away far more entertained than GE. I guess it was just a perfect collaboration between James Cameron (a known perfectionist and undoubtedly one to get his way) and the earring guy. How did Avatar turn out so much more fun than Star Wars?

 

[unmitigated disaster]

We visited Galaxy's Edge earlier this month and both my dad and I were impressed by the look of it. The odd-looking vegetation. The alien eye appearing in the water above the drinking fountain. It looks like you're actually visiting some strange place. Because my father is old and needs to rest often we sat down on a wall by the outdoor kiosks on the way back to Critter Country to rest and then realized they were piping in strange animal sounds. Or the velociraptors from Universal Studios got loose. I'm not sure which.

So, yes, I think it's beautifully themed. They just need more there. Another ride. Another restaurant.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

I'd like more music in the land, but I disagree with wanting explicitly Star Wars music in the background. One of the things that annoys me about Wizarding World is just how much it forces you to feel like you're in the movies: the music instantly recognizable from the films gets boring and uninspiring after the first 30 minutes.

I don't want to constantly hear Rey's theme on loop. I want some of the beautiful ambient music that plays in the land entrances, music that sounds distinctly Star Wars but is not blatantly grabbed from the movie. The tunnel (DHS) and the forest (DL), both near Rise, are my favorite places in the land because of that music.

You could even insert some of the well-known songs as leitmotifs without being obnoxiously obvious about them. So yeah, pump some music in, but keep an element of the immersion by creating some of the ambient music like what you hear when you first walk in.

 

[Californian Elitist]

The biggest issue since day 1 with Galaxy Edge is the lack of fun. It's boring. Rise is a step in the right direction, but obviously a huge mess.

I just don't understand what the thought process was in designing the land. It's massive and there just isn't anything to do. Sure, you can shell out for a robot or laser sword, but what if we don't want to do that?

I guess we can look at the rundown props parked next to the rundown buildings behind railings. We can buy food and eat in a shipping container? Smuggler's Run is mildly amusing but pretty much of a letdown from WDI. There's just nothing to do there and I don't see how it even justified such an enormous expansion. I like to hope they laid the groundwork for exciting things to be added in the future, but this seems to be it.


Compare to the smaller yet similar Avatar land at WDW. It's far more pleasant and downright inspiring alien sci-fi world, with James Horner music being piped in on the muzak and glowing at night. The flying ride was way cooler than the Falcon. There's even a charming boat ride thrown in. I came away far more entertained than GE. I guess it was just a perfect collaboration between James Cameron (a known perfectionist and undoubtedly one to get his way) and the earring guy. How did Avatar turn out so much more fun than Star Wars?

Cars Land is also better than Galaxy Edge, in my opinion.

 

[JT3000]

I wonder if lands will continue to be the thing to build in themeparks. Universal's super nintendo land is apparently greatly downscaled in hollywood and orlando (vs the original plans) and will only be one ride.

Not true. Orlando will have the largest version, with 3 rides. Hollywood's will be smaller because the park has less space.

Universal will continue building lands because it has an entire park to build, but I'm sure Disney will continue the trend as well after Marvel at DL. It's just a matter of finding space for an entire land rather than one new attraction.

 

[DanielBB8]

It's been very obvious that WDI execs over-thought a lot of the design and storytelling decisions about Star Wars Land. The no music rule throughout the land itself is one of the most glaring examples of this failure.

We make fun of Mr. Chapek a lot here, and he deserves almost all of it, but the WDI execs can't be blameless.

I think the Imagineers just got so wrapped up in believing how cool they are, and how high concept they wanted to make this thing, that they forgot they are really just theme park designers playing to middle America (Anaheim, Orlando) and those foreigners who want to experience middle America (Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong).

Walt always had this intuition about who his audience was and what they would like, and some of the great Imagineers that came after Walt also had that knack. It's a talent that seems to have become rarer in recent years, not just in Star Wars Land. I think the current Imagineers need to reign their egos in just a tad and spend some time in the parks watching how people interact with the product they design. Because it's become apparent they don't quite get it. Bright Suns!

While the land attempts to look forward beyond the original trilogy that Disney hopes to attract the latest generation and not the past, it doesn't seem to work since the sequel trilogy was botched and everyone agreed The Force Awakens was the repackaging of A New Hope and doesn't move the story forward. In fact, the story destroyed Star Wars as we know it.

The Rise of Resistance increasingly seems like a Twilight Zone episode where we relive the wonders of Kylo Ren (and Hux too) in all their timid badness. You never truly felt threatened and at peril. A bad TZ episode that is replayed numerous times if you're so lucky to get a ride. Galaxy's Edge is so locked in place, it's a time frozen Star Wars.

 

[DanielBB8]

Hollywood will have 2 rides for Nintendo land.

 

[mickEblu]

I greatly disagree that Rise would be better off in DCA. An amazing well themed state of the art attraction belongs in the park full of them. I'm glad it's in Disneyland.

To me Rise made it so now I never will consider crossing the street to go to that park. I am glad to see an awesome park like Disneyland get another top notch attraction after all these years. I hope to spend all my future trips in Disneyland and won't be fussed with DCA.

Rise has the imagination, fun, and level of detail of a classic Disneyland attraction and IMO it is in its rightful place.

The logic behind your opinion doesn’t make sense. Why does it belong in the park full of E tickets when there is park a few feet away that Could use a headliner like ROTR? Not to mention pull crowds from DL. I believe if they had the room at DCA they would have definitely put it there.

 

[amjt660]

I visited GE in November with my wife and we came to the similar conclusion of "meh"

The lack of music was the first thing she noticed - I agree that there is just not much to do unless you want to fork over $$ for a droid or light saber.

And I totally agree with the assessment that it is not fun - Carsland and Pandora are much better.

Max

 

[mickEblu]

I visited GE in November with my wife and we came to the similar conclusion of "meh"

The lack of music was the first thing she noticed - I agree that there is just not much to do unless you want to fork over $$ for a droid or light saber.

And I totally agree with the assessment that it is not fun - Carsland and Pandora are much better.

Max

Even if you do fork over the $$ for a droid or a light saber it’s a one time thing for most people.

 

[TragicMike]

Hollywood will have 2 rides for Nintendo land.

The Mario Kart ride and...?

 

[Phroobar]

The Mario Kart ride and...?

If RotR can be three rides in one then I think Mario Kart should count as at least two rides!

 

[mickEblu]

To me it makes complete sense. I am not the Walt Disney Company and don't care if people are in DCA or care about its success. I have no financial interest on whether DCA pulls more people in or not.

I am however a huge Disneyland fan who spends about 80% of my time at the DLR at the Disneyland park.

I've seen DCA get all the attractions over the last 20 years. It's refreshing for Disneyland to be continually plussed and I hope it continues.

I think Disney has wised up and realized that even after 20 years of new attractions (or redos of other attractions), people will always prefer Disneyland. Why fight it?

I prefer Disneyland too. By a mile. That’s why having less people walking around inside of it and inside DCA instead would be great for me. Especially when a huge single IP Land makes more sense in DCA anyway. Other than a new TL, occasional new entertainment and refurbs/ updates, I don’t think Disneyland needs anything.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I prefer Disneyland too. By a mile. That’s why having less people walking around inside of it and inside DCA instead would be great for me. Especially when a huge single IP Land makes more sense in DCA anyway. Other than a new TL, I don’t think Disneyland needs anything aside from refurbs and updates.

A second level.

 

[Figments Friend]

Galaxy's Edge is so locked in place, it's a time frozen Star Wars.

You mean, it's a carbon frozen Star Wars!



-

 

[mickEblu]

I think Disneyland is amazing but did stagnate a lot, I didn't realize it til I went on Rise just how far behind the park is in technology vs Rise. Not that an attraction needs technology to be good, but its nice to have a wide spectrum instead of 1950s-1995, now we have a museum of fun state of the art attractions from the 1950s-2020.

I can understand this point and if DCA didn’t exist 100 feet away I would agree. Being that DCA is next door, I’m ok with Disneyland staying more or less the same minus a TL redo. They can put all the tech they want in TL. They could never touch the west side of the park again and I would totally be fine and that goes for pre GE west side of the park as well.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Where did the museum quote originate from? It really annoys me for some reason. What's her face even said it in the Imagineering doc on Disney+. There's nothing wrong with old attractions, especially when they're beloved and part of the tapestry of the park. Disneyland is obviously the epitome of classic when it comes to these theme parks. You can advance things like Abe Lincoln's robot, but the idea that nothing is sacred because it can just be replaced with something new and prevent Disneyland from being a "museum" is just stupid and if the people calling the shots really believe that, well, that's pretty horrible.