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

jamesv159

jamesv159

Member
sponono88 said:
Just left the CM preview. My quick thoughts are.. smugglers run is so much fun! Rode two times as a pilot and once as an engineer. Both were fun but I preferred the pilot experience. It’s a bit distracting to keep looking away to find the light up buttons to push when you’re the engineer. You do get blasts of air whenever a button lights up in order to get your attention.

Didn’t get into the Cantina because I ran out of time and lines hovered between 1 to 1.5 hours.

The green milk was good but was small for the 8$ price tag. It wasn’t too sweet and kind of tasted like matcha ?! The marketplace shops are small but cute and full of details (creatures, lights, sounds everywhere). The setup to pay is strange and I can’t imagine how it’ll work once the huge crowds take over. The creature shop reminds me of a wizarding world store, including a caged creature that is akin to the monster book thing in hogsmeade.

And yes the sounds throughout the land add so much to the experience ! It’s like a crisp surround sound of ships flying through the building , animal sounds , the clinks and clanks and hissing of steam - it’s all so well done and so richly detailed. I’ll post more later when I get home and in the meantime let me know if you have questions ☺
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Thanks for the information! I have 2 questions about Smugglers run. I know there are 2 loading platforms per chess room. Were you able to board on both and if so, how is the transition to make it seem as if there is only 1 cockpit? Also, how do you exit the Falcon? Through another gangway or do we get to exit down the ramp? Thanks!
 
ThemedScream

ThemedScream

Active Member
I went to the preview today from 4-8. They really did an incredible job of making you feel as if you've traveled to another place. As for seeing Disneyland, the only thing I could see was some of the top of BTMR from certain areas.

The number of people they were letting in was very manageable, so I was able to try the food, hang out in the cantina, see the shops, etc. The first thing I did was pop into the cantina. I tried the Fuzzy Tauntaun and my partner had the Jedi Mind Trick. The Fuzzy Tauntaun is basically a fuzzy navel with some kind of super strange 'buzz foam' on top which made my whole mouth tingle in a not particularly pleasant way, though the drink itself was great. The Jedi Mind Trick tasted mostly of grapefruit bitters. They also offer drinks in souvenir cups, such as one in a porg cup for a mere $42. Watching Rex DJ is strangely captivating, but the theming in general is great in here. Lots of little effects that may or may not stand the test of time.

Next we headed to Smuggler's Run. I was right side pilot for my first time through, my partner was left pilot. We both felt like we didn't really have much control over the movements, which was a bit disappointing. Our ride messed up as our score was being calculated at the very end, so they took us around and let us skip the line to ride again. This time we traded positions and I was gunner. My partner accidentally set his controls to auto, so make sure not to do that if you want to "aim." I found pilot to be a little more fun, as with gunner you're kind of awkwardly dealing with stuff beside you while trying to watch the screen in front.

We went and grabbed some food from the indoor counter service place. It was... interesting. We tried the ribs as well as the fried chicken loaf thing. We decided that place was a one and done for us, and we'd rather just walk over to Plaza. I do want to try the other outdoor location, the droid turning the meat on the spit with the engine cooking it was really neat.

There were some smaller shops that are definitely going to be feeling the crunch when larger crowds are let in the land. Probably goes without saying that the lightsabers are seemingly a big hit already, as I saw a ton of people with them.

There were some people that were given phones in order to test the play app, as we we weren't allowed personal devices. I didn't get to try it out, but I heard several people saying it was confusing for some reason. There did seem to be a lot of points around to interact with/translate.

The CMs were definitely hamming it up and getting into character, storytelling etc. It will be interesting to see how long that continues.

I'll be back on the 31st, and I can't wait to explore more of the details around the land.
 
F

fctiger

Well-Known Member
OK, an in-depth review of Galaxy Edge (and I mean in-depth):



Just to warn you its nearly 2 hours total of her talking about her experience but she lays it all out, from checking in your reservation to the description of the blue milk stand. She did everything but the Cantina because the line was so long and they kept cutting it off. But anyway I know only people with no lives will have time to watch it all which is why I only saw and hour and forty minutes of it, but she really goes through everything really well and entertaining. And yes she really really liked it. ;)
 
030918

030918

Member
fctiger said:
OK, an in-depth review of Galaxy Edge (and I mean in-depth):



Just to warn you its nearly 2 hours total of her talking about her experience but she lays it all out, from checking in your reservation to the description of the blue milk stand. She did everything but the Cantina because the line was so long and they kept cutting it off. But anyway I know only people with no lives will have time to watch it all which is why I only saw and hour and forty minutes of it, but she really goes through everything really well and entertaining. And yes she really really liked it. ;)
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Watched a few short parts of the video. Great to see how much she enjoyed it. On the other hand it seems like her video is very in-depth when we're talking about the way she experienced it without adding a lot of information that theme park-enthousiasts might be looking for. Or maybe that's only because I accidentally only watched the less interesting parts? Skipping to random parts of the video might not be the optimal way to watch a 2h livestream where she answers questions from viewers haha.

She told that stormtroopers sweep the area at the end of each timeslot, which they announce an hour before. At the same time there are also some weird things in the video, like the claim that the MF in Anaheim is the one they used in the sequel trilogy and the MF in Orlando being a replica. Let's just say that's probably the excitement taking over and the fact that only she actually visited the land and not the others who also talk in the video? :p Anyway, interesting video!
 
Miceberg

Miceberg

Well-Known Member
I previewed yesterday with the first group. The land theming is immersive and pretty impressive. Rode Smugglers Run 3 times and tried out each of the roles. I enjoyed the pilot role the most and this is coming from a non-gamer. The other roles were too passive and yes, the seats and people in front of you do block what you can see in the cockpit. The first two runs were a little confusing with so much stuff going on, but by the third go round it made more sense and was a lot more fun.
 
BasiltheBatLord

BasiltheBatLord

Well-Known Member
Has anybody seen the exit hall effect in Smuglers Run that was talked about (where the hallway looks different depending on how you did) I haven't heard any first-hand accounts of anybody seeing it.
 
Miceberg

Miceberg

Well-Known Member
BasiltheBatLord said:
Has anybody seen the exit hall effect in Smuglers Run that was talked about (where the hallway looks different depending on how you did) I haven't heard any first-hand accounts of anybody seeing it.
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It seemed the same on our three exits, but then our scores were similar on each run.
 
Miceberg

Miceberg

Well-Known Member
Surferboy567 said:
What are you scored on exactly? Like what are the categories? I’m assuming Hondo scores you?
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You are on a mission to collect things for Hondo and you score credits when things are done correctly (flying, pushing buttons, attaching the MF to a train), at the end, Hondo tallies up the amount your team earned. Then he deducts credits for damages. Our scores were around 11,000 until the damage deduction was totalled up which then brought us to 6800 to 8000 on each run.
 
sponono88

sponono88

Well-Known Member
RedGinger said:
Do you recall in what ways the John Williams Galaxy's Edge theme was used? Is it heard anywhere as area music? I think somebody posted a few weeks ago that it plays at the end of Smuggler's Run. Just interested in any reports of music usage in the land.
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I wish I had an answer for you but I honestly don't remember hearing it while I was there. I only heard it once before so I don't think i would've recognized it even if I did hear it - Sorry!

jamesv159 said:
Thanks for the information! I have 2 questions about Smugglers run. I know there are 2 loading platforms per chess room. Were you able to board on both and if so, how is the transition to make it seem as if there is only 1 cockpit? Also, how do you exit the Falcon? Through another gangway or do we get to exit down the ramp? Thanks!
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I should clarify I did the ride once in the general standby line and two times in Single-Rider. For single-rider, you skip pretty much everything up until the chess room.

For the regular standby line, the line splits into two separate groups at Hondo's room. I only did one side but I'm positive both sides are mirror images of each other. With regard to exiting the falcon, you just go back out through the same ramp you came in. I'm not sure if that answers your question!
 
sponono88

sponono88

Well-Known Member
A few other thoughts that come to mind.

I really enjoyed the ride experience of Smuggler's because of how "real" it was designed to feel. From the second you step aboard the cockpit, you can feel the shaking and humming vibrations of the whole vehicle. The projection looking out of the cockpit is on from beginning to end, unlike other screen rides where you walk into a blank screen that then gets turned on when the ride starts (ahem, Soarin). Also - the ride feels less rough and jostles you around a bit less than Star Tours. I think Star Tours does a better job with the "lightspeed!" portion of the ride as well.

This is a minor thing but I wish they had themed shopping bags for your merchandise goodies. Even just a regular brown paper bag with a Batuu stamp on it would be good enough. The generic Disney Parks bags that you get everywhere else kinda throws off the themeing - but again this is just a minor thing. I don't know if this is something that will change once the land opens to the public?

Aside from the blue milk and spicy/sweet popcorn, there aren't many snacks or treats that you can buy from ODV carts. One of the things I love about WWoHP and Cars Land are the variety of treats you can get on-the-go, like the Butterbeer cart, the candies from Honeydukes, the cones from the Cozy Cone motel, etc. At Galaxy's Edge, it felt like there wasn't much variety.

One other thing, the land feels a little lopsided because almost everything is concentrated on the Northern border of the land. The Southern perimeter feels a little sparse - like it's missing something. Aside from the trees and some ships spread out here and there, there isn't much going on. Perhaps a few more buildings to round out the village and make it seem a bit more enclosed would've been nice.

Lastly, I would have liked some kind of live entertainment to help the place feel a bit more alive. Maybe a little outdoor stage show or even some of the droids that were seen in the initial concept art. Live entertaiment is something that is lacking at the moment.
 
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