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

[Nirya]

In my continued quest to actually eat some of the food in Galaxy’s Edge, I had the ribs at Docking Bay 7, and they were pretty good! There was a ton of heat in the sauce, which was surprising but appreciated, and the nut dusting on top provided an interesting textural change. The pickled...I want to say cabbage, but whatever it was added nothing more than a brief palate cleanser, and the cornbread was perfectly fine.

 

[Monorail_Orange]

The Disneyland vs WDW Cast Member topic is as old as the Internet, and will never be proven either way.

That said, the Disneyland CM's in Star Wars Land just seemed so bored. And there were so many of them! All leaning against walls and or hunched over their snack bars or cash-wraps, ignoring the few customers who walked by. With a few exceptions (the girl at the Falcon ride who chatted with me was fun and polite), the Star Wars Land CM's just seemed bored and completely not into pretending they lived on Batuu.

They spoke openly within earshot of the party last weekend, their crummy 4th of July schedule, and whatever inane topics a 20 year old kid working at Disneyland with no meaningful supervision and no real level of professionalism or courtesy talks about with their peers.

It wasn't just unprofessional, it was really disappointing because this was the Billion Dollar new land.

And then Bob Chapek has the gall and the clueless nerve to claim that all the Star Wars Land CM's "have their own stories" and how they will IMMERSE me in their Batuu world and pull me in so I can create my own Star Wars story. Puke. Bob Chapek proves how clueless he is continually, but when he says stuff like that with a straight face you suddenly realize this man has never even been to Disneyland before.

My wife was in a similar situation, she had seen people walking around with Coca-Cola aurebresh t-shirts and asked a cast member if they were sold somewhere within Batuu and the CM gave her some hokey response and she gave up and left without getting an answer.

I'm all for some lingo to make the conversation seem more like Star Wars.... But when someone is asking a question, it needs to be answered quickly and respectfully.

Having the employees play games with the guests is poor customer service, and the fact Disney can't even get this right is incredibly disheartening considering how respected Disney service was for decades.

Woman comes in...My husband is having a heart attack! I need a defibrillator!

I know nothing of this thing you talk about.

Call a medic!

What's a medic.

Where can I get help?

Is the First Order after you?

etc etc.

Quoted all of you to note I'm replying to this conversation string.

When I rode MF:SR for the first time with my family, once we got into the chess room, we took a few pics and then started looking around. I was pointing out a few of the obvious Easter eggs (the force probe and helmet with lowered blast shield), when one of the Cast Members overheard me, and actually joyfully pointed out several more to our family. I really wasn't expecting this, as I figured it would already be "old hat" to them/their character. It was almost like the CM was breaking character from being a disinterested employee of Onaka Transport, and instead joining as a fan, and don't get me wrong, it was a good thing.

 

[Phroobar]

I really felt this when I visited Star Wars Land last month during D23 Expo weekend. I had reserved spots for Oga's Cantinia and while I got into the reservation line (which lacked any signage and caused confusion to those who did not reserve spots), I did want to ask a couple questions to the reservations rep. As I approached her, she was on her mini reservations tablet talking to Disneyland Ambassadors while they were on their own mini-tablets talking about their talent and what time they should bring their talent into the cantina. I'm easy to please, they could have said "we'll be with you in a moment", but I must have looked liked a force ghost or something, none of them acknowledged my presence and all were glued to their mini-tablets, they were all just simply chatting about their talent. After maybe 4 minutes of standing with them in the sun, I just decided to slide back to the line and into the shade. Seriously, for how much Disney touts about creating a premium experience with premium pricing, I expected responsive and engaging interactions from cast members.

You stick a screen in front of a millennial and they shut down all human contact. I believe the human race will reduce its population because of the iPad.

 

[SSG]

Given this 'backstory' and 'Batuu lingo' business, I thought it was interesting on the Galaxy's Edge special the other night when a kid wanted to build a lightsaber at Savi's. He goes over and the CM straight up asked if he wanted to build a lightsaber! None of this 'scrap metal' business. Disney obviously knew 'scrap metal' would be confusing to the audience, so they called it what it is.

 

[RobWDW1971]

Given this 'backstory' and 'Batuu lingo' business, I thought it was interesting on the Galaxy's Edge special the other night when a kid wanted to build a lightsaber at Savi's. He goes over and the CM straight up asked if he wanted to build a lightsaber! None of this 'scrap metal' business. Disney obviously knew 'scrap metal' would be confusing to the audience, so they called it what it is.

It's because the marketing people are smart enough to know nobody cares about the enitre Batuu concept. I will know they think it is a selling point when a commercial includes merch and F&B waving to the camera and saying "Bright Suns!!!" like the Nahtazu!!! ads for DAK.

There's a reason they show the Millennium Falcon, play Star Wars music, and show wandering aliens in the ads. That's because that's what the masses logically expect from a "Star Wars" land.

Til the spires!!!!

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

What does til the spires mean?

 

[truecoat]

If I hear "Til the spire" or "Bright Suns" in Episode 9, I'm walking out.

 

[mickEblu]

Given this 'backstory' and 'Batuu lingo' business, I thought it was interesting on the Galaxy's Edge special the other night when a kid wanted to build a lightsaber at Savi's. He goes over and the CM straight up asked if he wanted to build a lightsaber! None of this 'scrap metal' business. Disney obviously knew 'scrap metal' would be confusing to the audience, so they called it what it is.

I mean for any of this dialogue to even have a remote chance of working they would have had to do a whole lot more than borrowing two Storm troopers from TL. They would need it to feel like a real living, breathing place. Instead, it’s the only land in the park that feels like a movie set.

 

[RobWDW1971]

If I hear "Til the spire" or "Bright Suns" in Episode 9, I'm walking out.

I will be shocked if there is not a forced scene in Batuu in Ep. 9. One thing Disney does well is synergy so I expect there will be a scene in Batuu - however, I can also guarantee that scene will be filled with wandering aliens, droids, Jedi, bounty hunters, etc. just like when you see it at the end of Star Tours.

That will only add to the disconnect when people show up and none of that is there.

 

[RobWDW1971]

What does til the spires mean?

Have no idea. Also, what the heck does "May the spires keep you" mean?

 

[TP2000]

Ok but how many times have you told this same story since you visited in June? I'm too lazy to search and count, but I bet it's more than two dozen.

Easily two dozen, if not three. It's my utterly fascinating contribution to the community here.

I'm going again soon and will make a point of going in to Star Wars Land to be immersed, so I'll try to get a new story for you. I'll bring a note pad.

I really felt this when I visited Star Wars Land last month during D23 Expo weekend. I had reserved spots for Oga's Cantinia and while I got into the reservation line (which lacked any signage and caused confusion to those who did not reserve spots), I did want to ask a couple questions to the reservations rep. As I approached her, she was on her mini reservations tablet talking to Disneyland Ambassadors while they were on their own mini-tablets talking about their talent and what time they should bring their talent into the cantina. I'm easy to please, they could have said "we'll be with you in a moment", but I must have looked liked a force ghost or something, none of them acknowledged my presence and all were glued to their mini-tablets, they were all just simply chatting about their talent.

It's not just you and me, there's something really wrong with that entire CM experience out front of the Cantina. I have no idea what the training and supervisory setup there is, but it's obviously failed.

This past weekend I met two friends at spendy and busy Davio's Steakhouse and I arrived early before my friends. The hostesses there at Davio's were gorgeous, smooth as silk and oozing grace and professionalism while they worked furiously to keep a horde of demanding movers and shakers happy as they waited. I can also go to a relatively cheap Outback Steakhouse in any mall parking lot in America on a busy Friday evening and the hostesses there are still put together, polite, and smile as they manage a packed lobby full of waiting customers.

But go to the Cantina in Star Wars Land with 20 people waiting in line and those hostesses act like they barely are keeping things together as they glumly and silently ignore anyone who dares to approach them. That's weird.

After maybe 4 minutes of standing with them in the sun, I just decided to slide back to the line and into the shade. Seriously, for how much Disney touts about creating a premium experience with premium pricing, I expected responsive and engaging interactions from cast members.

Sadly that era has long since passed. You still get it in Tokyo Disneyland, and it's shockingly consistent from the young kid working the churro cart to the 40 year old concierge at the Mira Costa Hotel. But in Anaheim it's now spotty at best. And what's worse is that some of the "premiere" CM's like you described above, Ambassadors hosting bigwigs and hostesses working at Disneyland's First Bar! in the Billion Dollar New Land!, can now be just as sloppy and unprofessional as the bored guy working the churro cart next to the Golden Zephyr.

There doesn't appear to be much difference among the various strata of CM's in Anaheim.

That tells me that the problem in Anaheim is primarily a training department failure since the foundation of customer service has crumbled, with a secondary problem of incompetent supervision and management to identify the weakest links and correct behavior.

 

[SSG]

I mean for any of this dialogue to even have a remote chance of working they would have had to do a whole lot more than borrowing two Storm troopers from TL. They would need it to feel like a real living, breathing place. Instead, it’s the only land in the park that feels like a movie set.

When the Imagineers and Chapek talked about the CM backstories and Batuu lingo, I thought it was a neat touch that would complement the other elements in the land (aliens, droids, music, etc). But there was no way this could replace the interactive elements. Madness to even attempt this.

 

[TP2000]

When the Imagineers and Chapek talked about the CM backstories and Batuu lingo, I thought was a neat touch that would complement the other elements in the land (aliens, droids, music, etc). But there was no way this could replace the interactive elements. Madness to even attempt this.

Exactly. It also shows a deep and fundamental misunderstanding of how Disneyland works.

It proves to me that Bob Chapek and Scott Trowbridge have absolutely no idea how Disneyland operates day to day, hour to hour, and how their paying customers interact with their employees.

And I forget who said it first (remind me if you read this!), but it's also not kind or appropriate to ask your front-line entry-level employees to shoulder the burden of creating the entertainment for this land.

You can't expect the Fullerton Junior College co-ed selling chicken wraps to replace an interaction with R2-D2. You can't expect the middle aged mom from Santa Ana working the register in a gift shop to replace an interaction with a menacing Alien Bounty Hunter. Those types of front line CM's can use a fun phrase or two to supplement the wild and crazy interactive entertainment provided by professional actors and musicians and stunt men and autonomous droids (who all make much higher wages than shop clerks and fast food workers), but you can't expect those shop clerks and fast food workers to replace that type of professional entertainment.

And to do so proves that those senior executives have absolutely no idea how a Disney theme park operates and behaves and interacts with its paying customers. Those senior execs have only proved that they are clueless about their business.

 

[Monorail_Orange]

Exactly. It also shows a deep and fundamental misunderstanding of how Disneyland any Disney Theme Park works.

FTFY.

 

[RobWDW1971]

Exactly. It also shows a deep and fundamental misunderstanding of how Disneyland works.

It proves to me that Bob Chapek and Scott Trowbridge have absolutely no idea how Disneyland operates day to day, hour to hour, and how their paying customers interact with their employees.

And I forget who said it first (remind me if you read this!), but it's also not kind or appropriate to ask your front-line entry-level employees to shoulder the burden of creating the entertainment for this land.

You can't expect the Fullerton Junior College co-ed selling chicken wraps to replace an interaction with R2-D2. You can't expect the middle aged mom from Santa Ana working the register in a gift shop to replace an interaction with a menacing Alien Bounty Hunter. Those types of front line CM's can use a fun phrase or two to supplement the wild and crazy interactive entertainment provided by professional actors and musicians and stunt men and autonomous droids (who all make much higher wages than shop clerks and fast food workers), but you can't expect those shop clerks and fast food workers to replace that type of professional entertainment.

And to do so proves that those senior executives have absolutely no idea how a Disney theme park operates and behaves and interacts with its paying customers. Those senior execs have just proved that they are clueless about their business.

Such a spot on post and I'm shocked the unions allowed this without collective bargaining something for it. These must be weak locals to have an entirely new set of job duties added without extra pay. Wait until Disney tries to discipline a union worker for not doing the improv shtick. That will be an interesting grievance process....

 

[Lilofan]

Exactly. It also shows a deep and fundamental misunderstanding of how Disneyland works.

It proves to me that Bob Chapek and Scott Trowbridge have absolutely no idea how Disneyland operates day to day, hour to hour, and how their paying customers interact with their employees.

I get it and the frustration of many. Execs or any level of leadership should be building up his or her team hiring the best expert direct reports. Since Chapek is the chairman, shouldn't his leaders under him, - President, SVPs, VPs, GMs all with extensive operational experience be advising him on how to run the theme parks better?

 

[RobWDW1971]

I get it and the frustration of many. Execs or any level of leadership should be building up his or her team hiring the best expert direct reports. Since Chapek is the chairman, shouldn't his leaders under him, - President, SVPs, VPs, GMs all with extensive operational experience be advising him on how to run the theme parks better?

Spent the majority of my career in corporate finance and ops and often the "creatives" will just throw down the dismissive "they don't get it" card on the operators. I can see that happening here when WDI is spinning tales of "disruptive", "ground breaking", and "immersive" lands the last thing Chapek and WDI execs want to hear is why 30 year theme park operations vets don't think it will work. "They just don't get it...."

 

[Jones14]

And I forget who said it first (remind me if you read this!), but it's also not kind or appropriate to ask your front-line entry-level employees to shoulder the burden of creating the entertainment for this land.

That’s me! I was commenting from a ‘payment vs expectations’ perspective, as with this land in particular, Disney has given their employees a rather dramatic increase in responsibility without any sort of payment to reflect that increase.

I personally enjoy the idea of extending the theming to the cast members (Tower of Terror, Haunted Mansion, and the Wizarding Worlds do this quite well), but for a company that is consistently criticized for underpaying their employees to turn around and pull a stunt like this is more than a little ridiculous.

 

[lifeisgoodboy]

If I hear "Til the spire" or "Bright Suns" in Episode 9, I'm walking out.

I don't mind if they say that in episode 9.

 

[lifeisgoodboy]

What does til the spires mean?

Farewell