News Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Disney's Hollywood Studios opening date

[Casper Gutman]

"I loved Harry Potter because of the merch". -- said no one, ever.

True. But I think that Star Wars is based less on places than on a whole aesthetic, which will certainly be present here. You underestimate the appeal of this land, imo.

Regarding the crowds: they said that they are limiting access to the land. How do you know it won't be enjoyable based on that?

If you don’t think a big portion of folks enjoyment of the HP lands hinge on the merch, I’m not sure you’ve been to them. Guests wearing scarves, robes, and wielding wands are EVERYWHERE. It is absolutely a cornerstone of the immersiveness of the land.

What about WDWs recent behavior leads you to believe they will limit crowds to a comfortable level?

 

[danlb_2000]

If you don’t think a big portion of folks enjoyment of the HP lands hinge on the merch, I’m not sure you’ve been to them. Guests wearing scarves, robes, and wielding wands are EVERYWHERE. It is absolutely a cornerstone of the immersiveness of the land.

What about WDWs recent behavior leads you to believe they will limit crowds to a comfortable level?

Yeah, I believe the will limit entry when the crowds become dangerous, not when they become uncomfortable.

 

[RobbinsDad]

Why pay for one trip when you can have two for double the price.

I guarantee you there will be a viral (not-so-secretly promoted by Disney) challenge coming to attend DL and WDW for each ride's opening.

 

[mikejs78]

If you don’t think a big portion of folks enjoyment of the HP lands hinge on the merch, I’m not sure you’ve been to them. Guests wearing scarves, robes, and wielding wands are EVERYWHERE. It is absolutely a cornerstone of the immersiveness of the land.

What about WDWs recent behavior leads you to believe they will limit crowds to a comfortable level?

People buy stuff, but it's not why people say they love the land. I have never bought an item in HP land. Neither has a close friend of mine. But we still think it's an excellent land.

They've never controlled a land before. This of uncharted territory. We will have to see what they do.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Press Release...

Walt Disney World Resort Reopening

wdwnews.com

"In anticipation of high guest interest, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products announced today it will open Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge ahead of schedule..."​

What about the interest of sober guests?

 

[monothingie]

Yeah, I believe the will limit entry when the crowds become dangerous, not when they become uncomfortable.

Just like Pandora, they will limit entry to SWGE, then limit entry to the park. DAK unlike DHS can take a larger number of bodies before it becomes a life safety concern.

 

[JenniferS]

I really want to see GE, but I don't want to deal with the massive crowds, so I scheduled a trip in mid-September hoping I would be there before the land opened, and then I would go back in a year or two to experience the land with more reasonable crowd level.

I’m sort of in the same boat. Today, in fact was our 180 day ADR mark, so I dutifully got up at 5:45, loaded the site and the app, double checked my calendar multiple, multiple times, and started booking for me, Hubby, my brother, and SIL.

Once I’d gotten everything I wanted, I spent another half hour tweaking and modifying times.

I went back to bed for a bit, but was oblivious to the announcements until my brother texted me at 11-something to tell me. He then asked, “Does this change any of our plans?”

In the words of DJ in TLJ ... maybe.

Either way, I am crazy excited to see the land, the shops, the food venues. Hubby will for sure build and buy a BB8 droid. We’ll get in line to ride MF:SR, and if we do get on, fine. If not, I’m okay with that too, as simulators make me queasy.

Comparing a staged SW opening to new Fantasyland isn’t exactly apples to apples. RotR is head and shoulders above 7DMT, and comparing Ariel to Falcon is laughable.

The more I read, the more excited I feel that we will be given the chance to preview/experience even part of the land.

And would I be willing to pay for an extra hours event? You betcha. Maybe more than once. For this reason, I’m going to hold off booking our Backstage Magic Tour.

 

[Casper Gutman]

People buy stuff, but it's not why people say they love the land. I have never bought an item in HP land. Neither has a close friend of mine. But we still think it's an excellent land.

They've never controlled a land before. This of uncharted territory. We will have to see what they do.

Do you browse the shops?

Disney has controlled ticketed events many, many times... Not-So-Scary, Very Merry, etc. In the days of E Ticket Nights they kept the admitted crowds very comfortable. Now? Pack ‘em in.

 

[Disney Maddux]

Great!... Now when does MMRR open?

 

[RobbinsDad]

In theory, this is a good thing. At least now the fanboys itching to be the first to see the new land will have come and gone (again, in theory) by the time holiday crowds descend. The wrinkle is the staggered ride openings. If I were Disney, I'd wait until 2020 to open ROTR. There's no incentive attendance-wise to open earlier.

 

[monothingie]

For everyone complaining about the early opening, just wondering what your situation is. Are you guys Floridians who go all the time and are annoyed you have to experience twice or travelers waiting to book a trip on opening week?

I planned a trip for the last week of September hoping that I would just miss SWGE before it opened, and enjoy a quiet crowd free trip. Now it will be SWGE, coupled with a much more crowded F&W, and the addition of the ROE replacement. I’m kind of hoping that by the end of September the initial craziness will die down (kids are in school), but i think this is wishful thinking.

 

[rocketraccoon]

Opening the land like this makes sense, no?

Harry Potter opened in the middle of June to absurd crowds, and Pandora right when the Summer rush started kicking off. Opening at the end of August when almost the entire country's kids are back in class and big vacations aren't really on the menu should help massively with opening day/week/month crowds of die-hards and passholders. If RotR (and MMRR presumably) opens before Thanksgiving it should help handle the holiday crowds.

 

[danlb_2000]

Opening the land like this makes sense, no?

Harry Potter opened in the middle of June to absurd crowds, and Pandora right when the Summer rush started kicking off. Opening at the end of August when almost the entire country's kids are back in class and big vacations aren't really on the menu should help massively with opening day/week/month crowds of die-hards and passholders. If RotR (and MMRR presumably) opens before Thanksgiving it should help handle the holiday crowds.

... but it is Labor day weekend which tends to bump the crowds back up a bit.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Imagine this scenario:

It's mid-September. Our insiders tell us that SWL is ready to open except RotR. They say RotR will be ready at the time that everyone's been expecting, sometime later in the Fall, around late October.

You know there would be moaning and screaming...

"Why can't they open it without RotR?!"​

"Why would they keep the Falcon ride away from us just for that?!"​

"Why can't they do soft openings without RotR?!"​

"If they open now without RotR it will help with crowds! All the looky-loos will get the shops and cantina out of their system!! So.. OPEN NOW!!!!!!!!1!!1"​

So, I find all this hair-on-fire screaming and moaning about an earlier-than-expecting opening without RotR to be quite disingenuous.

Unpleasable Fanbase - TV Tropes

Sometimes, fanbases are, or appear to be, perennially complaining not just about minute details of the Canon, but about everything. This sometimes relates to fake fannishness: some people just don't like a piece of fiction, yet insist on …

tvtropes.org

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Great!... Now when does MMRR open?

I'm thinking this will incorporate wit RoTR opening around the same time perhaps..But, who knows we might hear something during D23 expo

 

[TwilightZone]

I'm going presumably this October, I am hoping Rise is open by then. If not, then I think I will still enjoy myself.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Imagine this scenario:

It's mid-September. Our insiders tell us that SWL is ready to open except RotR. They say RotR will be ready at the time that everyone's been expecting, sometime later in the Fall, around late October.

You know there would be moaning and screaming...

"Why can't they open it without RotR?!"​

"Why would they keep the Falcon ride away from us just for that?!"​

"Why can't they do soft openings without RotR?!"​

"If they open now without RotR it will help with crowds! All the looky-loos will get the shops and cantina out of their system!! So.. OPEN NOW!!!!!!!!1!!1"​

So, I find all this hair-on-fire screaming and moaning about an earlier-than-expecting opening without RotR to be quite disingenuous.

Unpleasable Fanbase - TV Tropes

Sometimes, fanbases are, or appear to be, perennially complaining not just about minute details of the Canon, but about everything. This sometimes relates to fake fannishness: some people just don't like a piece of fiction, yet insist on …

tvtropes.org

I don’t think many posters would say those things if the whole kaboodle opened when we had expected. And I have no idea what past experience would lead you to expect those complaints, unless you are constructing a “haters complain about everything” straw man rather then listening to the arguments posters here make.

Look, I think opening this in two phases is bad from a PR standpoint and doesn’t offer much benefit to guests. But if the whole thing opens when we originally expected, it’s no skin off my - or anyone else who knew the rumored opening dates - nose.

But from the way Disney is approaching this, I would not be at all surprised if RoR does not open when we originally expected.

 

[ppete1975]

I am wondering if this will be the case. If people can't get into the land will they just move on to another park. I also wonder if the fact the both rides won't be open in the beginning will mitigate the crowds at all.

I think it will make it much worse for galaxy edge. Instead of you picking one ride or the other, everyone will be going to one ride... and a few months later the same thing. Although it will be nice for attendance.. instead of one nightmare you get two. So when crowds start to normalize again... BANG ANOTHER NEW STAR WARS RIDE

 

[flynnibus]

"I loved Harry Potter because of the merch". -- said no one, ever.

You're full of it. The shops are a major portion of the Hogsmeade experience.. and why in Diagon Alley it's even more so.

 

[flynnibus]

Look, I think opening this in two phases is bad from a PR standpoint and doesn’t offer much benefit to guests.

It offers plenty - the only people it hurts are those who had fantasies about being 'the ones' to be there on opening day and all the glory that they would have from it.