News Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Historical Construction/Impressions

[fctiger]

So? That's been pretty typical of the top tier attractions at DLR for the last 15 years. 45-90mins is the usual for the top 3 attractions like SM, Indy, etc.

Disney really has no incentive to wish every line was like 20mins.. in fact they don't want that. It causes people to churn through the park too quickly.

Exactly! Thats why I never understand these arguments. Popular rides have long lines, this isn't a new idea. Where does it state every ride has to be under a certain time or must hold a certain number of people every hour? If that was the case, you wouldn''t have smaller rides like Snow White or Dumbo. Those rides wouldn't even exist. The capacity is what it is. Some rides you have to wait longer than others, this has been the norm forever now. SM has higher capacity then RSR with 2200 an hour and YET it still gets up to 60-90 min waits on busy days and that ride is 40 years old. So what difference does it make. A popular ride is going to simply get long lines no matter how many people it can hold, especially thrill rides. No one complains about it they simply wait and I'm guessing 90% of the people waiting in a 60+ min line has ridden it many times in the past anyway. Most simply understand you're at DL, you are going to encounter long waits in busy seasons with the most popular rides.

 

[PB Watermelon]

Radiator Springs Racers standby is rarely less than 60 minutes, and is usually 90+.

This is because of the low capacity- the wait time could and should be shorter, improving guest experience.

I'd say that ride is a great example why capacity is a concern for these major attractions.

This is why you get a FastPass or MaigcPass or whatever it is now and then go do something else. I think people who stand in a 90 minute line at Disneyland or California Adventure are crazy. You get up early, show up at least 30 minutes before rope drop, then you hit the most popular rides with the slowest loading times. You'll have the run of the place. Then, when the horde shows up by late morning, you do the smaller stuff, wait for the end of the day to hit big popular rides you may have missed, and meanwhile, you take advantage of every Fastpass you can. 90 minutes standing in line for Radiator Springs Racers?

 

[mickEblu]

You lost that war (pun intended) with all things "pirate."

Lol. I knew I was going to hear about all the POTC And Frontierland stuff too (although I’ll admit I forgot about the War canoes) but I don’t think they are a great comparison. Those Marc Davis designed Pirates come off as a joyful bunch that you might even want to have a beer with. Not to mention, they weren’t based on IP so we didn’t have 30 hours plus of Star Wars movie footage to refer to. Movies where the majority of the time is spent on depressing planets (moreso with the original trilogy) that are at war. Where we see plenty of death and destruction.

But I can appreciate the comparison and I think it’s fair. But it’s hard to compare some cartoony jovial pirates (hey the auction scene is gone now right) to the stuff we see in the Star Wars movies. With that said, this isn’t even my issue with SWL. It’s having a huge land devoted to one IP in the original magic kingdom. And to me names are important. Having an entire Disneyland land with the word “War” in it rubs me the wrong way. Kind of different than some A ticket ride in the corner of the park. I hate everything about the way they name new rides and attractions these days. Everything has to be obnoxiously long because marketing has to make sure the IP reference is clear. And there has to be a colon. This is a must! I guess the immersion starts in the land, not when we re passing by a marquee that says “Star Wars.”

 

[fctiger]

Well in their defense... this is the largest shift in the park since toontown, DCA v1 and v2. I think DCA v2 and Carsland is the only real parallel given it was opened after the big AP boom of the mid 2000s.. but that was DCA which had plenty of capacity to spare. DL on the other hand is quite full, and now you bring in something that is an even bigger draw than Carsland was. It's certainly DIFFERENT from before - but I don't think it's doomsday. It would be doomsday if Disney just opened like any other day and just said "we'll just wing it". But you know for sure this land will have limited access, or things far more direct for a long long time. Disney could even limit DLR at the gate, not just at SW:GE. Universal survived Hogsmeade... and Disney survived Carsland and Pandora. SW is just the next evolution and will probably have more aggressive controls for it.

So will the impact be huge? For sure.. will it cause end of days. Doubtful... crowd control is something DLR is very proactive about.. so I'm not worried except for what it means to actually get into the place.

OK yes DL has more people than DCA does, granted, but people act like (as they always do) adding a major land or ride is going to suddenly create problems in how the park operates over it. As if they never open major lands anywhere else and had to deal with poplar rides. As you mentioned look at Pandora at DAK. That land was slammed in a way CL never was. It also opened with two high profile attractions and they both got 3-4 hour waits all summer. I don't know if the lines are still that long but I'm guessing they are probably 2 hours average on busy days. And the park survived. They all survive, so what is the issue? You have to wait longer, Disney has to figure out how the lines will carry through without disrupting other parts of the land too much but that's basically it. In time, the hysteria will die down, it will find a balance and people will just accept it from that point on.

And my guess is if SWL is anything like CL it's still going to be pretty easy to walk around because clearly they know how to build for bigger crowds today that the original DL never prepared for. I still remember walking around CL opening day. It was PACKED and yet it didn't feel like it. There were lines everywhere (RSR was up to 6 hours) but yet you can walk around and breath. If you can still navigate GE even with a five hour lines then it did it's job IMO.

 

[MisterPenguin]

OK yes DL has more people than DCA does, granted, but people act like (as they always do) adding a major land or ride is going to suddenly create problems in how the park operates over it. As if they never open major lands anywhere else and had to deal with poplar rides. As you mentioned look at Pandora at DAK. That land was slammed in a way CL never was. It also opened with two high profile attractions and they both got 3-4 hour waits all summer. I don't know if the lines are still that long but I'm guessing they are probably 2 hours average on busy days. And the park survived. They all survive, so what is the issue? You have to wait longer, Disney has to figure out how the lines will carry through without disrupting other parts of the land too much but that's basically it. In time, the hysteria will die down, it will find a balance and people will just accept it from that point on.

And my guess is if SWL is anything like CL it's still going to be pretty easy to walk around because clearly they know how to build for bigger crowds today that the original DL never prepared for. I still remember walking around CL opening day. It was PACKED and yet it didn't feel like it. There were lines everywhere (RSR was up to 6 hours) but yet you can walk around and breath. If you can still navigate GE even with a five hour lines then it did it's job IMO.

SWL will bring in at least 3 times the amount of extra people than Pandora did in a park that has one-third the available space to deal with it.

 

[fctiger]

SWL will bring in at least 3 times the amount of extra people than Pandora did in a park that has one-third the available space to deal with it.

Again, more internet hysteria! Its always these kinds of predictions that just gets forgotten months after something has been opened. And you're also forgetting Disney is building two of these lands both opening within months of each other. I don't think they done that ever. But clearly that will cut down on everyone on the planet from going just to DL to see it. Most people who lives on the east coast or goes to WDW regularly will just go to that one when it opens. It's not going to be like Pandora, CL or HP because its not going to be the only one around for years.

And even if it was, so what? WWOHP had a 10 hour wait opening day at IOA. What happened? People simply waited, even to the point they had to wait hours just to get into the land. To this day I can't recall anything Disney has built that had a ten hour wait before. But what was the biggest issue? A lot of people waited in a line, I'm shocked no one sued the park over it. And a few months later it started to calm down. Today no one ever talks about how busy it is. Somehow Universal got through it, which up until then never had a major attraction opening. I imagine the same for Disney and GE.

And here is a suggestion, if you don't want to wait for a 5 hour ride, then just go later. Problem solved.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

I don't think the problem people are discussing is the land and its attractions necessarily having crazy wait times, it's the concern that DLR genuinely lacks the sufficient infrastructure to handle the volume of crowds that SWL is predicted to bring.

 

[fctiger]

I don't think the problem people are discussing is the land and its attractions necessarily having crazy wait times, it's the concern that DLR genuinely lacks the sufficient infrastructure to handle the volume of crowds that SWL is predicted to bring.

People say this all the time though, thats what I'm saying. When has this ever become a major issue? Its a constant broken record. Nemo subs were predicted by some people to have 3 hour lines for years. That didn't happen. None of these crazy predictions rarely happen for anymore than a few months. Here is what is going to happen, worst case scenario. Tons of people will show up, the lines will be super long, they may even close the park due to capacity a few times that summer (they can only let so many in right), maybe even at opening. Everyone will get their fill of it, the crowds will inevitably die down as they always do, summer will end, kids go back to school and in time there will be a balance. Yes maybe more crowded then it use to be just like DCA now is more crowded then it use to be, but you will still be able to go anytime you want and ride anything you want. So yeah.

And if you don't want to be involved in that circus, I can't blame you. I suspect it will hit capacity next summer. If that happens then don't go, spend your vacation somewhere else for a summer. Come back later.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Again, more internet hysteria! Its always these kinds of predictions that just gets forgotten months after something has been opened. And you're also forgetting Disney is building two of these lands both opening within months of each other. I don't think they done that ever. But clearly that will cut down on everyone on the planet from going just to DL to see it. Most people who lives on the east coast or goes to WDW regularly will just go to that one when it opens. It's not going to be like Pandora, CL or HP because its not going to be the only one around for years.

And even if it was, so what? WWOHP had a 10 hour wait opening day at IOA. What happened? People simply waited, even to the point they had to wait hours just to get into the land. To this day I can't recall anything Disney has built that had a ten hour wait before. But what was the biggest issue? A lot of people waited in a line, I'm shocked no one sued the park over it. And a few months later it started to calm down. Today no one ever talks about how busy it is. Somehow Universal got through it, which up until then never had a major attraction opening. I imagine the same for Disney and GE.

And here is a suggestion, if you don't want to wait for a 5 hour ride, then just go later. Problem solved.

You acknowledge the 10 hour wait at IOA but are actually derisive of claims of long lines at DL as hysteria?

Go away and come back when your logic circuits kick in.

 

[fctiger]

You acknowledge the 10 hour wait at IOA but are actually derisive of claims of long lines at DL as hysteria?

Go away and come back when your logic circuits kick in.

I'm saying if Universal could through it then guess what so will DL if ever got to that, which I don't think it will since they are building two. If anything I think they learned from HP and why they built two from the beginning. And it wasn't 10 hour lines for the next three years, just at opening. Shocking. My logic is sound as Spock would say.

And if it is, just don't go!!!!!!!!!!!! Wait until later. Are you afraid its going to be 10 hour waits for the rest of your life?

Worst case scenario is they will shut the park down at capacity. Uh yeah, they done it quite a few times in the past. DL first official day of opening 10 times more people showed up then they expected. Somehow the park survived 60 years later.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I'm saying if Universal could through it then guess what so will DL if ever got to that, which I don't think it will since they are building two. And it wasn't 10 hour lines for the next three years, just at opening. Shocking. My logic is sound as Spock would say.

And if it is, just don't go!!!!!!!!!!!! Wait until later. Are you afraid its going to be 10 hour waits for the rest of your life?

Worst case scenario is they will shut the park down at capacity. Uh yeah, they done it quite a few times in the past. DL first official day of opening 10 times more people showed up then they expected. Somehow the park survived 60 years later.

Remember that the demand for star Wars is far greater than Harry Potter, and the demand for Disneyland Park is far greater than Universal.

If Harry Potter was pulling 10 hour waits, which is never acceptable from a guest service/satisfaction standpoint, that doesn't bode well for Galaxy's Edge.

 

[mickEblu]

Good, Bad or Ugly it’s kind of crazy that this land will most likely be open in less than 6 months and we’ ll have 14 more acres of Disneyland to walk around in.

 

[fctiger]

Remember that the demand for star Wars is far greater than Harry Potter, and the demand for Disneyland Park is far greater than Universal.

If Harry Potter was pulling 10 hour waits, which is never acceptable from a guest service/satisfaction standpoint, that doesn't bode well for Galaxy's Edge.

It just may be. I don't understand what people want me to say. Will it be busy, yeah, it will be busy. Busy enough to reach capacity at times, yes very possible. Do you think the park will stay that way for years on end? Everyday Disney has to shut down its gates because the SW nerds will show up in record numbers every day on both coasts? If so, then this is the type of internet hysteria I'm talking about.

The summer will be PACKED, OK, we all know this. Probably the busiest it will be in maybe decades. But come September, things will just gradually fall as they always do because believe it or not, the entire world isn't as consumed about it like people on these boards once their vacations are over. And Disney knows this and exactly why all the passes are allowed back in by the end of August, it will fall back to its usual patterns overall, although GE itself will stay packed for the rest of the year I imagine.

 

[SWGalaxysEdge]

I'm always amazed every time Disney opens a new ride, land, theme park, etc the same "OMG CAPACITY IS TOO LOW HUMANITY IS DOOMED" arguments start up again. Or that people never just take a step back and A. realize this has been said for countless rides and lands in the past and B. It all eventually works itself out. This argument has happened from the Nemo subs to WOC. There is always the same internet hysteria that a hot incoming attraction is just not going to reach the same capacity as others and somehow chaos will reign over it.

I never get it, all it means is the lines will be longer for awhile. People seem to understand that and simply wait. If the ride is worth it, they will continue to wait longer for it. If its not, the lines will simply dissipate in time regardless. This is how its always been regardless how big or small capacity is. Notice no one is losing sleep over not being able to get a ticket to WOC these days or worrying if they will be able to ride RSR. I remember the hoopla over that ride and how 'low' the capacity was for an E-ticket. Remember that? Well apparently no one does because its never brought up today. Pre-opening though that's all people talked about. "Only 1500 people per hour??? POTC gets twice that many!!! What were they thinking??" Now no one ever brings it up or talk about it.

And here is another shocker, not everyone will want to ride these rides right away. If they don't want to wait in a 6 hour line, they will come back in a few days/weeks/months and ride when things calm down.

..plus, at Hollywood Studios, "Mickey's Runaway Railway" is supposed to open at the same time, taking away some traffic.

 

[fctiger]

This is why you get a FastPass or MaigcPass or whatever it is now and then go do something else. I think people who stand in a 90 minute line at Disneyland or California Adventure are crazy. You get up early, show up at least 30 minutes before rope drop, then you hit the most popular rides with the slowest loading times. You'll have the run of the place. Then, when the horde shows up by late morning, you do the smaller stuff, wait for the end of the day to hit big popular rides you may have missed, and meanwhile, you take advantage of every Fastpass you can. 90 minutes standing in line for Radiator Springs Racers?

Exactly this! I have been to every Disney theme park multiple times in both their highest and slowest seasons (exception of Shanghai as I only been once so far) and its amazing how the dynamic basically stays the same at all these parks worldwide. But its usually the same, get there at opening, get in lines for the biggest stuff first or FP it later and you will ride and see pretty much everything you want within reason. Yes you won't be able to get a FP for everything and some rides you may have to wait an hour in but thats why you either ride the biggest ones first or get a FP right away. And thanks to Maxpass, its even easier now because you can FP from both parks with your phone.

Old people like me remember waaaaaaaaaay back in the 90s when FPs didn't exist. You didn't have ride wait times in real time at your fingertips so you could actively strategist what to ride next. There wasn't 100 websites giving you suggestions when was the best time to visit or best time to ride so and so ride. Or message boards like this one where you have tons of Disney nerds giving you tips to plan your trip better. Most people use to just show at the park and figured it out as they went. And if they went on a really busy day, they were screwed.

Nobody likes being in a busy park, but going to any of these parks are really SO much easier today because you have so many tools to help you with.

 

[SWGalaxysEdge]

Exactly this! I have been to every Disney theme park multiple times in both their highest and slowest seasons (exception of Shanghai as I only been once so far) and its amazing how the dynamic basically stays the same at all these parks worldwide. But its usually the same, get there at opening, get in lines for the biggest stuff first or FP it later and you will ride and see pretty much everything you want within reason. Yes you won't be able to get a FP for everything and some rides you may have to wait an hour in but thats why you either ride the biggest ones first or get a FP right away. And thanks to Maxpass, its even easier now because you can FP from both parks with your phone.

Old people like me remember waaaaaaaaaay back in the 90s when FPs didn't exist. You didn't have ride wait times in real time at your fingertips so you could actively strategist what to ride next. There wasn't 100 websites giving you suggestions when was the best time to visit or best time to ride so and so ride. Or message boards like this one where you have tons of Disney nerds giving you tips to plan your trip better. Most people use to just show at the park and figured it out as they went. And if they went on a really busy day, they were screwed.

Nobody likes being in a busy park, but going to any of these parks are really SO much easier today because you have so many tools to help you with.

...lol Good ol days indeed. I remember the ticket books too! Yeah, The days of going to the park and just walking around and riding a ride here and there seem to be gone. Its funny how the FP was created to alleviate the long lines, and they themselves have become a long line.

 

[Disney Irish]

Build another Disneyland.

The stars at night
Are big and bright
(clap! clap! clap! clap!)
...deep in the heart of Texas.

Give it up already...

 

[PB Watermelon]

Exactly this! I have been to every Disney theme park multiple times in both their highest and slowest seasons (exception of Shanghai as I only been once so far) and its amazing how the dynamic basically stays the same at all these parks worldwide. But its usually the same, get there at opening, get in lines for the biggest stuff first or FP it later and you will ride and see pretty much everything you want within reason. Yes you won't be able to get a FP for everything and some rides you may have to wait an hour in but thats why you either ride the biggest ones first or get a FP right away. And thanks to Maxpass, its even easier now because you can FP from both parks with your phone.

Old people like me remember waaaaaaaaaay back in the 90s when FPs didn't exist. You didn't have ride wait times in real time at your fingertips so you could actively strategist what to ride next. There wasn't 100 websites giving you suggestions when was the best time to visit or best time to ride so and so ride. Or message boards like this one where you have tons of Disney nerds giving you tips to plan your trip better. Most people use to just show at the park and figured it out as they went. And if they went on a really busy day, they were screwed.

Nobody likes being in a busy park, but going to any of these parks are really SO much easier today because you have so many tools to help you with.

One of my favorite Disneyland stories (and I have a lot of them) is from the 90's...I was 23 years old, fresh out of college, waiting tables, living in North Hollywood. Disneyland was a treat. Went there maybe once or twice a year. Anyway, I'm there with my college roommates, there's no such thing as Fastpass, you had to strategize. It's towards the end of the night, we're plowing through as many rides as we possibly can. We're knocking out the dark rides in Fantasyland, we get in line for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Exhausted father with his kids is walking ahead of us, sees the line for it (not a ton of people, but slow loader), and so even though it's not a giant line, you know it's gonna be about 20-30 minutes. The dad grumbles under his breath but we all hear it: "All right. Let's go do this Toad sucking thing." We laughed our off. (Can I say on WDWMagic? Guess I'm about to find out.)

EDIT
Apparently not.

Anyway, we still quote that dad to this day. So, now, with all the options to beat the grueling slog of long lines, and all the information on-line and resources from authors about how to make the park work for you, rather than you fighting the park -- I really just stare in amazement at people who stand in long lines at Disneyland or California Adventure or Animal Kingdom or damn near anything. Just do the work beforehand, and roll with what happens. Went with my wife just a few years back (before the MagicBands or Magic My Way or whatever phone apps kicked in). It was July 4th weekend. Day after the 4th of July, I knew it was going to get insane (so I set expectations accordingly) -- but we showed up early, were on Main Street before Rope Drop, went straight to Peter Pan's Flight (it's my wife's favorite, that's another story). So it went like this...on July 4th weekend.

Peter Pan's Flight. Dumbo. Matterhorn. Jungle Cruise. Indiana Jones. Pirates. Haunted Mansion. Splash Mountain. Tom Sawyer's Island to dry off. Winnie-the-Pooh. Lunch at Blue Bayou. It was noon and we had knocked out almost everything in that side of the park. So by this time, the horde has descended. So Tiki Room. Tarzan. Root Beer floats at the Golden Horseshoe. Fastpassed stuff while hitting fast-loaders. If we saw a long line for, say, Buzz Lightyear, we certainly didn't stand in it, we fastpassed it and went and did something else. You have to show up early, stay late, and use the Fastpass system with some strategy. Don't fight the park. Work with it.

Oh, one more tip. When "the horde" exits at the end of the night...do not get into that giant assembly of humanity walking to the transportation to parking. Just don't. Don't do it. Kick back, relax, have some ice cream, let all those people get out of the place. Disneyland keeps Main Street stores open late, so while attractions may close, it's very, very cool to walk around the place with someone you love, largely alone, and the bus trams run late to accommodate late shoppers, so that's an easy and relaxing way to avoid maybe the most hardest line of all...the horde waiting for the trams back to their cars. Don't do it.

 

[PB Watermelon]

Give it up already...

Never!

 

[MisterPenguin]

Build another Disneyland.

The stars at night
Are big and bright
(clap! clap! clap! clap!)
...deep in the heart of Texas.

If you wanted to reduce crowding at DL, wouldn't it be better to build a WDW clone in central California? Get some nice farmland and concessions from the state to do have a more free hand.

Then if Anaheim wants to put the screws to DL, they can always make noise about shutting it all down in favor of Central California.