News Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opening day reports - Disney's Hollywood Studios

[sedati]

The other point about the quality of the land question....is it really word of mouth that's pushing people away from going? I'm skeptical, HOWEVER we do know that FOP opened to RAVE reviews (and very well deserved as it's my favorite ride in WDW now), and the crowds have barely died down until recently.

RAVE reviews?
I remember many enjoying it, but I also remember many on these boards lambasting Flight of Passage after opening. For perspective, here's what I remember reading ad nauseam:
It's just Soarin 2.0 (even ends with a whale breach!)
That guy in the preshow.
I thought we were each going to be riding a full sized animatronic banshee, not some motor cycle!
SCREENZ!
If I look, I can see other guests, ride mechanism, screen edge, etc.
3D glasses!
Slow loading.
That guy in the preshow.
Bad capacity.
Not built for larger guests!
Handicapped transfer required.
Over heating.
Only one animatronic.
Why did they build two rides in one building/fire alarms?
That guy in the preshow.
Meh.

I'm not saying some of these weren't legitimate, but time has been kind to this wonderful attraction. It may not seem possible, but the full-time haters on this board eventually move on to fresher meat and a clearer picture emerges.

If we were judging things solely by this forum then Seven Dwarves Mine Train is the low-point of the entire company's history.

 

[RobWDW1971]

Try this thought experiment—would anyone give a crap about actors dressed up as Han, Luke, or Leia walking around? No, they wouldn’t. Case closed. It’s not about the movies.

And here's a thought experiment for you - let's set up two character meet and greets in Batuu a hundred yards apart. One has Episode IV Han Solo (vest/blaster), Leia (white dress/buns) and Vader and the other one has Rey, Poe, and Kylo. Longer line buys the other a steak dinner.

(BTW, I like mine medium rare with a nice California Cab)

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

RAVE reviews?
I remember many enjoying it, but I also remember many on these boards lambasting Flight of Passage after opening. For perspective, here's what I remember reading ad nauseam:
It's just Soarin 2.0 (even ends with a whale breach!)
That guy in the preshow.
I thought we were each going to be riding a full sized animatronic banshee, not some motor cycle!
SCREENZ!
If I look, I can see other guests, ride mechanism, screen edge, etc.
3D glasses!
Slow loading.
That guy in the preshow.
Bad capacity.
Not built for larger guests!
Handicapped transfer required.
Over heating.
Only one animatronic.
Why did they build two rides in one building/fire alarms?
That guy in the preshow.
Meh.

I'm not saying some of these weren't legitimate, but time has been kind to this wonderful attraction. It may not seem possible, but the full-time haters on this board eventually move on to fresher meat and a clearer picture emerges.

If we were judging things solely by this forum then Seven Dwarves Mine Train is the low-point of the entire company's history.

You had me till mine train.

Mine train proves that people have lost their way in judging the park additions...it’s crowded because it’s there...not because it’s anything more than a 1980’s technology junior roller coaster.

The big praise for Star warsland in Disneyland on boards has been about the paint schemes and the freaking facade walls.

The truth is ALWAYS In the middle...but don’t dominish the effects rides have - especially innovative rides like FOP - on perception, word of mouth and longterm appeal/emotional attachment with repeat customers.

 

[seascape]

I like Universal and I'm over 50. Are you supposed to stop liking rides at 50 ?????

I will agree that some people over 50 like roller coasters and are not bothered by high action motion. However, if you look at society today, you will see an aging population and family sizes continuing to shrink. When I grew up in the 1960s. most families were closer to 4 children than 2. Today the number of children per family are falling below 2. In fact, I know more people with 1 child than those with 2 or more and there are lots of couples with no children. In the long run themepark companies better go after the older market or they won't have the number of customers needed to make a profit. That is why I keep complaining to Six Flags that they need more shows and dark rides. Universal and Disney better look at demographics and wealth analysis or they could both find themselves with the wrong mix of rides and attractions.

 

[RSoxNo1]

View attachment 408326

Well I um... would certainly never want to assume one's gender but...

This is most assuredly a Guy.

 

[Jones14]

You had me till mine train.

Mine train proves that people have lost their way in judging the park additions...it’s crowded because it’s there...not because it’s anything more than a 1980’s technology junior roller coaster.

The big praise for Star warsland in Disneyland on boards has been about the paint schemes and the freaking facade walls.

Mine Train is *almost* a solid ride. The problem is that the pacing is atrocious, which makes the ride feel criminally short (even though it’s as long as Space Mountain). There’s good stuff in it, but it’s not a cohesive whole.

They tried to copy Big Thunder’s multi-lift approach, but both coaster sections are too short (and boring) on their own to feel substantial, and putting the mine scene between them kills the ride’s momentum.

Slinky’s a much more enjoyable experience, (despite being thirty seconds shorter and lacking real show scenes) because the pacing is good.

 

[Higginbotham587]

You're right, have never seen anybody get excited in the parks to see Thor, Captain America, Mary Poppins, Jack Sparrow, Captain Marvel, etc. Got me there!

I’m confused. Thor and Cap walk around Disney parks? As for the former cartoons they prove my point. And most kids sadly think Mary poppins is the other lady. Jack Sparrow is very heavily made up in a way that Rey cannot be. A good comparison would be the emperor.

We’ve already had your contest. It was when lines for Kyle Ren and Chewbacca were consistently of similar length at launch bay. They were every time I visited.

And in your hypothetical contest I’m really not sure what the result would be. My sense is that the number of kids who prefer Kylo REN way outnumbers the Star Wars adults who want to meet fake versions of the OT characters.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This is most assuredly a Guy.

I can’t see any self respecting female wearing a salacious crumb shirt

 

[MisterPenguin]

Hey, has anyone mentioned the movies or the lack of OT characters yet... a dozen times?

 

[MisterPenguin]

Maybe. I got that figure off a site, so it could obviously be wrong. But regardless, it's low.

Looking at two videos, a RV pass by once every 7 seconds. Assuming two people per RV, that's 1,029 PPH.

 

[Kevin_W]

Try this thought experiment—would anyone give a crap about actors dressed up as Han, Luke, or Leia walking around? No, they wouldn’t. Case closed. It’s not about the movies.

Luke with Amy by Kevin, on Flickr

My daughter hadn't even seen the original trilogies (just snippets) at this point. And Luke/Leia had one of the longer lines in the park back during Star Wars Weekends.

 

[easyrowrdw]

If 9 doesn’t receive rave reviews from the public (I don‘t give a **** what critics think) Kennedy will be canned in days. I actually do have hope though that they can turn this around. JJ is a fantastic filmmaker.

Abrams strikes me as a bit of a hack who knows how to ape the greats, but doesn't have a unique or interesting voice of his own. Still, he makes money so I'm sure 9 will do fine at the box office. I have no expectation that it will be a better movie than 8, but hopefully Abrams got some good notes from Johnson before he moved on. I'm excited to see how it ends.

 

[ChrisFL]

RAVE reviews?
I remember many enjoying it, but I also remember many on these boards lambasting Flight of Passage after opening. For perspective, here's what I remember reading ad nauseam:
It's just Soarin 2.0 (even ends with a whale breach!)
That guy in the preshow.
I thought we were each going to be riding a full sized animatronic banshee, not some motor cycle!
SCREENZ!
If I look, I can see other guests, ride mechanism, screen edge, etc.
3D glasses!
Slow loading.
That guy in the preshow.
Bad capacity.
Not built for larger guests!
Handicapped transfer required.
Over heating.
Only one animatronic.
Why did they build two rides in one building/fire alarms?
That guy in the preshow.
Meh.

I'm not saying some of these weren't legitimate, but time has been kind to this wonderful attraction. It may not seem possible, but the full-time haters on this board eventually move on to fresher meat and a clearer picture emerges.

If we were judging things solely by this forum then Seven Dwarves Mine Train is the low-point of the entire company's history.

I'm not referring to these boards, I'm talking about the general public and what I've seen on other forums, twitter, etc.

 

[sedati]

I'm not referring to these boards, I'm talking about the general public and what I've seen on other forums, twitter, etc.

Oh, I see...
Then yes, RAVE reviews. And you can add mine to the list.

 

[MrPromey]

Totally get that 1,700 was some mythical figure used to sell the concept by WDI, and it still shows up on PowerPoint shows and spreadsheets as the goal. But the real world figures are obviously lower, especially during the first few months of operation.

The real world figure for the first 45 days, confirmed by the Disney Parks Blog itself and quite reasonable, was 1,388 riders per hour for the Anaheim version.

Modern E Tickets are a disaster when it comes to hourly capacity. When you've got Celebrity Imagineers and Parks Executives who get free valet parking and unlimited Fastpasses handed out to them whenever they enter the park, why should they care what the hourly capacity is of the headliner rides they build? Why would they personally care? Let the schleppy tourists from unfashionable flyover states wait in that miserable Standby line and fight over what few Fastpasses are available. Who cares about them? I got my next parks project approved and bought a Tesla!

But historically, post 1965 until about the 1990's, Disney parks tried to get as much capacity as possible out of the E Ticket rides they built. It would be nice if Bob Chapek was smart enough to know that, and the current Imagineers weren't so coddled and out of touch that they also knew that.

But here we are my friend, arguing over whether the big Millennium Falcon E Ticket has a real world goal of 1,700 an hour or 1,600 an hour! Either one of those numbers is pathetic, to be honest.

Not only is the hourly capacity lower but the actual run-time of the attractions is considerably lower as well.

What does all of this translate to?

A lot more time waiting in lines to spend a lot less time in/on attractions actually doing stuff.

 

[RobWDW1971]

I’m confused. Thor and Cap walk around Disney parks? As for the former cartoons they prove my point. And most kids sadly think Mary poppins is the other lady. Jack Sparrow is very heavily made up in a way that Rey cannot be.

Let me help with your confusion. Yes, Captain America, Thor, and Captain Marvel have been in M&G's for years at DL/DCA and people line up to see them.

As do guests for Mary Poppins in the UK at Epcot and she is used heavily in parades and entertainment on both coasts. The general audience apparently for decades has no issue with her not actually being Julie Andrews.

And in regards to Jack Sparrow apparently we are now moving the goal posts with live actors portraying live actors from movies, but only if they don't wear mascara. Sure, why not.

I mentioned no cartoons.

Perhaps you also don't count women with blonde wigs as a fair comparison?

 

[Jlasoon]

I have a hard time accepting that these are actual adult opinions and not the scrawlings of 10 year olds who just got access to the internet.

It’s like someone running around screaming that the sky is made of bananas. Once you’ve gotten this far down the angry Youtuber rabbit hole no objective fact is capable of changing your mind.

Nothing to see here folks, move along. SWGE is fine...

 

[Higginbotham587]

Let me help with your confusion. Yes, Captain America, Thor, and Captain Marvel have been in M&G's for years at DL/DCA and people line up to see them.

As do guests for Mary Poppins in the UK at Epcot and she is used heavily in parades and entertainment on both coasts. The general audience apparently for decades has no issue with her not actually being Julie Andrews.

And in regards to Jack Sparrow apparently we are now moving the goal posts with live actors portraying live actors from movies, but only if they don't were mascara. Sure, why not.

I mentioned no cartoons.

Perhaps you also don't count women with blonde wigs as a fair comparison?

View attachment 408399

I’m still not sure of your point. Are you saying that literally zero people would pose for the same photograph with Rey? Or are you saying that suspension of disbelief is not important to character meet and greets? Or are you saying that Chewie and Kylo having similar lines proves that little kids are more crazed for the OT (or the one photo with the pathetic Luke impersonator posted elsewhere?).

I’m really lost. You said no one cares about Rey and I said it’s harder for those types of characters and that people wouldn’t respond to a Han or Leia as much as they do a Chewie. Your response is to have a photo of one kid with Captain Marvel.

I’m morally certain there are more photos with just Chewbacca from Disney meet and greets than every Marvel hero + Jack Sparrow in total ever.

But I get it. You don’t like Rey. I’m not a huge fan either. I bet someone can find a photo of a kid with her though! Argument over!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Not only is the hourly capacity lower but the actual run-time of the attractions is considerably lower as well.

What does all of this translate to?

A lot more time waiting in lines to spend a lot less time in/on attractions actually doing stuff.

It also makes 30 minute standby waits for the ride even more pathetic, does it not?

Less people are waiting for less rides per hour...

But this is where my Brain shuts down: somebody will argue that it’s not “real” until internet booked fast pass comes online...which is ride rationing that artificially creates longer line months before anyone walks into the park...

Ummm...huh?!?!

 

[RobWDW1971]

I’m still not sure of your point. Are you saying that literally zero people would pose for the same photograph with Rey? Or are you saying that suspension of disbelief is not important to character meet and greets? Or are you saying that Chewie and Kylo having similar lines proves that little kids are more crazed for the OT (or the one photo with the pathetic Luke impersonator posted elsewhere?).

I’m really lost. You said no one cares about Rey and I said it’s harder for those types of characters and that people wouldn’t respond to a Han or Leia as much as they do a Chewie. Your response is to have a photo of one kid with Captain Marvel.

I’m morally certain there are more photos with just Chewbacca from Disney meet and greets than every Marvel hero + Jack Sparrow in total ever.

But I get it. You don’t like Rey. I’m not a huge fan either. I bet someone can find a photo of a kid with her though! Argument over!

Let me clarify. My original point was that it was a terrible creative choice to limit the land to a specific time/place so that you can only have current Star Wars characters in the land, which both doesn't allow for the classic characters (and I would argue after 40+ years are more popular (agree to disagree)) and any future popular characters that Disney creates that do not exist in this exact timeline.

It was apparently your position that it had something to do with face characters of live actors that lead to the lack of popularity, but as we've shown those have been very popular in the resorts so it is not a live actor issue.

Personally, I don't care about Rey or having my photo taken with a CSUF student dressed as Leia.

But if I was Disney I wouldn't build a billion dollar Star Wars land without including the key Star Wars legacy characters (Vader, Yoda, Boba Fett, Han, Leia, Luke, Obi-Wan, C3PO, R2D2 without a price tag on him, etc.).

Your opinion apparently is that it was a great idea, understood.