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

[Surferboy567]

Just got back from my second trip to Walt Disney World this fall. I live in San Antonio and had planned the trip this week since early Spring. This was to celebrate my husbands 40th Birthday. Made the trip in August to experience Galaxy's Edge on opening day and just went for the one day on Aug 29.
So this was the real trip to explore Batuu. Here are my quick impressions

Opening of Galaxy's Edge was like the opening night for one of the films. Crowd excitement was high as we lined up at the resort bus stops at 2:30 am and entered the park at 4:00. Excitement was high, crowds were enjoying the energy while it was still the middle of the night.
Did not get to explore much of Batuu, as we were in the line ringing the land for hours. The cast members were great, even being just as tired as we were. Loved the character interactions while we were in line. Storm Troopers were everywhere. Finally rode Smugglers Run about 8:30 in the morning and got to be pilots. Crashed the Falcon and considered myself a true failure. Had a Ronto Wrap for breakfast and then headed back to the resort. We went back to Batuu in the evening and explored. Really liked the Data Pad app and enjoyed making things happen all over. We spent a couple of hours just exploring. Had a NA drink in the cantina and loved the ambiance and DJ Rex. The drink was good and then had dinner at Docking Bay 7. Overall it was a lot of fun and not expensive. Spend 100 on RT Spirit tickets, 109 at Pop Century and less than a hundred on food and drinks on Batuu.

Came back on Monday night and visited Batuu on Tuesday morning at 6am. Spent 3 hours on planet and rode Smugglers Run once. Engineer this time. Green lights kept me busy. Did some more hacking and tried breakfast at Docking Bay 7. Missed the Sporks and asked CM about it. She replied that the First Order took them away because they do not want the citizens to be happy. Maybe I can find some if I search the land. When I told her I was friends with Kylo, she got short with me and looked like she had seen a ghost. It was great!!
Made 2 more trips to Batuu over the course of the week, got much better at piloting the Falcon and enjoyed the food. Built a droid this time. (My dogs are scared of it now that I am home) Love the interactions on the Data Pad, could have spent many more hours. The character interactions are one of the greatest parts. Chewie and his handler were trying to get people at Ronto's to buy food for Chewie. Rey was great with all the little girls that want to grow up to be just like her. Cast Members were great. You play along with them and it gets really entertaining. Kylo ignored me like we were never friends, guess he could not recognize me through the mask. Just wish I knew what the max score was on MF, Hondo is greedy and keeps taking so much of my profit for himself.

For the record, I am a 52 year old guy that has never role played, never been to a Con, went to a Rennaisance Festival once and wore my shorts and TShirt. And I loved it. Planning a trip for December to ride Rise. Even though I am drawn to the dark side, I think it sounds like a great attraction.

Great write up! I have extremely similar feelings (though being on the younger side which changes opinions on the trilogy’s). I can’t wait to experience rise and go back to Batuu in January! So much more I want to do there and of course merch I want to get.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Don't you get tired of hating on everything Universal does? Just admit that Wizarding World is better because Uni delivered a better product than WDW did with Galaxy's flop.

I don't agree. To me they are about on the same level. But it has become cool in the fan community to hate on the big guy and root for the underdog (even if 3/4ths of everything that underdog does is mediocre).

Not to mention how stupid and knee-jerky it is to call it a flop when the entire land isn't even open yet. Yes, it has flaws, you know they're going to address them at some point rather than doing nothing.

 

[Surferboy567]

I don't agree. To me they are about on the same level. But it has become cool in the fan community to hate on the big guy and root for the underdog (even if 3/4ths of everything that underdog does is mediocre).

Not to mention how stupid and knee-jerky it is to call it a flop when the entire land isn't even open yet. Yes, it has flaws, you know they're going to address them at some point rather than doing nothing.

Bingo, someone gets it

 

[erasure fan1]

Diagon Alley is the same situation and only has one attraction when SWGE will soon have two. But nobody minds when it's Potter because they weren't positioning themselves to hate it beforehand like with Star Wars.

That's the unfortunate situation star wars is in right now. Yes, people were ready to hate it well before it opened. But the reason for that is Disney decided subverting expectations was the way to go. So Potter gets a pass because it's EXACTLY what Potter fans wanted, to step into the story they love. And again, right or wrong, Disney decided against that. I thought the Potter movies were a giant bag of meh. But I very much appreciate what they did with the land. I might love going to black spire, (I'm sure I will) but there will always be in my mind, a slight disappointment I'm not seeing one of my favorite iconic locations. And for that, I give Uni a lot of credit. They gave their fans their "graceland".

 

[Tom Morrow]

The "the land is half open" excuse is so old and stale. And addressing the flaws eventually isnt acceptable for the so called best theme park company in the world.

Oh well. The onslaught of negativity and tantrums from the theme park enthusiast community over a land that is flawed but still very impressive and very beautiful and still very solidly in the top tier for all theme park lands is absolutely pathetic and really demonstrates how the internet can warp people's minds by creating echo chambers of negativity. Imagine if SWGE had dropped in 2009. Everyone's heads would explode.

 

[Steph15251]

Don't you get tired of hating on everything Universal does? Just admit that Wizarding World is better because Uni delivered a better product than WDW did with Galaxy's flop.

Never been to Wizarding world since I have not been to universal in 10 years so I can not compare .But GE to me is not a flop and the main ride has not even opened yet.When I went to GE I really liked the land

 

[Tom Morrow]

That's the unfortunate situation star wars is in right now. Yes, people were ready to hate it well before it opened. But the reason for that is Disney decided subverting expectations was the way to go. So Potter gets a pass because it's EXACTLY what Potter fans wanted, to step into the story they love. And again, right or wrong, Disney decided against that. I thought the Potter movies were a giant bag of meh. But I very much appreciate what they did with the land. I might love going to black spire, (I'm sure I will) but there will always be in my mind, a slight disappointment I'm not seeing one of my favorite iconic locations. And for that, I give Uni a lot of credit. They gave their fans their "graceland".

But 90% of the Potter series takes place in and around Hogwarts and it's all centered around the same characters in a much shorter timeline. It's much, much easier to recreate that world in real life than it is to try and create an all-encompassing Star Wars land when Star Wars is all over the place with setting, plot, timeline, and characters. So it's true that WWoHP does a better job of transporting you into the world of the books/films, but it was simply easier to create it and let's not pretend that Universal was just so much smarter than Disney when all the creativity was already done for them by JK Rowling. Using Cars Land as another example, it shows that Disney can do the exact same thing when recreating a franchise with similar limited scope.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Translated: I'm too small minded and shallow to accept and understand that people have different, valid, opinions than me.

I could say the same thing directed at you and your refusal to accept that some people like Galaxy's Edge and find it equal or preferable to WWoHP.

 

[TalkingHead]

But 90% of the Potter series takes place in and around Hogwarts and it's all centered around the same characters in a much shorter timeline. It's much, much easier to recreate that world in real life than it is to try and create an all-encompassing Star Wars land when Star Wars is all over the place with setting, plot, timeline, and characters. So it's true that WWoHP does a better job of transporting you into the world of the books/films, but it was simply easier to create it and let's not pretend that Universal was just so much smarter than Disney when all the creativity was already done for them by JK Rowling. Using Cars Land as another example, it shows that Disney can do the exact same thing when recreating a franchise with similar limited scope.

Let me help you out:

Star Wars seemed like the ideal property for Disney to raise the bar in themed lands as Universal had done previously with Diagon Alley.

But unfortunately, most people have not found that to be the case.

 

[smile]

Don't you get tired of hating on everything Universal does?

dude goes out of his way

 

[Steph15251]

I enjoyed the land as well when I went. But if its not doing badly, explain why it's not a run away hit everyone thought it would be. The delusion by some of you is truly hilarious.

Well for starters ROTR is not even opened yet ,I would wait for that to open before calling the land a flop.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I enjoyed the land as well when I went. But if its not doing badly, explain why it's not a run away hit everyone thought it would be. The delusion by some of you is truly hilarious.

I'm willing to bet it's seeing similar numbers to Hogsmeade and Diagon when they opened. Disney's mistake was clearly in thinking that it would be 10 times the draw of WWoHP when it turns out they didn't need to double the size of the parking lot and such. If Disney hadn't over-anticipated by creating so many infrastructure changes and jumping the gun on creating a reservation system for the land, would people still be calling it a flop?

I'm not a GE hater. I've been to the land and enjoyed it. But unlike you, I can acknowledge that it is not the second coming. But as usual you're too stubborn to get through to.

I do think it's the most impressive theme park land in existence in terms of scope and scale, but it is currently not my top choice for favorite theme park land to be in. I don't think it's an industry shaker on the same level that Hogsmeade was in 2010. I find the barrage of negativity against it to be a symptom of internet fandom more than anything else. Criticism and nitpicks are fine, but it's clear that the fan community is so bitter that they were pre-positioning themselves to hate the land before it even opened. I feel that the "Uni just does things soooo much better you guys!" is yet another knee-jerk symptom of that. And you're right, you're not going to change my mind on this.

 

[The_Jobu]

I’m trying to keep an open mind, and I hope to visit SWL when RR opens, but based on everything I’m seeing and hearing, I don’t expect it to equal Diagon Alley. It is far and away the most magical (sorry) land I have ever experienced.

We shall see, I don’t want to judge SWL until it’s all done.

 

[RobWDW1971]

Well for starters ROTR is not even opened yet ,I would wait for that to open before calling the land a flop.

The land has three significant elements - Batuu, MFSR, and ROTR - if ROTR is the greatest ride ever (which I hope it is), it will not change the fact that other two elements have not resonated with guests on either coasts. They could have built ROTR as a separate attraction (like Star Tours, Indy, etc.), but they decided to spend hundreds of millions on the other two elements, so critiquing them for what was built is fair. A great ROTR will not make the awkward union food and beverage cast member saying "Til the spires!" any less painful.

I have often gone to both Harry Potter lands and didn't ride the main attraction and was still blown away by the lands, unfortunately, Batuu is a dull, depressing disappointment.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The "the land is half open" excuse is so old and stale.

It has a shelf life equal to the time it takes to get the second ride up and running.

Was it a surprise that it's still 'half open' then?

 

[MisterPenguin]

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying?

How can the complaint get 'stale' when it hasn't reached it expiration date yet?

Saying "X is a problem" remains a problem as long as X exists. We've known that SWL will be missing its headliner for a long time and for how long it will be missing. So, any complaint about it missing will be fresh and relevant for that whole duration. So, you're getting tired of something that was expected to be tiring. It'd be like saying "I'm tired of people saying it's still 2019!"

It's still 2019 and will be for a while. Same with SWL missing its headliner.

 

[Tom Morrow]

If Galaxy’s Edge had 1. More music 2. Live entertainment 3. Some kinetic movement, then I’m willing to bet it would not feel “depressing, dull, and lifeless.” These are simple fixes and I’m also willing to bet we’ll see them implemented sooner rather than later.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

What if the had a "Jammin' Mechanics" show where 5 guys come out in coveralls and tool boxes and start working on the X Wing and lapse into a twelve min. percussion show using wrenches, oil drums, springs, etc. It ends when a Stormtrooper shows up and says to knock it off?

 

[Steph15251]

The land has three significant elements - Batuu, MFSR, and ROTR - if ROTR is the greatest ride ever (which I hope it is), it will not change the fact that other two elements have not resonated with guests on either coasts. They could have built ROTR as a separate attraction (like Star Tours, Indy, etc.), but they decided to spend hundreds of millions on the other two elements, so critiquing them for what was built is fair. A great ROTR will not make the awkward union food and beverage cast member saying "Til the spires!" any less painful.

I have often gone to both Harry Potter lands and didn't ride the main attraction and was still blown away by the lands, unfortunately, Batuu is a dull, depressing disappointment.

See I do not think GE is dull to each there own , I can not
Compare it to Harry Potter since I have let to go to those lands since I am not a uni past holder but I do want one but I have to save up .

 

[doctornick]

Their trying to make “bright suns” a thing is comical.

Let’s see. “Use the Force” is one of the two or three most iconic lines in movie history.

But, nah, it’s really that thematic timeline fidelity that really sells the experience.

It isn't even like the story needed that - just make it "in story" that the people of Batuu have a strong tradition of Force believe and use "May the Force Be With You" as a common greeting. I mean, it's not complicated