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

wdisney9000

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Just to clarify..., Attendance has been low since summer, but as the many Brand Defenders kept reminding us, it was due to people holding off until SWGE opens, and then we would see a BIG increase in attendance,..... so, SWGE opened yesterday and we have yet to see any increase in attendance at all?

But the low attendance is now because of Dorian....a storm that won't even affect Orlando until 3 days from now, right? People are pushing those vacations back again, right? And of course, RoTR isn't open so that's what it must be, right? And oh ya, the gondolas didn't open yet and people are still holding off until then, right? And oh snap, I forgot, Astro Orbiter is still down for refurb, so we should take that into consideration. Any other excuses as to why SWGE didnt have the CRAZY, INSANE, BONKERS crowd levels that people kept harping about? Because, "WDW is a different beast than DL and the crowds are gonna be insane", according to them.

This post is not me claiming SWGE is a failure, or that WDW is doomed. Its definitely not. Just pointing out the ridiculous desire for some folks to make any excuse as to why their predictions were not accurate or that maybe, just maybe, the executives who made the decisions to build an entire land for one of the most popular IP's of all time, but base it off very little of anything having due to with what actually made the IP popular, is proof they are not as good at running a theme park as they think. But hey, "Bright Suns"!! *insert fart noise
 
Andrew C

Andrew C

You know what's funny?
wdisney9000 said:
a storm that won't even affect Orlando until 3 days from now, right?
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Not commenting specifically about SWGE...but hurricanes do have a tendency to affect areas prior to their arrival. Locals prep, others stay away, etc. So to essentially say this storm has zero influence over what is currently going on in the parks is probably premature and/or inaccurate.
 
ImperfectPixie

ImperfectPixie

Well-Known Member
Sirwalterraleigh said:
Only if you think fast pass precook doesn’t artificially drive up wait times by having people prebook things they may not want and may not use...which it actually does.
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Yep...I'm not a fan of FP+ and wholeheartedly believe that it inflates wait times. I don't care that Disney wants to know how I "do" Disney, but don't try to sell me on the idea that it's good for me when it clearly isn't.
 
tirian

tirian

Well-Known Member
Sirwalterraleigh said:
temporary amnesia is a real struggle in “our community” and my team of scientists are working hard on a cure...now that they stopped working on the PCQ for the Brazil pavilion...they just were sitting around and play call of duty all day 😡

your stance has officially become the “Alamo” today. If there isn’t a flood of people “hiding in wait” for the second ride - which isn’t realistic based on how far out most travelers plan (works better for Disneyland) - then people just aren’t interested in the new Star Wars in parks.

Say it with me: “I.P. PROBLEM.”
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I’ve only seen SWGE in Disneyland, and I posted my review in the appropriate thread; then someone did almost a copy-and-paste of my exact phrases and posted it as their review in another thread. I guess that’s a compliment?

Anyway, I do think it’s too early to call it an IP Problem because Disney has been coy with public marketing. They’ve used classic SW music and droids in the marketing, and to the public, it just looks like “Star Wars”—not OT, not the prequels, not the sequels. If you don’t know this land is based on a tiny slice of the timeline, you don’t know until you get there and start looking for Darth Vader or Leia.

As for the opening itself: school is back in session for most of the U.S. and there’s a hurricane on the way. I think the response in DL would be a better indicator of interest than the one in DHS, except Disney also jacked up ticket prices and hyped crowds in California, scaring off day guests who would’ve gone to DL anyway, regardless of SWGE.

That means this is a huge mess because Disney bungled the opening.

I have a few friends who visited Florida’s AP preview, and as far as I know, none of them follow online forums. All had the same reaction: fun time, cool atmosphere, where were Darth and the gang? And they all said they wouldn’t make another trip out there just for SWGE.

Disney has tried to make this their Harry Potter, and it should’ve been. But it looks like WDI tried to be too clever for its own good, and their creative choices don’t allow the freedom of multiple locations such as Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, which compelled guests to visit Universal twice. SWGE is one land with two rides, and everything looks like the same third-world country. It’s one unified experience despite many pieces. Potter has two lands with vastly unique shops, locales, and experiences.

ROTR might be the greatest ride ever made, but it’s still going to be part of one overall experience in one single environment. When the human brain compares that one unified experience to a place that constantly lights up neurons with new, exciting, shiny objects — the single environment feels like a letdown in comparison, no matter how great the parts were.

Adventureland is an example of how to do this the right way. From the hub, it takes guests through a vaguely British/Swiss island outpost to Arabia, to lush jungles, to the tropics, then to the Caribbean. It’s an adventure because you’re always discovering new eye candy and emotional responses.

Imagine if SWGE started in the current outpost but also branched into a true Endor setting (I don’t count the trees at the entrance to ROTR), then had a transport to Cloud City. Potter’s train already shows parks can do this efficiently. The exact same rides could be in SWGE, but the excitement of new locales would make the area feel more complete.

If Uni follows through with their promises for Nintendo and has the Mushroom Kingdom, Kong Island, Hyrule, and some Pokémon location contained within one or two large lands, that will be make SWGE look even worse.
 
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tirian

tirian

Well-Known Member
ImperfectPixie said:
Yep...I'm not a fan of FP+ and wholeheartedly believe that it inflates wait times. I don't care that Disney wants to know how I "do" Disney, but don't try to sell me on the idea that it's good for me when it clearly isn't.
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People conveniently forget that Disney used to turn off paper Fastpass machines when park attendance was low, because they knew it slowed down the steady flow of ride capacity. FP was intended for busy days so that guests could spread out, maybe shop and eat, then return for that one attraction they’d been virtually waiting for.

That’s back when Show mattered more than Efficiency. Now FP+ is constantly used to artificially inflate wait times on slow days to cut budgets. But we’ve talked about that many times in other threads.
 
Andrew C

Andrew C

You know what's funny?
tirian said:
Disney has tried to make this their Harry Potter, and it should’ve been
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Whether they wanted this to be that or not, to be honest, I don't think Disney needs their own "Harry Potter." They just need to continue to offer diverse attractions and experiences throughout all 4 parks, including building up DHS and Epcot. And SWGE should 100% be a significant component to that.
 
tirian

tirian

Well-Known Member
Andrew C said:
Whether they wanted this to be that or not, to be honest, I don't think Disney needs their own "Harry Potter." They just need to continue to offer diverse attractions and experiences throughout all 4 parks, including building up DHS and Epcot. And SWGE should 100% be a significant component to that.
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They think they do. That’s more important to them. They’ve even advised media to refer to SWGE as their new theme park, the same way Uni did, even though Potter and SW are lands inside existing parks.

But I agree with you: SWGE should be a component of a bigger experience, not the sole reason to visit DL or DHS. That’s why Disney was concerned when summer attendance dropped in Cali, and it’s why I think pricing plays a bigger part than Disney is willing to publicly admit.
 
wdisney9000

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
jrhwdw said:
Here's an Idea, Let's wait till Christmas. If ROTR and Falcon have 10 min waits......then we can panic. I'll be back if something happens on Twitter.
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This is the type of post that creates false narratives. Nobody has exclaimed any form of "panic" whatsoever. Citing the lower than expected crowd levels is not panic. But alas, there will be another post, and then another which will attempt to create an unrealistic emotional situation that simply does not exist.
 
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bryanfze55

bryanfze55

Well-Known Member
mikenatcity1 said:
I think comparing NOS and GE to each other is hard- one has been around for 50+ years, includes 2 of the most loved attractions in the park and is a side land that a lot of people use as a cut through. If you look at the size alone, NOS doesn't hold a candle to GE. I will admit- I walk through NOS sometimes purely for the theming- I DO feel like i've stepped into another location when i'm there. But I don't know if Disney's intention (now) is to have people spend hours there and get immersed in the culture.

If you also look at it, the food offerings alone blow GE out of the water- 2 sit down, 1 counter service and multiple window services. Gosh...the way I talk makes it seem like NOS is superior...i'm going to have to sit down and think on this one... Thanks for the comment! I'm really having a think now :)
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Oh, I have no doubt NOS is superior than SW:GE and I haven’t even been yet. I don’t think we’ll ever get a land so perfect again. It’s small, but the food is great and the rides are two of the best ever. IMO, DL’s Pirates is the greatest ride of all time.

My point was just that the basics of any theme park land are: rides, eating, and shopping. Perhaps Disney overpromised on SW:GE, but I think grown adults should refrain from getting their hopes too high about these things. The land looks really good, and I enjoy hanging out in nicely themed environments. As long as RotR delivers, I think I’ll greatly enjoy SW:GE.

To that end, I don’t think GE can or should be pigeonholed as a total success or total failure. I think ultimately we’ll view it much like Cars Land or Pandora. Highly themed and immersive environments with one stellar ride and then a decent supporting lineup. And that’s fine.
 
wdisney9000

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
SKG said:
People complain that the parks are too crowded.....
People complain that the parks are now empty upon the opening of Star Wars.....

Tough bunch.

Pictures of SWGE look awesome. Can't wait to get down there eventually.
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Who is complaining about the parks being empty? Please, pretty please, show us the post in which someone complained? Or is that not possible, because people mentioning that crowds are lower than expected is not actually complaining? I look forward to not getting a response from you, because what you are claiming, does not exist.
 
S

SKG

Member
wdisney9000 said:
Who is complaining about the parks being empty? Please, pretty please, show us the post in which someone complained? Or is that not possible, because people mentioning that crowds are lower than expected is not actually complaining? I look forward to not getting a response from you, because what you are claiming, does not exist.
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People are talking about how short the wait was later in the day and it's bad for Disney...
 
MrHappy

MrHappy

Well-Known Member
ColdSarsaparilla said:
In the long term, SW:GE will undoubtedly be "successful."

However, it's clear the openings of both lands have just as undoubtedly come in well below expectations and, therefore, unsuccessful.
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wdisney9000 said:
Just to clarify..., Attendance has been low since summer, but as the many Brand Defenders kept reminding us, it was due to people holding off until SWGE opens, and then we would see a BIG increase in attendance,..... so, SWGE opened yesterday and we have yet to see any increase in attendance at all?

But the low attendance is now because of Dorian....a storm that won't even affect Orlando until 3 days from now, right? People are pushing those vacations back again, right? And of course, RoTR isn't open so that's what it must be, right? And oh ya, the gondolas didn't open yet and people are still holding off until then, right? And oh snap, I forgot, Astro Orbiter is still down for refurb, so we should take that into consideration. Any other excuses as to why SWGE didnt have the CRAZY, INSANE, BONKERS crowd levels that people kept harping about? Because, "WDW is a different beast than DL and the crowds are gonna be insane", according to them.

This post is not me claiming SWGE is a failure, or that WDW is doomed. Its definitely not. Just pointing out the ridiculous desire for some folks to make any excuse as to why their predictions were not accurate or that maybe, just maybe, the executives who made the decisions to build an entire land for one of the most popular IP's of all time, but base it off very little of anything having due to with what actually made the IP popular, is proof they are not as good at running a theme park as they think. But hey, "Bright Suns"!! *insert fart noise
Click to expand...

Guests began arriving at 3am, the park reached capacity at 6am? How's that a poor opening day for SWGE? Am I missing something?
 

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