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

[BoarderPhreak]

You do know all of those shows were put into production long before either land opened?

Not really. TV series episodes have production times of 1-3 months. DLR was open. And the entire first half are LIVE shows (it's even in one of the names):

• TUESDAY, SEPT. 24
  • “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (check your local listings)
• THURSDAY, SEPT. 26
  • “Good Morning America” (7 a.m.)
  • “The View” (11 a.m.)
  • “Tamron Hall” (check your local listings)
  • “Strahan, Sara & Keke” (1 p.m.)
  • “Nightline” (check your local listings)

 

[CinematicFusion]

You know, I don't care WHAT the franchise is - characters make all the difference. And in Disney's (Iger's) Star Wars, all of the best characters are dead. All that is left are sidekicks and lame tedious woke SJW characters and a whiny wannabe Vader. If I visited Galaxy's Edge, all I'd be thinking about is all that's been lost. I can't look at the Falcon and not remember that Han is now dead. That Luke is now dead. That Leia is now effectively dead. What's the fun in that?

You aren’t the only one, many many people are disappointed in Galaxy’s Edge and everyone has their own personal opinion.
Saw this on Yahoo...
Key Disney Parks Executive Exits Amid Lackluster Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Attendance

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

There are several posters in this thread and subforum that are going to great lengths to ensure we know that they think Galaxy's Edge is trash, a total failure, a complete missfire, etc.

That’s just background noise...it intensifies as the ball continues to get kicked all over the field - as usual.

You just have to tune it out/grain of salt/take it for what it is...

Like trip reports

 

[KikoKea]

I was there this weekend and did EMH at DHS on both Saturday and Sunday. Was there at 520 am (they let you in, I think, must be starting at 5-515 to go stand before the theater) both days. Sunday was more crowded than Saturday. Each day, I’d say there were perhaps around 500-600 people for the 6 am rope drop. And then it’d steadily fill up through the EMH hours as less early riser resort guests came in.

Saturday, I rode Millennium Falcon twice in a row and then went to Slinky and it was only a 20 minute wait. That was probably around 7 am. Everything else was 5 minutes across the park. I went on Toy Story Mania twice and then left for MK.

Sunday, I suspect that it was busier because a bunch of new guests coming for the week had arrived. I rode the Falcon once and then went to Slinky because it was already a 30 minute wait at 630-640. I went back to Falcon after that and did it Single Rider to cut waiting time. Then I went to the rides in the rest of the park and ToT, RnR, Toy Story were all in the 15 minute ballpark and wait times rose faster than the previous day. I was there through 1130 am and did all rides with no problems, a few twice.

It obviously really picks up once non resort guests are allowed in.

All in all, I found the pain of getting up at 4 am for the 6 am opening to be well worth it ride wise. I’d do it again easily.

(On a side note, I generally liked SWGE. I’m on the side that was surprised at how large it was. I did not build a light saber. I did not build a droid. I thought it was still fun to explore and enjoyed the ambient noises. It made the immersiveness more real to me. I had a decent breakfast at Docking Bay 7.

MF: SR, I found to be a lot of fun, even with being engineer 3/4 times I rode. I didn’t want to be pilot - I’m no good at that stuff and so didn’t want the pressure - and the groups I was with were fun with some more skilled than others. My teams made Hot Shot twice, Marauder once, and then oh the last group, so bad but so funny... we were Scoundrels, haha. The lack of talent didn’t wreck my fun at all. I enjoyed the ride a lot.

The Cantina was absolutely hopping when I went in for my 930 am reservation on Sunday. The bartender for my section really brought the enthusiasm and it was fun to talk to other park guests. I rarely drink alcohol (I react to it/get hives from it) and so enjoyed the non alcoholic drinks. Overpriced? Sure. But still tasty.

I’m looking forward to experiencing it again in December and seeing ROTR in all its glory, as well as doing Falcon again. The land felt very mildly incomplete but overall, I was quite pleased.)

Thanks! We arrive Thurs and have HS on our schedule twice to hopefully take advantage of the EEMH and lower crowds, mainly for RNR, ToT, TSM, ST, and SDD. We aren't crazy about getting up so early, but we'll do it to ride RnR and ToT several times.

 

[erasure fan1]

There are several posters in this thread and subforum that are going to great lengths to ensure we know that they think Galaxy's Edge is trash, a total failure, a complete missfire, etc.

Again, you will always have extreme opinions either way. There will be some "this is by far the greatest thing Disney has ever done!" Along with "this is so bad I'd rather have a colonoscopy" But it's not by any means the majority of posters like has been implied. Look no further than Catherine powells exit to see it isn't all sunshine and roses and the land has some serious flaws.

 

[ParentsOf4]

So my kids went yesterday since the CM blackout has been lifted. Not huge SW fans but they did like the land but thought it was much smaller then they thought it would be. It was also DEAD. 20 minutes for SR, it took them longer to ride Slinky and the cantina was a walk-in. They sent pics of the Cantina empty.

What time were your kids at GE?

Each time we walked past during the past few days (afternoon or evening), the line has been out the door at least 10 groups deep. In fact, the wait was so long we decided to cancel our reservation.

Our group was impressed with the immersiveness and size of GE. We also greatly liked SR, and consider it WDW's best attraction in decades, perhaps since the opening of TOT in 1994.

 

[Steph15251]

What time were your kids at GE?

Each time we walked past during the past few days (afternoon or evening), the line has been out the door at least 10 groups deep. In fact, the wait was so long we decided to cancel our reservation.

Our group was impressed with the immersiveness and size of GE. We also greatly liked SR, and consider it WDW's best attraction in decades, perhaps since the opening of TOT in 1994.

I agree the land is big ,and while I really like SR imo it is not WDW best attraction in a decade ,that for me would go to FOP and I can think of many others that are better too.

 

[planodisney]

We are in Orlando and went to SWGE yesterday. 4 adults and 5 kids. Everyone was absolutely blown away by the land itself. Droids with movement and sounds in multiple different locations, we saw Chewey, Rey, Kylo and Storm Troopers many times and the sounds of the land were awesome. The land itself was absolutely packed. The issues right now are;
1. SR isn’t a massively popular headliner. It was fun but definitely a second level E-ticket.
2. There simply aren’t enough rides/attractions.
At least in Orlando, the land is going to be a huge hit after ROTR opens.

 

[Steph15251]

We are in Orlando and went to SWGE yesterday. 4 adults and 5 kids. Everyone was absolutely blown away by the land itself. Droids with movement and sounds in multiple different locations, we saw Chewey, Rey, Kylo and Storm Troopers many times and the sounds of the land were awesome. The land itself was absolutely packed. The issues right now are;
1. SR isn’t a massively popular headliner. It was fun but definitely a second level E-ticket.
2. There simply aren’t enough rides/attractions.
At least in Orlando, the land is going to be a huge hit after ROTR opens.

Well as far as amount of rides go most lands these days only have 1,2 ,or 3 rides in a land .I feel GE could use 1 more ride and a show.

 

[ParentsOf4]

I did my first visit to the land last week. I will start by saying I have been a huge Star Wars fan since I saw A New Hope in the theaters in 1977 at the age of 9. I even built a screen accurate R2-D2 recently. Here are my thoughts...

...

I am not sure what could be done to make it better. I am a much bigger fan of Star Wars then Harry Potter, but I did not enjoy the overall atmosphere of GE as much as the Harry Potter lands.

Looks like our visits overlapped!

My overall impression of GE is very much the same as yours, although it appears I enjoyed the land itself more than you did. I intentionally did not study a map before arriving and found the layout confusing, which I actually enjoyed since it added an element of discovery to my first visit on Friday.

I also enjoyed the many smaller shops, rather than one generic mega store, although, like you, I did not make any purchases.

We sampled the food and liked it, particularly the entries at Docking Bay 7. However, at those prices, I won't be eating there again.

When we arrived for our Oga's Canteen reservation, there was a line at least 20 deep waiting outside, so I cancelled it. I suspect it would have been fun. However, given the published prices, it's also a "one and done" experience.

My entire party found SR to be an excellent attraction. I particularly enjoyed it from the chess room onward. The folks at Disney did a wonderful job making the Guest feel like they are walking onto the Millennium Falcon, with the design of the queue and ride system making it feel as if it was just our party of 6 boarding the cockpit.

Overall, I think SR is WDW's best attraction since TOT in 1994.

 

[RobWDW1971]

So, you're making the point that you'd like to have the OT characters. Noted. Good day.

Doesn't matter what I'd like, it's about the fundamentally poor creative choices they made when designing the land, which has not resonated with the masses on either coast.

They don't care at all about what I want as my "Jabba's palace Princess Leia Meet and Greet" idea has not gotten any traction.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Looks like our visits overlapped!

My overall impression of GE is very much the same as yours, although it appears I enjoyed the land itself more than you did. I intentionally did not study a map before arriving and found the layout confusing, which I actually enjoyed since it added an element of discovery to my first visit on Friday.

I also enjoyed the many smaller shops, rather than one generic mega store, although, like you, I did not make any purchases.

We sampled the food and liked it, particularly the entries at Docking Bay 7. However, at those prices, I won't be eating there again.

When we arrived for our Oga's Canteen reservation, there was a line at least 20 deep waiting outside, so I cancelled it. I suspect it would have been fun. However, given the published prices, it's also a "one and done" experience.

My entire party found SR to be an excellent attraction. I particularly enjoyed it from the chess room onward. The folks at Disney did a wonderful job making the Guest feel like they are walking onto the Millennium Falcon, with the design of the queue and ride system making it feel as if it was just our party of 6 boarding the cockpit.

Overall, I think SR is WDW's best attraction since TOT in 1994.

That’s a hard one to sell.

What makes a good attraction? I’d say consistent, longterm appeal and the ability to stand up over time.

The falcon ride is ok...I enjoyed it. But it has low longterm potential as it stands with the story choice they made. I rode it the second time and it’s effect Diminishes greatly. That’s not encouraging.

I’d say the “best rides” since 1994...based on the criteria I’ve set...are RNRC, flight of passage, Kilimanjaro...maybe Everest (broken though)...

And sometimes it just needs to be fun...midway and mine train keeps them coming...as does test track

 

[Tom Morrow]

A couple videos I'd like to share.

In this first video, she makes some interesting critiques, both positive and negative, of SWGE that I haven't seen discussed much. It's a long-winded video, so I timestamp linked to the most interesting part - Project Stardust, and how in their quest to make SWGE ultra efficient, they also made a land where there is almost nowhere to sit down.


And these two videos are for all those saying Galaxy's Edge has no backstory or meaning:

 

[The_Jobu]

You aren’t the only one, many many people are disappointed in Galaxy’s Edge and everyone has their own personal opinion.
Saw this on Yahoo...
Key Disney Parks Executive Exits Amid Lackluster Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Attendance

What are they firing her for? It wasn't her who decided to have it completely ST focused. And Chappie is the one who gutted the ambiance plussing to the bottom dollar.

 

[RobWDW1971]

What are they firing her for? It wasn't her who decided to have it completely ST focused. And Chappie is the one who gutted the ambiance plussing to the bottom dollar.

She can't have it both ways, either she was part of the terrible creative and operational decisions for SWGE or she was a superfluous layer of management. Pick one.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

What are they firing her for? It wasn't her who decided to have it completely ST focused. And Chappie is the one who gutted the ambiance plussing to the bottom dollar.

Like the rest of corporate America: somebody is ceremonial axed.

It’s purely for Wall Street. Disney isn’t above it. Like it or not, defenders, the view from the street is that investors are going to “lose” money for six months this year.

Somebody must pay.

She can't have it both ways, either she was part of the terrible creative and operational decisions for SWGE or she was a superfluous layer of management. Pick one.

Yep...she was DOA the minute they didn’t sell packages based on the land...

But that was long ago...and has a lot to do with Kathy Kennedy.

Truth is truth at this point

 

[Goofy Ninja]

I think Disney World's version judging by videos is far superior to Disneyland's. It's bigger and darker.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think Disney World's version judging by videos is far superior to Disneyland's. It's bigger and darker.

They are identical

 

[RobWDW1971]

Lunch time at Disneyland SWGE.

One word: Dorian.

 

[gmajew]

They are identical

No people have stated the paint job is different I have not seen either but someone posted it here before.