The Dawn of a New Era for Disneyland

[TP2000]

It's really hard to believe, but we are just over 48 hours away from the opening of Star Wars Land. We've got lots of other threads going about Star Wars Land, but this is more about the park overall. It hit me today that Disneyland is about to enter a bold new era in its 64 year history, and after this weekend I don't think the park or even Anaheim will ever be the same.

We all know the demand for Star Wars Land will be huge this summer, and then pumped up further this fall (winter?) when the Rise of the Rumormongers finally opens. Judging by the impact Cars Land had on DCA and the resort overall, the impact of Star Wars Land won't hit its full stride until 2020 and will continue for years and years. But by 2021 there's Phase 1 of Marvel Land, and then Mickey's Runaway Railway a year later in '22. There's also the Avengers E Ticket coaster-thing in the back of house lot behind Guardians for the mid 20's, and then there's a Tomorrowland redo, Fantasyland expansion, etc.

The point is that Star Wars Land will rewrite the book on how Disneyland operates and manages its demand in '19 and '20, just as additional D and E Tickets come online across both parks in the early 20's. I don't think we have any idea just how crazy and crowded and expensive the place is going to get over the next few years. It feels like Disneyland and its fans are about to cross the threshold into a new era, a new era just as impactful as when DCA and the new "Resort" opened in 2001.

But suffice it to say, these are the last few hours of the "Good Old Days" that we will talk about in the future. This thing pictured below is just the first step in a frenzy of fancy new things over the next three years, but I don't think we even understand how this is going to change the place, for better or worse....

 

[Californian Elitist]

F*** Star Wars Land, Galaxy’s Edge, and/or any other name it goes by.

This will alter the park in ways in which I’m in no favor of and it makes me sick. You guys and gals enjoy.

Give me the petting zoo back.

 

[TP2000]

F*** Star Wars Land, Galaxy’s Edge, and/or any other name it goes by.

This will alter the park in ways in which I’m in no favor of and it makes me sick. You guys and gals enjoy.

Give me the petting zoo back.

While I am not as against Star Wars Land as you are friend, I understand and share the nostalgia you have for what it replaced, especially in these final few hours before the grand opening.

Hopefully this 40 second video takes the sting out a bit for you, as it certainly made me smile!

 

[SuddenStorm]

Hopefully this 40 second video takes the sting out a bit for you, as it certainly made me smile!

Fitting too since Farley just retired... so much classic 'Disneyland' in this video that isn't there now.

 

[TROR]

While I am not as against Star Wars Land as you are friend, I understand and share the nostalgia you have for what it replaced, especially in these final few hours before the grand opening.

Hopefully this 40 second video takes the sting out a bit for you, as it certainly made me smile!

This is what Disneyland is about.

Funny enough I was listening to the Big Thunder Ranch area loop when I clicked on this thread.

 

[SuddenStorm]

This land is going to change how Disneyland operates on a mythological level- the roots of what the park is are being altered, and I'm very curious to see how it impacts the park over the next few decades. My issues with the land are well documented on here, but I'll reiterate a few of them.

Disneyland has always relied on outside mythology to tell it's stories- Frontierland was more than just "Davy Crockett" land and references to Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain, and other legendary figures and characters in American history were represented. I think the argument that Star Wars fits inside Disneyland is a valid one- those stories are every bit an American mythology with worldwide appeal, with archetypes that resonate with American culture and characters that have inspired generations.

Trouble is? Disney couldn't be bothered to base their Star Wars land on the Star Wars that would actually work in the context of Disneyland- instead, they decided to use it as an opportunity to market their own trilogy that's been incredibly divisive to say the least, and will likely be forgotten in a few decades.

Not to mention the myriad of capacity issues this land has, which will always have more demand than the land can satisfy- it's going to severely harm Disneyland's crowd patterns for the worse- it may be years before the park recovers. The resort already has a crowd imbalance- this will further harm it.

It's really quite amusing to see how incredibly poorly thought out this whole ordeal has been. The hubris of modern Disney to build the exact same land in two parks at the same time, and announcing it in Paris between those two are even open- they're banking on a win.

 

[mickEblu]

Those goats are moving faster than the Falcon simulator.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Those goats are moving faster than the Falcon simulator.

I'm curious if the Falcon ride is actually convincing once you're on it... like, will I be able to forget I'm playing a video game?

 

[mickEblu]

I'm curious if the Falcon ride is actually convincing once you're on it... like, will I be able to forget I'm playing a video game?

I don’t see how it could be convincing. I think once you re on you slip into a Star Wars version of TSMM. I think mostly people are on such a high from everything else they ve experienced leading up to the ride that they re willing to overlook it... for now.

 

[mickEblu]

If you would have told me four years ago that a Big Thunder Trail goat would move faster than either of the Star Wars Land rides I wouldn’t have believed you.

 

[nemofinder22]

I can't believe the day is here! To me Disneyland is divided by the 60th Anniversary, with the 2015 being the "traditional Disneyland" I knew. While the 2016 half of the anniversary started the "new Disneyland."

 

[TP2000]

I can't believe the day is here! To me Disneyland is divided by the 60th Anniversary, with the 2015 being the "traditional Disneyland" I knew. While the 2016 half of the anniversary started the "new Disneyland."

That's another good way to look at it.

I just get the sense that Star Wars Land will be just as transformative to the culture and vibe of the park, if not more so, than other transformative years.

1959 with Nixon cutting the ribbon on the opening of Matterhorn, Submarines and the Monorail. Disneyland was here to stay, and even that commie Nikita Kruschev wanted in!

The 12 months from Summer 1966 to Summer 1967 with the opening of Small World, New Orleans Square, Pirates of the Caribbean and the fabulous New Tomorrowland.

I could also throw in 1985 and Disneyland's 30th, as that was the new Eisner era when Disneyland seemed to leave its admittedly hokey mid century self behind and leap into the Go-Go 1980's and the modern age, when Disneyland suddenly became self-aware with a hip new vibe that was looking ahead instead of backwards.

And the opening of DCA, Downtown Disney and the Grand Californian in 2001 (DCA flopped hard at first, but the physical changes beyond the berm and expansion of the Resort were hugely impactful to the customer experience.) But Paul Pressler said it was going to be FABULOUS! And Paul Pressler never lies, especially when seated next to Eisner and Iger on Y2K Business Casual Day.

2019 is going to go down as a year to rival, if not surpass, those previous years when new era's began for Disneyland. This is going to be huge.

I just have this sudden realization, if not some minor melancholy, that these are the final hours of the Good Old Days.

 

[Mouse Trap]

Maybe I'm overly optimistic (or pessimistic depending on how you look at it), but I don't think GE is going to destroy Disneyland in the way many people think. I think the hype is overblown by people more worried about overcrowding and "their" Disneyland being ruined rather than the reality of what's happening.

I'm not saying Disneyland isn't going to be SLAMMMED busy - it totally will be. The first couple of months will be a madhouse every morning just to walk into Disneyland. Star Wars fans are known for lining up for hours and trying to be the first to touch/try/tase/look/hear/feel everything and that'll definitely be seen the first 6 months of Galaxy's Edge opening. But once Galaxy's Edge opens at WDW and a year goes by where the die-hard Star Wars fans have seen it all already things will level off. I can definitely see attendance rising by 1 - 1.5 million, but a lot of the crowds will be concentrated at GE while the rest of Disneyland just sees a modest increase in crowds. The reservation system already seems to be deterring some people as well at least in this initial opening phase (some, not many).

The way too easy comparisons are the Harry Potter additions to IOA and USF. Opening day was absolute gridlock not seen at USH. But now the Harry Potter lands can be slammed and impossible to walk through on a random Tuesday in October, but the rest of the park is a ghost town. Millions of people walk through those gates only interested in Harry Potter. I know plenty of hardcore Star Wars fans who are pumped for GE, but couldn't care less about Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Small World and a dozen other rides they've never heard of at Disneyland/WDW.

I won't argue about prices though. Sadly Disneyland is just going to get more and more expensive.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

I share everybody’s concerns with placing the park in DL but I’m at least glad that it’s at the back of the park, pretty well hidden from view. You will be able to go to DL and completely avoid SWL in a very natural fashion if you want. Much like how you can enjoy the Star Wars films while completely ignoring the sequel trilogy.

 

[fctiger]

This is an exciting time. I'm looking forward to all of it frankly. Yes there may be a few speed bumps the first year or two but its only going to get people more excited for the park who are big SW fans and never had a real interest in going to DL until now. GE is going to be the SW mecca for years, if not decades to come. I still get goosebumps knowing a Millenium Falcon is sitting less than 15 miles from me. Its pretty surreal.

In all honesty its a really exciting time for global Disney fans in general. Every resort for the next five years are all getting major land additions that will transform all the parks from Tokyo to Paris. Its unreal all the investments in SW, Marvel, Frozen and everything else being added. There is going to be 9 new major themed lands opened in the span of 7 parks in every resort. That's just nuts.

But yes DL will probably be affected the most (at least in the beginning) since A. this is the park's biggest expansion in its history and B. it is based on the biggest IP ever (although MCU probably is more popular by default now which of course will start its seed next year in DCA). Add to the fact the rides are the first original rides and E tickets since Indiana Jones is crazy in itself. We basically had over 20 years of a lot of clones and/or extensive layovers which is pretty sad, but that's finally over.

Honestly I been pretty happy about DLR resort direction from 2012 since DCA has become a much better park and feels like a solid second gate next to DL now even if it still flawed in a lot of places. But to see DL finally get this kind of treatment is a thing to behold. Its crazy we have another huge land as part of it and will give some of us something we always wanted: to finally be about to walk around DL in a complete loop lol. Even DCA managed to do that before DL did. Well now that's changed too.

And with Marvel land and Runaway Railway all confirmed its going to be a fun few years. Can't wait!! Only a few more days for history to arrive.

 

[Phroobar]

This is an exciting time. I'm looking forward to all of it frankly. Yes there may be a few speed bumps the first year or two but its only going to get people more excited for the park who are big SW fans and never had a real interest in going to DL until now. GE is going to be the SW mecca for years, if not decades to come. I still get goosebumps knowing a Millenium Falcon is sitting less than 15 miles from me. Its pretty surreal.

In all honesty its a really exciting time for global Disney fans in general. Every resort for the next five years are all getting major land additions that will transform all the parks from Tokyo to Paris. Its unreal all the investments in SW, Marvel, Frozen and everything else being added. There is going to be 9 new major themed lands opened in the span of 7 parks in every resort. That's just nuts.

But yes DL will probably be affected the most (at least in the beginning) since A. this is the park's biggest expansion in its history and B. it is based on the biggest IP ever (although MCU probably is more popular by default now which of course will start its seed next year in DCA). Add to the fact the rides are the first original rides and E tickets since Indiana Jones is crazy in itself. We basically had over 20 years of a lot of clones and/or extensive layovers which is pretty sad, but that's finally over.

Honestly I been pretty happy about DLR resort direction from 2012 since DCA has become a much better park and feels like a solid second gate next to DL now even if it still flawed in a lot of places. But to see DL finally get this kind of treatment is a thing to behold. Its crazy we have another huge land as part of it and will give some of us something we always wanted: to finally be about to walk around DL in a complete loop lol. Even DCA managed to do that before DL did. Well now that's changed too.

And with Marvel land and Runaway Railway all confirmed its going to be a fun few years. Can't wait!! Only a few more days for history to arrive.

Yet Tomorrowland is still broken. AA figures in older attractions don't move anymore. Newly installed AA figures die in the rain. Macaroni is glued to a building that was themed appropriate for the area. Super babies are stuck on sticks with fifty pounds of glitter. Paint the Night is MIA. Rocks still block the entrance to Tomorrowland. Goofy's bounce house doesn't bounce.

 

[Mouse Trap]

Yet Tomorrowland is still broken. AA figures in older attractions don't move anymore. Newly installed AA figures die in the rain. Macaroni is glued to a building that was themed appropriate for the area. Super babies are stuck on sticks with fifty pounds of glitter. Paint the Night is MIA. Rocks still block the entrance to Tomorrowland. Goofy's bounce house doesn't bounce.

Priorities - sadly.

 

[Phroobar]

Oh ya. Kermit is homeless.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Iger's grumpy face is just fabulous.

I also get a kick out of the perfectly square empty "box" on the right hand side of the picture where the restaurant was supposed to go. Even to the casual observer, it's obvious something is missing.

I know Toy Story Land in Florida is getting its TS eatery after opening, but the Cars Drive-In has yet to materialize, so these things aren't always guaranteed.

 

[brb1006]

That's another good way to look at it.

I just get the sense that Star Wars Land will be just as transformative to the culture and vibe of the park, if not more so, than other transformative years.

1959 with Nixon cutting the ribbon on the opening of Matterhorn, Submarines and the Monorail. Disneyland was here to stay, and even that commie Nikita Kruschev wanted in!

The 12 months from Summer 1966 to Summer 1967 with the opening of Small World, New Orleans Square, Pirates of the Caribbean and the fabulous New Tomorrowland.

I could also throw in 1985 and Disneyland's 30th, as that was the new Eisner era when Disneyland seemed to leave its admittedly hokey mid century self behind and leap into the Go-Go 1980's and the modern age, when Disneyland suddenly became self-aware with a hip new vibe that was looking ahead instead of backwards.

And the opening of DCA, Downtown Disney and the Grand Californian in 2001 (DCA flopped hard at first, but the physical changes beyond the berm and expansion of the Resort were hugely impactful to the customer experience.) But Paul Pressler said it was going to be FABULOUS! And Paul Pressler never lies, especially when seated next to Eisner and Iger on Y2K Business Casual Day.

2019 is going to go down as a year to rival, if not surpass, those previous years when new era's began for Disneyland. This is going to be huge.

I just have this sudden realization, if not some minor melancholy, that these are the final hours of the Good Old Days.

Disneyland's older commercials (Especially during the 1980s) had a very charming and welcoming feeling that's notably absent in modern ads. Especially these commercials provided below.






Same with the older parades which DL used to get every couple of years.