What's with the wait times!? (hint.. they're low)

[Animaniac93-98]

Galaxy’s Edge seems to provide the Star Wars experience, but it’s all merchandising.

SoCalAttractions 360 just posted an excellent walk-through of the land on their YouTube channel*. Having seen this video I feel like without its headliner ride GE is basically a lifestyle shopping center themed to Star Wars. That's nice and all, but not really exciting for me.

*They're the best theme park channel IMO. They don't say anything or show themselves, just different parks around the world with the best quality footage

 

[JD2000]

Crowd Calendars said low or moderate crowds today, and with limited reservations into Galaxy's Edge, this was to be expected.

Those calendars are based on historical data, and limited reservations were obviously to keep crowds reasonable. So why expect anything different? Wait until it is suppose to be crowded.

 

[Disney Irish]

Well, this is kind of my point. If everybody is waiting for the crowds to die down, when are the crowds actually going to show up? The hardcore SW fanatics are supposed to be the ones CREATING the crowds, not waiting them out. Don't misunderstand, I have no doubt that it's going to get really crowded once the reservations open up. But, maybe we're seeing early indicators that it won't be as intense and long-lasting as a lot of people thought.



You are right about this. Far too early to do anything but speculate right now.

Well I think its a catch-22 situation. Its the reason why summers started becoming the off season, tourists stayed away for fear of crowding based on what they expect is a crowded season. So they end up going during what used to be the off season, and then it becomes the new crowded season.

Also don't forget that 1 out the 2 lands attractions haven't opened yet. So most are waiting until the opening date for that is announced so they can plan their trip around it. So I think that might be a large factor playing into this as well.

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Disney literally built two of these and is opening them months apart from each other. Walt Disney World is already considered by many to be the far better vacation option, and receives far more national marketing that Disneyland. I imagine there are many who are just planning on going to Galaxy's Edge when it opens there.

So we've got:

• A land opening without it's main attraction.
• A strict reservation system preventing many from visiting this week.
• The strictest pass blockouts we've seen
• A recent ticket price increase
• An identical land that's opening in a couple months- that has to decrease some demand for the Disneyland version
• A divided Star Wars community that's not happy with Disney's management of the franchise
• A land without Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, C3P0, R2D2 which also has to minimize demand from the older generations of Star Wars fans.
• A CEO who's so overconfident that he didn't provide much of a marketing budget, thinking Twitter would be enough.
• This online expectation that the place would be packed- which has to get some people to hold off on their vacations.

Yeah, I'm not surprised by the crowds right now- let's see how they are when reservations are up and when WDW opens.

in defense of the land i have seen videos of R2 actually being in one the shops interacting with guests. i just don't know which shop it is but here is there. other than that I agree with your list

 

[captveg]

The last week of June is the true opening. We'll see how a lack of reservations changes the demand.

Personally, I'd go sometime this week if I could get into GE, but I can't. So I might as well wait for when my friend and his son visit LA the last weekend in July.

 

[fctiger]

Wow this is crazy! I'm been hearing reports even Lincoln was a walk on today!

You know crowds are low.

 

[mickEblu]

I'd say probably '95. Probably the peak year of Disneyland's history. They still have yet to reach that high and, with all the cutting they've done since, they likely never will again.

Indy started to bring the crowds. Plus skyway, Submarine Voyage, Country Bears, People mover > Indy. And I also prefer a peaceful NOS/ west side of the park at night to the pandemonium that Fantasmic brings.

 

[fctiger]

in defense of the land i have seen videos of R2 actually being in one the shops interacting with guests. i just don't know which shop it is but here is there. other than that I agree with your list

Woah, you actually defended the land. Knock me over with a feather.

 

[TROR]

Indy started to bring the crowds. Plus skyway, Submarine Voyage, Country Bears, People mover > Indy. And I also prefer a peaceful NOS/ west side of the park at night to the pandemonium that Fantasmic brings.

Country Bear Jamboree, Submarine Voyage, and People Mover were still open in 95.

 

[mickEblu]

Country Bear Jamboree, Submarine Voyage, and People Mover were still open in 95.

Lol oh shoot you re right. I don’t know why I was thinking they were already closed. Hmmm that makes it a little tougher. But skyway and peoplemover are the 2 I would really want back of the 4

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

The good old days...

Disney's Rocket Rods Get Green Light

Entertainment: Heavily promoted Tomorrowland ride, in the pits for three months, is scheduled to reopen today.

www.google.com

 

[flynnibus]

Funny... Disney's implements crowd shaping measures on the park, passes, and new attraction... people are wondering 'if its all broke' because it's not actually crowded. How about its... "hey, it worked!"

Low crowds because:
1 - People without reservations will defer until they have one, or don't need one
2 - Blackouts
3 - School is still in session
4 - It's historically a low period because its right before summer break

Wait till SW:GE is a free for all, and the blackouts lighten up... then you'll be moaning about lack of FPs

 

[chadwpalm]

So if cast member sign-in blockouts have been lifted, and today and tomorrow are Grad Nights, then today and tomorrow should give a more accurate foretelling of how Friday will be since it is also a Grad Night. The only other difference being that Deluxe APs are blocked on Friday and not today or tomorrow. I'm still hoping that my day in the park will be pretty light. Even if it's a 4 or 5 it's still better than an 8 or 9.

 

[Janir]

I think most people tend to feel that "peak" Disney was whenever they personally came of age in the resort. Old enough to remember it with some detail, but young enough to still embrace the magic.

25 years ago my parents complained about how modern management had defiled their childhood Disneyland.

I thought the were being ridiculous. Mid-90s Disney was awesome, and what I feel nostalgic for.

A couple of decades from now I'm sure my kids will feel the same about the Disneyland they grew up with, circa 2020.

I think you're right. I came into Disney pretty late and peak Disney for me is already looking to be 2011 or so.

 

[Janir]

Sooooo what’s wrong with RotR? Aside from the obvious?

R2 and BB8 went on a drunken bender during the last parts of the RoR install phase and couldn't finish the work on time.

 

[Janir]

That was a directive from Bob Iger directly six months ago. Keep the marketing budget low to nonexistent. I think it's obvious they went too far and thought the neckbeard bloggers and a perky spot on Good Morning America would be more than enough.

https://orlando-rising.com/star-wars-galaxys-edge-not-going-to-take-much-marketing-says-disney-ceo/

Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger sounds confident that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be a major success when it opens in Disneyland and Walt Disney World later this year — enough so to joke that marketing expenses will be low.

“I’m thinking that maybe I should just tweet, ‘It’s opening,’ and that will be enough,” Iger said on the company’s earnings call Tuesday. “I think we’re going to end up with incredibly popular and in-demand product with these two new lands.”

Given the popularity of the Star Wars brand and nearly four years’ worth of hype among theme parks fans, drawing attention doesn’t seem to be a concern for Iger.

“It’s not going to take much marketing to do that,” he said. “That’s a signal that I just sent to our parks and resorts people to keep that budget really low.”

It wasn't a bad plan. The Star Wars and Disney park fans will know about it though their own sources and want to be the first groups to see it. Let them come and save advertising money. They can advertise later as needed but they didn't need to advertise to those that would get it via word of mouth. The less interested park goers will come as they normally plan to come, allowing Disney Parks to manage the crowds for a new land opening. There is plenty of crowds, but not packed in as tight at Pandora or Toy Story lands were. A major part of the SWGE experience is just the land itself. Maybe they are beginning to learn that elbow to elbow attendance numbers detracts from the brand and the overall satisfaction levels and that overall they will need to learn more creative ways to smooth out general attendance at DLR and WDW as overall numbers will only just continue to rise faster than they will be able to build out with.
Disney in general has always been good about engineering people flow and the time slots and later virtual queuing and even the special limited time period Annual Passes for DLR are all capacity/people flow management.

 

[chadwpalm]

Advertising was so bad that the reservations sold out in 2 hours instead of 1.

 

[shambolicdefending]

Sooooo what’s wrong with RotR? Aside from the obvious?

Something about how the logs are descending the big drop at the wrong angle and the splash down is soaking the riders...?

 

[Disney Irish]

Advertising was so bad that the reservations sold out in 2 hours instead of 1.

View attachment 379122

Yep, complete failure. No SW fan wants to visit the place....

 

[Janir]

Funny... Disney's implements crowd shaping measures on the park, passes, and new attraction... people are wondering 'if its all broke' because it's not actually crowded. How about its... "hey, it worked!"

Low crowds because:
1 - People without reservations will defer until they have one, or don't need one
2 - Blackouts
3 - School is still in session
4 - It's historically a low period because its right before summer break

Wait till SW:GE is a free for all, and the blackouts lighten up... then you'll be moaning about lack of FPs

In fact I'd say they are learning how they can adjust and tweak the tools they have available to them now so that they can use then in the near future when the reservations go away and they are trying virtual queuing. It will get busier sooner, but it looks like their initial attempts at engineering the crowds is working to preserve the land experience.
Maybe they will take the information they are learning now and eventually use in at DLR and WDW as a whole to improve the overall crowding issues and worsening guest experience many people have been complaining about.