Which STAR WARS Land will be more crowded at opening, DISNEYLAND or Disneyworld? VIP Ticketing???

[cheezbat]

There are 2,500 Disney-owned hotel rooms on Disneyland property. And there are 21,000 additional hotel rooms in the adjacent "Anaheim Resort District", and over half of those rooms are within walking distance of Disneyland. The other 10,000 rooms are within a short shuttle bus ride away. So that gets you the following stats;

California Tourism in 2016 = 268 Million Leisure Travelers (17 Million from Overseas) http://industry.visitcalifornia.com/Find-Research/California-Statistics-Trends/
Disneyland Resort Area = 23,000 Hotel Rooms
Disneyland Park '16 Attendance = 18 Million

Florida Tourism in 2016 = 113 Million Leisure Travelers (11 Million from Overseas) http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/os-bz-visit-florida-tourism-2016-story.html
WDW Resort Area = 33,000 Hotel Rooms
Disney Hollywood Studios '16 Attendance = 10.7 Million
.

Your numbers though are reflecting ALL of Florida and California tourism. Last year over 60 million people visited Orlando. I bet not even 30 million people visited Anaheim. Also, the park attendance numbers are going to be greatly different between the original Disney park which houses more rides and attractions than any other Disney park on earth, and a 3rd gate with only 4 rides.

If they were opening at the same time I'd say no doubt that DHS will be more swamped. Disneyland having an opening gap will give it a chance to surpass DHS's level of crazy.

 

[TP2000]

Your numbers though are reflecting ALL of Florida and California tourism. Last year over 60 million people visited Orlando. I bet not even 30 million people visited Anaheim. Also, the park attendance numbers are going to be greatly different between the original Disney park which houses more rides and attractions than any other Disney park on earth, and a 3rd gate with only 4 rides.

If they were opening at the same time I'd say no doubt that DHS will be more swamped. Disneyland having an opening gap will give it a chance to surpass DHS's level of crazy.

In 2016, there were 23 Million non-Californians who visited Anaheim. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-anaheim-visitors-20170208-story.html

There's no real way to know how many Californians made internal visits to Anaheim, as those numbers aren't tracked. And thanks to that smart man from Stanford that Walt hired in 1953, Anaheim sits smack dab in the middle of the 18 Million residents of the SoCal megalopolis, so it's very difficult to figure.

 

[AEfx]

So you think they will have an "extra cost" to enter Star wars land in the beginning, or do you think they will limit the Annual pass holders for certain night time hours, or both. Im sure they will also raise ticket prices, at least for DHS

No, I don't think that they could get away with gating it like that - if you want to wait in six hour lines, they are going to let you.

But I do think there are going to be early AM before the park opens and PM after it closes "pay $XXX and get exclusive access to SWL" every day "events". Hell, I won't be surprised if they don't do three blocks of them a day, at least at first - a 7AM-9AM, and something like a 8PM-11PM / 12AM to 3AM type deal. Each with a separate ticket, with only SWL and maybe TSL open to siphon out some of the parents with small kiddies.

No one should kid themselves, Disney is already filling up white boards with ideas of how to do this. Pricing just straight "exclusive access" early mornings, or more "deluxe" packages at night, like get a pack of C-3PO cookies and a free drink (with a thimble of booze for the adults), some little souvenir shopping bag for all the exclusive loot you are going to shop for, and a lanyard to display all those pins you are going to buy, that you can only get at these "events".

I can hear the meetings now: "We don't even have to worry about attraction capacity, we can sell more tickets than we have spaces for riders. With all the exclusive merchandise, get the survey guys to come up with estimates of how many people will be buying tickets just to stand in line to buy stuff."

You think it's crazy, but that's what people do at ComiCon...and they know it.

 

[Kman101]

I could also see them doing paid previews of the land before it opens. (Not saying they'll hold off opening the land to charge you to see it, but they'll charge you instead of offering passholder previews)

 

[NoChesterHester]

How is this news or a rumor? This is general discussion.

 

[Joeamc]

No, I don't think that they could get away with gating it like that - if you want to wait in six hour lines, they are going to let you.

But I do think there are going to be early AM before the park opens and PM after it closes "pay $XXX and get exclusive access to SWL" every day "events". Hell, I won't be surprised if they don't do three blocks of them a day, at least at first - a 7AM-9AM, and something like a 8PM-11PM / 12AM to 3AM type deal. Each with a separate ticket, with only SWL and maybe TSL open to siphon out some of the parents with small kiddies.

No one should kid themselves, Disney is already filling up white boards with ideas of how to do this. Pricing just straight "exclusive access" early mornings, or more "deluxe" packages at night, like get a pack of C-3PO cookies and a free drink (with a thimble of booze for the adults), some little souvenir shopping bag for all the exclusive loot you are going to shop for, and a lanyard to display all those pins you are going to buy, that you can only get at these "events".

I can hear the meetings now: "We don't even have to worry about attraction capacity, we can sell more tickets than we have spaces for riders. With all the exclusive merchandise, get the survey guys to come up with estimates of how many people will be buying tickets just to stand in line to buy stuff."

You think it's crazy, but that's what people do at ComiCon...and they know it.

I agree. I think they can definitely do "special" ticketed nights, similar to MNSSHP and close the park early for partygoers. I guess it depends if the ticket sales warrant closing the park. I'm sure it would be worth it "off' season.

 

[Joeamc]

Your numbers though are reflecting ALL of Florida and California tourism. Last year over 60 million people visited Orlando. I bet not even 30 million people visited Anaheim. Also, the park attendance numbers are going to be greatly different between the original Disney park which houses more rides and attractions than any other Disney park on earth, and a 3rd gate with only 4 rides.

If they were opening at the same time I'd say no doubt that DHS will be more swamped. Disneyland having an opening gap will give it a chance to surpass DHS's level of crazy.

I agree that DHS would be more swamped than Disneyland Park

 

[Joeamc]

No, I don't think that they could get away with gating it like that - if you want to wait in six hour lines, they are going to let you.

But I do think there are going to be early AM before the park opens and PM after it closes "pay $XXX and get exclusive access to SWL" every day "events". Hell, I won't be surprised if they don't do three blocks of them a day, at least at first - a 7AM-9AM, and something like a 8PM-11PM / 12AM to 3AM type deal. Each with a separate ticket, with only SWL and maybe TSL open to siphon out some of the parents with small kiddies.

No one should kid themselves, Disney is already filling up white boards with ideas of how to do this. Pricing just straight "exclusive access" early mornings, or more "deluxe" packages at night, like get a pack of C-3PO cookies and a free drink (with a thimble of booze for the adults), some little souvenir shopping bag for all the exclusive loot you are going to shop for, and a lanyard to display all those pins you are going to buy, that you can only get at these "events".

I can hear the meetings now: "We don't even have to worry about attraction capacity, we can sell more tickets than we have spaces for riders. With all the exclusive merchandise, get the survey guys to come up with estimates of how many people will be buying tickets just to stand in line to buy stuff."

You think it's crazy, but that's what people do at ComiCon...and they know it.

There will definitely be VIP packages like there was with frozen in the past. Maybe it will get you a fast pass, special fireworks viewing and that all important Lanyard!!!

 

[DisneyDodo]

I would expect DL to be more crowded since it opens first. Some Star Wars fans who normally go to WDW may be inclined to go to DL when its SWGE opens so they don’t have to wait as long. But, of course, both should see unprecedented crowds.

 

[Joeamc]

I would expect DL to be more crowded since it opens first. Some Star Wars fans who normally go to WDW may be inclined to go to DL when its SWGE opens so they don’t have to wait as long. But, of course, both should see unprecedented crowds.

Yes, i would expect DL to be crowded when SWGE opens because it does open first, but when both coasts are open I think DHS will have a harder time with the crowds due to the fact that WDW has more visitors, hotel rooms and travelers from further away than DL ever has

 

[Jones14]

My take is that Disneyland Park will be in better shape than Hollywood Studios, but that WDW Resort as a whole will be in better shape than DLR.

 

[Joeamc]

My take is that Disneyland Park will be in better shape than Hollywood Studios, but that WDW Resort as a whole will be in better shape than DLR.

I think I understand what you mean...lol. DHS will be very crowded, but you have 3 other parks to go to??? Did I get it right???

 

[Travel Junkie]

Yes, i would expect DL to be crowded when SWGE opens because it does open first, but when both coasts are open I think DHS will have a harder time with the crowds due to the fact that WDW has more visitors, hotel rooms and travelers from further away than DL ever has

On a park level if TEA is to be believed DL outdraws DHS by 7 million. DHS is not going to make that up.

The key part here in determining how crowded an area will feel is the crowd density and in that respect Disneyland is going to feel much more congested. Overall WDW attracts more people but spread over a huge area. Between DL and DCA you have over 27 million guests per year in an area as big as Epcot. How crowded would Epcot be if it's attendance was that high, even with a lot more rides?

DL is already the most congested theme park on the planet and adding the most anticipated land perhaps in history is only going to magnify those problems.

 

[Jones14]

I think I understand what you mean...lol. DHS will be very crowded, but you have 3 other parks to go to??? Did I get it right???

Not exactly. Here's what I mean:

Park Vs. Park
Disneyland has 33 rides. DHS has 4. The sheer number of people that Disneyland can swallow in terms of rides alone is insane, especially when you consider that several of them are WDI's poster-children for good capacity. This is important, because we're not talking about walking paths at this point. We're talking about going to a theme park where EVERY single ride will have waits of at LEAST an hour for most of the day, (probably closer to two in the case of Tower of Terror, Rock'N'Rollercoaster, and Toy Story Mania, and don't even get started on the three new ones). Disneyland is going to have long lines, but there will still be things to do that can be walked right onto throughout the day. That luxury will not exist in DHS (it barely does now).

Disneyland also has a Star Tours that is not easily accessed if one is trying to get to Galaxy's Edge in a timely manner. Before you say that Star Tours will not be a strong draw, remember that Disney is adding a scene from Episode IX to the ride right around the opening of the land. While the most direct path between them (the hub) is going to be a nightmare, that was going to be the case anyway, and it will be a BLESSING to not have to worry about every single Star Wars fan descending upon the same area at the exact same time every day. DHS' version is a few hundred yards away, at most, and is already on the most convenient way to the land. If anything, Muppets will start filling to capacity due to sheer proximity (this is not a bad thing, however). The entire southern half of the park is going to be CRAZY, especially considering that there's going to be a lot of guests who are going to show up for Toy Story Land.

The pathways are going to be awful in both, but Disneyland has a lot more to pull people off the streets. I think it'll fare better after the grand opening (which I will be attending and will probably regret but I will not miss it for anything) than DHS will.

On the other hand, there's the resort as a whole. WDW has been heavily investing in infrastructure for the past two years. Roads expanded, new parking (DHS is getting doubled), revamped entryways, and this is considering that traffic at the resort is already pretty good. They know what's coming, and they're preparing properly. Then, there's Disneyland, which is located in a part of the country renowned for how bad traffic is, and whose latest parking garage is in development hell and in no way will be ready for Star Wars. You're also looking at a resort that will be recieving a high volume of tourists in addition to the HUGE annual passholder base. Disneyland's going to be less crowded simply because nobody will be able to get off the highway, much less find a parking space.

So in short, I think:

Disneyland Park will ride out the storm better, but WDW Resort is better prepared for the crushing masses.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I say they will be equally crowded when they shut down park entry to both parks after being full.

Unless... they control crowds by making the rides (or the land itself) accessible only to FP.

If they chose not to have any FP, it will be a huge crush each morning that will make just getting into the park an hour-long event, and then a stampede to the Land.

Now, if they keep FP as is... then it's going to get a bit tricky. At WDW as they're queuing up two hour's worth of guests just to get into the land, what do they do with the guest who has a FP for one of the rides? They'll have to have a FP tapstile (or a CM with a portable) just to check in the FP folk. And once the FP folk get in... how do you get them out and not just keep the Land from becoming more and more crowded that not even those with FPs can get in?

Now, WRT upcharging for access:

• WDW has two upcharge SW events a year... which is incredibly few.
• DCA had just one upcharge event for GotG:MB... which is incredibly few, being it was just one night.
• Pandora had zero upcharge events for access. They gave CMs, APer, and DVCers previews.

So, with that history, anyone who is sure that there will be a lot of extra charging for access really has no basis to make that claim. If they do have an upcharge for access, it's not going to be a lot. Even now, the EMH-upcharge for MK is just once a week for two months.


Though, it would make a VIP Tour for some totally worth it...

 

[Kman101]

Didn't they offer paid previews of Cars Land?

 

[Joeamc]

Didn't they offer paid previews of Cars Land?

I know they had an Annual Passholder preview when it first opened for an additional $50 per person. Not sure if they did more than one day though

 

[TP2000]

Didn't they offer paid previews of Cars Land?

They did. They also offered a paid preview at $100 per ticket for Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! last May. And it sold out. Granted, it was only a one-night thing for a couple thousand people, and it included a great party out in front of the ride. But that was just for one ride that many Disney fans were furious at TDA for doing. But it still sold a few thousand tickets for a hundred bucks for people to say they rode it first.

Star Wars Land has the ability to be the mother of all charged preview events. They could do them for several weeks at $250 or more per person, and people would snap them up fast enough to crash the website. What will be interesting is if Disneyland opens six months before DHS, if there's a similar demand for the DHS version of charged preview tickets.

 

[drizgirl]

They did. They also offered a paid preview at $100 per ticket for Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! last May. And it sold out. Granted, it was only a one-night thing for a couple thousand people, and it included a great party out in front of the ride. But that was just for one ride that many Disney fans were furious at TDA for doing. But it still sold a few thousand tickets for a hundred bucks for people to say they rode it first.

Star Wars Land has the ability to be the mother of all charged preview events. They could do them for several weeks at $250 or more per person, and people would snap them up fast enough to crash the website. What will be interesting is if Disneyland opens six months before DHS, if there's a similar demand for the DHS version of charged preview tickets.

Totally agree. It's going to be fascinating to watch them pull out all the stops monetizing this thing.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Totally agree. It's going to be fascinating to watch them pull out all the stops monetizing this thing.

Just like they haven't done in the past!