***Official*** Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Information Thread *** Contains SPOILERS ***

[Mome Rath]

I’m not just looking at WDW I’m looking at DL as well. I don’t think Disney did a bad job by any means. I just think maybe we are seeing a lot of factors playing into this including pricing, and the land opening in phases. Even more factors are playing into than that though.

I think this is right, esp the phased opening, AND the West park opening before the East park. I know it did indeed keep me from going ASAP because the main ride is not open, and the reviews from DL did the same. I still completely want to go, but those things shifted me from wanting to storm the land vs. meh, I'll wait (including the skyliner not being open). They've also shifted my view of how much money I'll spend in the land once there... Not horrible, and I'm really glad it's there and I'd like to see it, but no rush.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Meh......the whole market was down, this is a company and sady thing will be up and down, just like any other company, with GE just opening and expecting it alone to make up that 3% in such a short amount of time is a crazy unrealistic expectation, also Disney did bite itself by those CRAZY price increases over all, I am sure that had a HUGE impact on the crowds. I say give it some time, no reason to panic, yet......

I agree with the sentiment to not panic - my fear is Disney executives, board members, and institutional investors will panic. .... Or at a minimum out development of other projects on hold vs going full speed ahead

 

[MarkinNM]

I agree with the sentiment to not panic - my fear is Disney executives, board members, and institutional investors will panic. .... Or at a minimum out development of other projects on hold vs going full speed ahead

That will depend on the overall market and how the "parks" perform and how Igar wants to proceed, board members, meh it is Igar who holds the decision making and with him leaving in 2 or so years, who knows how this will impact his future expansion visions. As expensive as GE was it is just a part of Disney and no matter what the future builds are they will be even more expensive.

They've also shifted my view of how much money I'll spend in the land once there...

From "my" experience take that budget and triple it!!!

 

[dagored]

I believe as a few others have stated, the price increase was too much for many to accept.

I followed the thread on annual passes and how Sam’s Club was selling at the old price for awhile. People were not happy.

I’m a resident and my increase will be nullified by my renewal discount, so this past week at the parks was great for me. I haven’t walked on to so many attractions in one morning for over 12 years.

Disney or not, there is a limit for many people, even if they can afford it. Just my opinion.

 

[monkeymostpurple]

We're another family that is going to Disney for the first time because of Star Wars. But a lot of people around me have no idea that the Star Wars land has opened--and I only really know about it because I'm going to a conference at Disney Springs, and looked at the parks due to proximity (and SWGE is what tipped us into booking three days of tickets).

 

[lauradisneymad]

From "my" experience take that budget and triple it!!!

Yes I wouldn’t like to admit how much I spent during our AP preview. Lot of money for 4 and a bit hours.
I out of interest kept every receipt for my purchases simply because I knew I’d spend a lot and wanted to know just how much I’d blow never would do that normally but I knew prices were expensive so was an experiment.

But as above said whatever you might think you spend, triple it!!

 

[vacationer1954]

At some point we're gonna have to stop wondering if crowds are low because of Dorian. That was like 5 days ago.

As osufeth24 said, it's not been 5 days yet and a hurricane will have impact for the entire week, since many people will cancel their vacations due to the hurricane and most vacations in the United States are week-long.

Regardless, I think some are forgetting that the the delay in Rise of the Resistance will still have its impact as well. Let's get back together on December 6 and compare Hollywood Studios attendance 2019 versus 2013 (the last time the park was substantially complete).

Still, I think the price increase will help keep the crowds under control. Like they said, ten hour waits aren't good show. I'd rather pay a bit more and have shorter waits.

 

[vacationer1954]

I agree with the sentiment to not panic - my fear is Disney executives, board members, and institutional investors will panic.

I don't think people should assume a reduction in entertainment means that anyone is panicking.

There is a restaurant here that opened in 2014. It was fantastic. We really loved it. When we sat down for the first time though, the server made it clear that this is a special time: They were trying lots of things and eventually the menu would be trimmed down to the diners' favorites.

That's a normal part of the opening of anything. People who get there at the beginning always get that special bonus - that's one reason to try to visit during the opening months. Eventually, some of the things that a fewer number of guests rate as excellent will be eliminated, having nothing to do with any kind of panicking.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I’m happy for the lower crowds right now as we’re some of the many who planned early September trips well in advance with the hopes of avoiding the SWGE crowds. When the earlier than anticipated opening date for SWGE was announced it took me by surprise to say the least. In a matter only minutes I went from anticipating regular, smaller Sept crowds to quite possibly huge crowds.

Here now and pleasantly surprised that the parks are quieter than we’ve seen this week of September in a number of years.

 

[Boardwalk III]

Anyone have an inkling as to when WDW might announce planned DHS hours for early December? We’re due to book our fast passes on October 4th for first week of December and are trying to determine whether to allow a morning in our plans for SWGE, even if just for a walk-through. All “best guesses” are welcome! We’re staying at BWV so can easily get there. The only two weekdays that work for us are 12/5 & 12/6, so we’re aiming for Friday the 6th given that the 5th is the day Rise of Resistance opens.

Thanks!

 

[CarolynFH]

Anyone have an inkling as to when WDW might announce planned DHS hours for early December? We’re due to book our fast passes on October 4th for first week of December and are trying to determine whether to allow a morning in our plans for SWGE, even if just for a walk-through. All “best guesses” are welcome! We’re staying at BWV so can easily get there. The only two weekdays that work for us are 12/5 & 12/6, so we’re aiming for Friday the 6th given that the 5th is the day Rise of Resistance opens.

Thanks!

December park hours are already posted on the WDW website. However, they’re probably not final - Disney frequently extends them as time gets closer, so take them as a starting point!

 

[Boardwalk III]

December park hours are already posted on the WDW website. However, they’re probably not final - Disney frequently extends them as time gets closer, so take them as a starting point!

Yes, that’s right. Sorry, I meant to ask whether folks expect they will be offering an extension of the early entry etc.

 

[rteetz]

Yes, that’s right. Sorry, I meant to ask whether folks expect they will be offering an extension of the early entry etc.

Based on the current crowds (and yes I know there isn’t any RotR yet) I would think not.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Yes, that’s right. Sorry, I meant to ask whether folks expect they will be offering an extension of the early entry etc.

Based on the current crowds (and yes I know there isn’t any RotR yet) I would think now.

@rteetz did you mean "I would think not"? As I would think not as well based on current crowds .... But info think RotR is a bit of a wildcard (especially with WDW getting it first) and I think the extra, extra hours were the benefit given to on site guests as the lack of FP for the attractions means on site guests don't get a benefit like for other rides (the 60+ vs 30 days for making FP+). Plus with the holidays coming I could see them doing something. Maybe not 3 hours everyday but something like either morning or evening regular extra hours everyday at DHS

 

[Boardwalk III]

@rteetz did you mean "I would think not"? As I would think not as well based on current crowds .... But info think RotR is a bit of a wildcard (especially with WDW getting it first) and I think the extra, extra hours were the benefit given to on site guests as the lack of FP for the attractions means on site guests don't get a benefit like for other rides (the 60+ vs 30 days for making FP+). Plus with the holidays coming I could see them doing something. Maybe not 3 hours everyday but something like either morning or evening regular extra hours everyday at DHS

Exactly, especially since some of our favorites there are all now Tier 1’s (TSM, TOT & ROR). Ugh!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Anyone have an inkling as to when WDW might announce planned DHS hours for early December? We’re due to book our fast passes on October 4th for first week of December and are trying to determine whether to allow a morning in our plans for SWGE, even if just for a walk-through. All “best guesses” are welcome! We’re staying at BWV so can easily get there. The only two weekdays that work for us are 12/5 & 12/6, so we’re aiming for Friday the 6th given that the 5th is the day Rise of Resistance opens.

Thanks!

In terms of the “regular” park hours adjustments that are often made close to the month in question, last year the month of December got “two waves” of park hour updates as we got closer to month - the first was Friday 10/12/18 which covered November and some December. The second was Friday 11/16 which covered Dec through 1/5/19.

Of course, with a major new ride opening 12/5 and the possibility of extending any special runs of EMHs or whatever they have in mind, hard to say what may happen this year. They may stick to the 1-2 months before, or they may not. Hope that helps!

 

[Grumpy6264]

SWGE wasn’t expected to make up the 3%. Disneyland attendance actually dropped 3% from the previous year after SWGE opened. Surely, that has nothing to do with SWGE and everything to do with price increases, entertainment cuts, AP blackouts, etc., but also just as certainly, Disney expected families like mine to fill the gap left by priced-out locals, and that didn’t happen.

Exactly. I remember reading in one of the press releases that purchased tickets were actually up, which would imply that the AP blackouts had a huge impact on attendance at DL. Which makes sense given the demographics of the DL guest.

 

[PrincessV]

So, I don't follow data trends, I don't have any data analyses to offer, I hate numbers and don't care enough to be bothered. But I am 1. a big (though not quite rabid) Star Wars fan, 2. a Floridian, and 3. a WDW regular for the past 30 years. My views on crowds, etc. are purely anecdotal... but also based on having seen the way things ebb and flow down here in the Sunshine State for a long time.

I was one of the few who never expected GE's opening to be the madhouse most predicted. I guess that was based on experience, but I'd be hard-pressed to provide any more detail than that. I strongly suspect SW love isn't big enough/strong enough/rampant enough to clog an entire section of a park 'round the clock, 365. And to say it's the off-season here in Florida right now would be a gross understatement: it's as dead as it gets. (Thank all that is good, because honestly, we need a break from the madness sometimes!) If it's slow everywhere, I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be slower, compared to busier times of year, at GE, too.

I'm not at all sure there are that many families planning entire trips around the advent of GE, but I am quite sure a good many folks who were planning a trip anyway opted to make it at a time when all of GE is up and running. I would not be surprised to see a good bump up in visitors when ROTR is open. If I didn't live nearby, I'd have waited for that, too.

So a quiet-ish GE right now is entirely what I expected and not at all surprising. I think it'll get busier along with everything else getting busier as we head into tourist season (fall) and, especially, holiday season. MFSR's wait times are influenced by the lack of FP, too, coupled with an extremely efficient turnover. I fully expect to see standby waits climb when overall crowds swell and FP begins. As a local who won't ever have the advantage of a 14-day lead time for FP+, I'm riding it as often as I can before that happens!

I am worried that WDW will drop some support for GE over time, and it saddens me to say I think it's probably inevitable. That just seems to be the general direction WDW is going nowadays, and I can't see GE being spared just because Star Wars.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm not at all sure there are that many families planning entire trips around the advent of GE, but I am quite sure a good many folks who were planning a trip anyway opted to make it at a time when all of GE is up and running.

I think Disney executives overestimated the first group in your statement and underestimated the second group

I think it was Iger himself of said something like "we don't need to advertise Galaxy's Edge, all we have to do is say that it is open"

 

[yulilin3]

all the parks are so empty, it's not just a SWGE phenomenon . Last night SDD AS2 ToT ST were walk ons, MFSR had a 20 min wait around 7pm. This morning I was able to walk on to Dumbo, Barnstormer, Peoplemover, Buzz, HM and this after the park being opened an hour with EMH guests
I mean this IS our slow season but it hasn't been this slow in years, glad for people vacationing now