So when do you think it will be "safe to go back in the water?"

[Lovetherodent]

Obviously, SWGE is going to affect park attendance, probably forever, but how long do you expect it to be before the initial craziness ends? I kind of expect it to last through the holidays as Christmas is great and then you can add SWGE to the visit. But, will things moderate by January? May? What's your best guess and why?

edited to add:
I was thinking more how long before, resort wide, things return to manageable from crazy-busy. Pandora is still busy, but the rest of AK doesn't seem noticeably more crowded than it ever was (I thought the place felt far busier during the construction because the walls closed you in!). So if you have a January, Spring (not easter) or Summer visit planned, do you think you'll still notice a big uptick in all resorts and parks or will you just be seeing it at DHS or just in SWGE by that time?

 

[SaharanTea]

Obviously, SWGE is going to affect park attendance, probably forever, but how long do you expect it to be before the initial craziness ends? I kind of expect it to last through the holidays as Christmas is great and then you can add SWGE to the visit. But, will things moderate by January? May? What's your best guess and why?

I'd expect a big bump for at least the first year. Some people can only get vacations at certain parts of the year. For many people, that's summer. SWGE won't have a summer until 2020. After that, new things in other parks will start to help as well, but the whole resort is going to be bumped up for two or three years with all of these additions as people come down to check out the new toys.

After that, who knows? Economic factors can be big as well.

If you mean, when will it go from 11 back to just plain ole 10? I don't know. They are staggering the opening which will both help some and also draw the pain out longer.

 

[DisDreaming4116]

The problem with trying to guess is that this will be an unprecedented situation. Smuggler's Run will open end of August. No announced date yet but the Rise of the Resistance attraction will likely open around November. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway will likely open in late summer. There just aren't going to be enough hours in the day to experience all of it and will require people to make two trips to get it all in. It's going to be bonkers for awhile.

 

[Cbtexan04]

Well, pandora has been out for "years" now, and it's still seeing consistent 2-3 hour wait times. I would expect the same but at a larger scale for SWGE, unfortunately.

 

[Tempty]

-checks watch- Hmmm.. quarter past never maybe?
No but in all seriousness, I'm guessing... 4-5 years? At the earliest? Especially since SWGE is opening in "phases" which will really milk the hype of it all :I

 

[SaintsManiac]

2025

 

[yulilin3]

2025

Agreed. With 2021 being a huge year all around property it will continue to be very busy year round

 

[richmo]

Yeah, I don't see any end in sight, unless the whole thing is a total bust, which I seriously doubt. Just look at the newest E-tickets: Pandora is still mobbed with no end in sight there, Seven Dwarves Mine Train is still experiencing very long lines -- and that's been several years now. If anything, perhaps SWGE may take a little pressure off Toy Story Land, perhaps because of FP tiering, but that is going to be one crowded land for years to come.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I agree with everyone else. I think it is going to take a while for the newness to wear off, especially since they are opening it in phases. There doesn't seem to be enough to help absorb the crowds so they will go elsewhere in the park and beyond for quite a while.

 

[Lovetherodent]

Sure, new attractions are still popular. SWGE will be popular for a long time and waits will stretch into the hourse, but if I go to AK and don't care much about Pandora, the rest of the park doesn't seem heavily impacted by it. I went to DHS 6 moths after TSL opened. The park felt like what I'd experienced in the past, except for TSL, which was very crowded. That's what I'm asking (the unknowable, certainly), but at what point does SWGE stop significantly impacting other parks?

 

[sponica]

Sure, new attractions are still popular. SWGE will be popular for a long time and waits will stretch into the hourse, but if I go to AK and don't care much about Pandora, the rest of the park doesn't seem heavily impacted by it. I went to DHS 6 moths after TSL opened. The park felt like what I'd experienced in the past, except for TSL, which was very crowded. That's what I'm asking (the unknowable, certainly), but at what point does SWGE stop significantly impacting other parks?

I think the short answer is it depends. I think DHS might be bonkers crowded with people waiting to get into GE. And if I don't want to deal with those crowds (or enter and throw my hands in the air and leave) I'll go somewhere else. Epcot is the easiest one to hop to.

But let's be real, I'm not leaving GE. My husband might decide that he doesn't want to spend 3 days there though...

 

[yulilin3]

Sure, new attractions are still popular. SWGE will be popular for a long time and waits will stretch into the hourse, but if I go to AK and don't care much about Pandora, the rest of the park doesn't seem heavily impacted by it. I went to DHS 6 moths after TSL opened. The park felt like what I'd experienced in the past, except for TSL, which was very crowded. That's what I'm asking (the unknowable, certainly), but at what point does SWGE stop significantly impacting other parks?

you are going to see crowd-feel go up, SWGE will continue to bring in people for years to come, there are going to be so many new time visitors who care squat about Disney but love SW and will probably end up visiting thee other parks, and then 2021 is the 50th with new attractions, shows, entire remodeling of epcot's entrance, all around property, only park not seeing anything significant happening for the next 3 years is AK

 

[Wild4Walt]

I think resort-wide is still going to be larger than normal crowds until at least 2022 - 2019 into 2020 will be SWGE, then 2021 is the 50th Anniversary.

 

[Spencer Wright]

As others have said, I think we will see overall insanity for a couple of years, probably into early 2023. My main question is how much of the crowds will flock to SWGE and leave? I think about when TSL opened and PPF had a 5 minute wait. Or how AK stays very tame until about early afternoon due to Pandora. I understand we are dealing with a whole different situation. What do yous think?

 

[rteetz]

As others have said, I think we will see overall insanity for a couple of years, probably into early 2023. My main question is how much of the crowds will flock to SWGE and leave? I think about when TSL opened and PPF had a 5 minute wait. Or how AK stays very tame until about early afternoon due to Pandora. I understand we are dealing with a whole different situation. What do yous think?

I think at least initially the park will be busy all day long. This is a land people are going to want explore a bit. With interactive elements, rides, dining, and immersive shopping.

 

[Spencer Wright]

I think at least initially the park will be busy all day long. This is a land people are going to want explore a bit. With interactive elements, rides, dining, and immersive shopping.

I agree. I didn't even know about immersive shopping until recently. So cool!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It’s hard to know - obviously you will have the first rush of people who have been waiting 40 years for this land and then again after the 2nd ride.

And then you have other stuff coming at some point over the next few years (Rat, Guardians, Tron, etc) - maybe a slight dip sometime next year as people might then wait for some of the other new stuff to come (so like from a 10 to a 9.5) and then it will be crazy until like 2023 with all the new stuff, 50th and then additional new stuff At EPCOT

 

[Amy11401]

We are most likely going back Summer of 2022 or summer of 2023. We will have to see as it gets closer id it seems lile one year would be better than the other crowd wise.

 

[gharter]

If you look at Pandora, it really hasn't died down yet.
And besides SWGE, you have the new Micky/Minnie ride coming online later this year.
Tron in the MK, Guardians of the Galaxy and Ratatouille in France, the make over for the EPCOT entrance. And the park anniversaries.
All these will keep the crowds large for the next decade probably.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

When a recession hits.

We are planning our next trip for summer 2022.