Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge News - Updated 2/28/19

[gharter]

It's also hard to estimate how many will make a short trip specifically to do the Star Wars stuff and then head back home. Then again, the longer your trip is, the better odds you have at getting FP's made for both attractions. So, who knows? I've also been mulling what crowds will be like at wdw next year before it opens in the fall. Will there be a rush of people trying to get one last trip in before the insanity of SW descends upon Orlando? Or will people be more likely to put their trip off a few months so they can go after it's open? Maybe there will be enough in each group that crowds will be mostly level until it opens.

I think that is the difference between Disneyland and Disney World. From what I've read, the majority of Disneyland guests are locals. At WDW, locals/ Florida residents still make up a significant number of guests, but the majority are from out of state and country. So while Star Wars may be a drawing card, most will stay more than a day or 2, so therefore, visit the other parks.
I think when SWGE opens, every park will see a jump in attendance.

 

[Sun_soakin]

I apologize in advance for not reading this entire thread....
Do we know if SWGE will be the exact same in both CA and WDW? We are in CA and will probably renew our APs early next year to be ready to check out the new area as soon as it opens. We are also overdue for another WDW trip..,trying to decide it we go soon or if we should wait for SW?

 

[BigRed98]

I apologize in advance for not reading this entire thread....
Do we know if SWGE will be the exact same in both CA and WDW? We are in CA and will probably renew our APs early next year to be ready to check out the new area as soon as it opens. We are also overdue for another WDW trip..,trying to decide it we go soon or if we should wait for SW?

Galaxy Edge will be the exact same on both coasts. The only small difference is that DL will have 3 entrance/exit while DHS will have 2.

 

[rteetz]

Galaxy Edge will be the exact same on both coasts. The only small difference is that DL will have 3 entrance/exit while DHS will have 2.

There will be a few other small differences in the land just because they aren’t exactly the same shape but the attractions are definitely the same.

 

[monica9]

Not sure if there’s another thread about crowds but hoping someone has insight.
Though we really really want to see galaxys edge, we refuse to be there within the first year it opens. We just booked for sept 30-oct 7 2019 and my hopes are that it won’t be open.
My question is, when huge park openings like this happens, will crowds be even lower months leading up to the opening?

 

[Helvetica]

Not sure if there’s another thread about crowds but hoping someone has insight.
Though we really really want to see galaxys edge, we refuse to be there within the first year it opens. We just booked for sept 30-oct 7 2019 and my hopes are that it won’t be open.
My question is, when huge park openings like this happens, will crowds be even lower months leading up to the opening?

Disneyland should be open by then, but Disney World will not be open by then.

They said late Fall, so November or December. The first day of fall is September 23rd and the first day of winter in 2019 is December 23, so keep that in mind. It's going to be crazy for all sorts of reasons.

We've never seen anything like this before so who knows how that will impact crowds. Maybe everyone will be so afraid that nobody will show up? Unlikely, but who knows. I'm guessing and hoping that September in Disney World will be the calm before the storm.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Not sure if there’s another thread about crowds but hoping someone has insight.
Though we really really want to see galaxys edge, we refuse to be there within the first year it opens. We just booked for sept 30-oct 7 2019 and my hopes are that it won’t be open.
My question is, when huge park openings like this happens, will crowds be even lower months leading up to the opening?

There is some discussion around this - and I think you should be pretty safe - "Late Fall" to me is more like November than Sept/Early October

If the crowd trends that are there now (relatively low) continue then I think it would be pretty "low" then

 

[intertile]

Not sure if there’s another thread about crowds but hoping someone has insight.
Though we really really want to see galaxys edge, we refuse to be there within the first year it opens. We just booked for sept 30-oct 7 2019 and my hopes are that it won’t be open.
My question is, when huge park openings like this happens, will crowds be even lower months leading up to the opening?

There is already a feeling of people holding out on trips until after SWGE opens. The holidays will be busy as always, but other than that you should see lighter crowds. 1st week of July this year...all my research pointed to a cluster F#@$ in terms of crowds. With the exception of Toy story land, and 4th of July...crowds were very light. I think we will see this trend continue until after SWGE, but there is obviously no guarantee.

 

[hertamaniac]

Not sure if there’s another thread about crowds but hoping someone has insight.
Though we really really want to see galaxys edge, we refuse to be there within the first year it opens. We just booked for sept 30-oct 7 2019 and my hopes are that it won’t be open.
My question is, when huge park openings like this happens, will crowds be even lower months leading up to the opening?

I might be able to offer some context. If the WDW onsite resorts/dining see a drop (compared to projections) on bookings, you will likely see discounts for those off-season dates. If you notice, while searching for AP and/or Florida Resident discounts next fall, to me that is a leading indicator of a shortcoming in projections. I have seen this first hand last year even with the Pandora opening!

A recent episode by one of the owners of a travel agency, if memory serves me, seemed to indicate that this is likely the scenario; WDW guests are willing to hold onto their monies for a SWGE opening as opposed to potentially do a "double/un-affordable spend" in a short-term window based on my observations.

 

[Dan Murphy]

https://www.wdwmagic.com/attraction...ws-of-star-wars-galaxys-edge-construction.htm

 

[monica9]

I might be able to offer some context. If the WDW onsite resorts/dining see a drop (compared to projections) on bookings, you will likely see discounts for those off-season dates. If you notice, while searching for AP and/or Florida Resident discounts next fall, to me that is a leading indicator of a shortcoming in projections. I have seen this first hand last year even with the Pandora opening!

A recent episode by one of the owners of a travel agency, if memory serves me, seemed to indicate that this is likely the scenario; WDW guests are willing to hold onto their monies for a SWGE opening as opposed to potentially do a "double/un-affordable spend" in a short-term window based on my observations.

Double unaffordable spend meaning two vacations in the same year?

 

[monica9]

Double unaffordable spend meaning two vacations in the same year?

I might be able to offer some context. If the WDW onsite resorts/dining see a drop (compared to projections) on bookings, you will likely see discounts for those off-season dates. If you notice, while searching for AP and/or Florida Resident discounts next fall, to me that is a leading indicator of a shortcoming in projections. I have seen this first hand last year even with the Pandora opening!

A recent episode by one of the owners of a travel agency, if memory serves me, seemed to indicate that this is likely the scenario; WDW guests are willing to hold onto their monies for a SWGE opening as opposed to potentially do a "double/un-affordable spend" in a short-term window based on my observations.

I feel like back in fall 2017 when we went, the discounts were not good. I also noticed AP discounts were sparse too and didn’t come out until last minute. I actually thought fall 2017 was busier than normal in the fall. Thank you for the info though. I will definitely keep an eye out of ap/Florida discounts as an indicator. I know it’s far out but so far room categories aren’t booked for any of the resorts I was looking at. Hope it stays that way so discounts come out and crowds stay out

 

[monica9]

There is already a feeling of people holding out on trips until after SWGE opens. The holidays will be busy as always, but other than that you should see lighter crowds. 1st week of July this year...all my research pointed to a cluster F#@$ in terms of crowds. With the exception of Toy story land, and 4th of July...crowds were very light. I think we will see this trend continue until after SWGE, but there is obviously no guarantee.

So in other words them trying to keep their parks fresh and updated is actually hurting them. It I guess only for a short time and then I’m the end it will help them.

 

[Iowamomof4]

So in other words them trying to keep their parks fresh and updated is actually hurting them. It I guess only for a short time and then I’m the end it will help them.

I think it's actually the opposite. They went so long with virtually NO big projects and now are playing catch-up. Pandora opened and people went to see that, but now it's been open a year so not such a big draw anymore. Now the only new thing (ride-wise) is TSL and it just isn't big enough on its own to draw people in the way Pandora did. Plus, we're just over a year away from one of the most anticipated lands ever (SW), so people who only go every 2-3 years might figure they should just hold off until the end of 2019 or sometime in 2020 so they can catch both TSL and SW in the same trip.

 

[monica9]

I think it's actually the opposite. They went so long with virtually NO big projects and now are playing catch-up. Pandora opened and people went to see that, but now it's been open a year so not such a big draw anymore. Now the only new thing (ride-wise) is TSL and it just isn't big enough on its own to draw people in the way Pandora did. Plus, we're just over a year away from one of the most anticipated lands ever (SW), so people who only go every 2-3 years might figure they should just hold off until the end of 2019 or sometime in 2020 so they can catch both TSL and SW in the same trip.

Sorry for all the typos before.
This makes a lot of sense. We go about every year to two years so I’m guessing our fall 2019 trip will be calm but our late fall 2020 trip will be super busy. We are most likely going week after thanksgiving next year as a big family trip with 13 of us. Want my parents to experience Christmas there but without the crowds and heat. Looks like we will get two of the three!

 

[HCinKC]

It's also hard to estimate how many will make a short trip specifically to do the Star Wars stuff and then head back home. Then again, the longer your trip is, the better odds you have at getting FP's made for both attractions. So, who knows? I've also been mulling what crowds will be like at wdw next year before it opens in the fall. Will there be a rush of people trying to get one last trip in before the insanity of SW descends upon Orlando? Or will people be more likely to put their trip off a few months so they can go after it's open? Maybe there will be enough in each group that crowds will be mostly level until it opens.

We have thought about doing a trip next Sept/Oct before it opens to get a "regular" visit out of the way and (hopefully) avoid large crowds. If we do, we would likely hold off and do a shorter trip specifically for SW after the hotel opens. We would do a short trip centered entirely around that and be fine with it...also partly because of the speculation on the cost of that hotel. We are huge fans that can easily devote all of our attention to SW for, say, 3 days. And with the kids, I have little concern with repeating the rides over and over and milling about the area endlessly. Obviously, that could change as we get more details about the hotel.

Not sure if there’s another thread about crowds but hoping someone has insight.
Though we really really want to see galaxys edge, we refuse to be there within the first year it opens. We just booked for sept 30-oct 7 2019 and my hopes are that it won’t be open.
My question is, when huge park openings like this happens, will crowds be even lower months leading up to the opening?

Per above, we're contemplating a Sept/Oct trip to avoid the crowds and then waiting until the hotel opens to come back. If too many people decide to squeeze a trip in before the land opens, we all might be the crowd we want to avoid...

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I'm actually kind of excited about potential discounts to get us to go before Galaxy's Edge opens. Of course I want to see the new land, I love Star Wars. But I am also all for discounts, especially if they are actually good deals.

 

[vacationer1954]

I think it's actually the opposite. They went so long with virtually NO big projects and now are playing catch-up. Pandora opened and people went to see that, but now it's been open a year so not such a big draw anymore. Now the only new thing (ride-wise) is TSL and it just isn't big enough on its own to draw people in the way Pandora did.

What you are describing is a treadmill that businesses work hard to stay off of - fostering the expectation that every year they will spend more money than the year before to get guests to come back. What happens if guests get to the point where we are so jaded about new attractions opening that it is no longer worth it to build new attractions?

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

What you are describing is a treadmill that businesses work hard to stay off of - fostering the expectation that every year they will spend more money than the year before to get guests to come back. What happens if guests get to the point where we are so jaded about new attractions opening that it is no longer worth it to build new attractions?

I see what you're saying, but this was such a loooong time. Wasn't it about 10-12 years between anything new and new Fantasyland?

 

[Iowamomof4]

What you are describing is a treadmill that businesses work hard to stay off of - fostering the expectation that every year they will spend more money than the year before to get guests to come back. What happens if guests get to the point where we are so jaded about new attractions opening that it is no longer worth it to build new attractions?

I can't see how that model applies to a theme park.