Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Upcharge or Add On Events Thread

[DisneyDayDreamin71]

We visit both Disneyland and WDW throughout the year. I'm going to say there's a good chance there WON'T be any "resort stay required" restrictions on WDW; since WDW in general is SO much more expansive than DLR, it seems there won't be the "reservation window" thing, either, right?

That was my assumption as well but there certainly seem to be others who are "in the know" so was just curious

 

[CRdisMom]

A little background first, DH said this is his last trip. He likes Disney but doesn't love Disney. I know the horror. We are going all in on this trip as a result. We know that GE will be open when we are there. We are splurging and doing the Private VIP tour. We will have 7 days at the parks. I'm trying to see what I have to have on the VIP day. I think we will skip using it for Epcot and focus on the other 3. I am praying that the VIP tour can get us into GE but I know nothing is guaranteed. So the question is: 1) Do we use the VIP the first day of the parks or wait until mid week? 2) Do we start at DHS and then go to AK and end at MK? I know it will be expensive but I have a feeling we will be able to knock the big rides off the list with this plan and then the other days take our time exploring the parks and relaxing.

 

[holden]

I think that sounds like a great way to see SWGE without the hassle of crowds. If it were me, I’d do the VIP tour at the beginning of the trip. That way you take the pressure off of trying to get on the headliners. You can relax a little more.

I’m sure Disney must contact you to set up an itinerary before your trip. They will probably recommend when to do DHS. I would think DHS would be first, but you never know.

When we did the VIP Thrills tour we were in the park (MK) before the crowds entered. In fact we arrived at our first attraction (HM) before anyone else was there. They’d probably do something similar with DHS/SWGE.

Have fun!

 

[garris3404]

Don't know how easily your tour schedule can be altered? If it can be altered day of, then I'd say wait until mid-vacay. That way you can try to get as many headliners done in the first part of your vacay. Then adjust your tour schedule to include those headliners you haven't done yet, or those you want to repeat.

 

[anomamatt]

I would call Signature Services and ask how they are dealing with SW:GE. I assume they will get you in, and you'll get FP-type entry (even with no active FP line). But that's an assumption.

I would do it either mid or late in the trip. Whatever park order the guide suggests is what I would go with. You probably know this, but they enter backstage for each park, so going park-to-park is pretty efficient.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If your goal is to knock the main attractions off your list and then relax the rest of the time, I would do it on your first day. Are you planning on getting premier seating at a nighttime show with the VIP guide? If so, you should factor that into the time you are spending with the guide. In terms of SWGE, as of now, they do not know if the VIP guides will have any special access. We have a VIP tour booked for August 30 and they said they would let us know the status of SWGE access as soon as they find out.

 

[rlk]

We have had two VIP tours. The first tour was on our first full park day and the second tour was on our fourth park day. We preferred taking the tour on the first park day. Even though we have been to WDW a lot, each trip, the first park day is kind of a little mini real first time for us. The time we waited until the fourth day was great too. It just changed the way we toured the days prior to the tour.

 

[hdnyc]

I've taken one VIP tour. I would recommend taking it later in the week. Then you can do what you want earlier in the week and use the tour to do everything you didn't get a chance to do, or do things twice that you really liked. If you do the tour first thing, you might feel pressured to get EVERYTHING into the tour and it can be very rushed. The tour was great, but definitely felt like we were running around everywhere trying to get the most bang for our buck. You have to pay for a minimum of 7 hours and then get charged in 15 minute increments after that.

You can get a LOT done in one day. Here is what we did on our tour - ended up being 8 hours. We had two kids in strollers, so that took a little bit more time because we had to do stroller parking at most of the rides - the guide could stay with the strollers for some rides, but most required her to scan us in at the beginning of the line and then inside the ride she had to scan again. Also, remember to include the cost of tips when pricing things out - they're not required, but most people do pay them from what I've read.

Magic Kingdom: Met guide at Town Square Theater at 10am. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (back entrance, bypassed Fastpass line), Space Mountain, Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Meet Ariel, Haunted Mansion (another back entrance). Offered waters when we boarded the van to Epcot.

Epcot (offered drinks and snacks upon arrival): Soarin’, Test Track, Frozen Ever After, Meet Anna & Elsa (back entrance, bypassed Fastpass)

Hollywood Studios (offered drinks and snacks upon arrival): Slinky Dog Dash, Midway Mania, quick early dinner at ABC Commissary, Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

Animal Kingdom (no drinks/snacks offered upon arrival): Na’vi River Journey, Flight of Passage (back entrance, bypassed Fastpass line), Expedition Everest. Guide checked us in at 6:15pm for priority seating at the Rivers of Light show.

 

[hdnyc]

Also - you don't have to decide what you want to do in advance for the tour guide. The only thing you need to schedule in advance is what time the tour starts and where you meet the guide - I think they need to know that 1-2 days in advance. The rest of it can be done on the fly.

 

[KateMW]

This is my plan for February hopefully, interested in figuring out if they can help you with the ride...

 

[choirbird]

Please delete this if it is against the rules, but I was just listening to today’s podcast...am I correct that 10 people can share a VIP tour? Would it be allowed for 10 Disers to go in on a tour together? I’ll be there August 26-31, and while $3200+ is too much for me by myself, split 10 ways it would be totally worth it if we could go to SWGE. I don’t have 9 friends IRL who are as crazy as I am about Disney...

 

[hiroMYhero]

Please delete this if it is against the rules, but I was just listening to today’s podcast...am I correct that 10 people can share a VIP tour? Would it be allowed for 10 Disers to go in on a tour together? I’ll be there August 26-31, and while $3200+ is too much for me by myself, split 10 ways it would be totally worth it if we could go to SWGE. I don’t have 9 friends IRL who are as crazy as I am about Disney...

Merged into the thread where sharing a tour is being discussed.

 

[Nezumi Fan]

I would call Signature Services and ask how they are dealing with SW:GE. I assume they will get you in, and you'll get FP-type entry (even with no active FP line). But that's an assumption.

I would do it either mid or late in the trip. Whatever park order the guide suggests is what I would go with. You probably know this, but they enter backstage for each park, so going park-to-park is pretty efficient.

I really, REALLY miss Express Transpo.

 

[Nezumi Fan]

If your goal is to knock the main attractions off your list and then relax the rest of the time, I would do it on your first day. Are you planning on getting premier seating at a nighttime show with the VIP guide? If so, you should factor that into the time you are spending with the guide. In terms of SWGE, as of now, they do not know if the VIP guides will have any special access. We have a VIP tour booked for August 30 and they said they would let us know the status of SWGE access as soon as they find out.

Yes, we’re waiting to hear from VIP Special Activities at Disneyland. They’re being a little scarce on the details, at least until “summer prices” are announced.

 

[choirbird]

Thanks! It’s just me right now, if anyone wants another person

 

[Babsy]

A little background first, DH said this is his last trip. He likes Disney but doesn't love Disney. I know the horror. We are going all in on this trip as a result. We know that GE will be open when we are there. We are splurging and doing the Private VIP tour. We will have 7 days at the parks. I'm trying to see what I have to have on the VIP day. I think we will skip using it for Epcot and focus on the other 3. I am praying that the VIP tour can get us into GE but I know nothing is guaranteed. So the question is: 1) Do we use the VIP the first day of the parks or wait until mid week? 2) Do we start at DHS and then go to AK and end at MK? I know it will be expensive but I have a feeling we will be able to knock the big rides off the list with this plan and then the other days take our time exploring the parks and relaxing.

Sounds like a great idea to me. I am toying with doing this tour with our family as well. I haven't done it yet, so I can't answer your questions, but I hope that you have a fantastic experience! IMO, you really should get into GE if you book this tour.

Good luck!

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

Yes! During our visit in December, my family was against the "Extra Hours at Hollywood Studios (i.e., Toy Story Land)" hard ticket, but after going on Slinky Dog Coaster five times in a row as a practical walk-on, they came around. (^_^) You bet we'd buy hard ticket add-ons for Galaxy's Edge -- Disneyland and WDW both.

Something to consider is how the AK After Hours events have gone. When we attended,the Pandora rides were not at all walk on. Since GE is also small like Pandora, I would not expect walk on rides. Check out the reviews of the AK after hours events before deciding that a GE after hours event is worth it. Maybe for an almost guaranteed ride it would be worth it, but expecting multiple walk on rides is not something I would expect having seen the AK after hours event. Some people enjoyed it more than others and if I had wanted multiple rides on things outside of Pandora I may have had more value personally from the event. YMMV - happy researching.

 

[Nezumi Fan]

Something to consider is how the AK After Hours events have gone. When we attended,the Pandora rides were not at all walk on. Since GE is also small like Pandora, I would not expect walk on rides. Check out the reviews of the AK after hours events before deciding that a GE after hours event is worth it. Maybe for an almost guaranteed ride it would be worth it, but expecting multiple walk on rides is not something I would expect having seen the AK after hours event. Some people enjoyed it more than others and if I had wanted multiple rides on things outside of Pandora I may have had more value personally from the event. YMMV - happy researching.

Understood about Pandora v. Toy Story Land. We were at Pandora during Opening Day; even with the extended hours (until 1:00 a.m.), you're right, they were not "walk-ons." In comparison, TSL went much better -- yes, there were people, but at under ten minutes, I'd argue that's effectively a walk-on, LOL. Also, most importantly, we weren't in TSL until December, so, by the time we got there and bought the After Hours tickets, TSL had been open a reasonable amount of time (although it was still packed during the day -- the factor that convinced us to get the AH tickets).

Given the INSANE crowd levels expected for Galaxy's Edge, there will ABSOLUTELY not be any "walk-on" rides; perhaps what's more likely is a "short" wait of 60-90 minutes. Still and all, I'd go for it.

 

[Spaceguy55]

I think just seeing the queues will take an hour or more...and I would do that..

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Please delete this if it is against the rules, but I was just listening to today’s podcast...am I correct that 10 people can share a VIP tour? Would it be allowed for 10 Disers to go in on a tour together? I’ll be there August 26-31, and while $3200+ is too much for me by myself, split 10 ways it would be totally worth it if we could go to SWGE. I don’t have 9 friends IRL who are as crazy as I am about Disney...

I would love to know if anyone has different information, but, we currently have a VIP tour booked for August 30 and I was told that they do not know, as of yet, what kind of access the VIP guides will have to SWGE and the ride if any access at all.