You know how how frustrating we on Dis find people who dont get our Disney Parks Planning?

(For me at least) This is definitely more of a WDW thing vs a DLR thing.

I’ve said it before on here that I think experience at DLR gets me the same kind of expectations met that through planning does for WDW regulars. The only planning I’ve ever done for DLR is Blue Bayou reservations and checking the ride closure list so I know what to expect when I’m there. Aside from that, I get a hotel reservation and play the rest by ear. It’s an educated play by ear though. When you’ve been enough times, you learn the flow and can make decisions on the fly. It’s even easier now with wait times in the app and Maxpass. If they would add wait times at security checkpoints to the app, that would be even better. 😉

I however get what BadPinkTink’s gripe is and I agree that complaints about things someone wasn’t prepared for is not always going to be a fair assessment.

SWGE looks like the kind of immersion in the Star Wars universe that I imagined with my first R2-D2 action figure back in 1979 and got my first taste of when I rode Star Tours in the 80’s and experienced lightspeed for myself. SWGE is the next step and I dare say it’s aimed more at the hard core fans than the casual ones. Sure the casual fans can have fun, but for those of us that have been thinking about what it would be like to actually step into the Millennium Falcon for the last 40+ years and got goosebumps the first time we saw C-3PO and R2 in the Star Tours queue, it will be something completely different. This could be lost on someone that isn’t familiar with Star Wars and/or is more interested in rides than immersion.

The prices also do not shock me. This whole land is the Bipity-Bobity-Boutique for Star Wars fans. The $200 lightsabers are not just a grab and go item. It’s an event that allows you to feel a connection to the experience as you build your Jedi weapon and at the end, you get a pretty high quality item (much like the experience my daughter received and the value I felt I got at the Boutique). The same goes for the build a droid shop or even the cantina. It’s not just buying an item in a shop or restaurant; you are playing a part in the Star Wars universe and can partake in and bring home pieces of that universe to keep as reminders of the immersion you get to experience.

I’ll end by asking:
How many of us have complained about the low quality souvenirs at Disney parks over the years? This sounds like the quality items we’ve wanted; and yes, quality warrants a higher cost.
I’m ok with that.
I agree with every single thing you said. As I mentioned in my own post, I have Star Wars fans in my party who are losing their minds already. DH is trying to calculate how much money he will need for the lightsaber AND the beer flight AND a full set of Star Wars robes (spoiler: a lot), and I thought my son was going to try and actually enter the iPad yesterday when I showed him the purple droid video someone else posted on another thread. But there is a difference between making the point respectfully, as you have done, and saying—essentially—“If you don’t like it, you’re wrong and you don’t understand, and you’re an outsider who probably doesn’t even belong here.” Maybe that wasn’t what was meant, but it’s what I perceived and reacted to.

I’m any event, water under the bridge and all that. I’m excited to get back to the planning! I made my husband a “homework sheet” last night, lol. I wrote down everything there is to do, see, and eat in SWGE and asked him to watch All The YouTube Videos and rank each item as “High Priority” to “Skippable”, so that I can plan him HIS day. If he marks everything as High Priority, we’re in trouble though, lol.
 
“If you don’t like it, you’re wrong and you don’t understand, and you’re an outsider who probably doesn’t even belong here.” Maybe that wasn’t what was meant, but it’s what I perceived and reacted to.
and you perceived wrong.

not that you are an outsider who donst belong here, more that for some people, like your son and husband, this is their world come to life while for others, its just a new place in Disneyland, cool to visit but they think the merchandise is over priced and the ride just ok.

Im just trying to show people that view of Star Wars Galaxys Edge will be different, depending on the level of Star Wars fandom. Im sure that some people were not even aware of the Star Wars fandom.

I guess the fact that I have to explain, means that my analogies and comparisons went waaay over peoples heads.
 
As someone who has been going to Disneyland since the early 60's I can tell you there was a time when planning wasn't necessary. My dad would give me 5 bucks, I'd ride my bike over to Disneyland and go in and have a great day at the park. But now is totally different. Now you can't do it all in one day, you can't even do it all in two days, but if you plan you can hopefully see it and do it all in 3 days. But the OP is right, you better plan. Now a days you can't even expect to just walk into any of the Downtown Disney restaurants which seem to be getting fewer and fewer and have a lunch or dinner, you better have a reservation. I go to Disneyland for the love of Disney now a days, I'm old, I love to sit on the porch of the old bra store on Main Street and just watch people go buy, and just enjoy being there, being at Disneyland, my happy place. But I know if I want to ride an attraction I better work the fast pass system and plan that day out or these tired old feet won't make it 3 days, let alone the 4 days I'm planning for our next visit.

I love Star Wars, but no way will I spend 200 dollars on a light saber, my son will, but sorry, not me. I haven't seen the new land yet (except on YouTube) but personally I can't wait, it looks great. But I highly doubt most of my time will be spent there (unlike my son) as I love the rest of Disneyland to much. I have a lot of good memories of Disneyland and living in Iowa now the trips are getting fewer and fewer.

I'll find out exactly how good I am at planning it all out this coming February as we will have a first timer with us and we will get it all in in 4 days even if my feet fall off. I've planned for just us, but were easy, we've seen it all and done it all many times now. But a first timer changes everything, lol, I'll even ride Storybook this time, just so she rides it. Every attraction, every show, every store, every land, everything, yes even rope drop, will be done in 4 days, I've guaranteed it, hopefully, ya, it can be done.....gulp. She can't wait to meet Mickey.

My advice is to just love Disneyland for what Disneyland is meant to be, what Walt wanted it to be. Its not a land, its not an attraction! Slow down when you're in the Parks, your missing so much as you fly by to that next attraction line be it stand by or fast pass. There is so much more to Disneyland than a land or an attraction, there is history there. Walt's presence is all over that park unlike the other parks, you can feel him there, you only need to slow down, look around, see it the way Walt wanted you to see it, only then can you really see the beauty of it all, the way Walt saw it.
 
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In our 60+ years of going to DLR, the only things we have ever planned are dining reservations and BBB reservations. We always do 5 days and just take each day as it goes. Some are busy; some are not. I stop to watch the baby ducks or smell the roses. If use MaxPass when I think I need to. We do not do Fantasmic or World of Color or stake out places for parades or fireworks, so that gives us more time to do other things. I just do not want the stress of total planning. Life outside of DLR has enough of that.
As to SWL, I have said in another thread that I think those of us who were the first to see Star Wars movies will have a greater appreciation of SWL because we can re-live the excitement we felt when we first saw the special effects in the movies.
 


I will tell a little story here.

I was never big on anything space-themed and definitely never had any interest in Star Wars. I didn't watch any SW movie until I was 34 years old, but the further I got into the saga (in release order), the more hooked I became. I had just never given it a chance, but I'm a huge nerd, so I probably should have known better. Anyway, I thought it was a brilliant business decision when Disney bought the franchise and when I first heard they were building a Star Wars land, I thought "great, that'll pull crowds over to there, I don't care about SW", LOL. Now I'm right there with the other SW fans and I can't wait to experience it for myself. I've been on both sides of this coin.
 

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