Galaxy's Edge Performance and Evolution Discussion

[tlmadden73]

I do think it's important to point out that our numbers for attendance are a bit skewed because potential guests can visit the land on either coast. Also, since there's no FP on Smuggler's Run yet, that wait time can't be compared directly to other attractions that have FP.

Agreed .. plus the "naysayers" were using how the park looked like in September (which is arguably the least crowded month in the year). I am sure SWGE is a lot more crowded in October (and will be definitely in December).

Plus MFSR.. unlike Flight of Passage, is in a park that has a TON to do to spread out the crowds. So it's wait times will probably always be pretty low.

AK has only 3 really popular rides (FoP, Safari, Everest) .. a bunch of minor rides and like 3 shows. DHS is up to 7 rides (4-5 of which are pretty popular) and a ton more shows and meet and greets to disperse the crowds.

In other words .. I think the land is "fine" and will be fine in the future -- though it probably will change over time through guest feedback.

 

[hertamaniac]

I do think it's important to point out that our numbers for attendance are a bit skewed because potential guests can visit the land on either coast. Also, since there's no FP on Smuggler's Run yet, that wait time can't be compared directly to other attractions that have FP.

Excellent points. This leads me to the question of why they didn't offer slightly different variants at each location. It would drive cross-park attendance with minimalist costs WRT SR.

 

[lovethattink]

Being local, a family of die hard Star Wars fans, and AP, I would have expected us to visit SWGE frequently. But we've only gone once since it opened. I think we were expecting to feel that Star Wars Weekends excitement, and it just wasn't there.

Batuu was very nice. Definitely felt like we were on a new planet. The photopass photo ops were very cool.

DS enjoyed the droid building a lot. But that's not something we'll pay for again.

We are staying at WDW the next few nights and plan to spend some time at SWGE. We want to try the interactive app. I think ds will enjoy that. And I think he'll be Disney bounding Star Wars. We'll make an effort to immerse ourselves and see if we have a different take on the land.

 

[Markstudy]

My wife and I are lifelong Disney fans first and Star Wars Fans second. For $40 we got more Star Wars enjoyment at the Orlando Convention Center, compaired to what is being offered at GE. I would like to post a few photos to show what fans did with no money, compared to what Disney is offering at their Billion dollar land. My goal is to make people think about what Star Wars Land could be and what is missing. Maybe Disney will learn something from a few photos? If nothing else it is a reminder of how great Star Wars is beyond the new films.

 

[yulilin3]

@Markstudy Disney's goal with Star Wars Galaxy's Edge (not swland) was NOT to provide a con experience. There are plenty of cons out there that happen every year all around the world and people cam visit them. They went for a new in park experience, there's no comparison sorry. And could we please stop saying that SWGE only has experiences and moments from the new movies? I rewatched the originals yesterday and i saw so many things you can see at SWGE now.

 

[Markstudy]

yulilin3 - I am pleased to hear you are finding more small details. If we push hard enough maybe we can encourage Disney to continue adding the other 85% of what Star Wars has been over the last 40 years to its beloved fan-base.

I am just looking at what Disney has still decided not to display (the point of my photos below). As a stockholder, how do you buy Star Wars for $4 billion, spend $2 billion on the parks and then keep 85% of the content from fans who the majority will never get to go to a Star Wars convention in NYC, CA or FL...... but do come to Disney World and Land. There is a lack of fun in GE. I have pics of what Star Wars Land could be like. It is time for Disney to rethink their concept of withholding fun and joy from Star Wars and Disney fans? Wasn't part of the original history of Walt Disney to give the World's Fair a permanent home? Why should Star Wars fan have to travel to a Star Wars convention to see 90% of Star Wars content when Disney bought it and invested $6 billion in a display that only focuses on the last (least successful) trilogy?

 

[yulilin3]

@Markstudy do you think a star wars fan that has the resources to do a Disney trip, some traveling long distances and obviously a lot of money, doesn't have the resources to travel to "a City near you" and attend a convention for, as you mentioned, $40? These types of displays are not only available at star wars celebration which is arguably the biggest one but also smaller conventions that happen several times a year, dragon con, comic con, indy con....so many.
Aside from that, lack of fun is obviously a personal statement. I have a lot of fun in the land along with many others, there are people that don't.
I love going to conventions through out the year, Disney does not need to copy that experience. I'm glad they're offering something new.
Also if you want Disney to hear your thoughts i hope you're not expecting them to read a fan board site, make sure to email then with your thoughts and your pictures

 

[LandoBlanco]

Those pics look like a lot of fun, but I prefer the current setup for SWGE. I enjoy launch bay for the museum/photo op experiences and hope the Star Wars weekends continue for an overall celebration of Star Wars, but I’d rather an immersive experience for a land. As much as I love the OT and grew up with those movies, I would rather hear a new Star Wars story. A con experience is a great way to celebrate your fandom, but Disney and Lucasfilm should be storytellers first and foremost.

 

[Markstudy]

[B]yulilin3[/B] - I know the hardcore Star Wars fan that goes to these conventions is a different breed compared to the millions of families who visit Disney. Look at the family that visits Disney (Dad might like the first trilogy, teens might like the second, and younger children might like the current trilogy). I am pleading to Disney to include more of the first 6 films as I think its a mistake to only concentrate on the last 3 that have split the fan base down the middle.

 

[yulilin3]

Those pics look like a lot of fun, but I prefer the current setup for SWGE. I enjoy launch bay for the museum/photo op experiences and hope the Star Wars weekends continue for an overall celebration of Star Wars, but I’d rather an immersive experience for a land. As much as I love the OT and grew up with those movies, I would rather hear a new Star Wars story. A con experience is a great way to celebrate your fandom, but Disney and Lucasfilm should be storytellers first and foremost.

Thank you for writing my thoughts exactly in a concise and

[B]yulilin3[/B] - I know the hardcore Star Wars fan that goes to these conventions is a different breed compared to the millions of families who visit Disney. Look at the family that visits Disney (Dad might like the first trilogy, teens might like the second, and younger children might like the current trilogy). I am pleading to Disney to include more of the first 6 films as I think its a mistake to only concentrate on the last 3 that have split the fan base down the middle.

Again , make sure to send Disney your plea. I can guarantee you the people that make these decisions do not read these boards.

 

[Markstudy]

Those pics look like a lot of fun, but I prefer the current setup for SWGE. I enjoy launch bay for the museum/photo op experiences and hope the Star Wars weekends continue for an overall celebration of Star Wars, but I’d rather an immersive experience for a land. As much as I love the OT and grew up with those movies, I would rather hear a new Star Wars story. A con experience is a great way to celebrate your fandom, but Disney and Lucasfilm should be storytellers first and foremost.

Thanks it was fun. And I also enjoy the launch bay for the museum photo ops. What happens to GE when this current trilogy is done? I think the bigger successes will come for Disney after they screw up 7, 8, and 9 and admit that this trilogy was a learning experience. I hope the TV series they are working on to bring back Ben or the next trilogy might be were Disney finds its sweet spot with stewardship of Star Wars. For now I am stuck for the first time not being that excited about GE and figure I might as well make my opinion heard in hopes of more creative thinking by Disney about GE going forward.

 

[LandoBlanco]

We’ll agree to disagree on the new trilogy. I’ve enjoyed the new movies, especially TLJ, and I’ve been a fan since the 70s. Setting GE in a new location gives them the flexibility to change the land with the direction of the films. Setting it in Tattooine would limit the stories you could tell. Pod-racing would be the most obvious thrill ride and they handle that on Star Tours. I’ve read a lot of the tie-in books and they have stories about Black Spire Outpost that take place in the timelines of all three trilogies. I’m not saying that the average guest needs to read a few books to enjoy the land, it’s just an example of how setting it in a remote outpost opens up possibilities to tell different stories across different eras. It seems like your main problem is that you don’t like the new movies in which the story of the land takes place, so there’s not much anyone here can do to convince you otherwise. I hope for your sake that they make films post RoS that give you what you are missing and as the land evolves, it becomes something you might be more interested in visiting again as an active participant.

 

[DetroitDisney]

I wanted to add my two cents, even if it’s already been said.

Before I get started, it’s apparently important to define my level of “fandom”. I’m not a hardcore SW fan. I haven’t been to a convention, read any of the novels, etc. I AM a pretty serious fan of the movies/tv shows/video games. I prefer the original trilogy, but still enjoyed all of the other movies except for the Last Jedi, which was one of the worst movies ever made.

I don’t like Galaxies Edge. The new ride might save it, but the current land is lackluster and skippable. I’m amazed that they didn’t attempt to recreate ANY of the many iconic locations from the movies. That’s the main hook of the Harry Potter land, Cars Land, even Pandora. If you took the droids and spaceships out of the land, nobody would know this was supposed to be Star Wars. It’s boring and generic brown.

I am blown away that they didn’t recreate the cantina from Tatooine and instead opted for “Ogas Cantina”, which misses the mark for me. Yeah it’s interesting inside, but if they just put in an animatronic band playing the music from the original movie then holy hell would people love it. Instead it’s just generic, with really pricey and disgusting drinks. Nobody at my table liked their drinks.

And Smugglers run. This was the greatest disappointment. It’s just star tours on a smaller screen. But instead of putting you into a scene, it’s too focused on yelling out “press the fire button” every few seconds. Given that the parks are filled with families that don’t pay attention, my two attempts at this ride were very frustrating, as grandma just sits there watching. Even if you have perfect participation, it’s still just a discount version of star tours. I can’t see me riding it again.

On a positive note, I do love the themed coke bottles. Those are a really nice touch.

Ultimately, it seems like they just assumed “STAR WARS” would print money and didn’t stop to think about what anyone would want. As a Star Wars fan, I’m disappointed and don’t really feel like I need to spend any more time in GE, especially with DHS not offering me much more that I want.

 

[ksromack]

It is so funny to me to see such varying opinions about SWGE. We love the land but we didnt expect to walk into it and see Luke or Princess Leia because.....well, they aren't alive anymore. So Disney had to create a new land, one that would be believable. Batuu is a planet in the far out reaches of the galaxy. It isnt colorful because it's supposed to be a place where people go to blend in, not stick out. It's a place where smugglers go and it's a place the Resistence thinks would make a good location to build an army.

 

[yulilin3]

It is so funny to me to see such varying opinions about SWGE. We love the land but we didnt expect to walk into it and see Luke or Princess Leia because.....well, they aren't alive anymore. So Disney had to create a new land, one that would be believable. Batuu is a planet in the far out reaches of the galaxy. It isnt colorful because it's supposed to be a place where people go to blend in, not stick out. It's a place where smugglers go and it's a place the Resistence thinks would make a good location to build an army.

I think you said the magic word: expect.
Some people were expecting Luke and Leia and Tattooine and Mos Esley...
Never expect anything from Disney other than what they tell you they will provide

 

[Jennasis]

They didnt build what I would have built...therefore fail.

That about sum it up?

And all this nonsense about character connection...'splain Pandora me?? Can anyone name a single character in that film? Yet they gave it a whole land and a barftastic ride that everyone thinks is the greatest.

Nobody is ever happy no matter what Disney creates.

Except me. I'm happy. Love Galaxy's Edge and I look forward to whatever they have planned in the future.

 

[yulilin3]

They didnt build what I would have built...therefore fail.

That about sum it up?

And all this nonsense about character connection...'splain Pandora me?? Can anyone name a single character in that film? Yet they gave it a whole land and a barftastic ride that everyone thinks is the greatest.

Nobody is ever happy no matter what Disney creates.

Except me. I'm happy. Love Galaxy's Edge and I look forward to whatever they have planned in the future.

hey, I'm happy too. We can make a club

 

[BadPinkTink]

hey, I'm happy too. We can make a club

hey can I join your club too

They didnt build what I would have built...therefore fail.

exactly this, the who negative attitude can be summed by this

and

They didnt build what I want Star Wars Land to be .... therefore fail

and

They didnt build MY version of Star Wars Land ..... therefore fail

 

[James From Utah]

I really wish they would add new scenarios to Smugglers run. It gets old doing the same mission over and over again. Currently, the ride isn't much fun unless you're the pilot.

 

[DetroitDisney]

I find it humorous that it’s apparently unreasonable to expect Disney to base a new themed land around the actual product and not just tangentially related. That would be like if Harry Potter land was a generic London suburb with a few characters walking around and they explained it away with “well they COULD be here in suburban London”.

I think it’s reasonable to be disappointed that GE isn’t actually based on any of the intellectual property it is supposed to represent.