Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Disneyland)

[Scott W.]

Recorded a podcast with David Daut on his SWGE impressions. Very good show, some things I wanted to highlight.

• There are actors who participate in the land with the interactive elements, more so than the wand assistants in Diagon.
• Second instance where a video of Hondo before boarding recognizes you if you've done a successful mission before. So it sounds like there is some elements that remember you.
• Your haul on Smuggler's Run is synced to the Play Disney App
• Blue and Green Milk is offered in both frozen and chilled forms, but the outside stand only offers frozen and another location only offers chilled. Frozen gets better reviews than the chilled, which is almost universally reviled.

Episode will be up later, but read his impressions now.

Incompletely Incredible – First Impressions of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – David Daut

Is the DHS version expected to be slightly more personal because of MagicBands?

 

[rhino4evr]

I'm pretty sure most, if not all discussing will still go gladly see the land.

But, I mean... You can glean a critique based off the reactions and the cold hard truths to the experience.

I think people were expecting Disney to treat the Star Wars like Universal treated Potter, if not better.

Your “opinion” of a ride doesn’t qualify has a determination between a “C, D, E” etc...

If you find the Pirates of the Caribbean “boring”, that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a quality attraction.

Smugglers Run is a state of the art attraction, and one of the most interactive motion simulators at a theme park.

Your opinion on wether they “pulled it off” doesn’t change that.

I think there is just a very vocal group of “veteran” theme park critics that prefer a more passive experience in general. Which is fine, but not everyone will agree with that sentiment.

Some of you folks are just being silly and over critical with this. Especially those who haven’t ridden it.

I don’t know or care who that “Len” guy is, but his “review” comes off extremely arrogant. Possibly because some of you are hanging on his every word.

 

[youhow2]

Your “opinion” of a ride doesn’t qualify has a determination between a “C, D, E” etc...

If you find the Pirates of the Caribbean “boring”, that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a quality attraction.

Smugglers Run is a state of the art attraction, and one of the most interactive motion simulators at a theme park.

You’re opinion on wether they “pulled it off” doesn’t change that.

I think there is just a very vocal group of “veteran” theme park critics that prefer a more passive experience in general. Which is fine, but not everyone will agree with that sentiment.

Smugglers run is an extremely dumbed down flight simulator themed to the Millenium Falcon with "Dora the explorer" level gaming mechanics.

Don't buy into the hype.

And sure. Whatever Disney designates it as is what it is.

I'll withhold final judgement until I get a chance to ride the thing, but right now, I've been forced to temper my expectations of the experiences of the land based on facts we didn't have until now.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Your “opinion” of a ride doesn’t qualify has a determination between a “C, D, E” etc...

If you find the Pirates of the Caribbean “boring”, that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a quality attraction.

Smugglers Run is a state of the art attraction, and one of the most interactive motion simulators at a theme park.

Your opinion on wether they “pulled it off” doesn’t change that.

I think there is just a very vocal group of “veteran” theme park critics that prefer a more passive experience in general. Which is fine, but not everyone will agree with that sentiment.

Some of you folks are just being silly and over critical with this. Especially those who haven’t ridden it.

I don’t know or care who that “Len” guy is, but his “review” comes off extremely arrogant. Possibly because some of you are hanging on his every word.

Using your logic I should believe people who’ve been to the land, rode the ride, and still say it’s a C or D ticket over you, correct? It’s not about interactive versus passive, there seem to be huge, glaring issues with the design of the experience.

Second, you don’t know who Len Testa is? Coauthor of the Unofficial Guide to WDW, DLR, etc Len Testa. Host of the Disney Dish Len Testa. Touring Plans dot com’s Len Testa? Len Testa that shows up to review the land, positively mind you, on Podcast: The Ride, correct? Because your stubborn insurance that people’s who’s actual experience with the attraction and land is trumped by your hopes and desires is on thin ice right now.

Anyway, for those wanting to hear a review of the land for someone who went (and still calls Smugglers Run a D ticket despite @rhino4evr dreams and wishes) then check out the my pod as the new ep is up.

Parkscope Unprofessional Podcast Hour #173 - Black Hole Sun — Parkscope Podcasts — Overcast

 

[Legacy]

It’s still weird to me that the social media’s hype died so suddenly on this thing. I get that my bubble is going to be more Orlando-centric, but after media day it just disappeared. I’m not seeing any marketing for it or anything.

Am I just missing it all, or is it really like that on the west coast?

 

[devinp267]

Recorded a podcast with David Daut on his SWGE impressions. Very good show, some things I wanted to highlight.

• There are actors who participate in the land with the interactive elements, more so than the wand assistants in Diagon.
• Second instance where a video of Hondo before boarding recognizes you if you've done a successful mission before. So it sounds like there is some elements that remember you.
• Your haul on Smuggler's Run is synced to the Play Disney App
• Blue and Green Milk is offered in both frozen and chilled forms, but the outside stand only offers frozen and another location only offers chilled. Frozen gets better reviews than the chilled, which is almost universally reviled.

Episode will be up later, but read his impressions now.

Incompletely Incredible – First Impressions of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – David Daut

Its alarming that out of all the people that have been, this guy is the first one to go this in depth about the interactivity..

@Legacy this is how im left feeling as well, i said it last week lol, like what happened?

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Its alarming that out of all the people that have been, this guy is the first one to go this in depth about the interactivity..

In fairness he’s all about it having been to Evermore, Sleep No More, Ghosttown Alive, and Legends of Frontierland. He’s probably a leading critic on that sort of experience.

 

[devinp267]

In fairness he’s all about it having been to Evermore, Sleep No More, Ghosttown Alive, and Legends of Frontierland. He’s probably a leading critic on that sort of experience.

oh ok, im not familiar with any of those things so his angle makes sense. Its kind of a bummer that it doesn't seem like they're pushing (in some sort of way) for people to engage in this as it sounds cool if you're willing to actually take the time out. My only difference of opinion is him comparing this to wands and saying you ultimately come up empty, because they're both interactive elements but one is also practical and one is not, so that's give and take for me with the definite edge still remaining with wands.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

oh ok, im not familiar with any of those things so his angle makes sense. Its kind of a bummer that it doesn't seem like they're pushing (in some sort of way) for people to engage in this as it sounds cool if you're willing to actually take the time out. My only difference of opinion is him comparing this to wands and saying you ultimately come up empty, because they're both interactive elements but one is also practical and one is not, so that's give and take for me with the definite edge still remaining with wands.

Yeah on one hand a wand is an object you can take home and have. The other hand it’s a monetary barrier.

He brings up a good point in the pod that a lot of elements could be turned off due to the four hour time windows and once those are gone disney could switch the elements on. Emphasis on could.

 

[SeventyOne]

My only difference of opinion is him comparing this to wands and saying you ultimately come up empty, because they're both interactive elements but one is also practical and one is not, so that's give and take for me with the definite edge still remaining with wands.

Agree. Also, I don't recall a scene in any Star Wars movie where our hero whipped out their celly and scanned some boxes. Unlike "flick and swish ...". Or a gunfight with the Man in Black in WestWorld, to get away from the Potter analogies.

He brings up a good point in the pod that a lot of elements could be turned off due to the four hour time windows and once those are gone disney could switch the elements on. Emphasis on could.

Devil's advocate, would you rather beta test these effects with a limited crowd or wall-to-wall people (basing off of what DLR's expectations of crowds were going in).

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Devil's advocate, would you rather beta test these effects with a limited crowd or wall-to-wall people (basing off of what DLR's expectations of crowds were going in).

Fair point.

“Len” is on Average Disney Nerd pod to talk SWGE. I haven’t given a listen quite yet but I will be soon.

 

[Muggle148]

This may have already been answered but can CM take their costumes home?

 

[Mad Dog]

This is looking like it may have been a bad decision to open up GESWL without RotR. That's the crown jewel, by most accounts, and I would guess the land reviews would be much more enthusiastic if the land opened with all of it's major elements. ....Greed has a price sometimes.

 

[ChristopherSE]

This may have already been answered but can CM take their costumes home?

Typically, 5 tops and 5 bottoms. Can’t imagine this is any different, plus belt and raincoat, etc.

That said, wearing any costume outside of work is very much frowned upon.

 

[Muggle148]

Typically, 5 tops and 5 bottoms. Can’t imagine this is any different, plus belt and raincoat, etc.

That said, wearing any costume outside of work is very much frowned upon.

Just wasn’t sure if Disney is strict as Universal even though It’s more J.K. Rowling/WB thing. But I know In the Wizarding World TM are not allowed to bring their costumes home

 

[SailwiththeTide]

I had the chance to visit Black Spire outpost yesterday and i was quite impressed with many things in the land. There are certainly valid criticisms but overall my impression was Disney got this one right. Here are some of the things they did really well regarding the reservation and land management:

• Reservation system worked well. It only took a few minutes to check in. They were checking in people in less than 30 seconds. People that say 50% of the reservations did not show up seems a little off the mark. I am sure there were a % but the Land seemed busy but not crowded and I think that was what they wanted.
• Entering they tell you not to line up at the Criter county entrance but people did about an hour ahead of time. I showed up about 10 min early and there were a few hundred people in front. The line flowed well and in no time the crowd disbursed.
• Olga's and Savi's reservation system is top notch. When you get in the area they have CM's direct you to either reservation line. The line was long for Olga's but it moved quick and it took about 20 mins to place a reservation. by the time I got it there was a 90 min estimation. It was right on the money and 90 min I got a text to go to Olgas where there was a shot 10 person line that got me in the cantina in 5 min. This is way better than waiting in a line for 2 hours of being cut off from entering the line because it is too long. I wasn't going to build a light saber this visit but if you want to do both I suggest you split your party and have 1 person make the Olga reservation and one make the Savi reservation. Savi's will fill up fast.
• Lines for pictures were manageable and they had 3 photographers for the Falcon.
• Lines for Smugglers run were busy at the time you entered the land but after and hour or so it's a walk on. We delayed our ride until after our Olga's reservation and it worked out perfectly. 2 walk on rides.
• Food lines were not bad and the marketplace was busy I never felt it was too busy.

Smugglers Run:
I am on record saying that I think this ride has issues based on first reactions and videos. I have to say I quite enjoyed the ride a lot more that I thought I would. With the caveat that I got lucky and was pilot twice I would rate the ride pretty decent. Not the best ride but a fun ride that I thing has re-ride potential. Now of course if I did not experience the ride being pilot than maybe my opinion would change a little but I am going to ride it a bunch more before I give my final review. The entire experience of queue and grouping into a team was great. The theming is top notch and exploring the falcon was fun although because it was not busy we only had a few minuets to explore before we were called up. Overall I understand the criticism of the ride but I think the experience is at a E level attraction.

Food:
Being vegetarian I have few options at theme parks, admittedly better than in the past. I tried the Felucian garden spread which was vegetarian meat balls or falafel and hummus. It was really good and quite enjoyed it. My partner had the Tip yip (chicken) and potatoes witch she said was good too. The chocolate dessert was good but small. I also had the mouf juice which was tasty. I only tried 1 of the milks. The blue milk was a interesting flavor but at 8 bucks I am not sure I would get it all the time. The popcorn offering was ok but again expensive for what you get. Overall I enjoyed the food options but I thought they were overpriced.

Olga's:
As mentioned above my Olga's reservation experience was great. When we got in they make sure you understand the rules and ask you stay at your assign area. The bar is always going to be packed so I understand they are trying to manage it the best way they can to fit in everyone. So we go places at the bar towards the back but it was tight to get in the bar area. People move out quickly so after a few min we were able to get a spot where we can enjoy some drinks. I tried the Bad motivator IPA and the Outer rim. The IPA was great and i really enjoyed the outer rim. I was like a margarita with a fruity finish. The drink was decently strong and not watered down. I did not try the snack options as they looked pretty gross. The theming and atmosphere was great. I loved DJ Rex and thought Disney did a great job. We stayed about 30 min and I thing that was plenty of time. Olga's have very few seating areas and most of the bar was stand up only. This is obviously a way Disney is trying to make sure people don't stay too long.

Sari's and Droid Depot:

Didn't do Savi's but from what I have seen the experience looks good. I was going to make a droid but just ran out of time and will save it for a later visit. the line for the droid seemed about 20 - 30 min throughout the time in the land and it looked like a fun experience.

My first visit exceeded my expectations. You really feel you are in another world. The experience was great and I hope Disney is taking notes and makes sure the land management is done as well when it opens to the general public.

Negatives:
Everything is expensive. You can certainly enjoy the land and the ride(s) and window shopping is fun, but Olga's, Savi's and some of the other experience require money. I spent quite a bit and I didn't even do the big ticket items. Now you certainly need to eat and so the food is not my major complaint, but it seems a little pricey for what you get.

A lot of the merchandise was out or didn't have size options. I was disappointed they were out of many sizes and even out of certain items. Disney knew how busy it was going to be so they really should have planned to have proper inventory available.

Overall it was a great experience and I think this is a great addition to the parks. I had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back.

 

[tacalert]

Smugglers run is an extremely dumbed down flight simulator themed to the Millenium Falcon with "Dora the explorer" level gaming mechanics.

Don't buy into the hype.

And sure. Whatever Disney designates it as is what it is.

I'll withhold final judgement until I get a chance to ride the thing, but right now, I've been forced to temper my expectations of the experiences of the land based on facts we didn't have until now.

I have ridden the ride, and your assessment without even riding it is spot on. The experience leading up to the ride is pretty good. Great theming. The ride itself is a let down. Got to ride it twice. Both as and engineer and a pilot. I have no desire to ride it again. And I only had to wait about 15 minutes for each ride.

I will wait for ROTR.

The land itself was OK. Definitely not the hype Disney was giving it.

 

[Clive]

It’s still weird to me that the social media’s hype died so suddenly on this thing. I get that my bubble is going to be more Orlando-centric, but after media day it just disappeared. I’m not seeing any marketing for it or anything.

Am I just missing it all, or is it really like that on the west coast?

You aren't entirely wrong. All of the ads are now pushing "No reservations required, June 24."

Basically, the *real* opening date.

 

[Ron101]

I can confirm the CGI on Smugglers Run is garbage. I also didn’t like how the engineers are useless, the gunners just have to hold down the shoot button, and the pilots have split controls where the right pilot controls left and right movements and the other has up and down movements for the Falcon.

The theming for the ride is great but I’m not a fan of the interactivity they designed. I have a feeling this will change into a classic simulator like Star Tours in a few years. Getting rid of the seating positions and button pushing and a receive a new ride video.

 

[tacalert]

I can confirm the CGI on Smugglers Run is garbage. I also didn’t like how the engineers are useless, the gunners just have to hold down the shoot button, and the pilots have split controls where the right pilot controls left and right movements and the other has up and down movements for the Falcon.

The theming for the ride is great but I’m not a fan of the interactivity they designed. I have a feeling this will change into a classic simulator like Star Tours in a few years. Getting rid of the seating positions and button pushing and a receive a new ride video.

Apparently you are given a score at the end also.

The whole idea of the interaction is worthless. Our first ride had two kids, probably 5 and 6, in the pilot seats. They had no clue what to do and the computer just takes over. The second ride there was two adults, and it was a little better, but the whole "Interaction" thing is very minimal.

Just an honest opinion.

I was ready to leave the land after less than two hours. Food overpriced. Nowhere to sit. Extremely hot. I felt bad for the employees who had to be out in the sun.