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

[Sarah1024]

Seems like Disney announces opening dates for these things about 3-4 months in advance so I’m assuming they’ll announce the opening date sometime during the summer, maybe July? Which means the special offers will have already been released in the spring, so I’m wondering if those offers will reflect the opening of SWGE. Planning a trip for November and I’m not sure if I want it to be open or not by then?? Super excited to see it but not super excited about the crowds!

Yes, Toy Story was announced in February and Pandora was the same timeline. They have to announce at least 3 months out for Fast Passes and such.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Just to note - there seems to be a big change having been made to touring plans algorithms and they have tweeted that an article is coming explaining the changes ... so basically all dates have had their crowd levels changed

most extreme I saw was a date in January had the Animal Kingdom rating changed from a 1 to a 9

So I wouldn't read too much into this as far as GE opening

Ah okay. Good to know.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

New DETAILS

A new story from Barron's reveals more details for Galaxy's Edge:

summary from WDWNT:
https://wdwnt.com/2019/01/new-star-...y-blue-milk-and-likely-stand-at-ogas-cantina/

Full story in Barrons (need subscription to read):
https://www.barrons.com/articles/he...neylands-new-star-wars-attraction-51546513200

Some highlights:

Oga’s Cantina from the inside:

The first public restaurant in Disneyland to serve alcohol, Oga’s is relatively small for aesthetic reasons, and is likely to be popular. To maximize capacity and keep visits from becoming all-afternoon affairs, most guests will stand. There will be a handful of booths with seating around the outer edge of the restaurant; no decision has been made yet on whether or how these can be reserved. An intricate tangle of tubes and vessels behind the bar might make some drinks appear to flow from the ceiling. We heard a mention of a Fuzzy Tauntaun, named for the furry snow lizards ridden in Empire Strikes Back, although it’s unclear if that’s a hypothetical drink or a planned one, and the menu is still being decided.


Blue Milk on Batuu:

Visitors will be able to order blue milk at Galaxy’s Edge, recalling the secretion of a bantha—a large, hairy animal with spiral horns—drank by Luke Skywalker in the first film (which, due to the later addition of prequels, is now known as Episode IV: A New Hope). This will be a nondairy drink. It’s unclear whether it will be sold in Oga’s or in the outdoor marketplace, or both. It’s possible it will be sold by or near a bantha farmer, suggesting the marketplace.

“Merchant Row”:

Shops will be supplied from a common stockroom, and restaurants from a common kitchen, to increase efficiency. One shop will feature droids that visitors can customize through an interactive experience. A droid that is made to be, say, afraid of stormtroopers might signal its fear when one comes close. Droids owned by members of the same group might recognize each other when they meet. Prices have not been set. The shop might also sell a full-size R2-D2 for well-heeled fans, perhaps costing thousands.

There will be another shop presided over by Dok-Ondar, a collector who is briefly mentioned in Solo. This character, likely animatronic, will be set apart in a booth from the rest of the staff, not unlike the dispatcher Louie De Palma in the old ABC sitcom Taxi. Cast members might interact with Dok-Ondar, asking him what he’s willing to let certain items go for. Elsewhere, there will be an outdoor market resembling a bazaar. A pod-racing engine, perhaps at the market, will be used to roast meat.

For Galaxy’s Edge, imagineers have worked with filmmakers, chefs, and merchandise executives to take adherence to storytelling to new levels for a Disney park attraction. One possibility is that Star Wars merchandise in shops will come in unique packaging that downplays the logos. Another is that merchandise based on familiar characters will take on new looks. The imagineers visited the archives at Lucasfilm for early concept art. As a hypothetical example, an artisan figure of a familiar character might look slightly off, with the back story being that residents of Batuu have never seen that character, so they don’t know exactly what the figure should look like.

 

[Brett Wyman]

From TPs blog update about the 2019 algorithm changes. Just their guess of course, but interesting to see their take.


December

"December is all about Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. Our educated guess is that previews will commence this month and the attraction will open near the end of the year. Once we have more details, crowd levels will certainly be adjusted."

 

[TheMaxRebo]

From TPs blog update about the 2019 algorithm changes. Just their guess of course, but interesting to see their take.


December

"December is all about Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. Our educated guess is that previews will commence this month and the attraction will open near the end of the year. Once we have more details, crowd levels will certainly be adjusted."

Very well may be what happens but seems like it will be nuts if the full opening matches up with the holiday crowd

 

[rteetz]

From TPs blog update about the 2019 algorithm changes. Just their guess of course, but interesting to see their take.


December

"December is all about Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. Our educated guess is that previews will commence this month and the attraction will open near the end of the year. Once we have more details, crowd levels will certainly be adjusted."

I think if there are previews they will happen before December. Right now I’m thinking opening in November. Maybe October at the earliest.

 

[YesterDark]

Any conjecture on how much DL's SWGE will take away from crowds of WDW's? For Star Wars fans that are itching to go, DL may be the first choice vs. WDW.

 

[rteetz]

Any conjecture on how much DL's SWGE will take away from crowds of WDW's? For Star Wars fans that are itching to go, DL may be the first choice vs. WDW.

I think your die hard mega Star Wars fans are planning for DL first. The more casual Star Wars fan might wait for WDW as a family vacation or something like that. Both will be crowded no doubt.

 

[sachilles]

Curious what the blue milk will consist of if it's not dairy.

 

[YesterDark]

I think your die hard mega Star Wars fans are planning for DL first. The more casual Star Wars fan might wait for WDW as a family vacation or something like that. Both will be crowded no doubt.

I'm suspecting that as well. I love stats, so I'm just curious to see what opening day/week/month attendance will be like for both parks.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Any conjecture on how much DL's SWGE will take away from crowds of WDW's? For Star Wars fans that are itching to go, DL may be the first choice vs. WDW.

Definitely will help vs scenario that WDW was the only one ... and as @rteetz your diehards will want to be at the first to open, that being Disneyland (my brain hurts just thinking about crowd levels there given how crowded that park already feels) - but I also suspect there will people that want to do both

Also, I think some who are maybe not big "Disney Fans" but (for lack of a better term) into "Geek Culture" and haven't been to the parks in Orlando might combine into a trip to see Star Wars and Harry Potter at Universal

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Curious what the blue milk will consist of if it's not dairy.

maybe soy, rice, hemp, or coconut milk or something?

 

[YesterDark]

Definitely will help vs scenario that WDW was the only one ... and as @rteetz your diehards will want to be at the first to open, that being Disneyland (my brain hurts just thinking about crowd levels there given how crowded that park already feels) - but I also suspect there will people that want to do both

Also, I think some who are maybe not big "Disney Fans" but (for lack of a better term) into "Geek Culture" and haven't been to the parks in Orlando might combine into a trip to see Star Wars and Harry Potter at Universal

Good point with the Potter stuff.

 

[rteetz]

Looks like June for Disneyland!

https://www.barrons.com/articles/di...ark-plans-and-learning-from-kodak-51546599600

 

[siren0119]

I think your die hard mega Star Wars fans are planning for DL first. The more casual Star Wars fan might wait for WDW as a family vacation or something like that. Both will be crowded no doubt.

I think you'll still see a divide between western vs eastern US. Some of those die hards in our inner circle WANT to go to Cali but simply can't because it's cheaper to travel to Orlando from MA than California. They're banking on having to take a longer trip and don't want to waste precious dollars on airfare vs longer stays at the hotels.

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

Any conjecture on how much DL's SWGE will take away from crowds of WDW's? For Star Wars fans that are itching to go, DL may be the first choice vs. WDW.

I think that is very possible for die-hard fans, but, some people, like my family, prefer FL to Cali for many reasons.

I was told, months before booking, that I would have a very hard time getting more than 1 DVC booking for the beginning of December as that is the best use of our points and Star Wars is opening in the fall.
I was able to book 3 studios (lowest points) and there is still availability for all options at Animal Kingdom Kidani. I also see availability at Boardwalk, Beach Club, etc as well as the very hard to get Grand Floridian Villas and the even harder to get, Wilderness Lodge Villas in December. And here there was all this hype about how hard it will be to even get home resort if you are not on it and walking a reservation long before Dec 1.

 

[Brett Wyman]

I think that is very possible for die-hard fans, but, some people, like my family, prefer FL to Cali for many reasons.

I was told, months before booking, that I would have a very hard time getting more than 1 DVC booking for the beginning of December as that is the best use of our points and Star Wars is opening in the fall.
I was able to book 3 studios (lowest points) and there is still availability for all options at Animal Kingdom Kidani. I also see availability at Boardwalk, Beach Club, etc as well as the very hard to get Grand Floridian Villas and the even harder to get, Wilderness Lodge Villas in December. And here there was all this hype about how hard it will be to even get home resort if you are not on it and walking a reservation long before Dec 1.

Once the hard dates for GE are announced I think you'll see all of those openings fill up quickly! People are sitting on the trigger waiting to see when that date is. Some want to be there after opening and some before!

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

Once the hard dates for GE are announced I think you'll see all of those openings fill up quickly! People are sitting on the trigger waiting to see when that date is. Some want to be there after opening and some before!

That was my thoughts exactly...but hopefully they do not wait too long since that is the best point usage. It may be summer before anything is announced for FL and that is past the 7-month non-home resort window.
But, you and I are definitely thinking the same way.

 

[The Pho]

Any conjecture on how much DL's SWGE will take away from crowds of WDW's? For Star Wars fans that are itching to go, DL may be the first choice vs. WDW.

Well the projections I have seen are 200,000 people showing up for opening day at Disneyland (which is more than double park capacity). And up to 8 hour lines, 12 months after opening for both lands. Assuming those are indeed correct, the dual open won’t help much. Still don’t exactly believe those numbers, but certainly conjecture.

 

[BrianL]

Well the projections I have seen are 200,000 people showing up for opening day at Disneyland (which is more than double park capacity). And up to 8 hour lines, 12 months after opening for both lands. Assuming those are indeed correct, the dual open won’t help much. Still don’t exactly believe those numbers, but certainly conjecture.

I think the first day numbers could be accurate, but I don't think it will maintain 8 hour lines for an entire year. That's unlikely I think. The first couple of months might be rough, but it'll become popular yet manageable after a bit, like any other new thing they open.