D23 EXPO 2019 Superthread - dates announced!

[theluckyrabbit]

In the cantina now - there is a different reservation system. Rather than a text you get a card with a return time. Times seem to random by cast member as we were far back in the line and got an 8:50 return time...

Thank you for posting about this change. About how far back to you think you were, i.e. how close to the cut off? Do you think the cards seem to work better than the text reservations?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Honestly, it's an awesome experience even if you don't wait in line for any panels. I usually get there around 5 or so and go to the smaller panels, but even if I just did the show floor, it would be worth it to me...

True! We met two sisters who had surprised their brother with a day at the last Expo. Did no planning, had no idea what to expect, didn't get into any panels. Just wandered the show floor all day and ate at the trucks... and had a total blast! They were so excited and laughing about how much fun they had. At first they were bummed when they saw all the people and the long lines, but then they started chatting with other attendees and getting into the spirit of things. Took tons of photos, had a great time, and ended the night at DL. Totally memorable experience for all 3.

 

[midnight star]

Just doing a final check lol. Are they still only allowing you to line up at hungry bear an hour before? We are getting our wristbands a little after 9 am, should we head over there and sit at the Hungry bear tables, or just come back at 10? We want the cantina and droids!

 

[BGinCali]

Just doing a final check lol. Are they still only allowing you to line up at hungry bear an hour before? We are getting our wristbands a little after 9 am, should we head over there and sit at the Hungry bear tables, or just come back at 10? We want the cantina and droids!

I would get there around 10. The CM’s will tell you to come back at 11, but hang near Hungry Bear (I waited along canoe side) until they start scanning you through (that might be closer to 10:30, but you need to be up front, so recommend staying put and ignoring CM’s who tell you 11/that you’re not in a line, etc). Have fun!

 

[Mathmagicland]

Thank you for posting about this change. About how far back to you think you were, i.e. how close to the cut off? Do you think the cards seem to work better than the text reservations?

This was my first visit, so I’m not sure comparably how far back, I’ll try to explain/describe & maybe you or others can make a guess.

We arrived about 6:30 and were checked in / in the Nemo queue area by 6:45, we were standing just ahead of the lagoon side entrance to the Tomorrowland Stage. When they started walking us in, we passed a few slower walkers but not many, and we were passed as well by faster folks. So we were not super close to the front, and as others have reported there were people who pushed ahead as we were waiting there.

When we got to the center entrance to be scanned, we were just at the start of the overpass under the train tracks and the entire entrance area was packed. Due to tips on this thread & @LesleyWake ‘s map, I knew to keep very much to the right for the cantina queue and “walk with purpose”.

As we walked in, when we got to the corner of the stagecoach entrance we’d passed, where the line loops, the CM with the flag had already looped around, was past that corner, and about half way up to the cantina entrance. Not knowing how many people would be in, it seemed like we were far back & I wasn’t sure we’d get in.

When we got to the first CM, they asked how many people in my group. Then up to the next CM where we waited to go to the person who had the time cards. There were maybe 7 or 8 CMs with cards, I’d guess now each had a stack with a particular time slot & they somehow kept a rough count of how many peeps booked for each time to as not to overbook. As one CM became available, we were directed to the next one. She wrote the # of people on our Card, said we could not add to that number, and to return at the time on the card or no more than 15 min later. We were also told not to lose the card as it could not be replaced.

I did a quick scan of the CMs as we got our card and each seemed to have a few left, so if I had to guess we were maybe half way back in the line of who would get in. Had they assigned the times in order of the line, we definitely would have had a later time based on how far back we were.

I would guess this process is faster and less prone to problems, because no phone numbers to capture, verify, possibly get wrong. Also, no CM has to text later plus no issues with text not getting through, dead battery, etc. And multiple people can get times at the same time.

 

[Lesley Wake]

This was my first visit, so I’m not sure comparably how far back, I’ll try to explain/describe & maybe you or others can make a guess.

We arrived about 6:30 and were checked in / in the Nemo queue area by 6:45, we were standing just ahead of the lagoon side entrance to the Tomorrowland Stage. When they started walking us in, we passed a few slower walkers but not many, and we were passed as well by faster folks. So we were not super close to the front, and as others have reported there were people who pushed ahead as we were waiting there.

When we got to the center entrance to be scanned, we were just at the start of the overpass under the train tracks and the entire entrance area was packed. Due to tips on this thread & @LesleyWake ‘s map, I knew to keep very much to the right for the cantina queue and “walk with purpose”.

As we walked in, when we got to the corner of the stagecoach entrance we’d passed, where the line loops, the CM with the flag had already looped around, was past that corner, and about half way up to the cantina entrance. Not knowing how many people would be in, it seemed like we were far back & I wasn’t sure we’d get in.

When we got to the first CM, they asked how many people in my group. Then up to the next CM where we waited to go to the person who had the time cards. There were maybe 7 or 8 CMs with cards, I’d guess now each had a stack with a particular time slot & they somehow kept a rough count of how many peeps booked for each time to as not to overbook. As one CM became available, we were directed to the next one. She wrote the # of people on our Card, said we could not add to that number, and to return at the time on the card or no more than 15 min later. We were also told not to lose the card as it could not be replaced.

I did a quick scan of the CMs as we got our card and each seemed to have a few left, so if I had to guess we were maybe half way back in the line of who would get in. Had they assigned the times in order of the line, we definitely would have had a later time based on how far back we were.

I would guess this process is faster and less prone to problems, because no phone numbers to capture, verify, possibly get wrong. Also, no CM has to text later plus no issues with text not getting through, dead battery, etc. And multiple people can get times at the same time.

I’m glad the map helped and I think this report will definitely help me in return! I get to attempt the full Oga line experience on Sunday morning, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

 

[Mathmagicland]

I’m glad the map helped and I think this report will definitely help me in return! I get to attempt the full Oga line experience on Sunday morning, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

Good luck! And enjoy the last crowd free morning - we could definitely see the difference once the 11am group was let in. We also waited to do the ride, as others have noted - and rode it three times in about 30-40 minutes starting at 10 with no wait at all...once regular and twice single rider.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

This was my first visit, so I’m not sure comparably how far back, I’ll try to explain/describe & maybe you or others can make a guess...

Thank you for your report -- we'll see how things go for people this last weekend of the reservation period!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I’m glad the map helped and I think this report will definitely help me in return! I get to attempt the full Oga line experience on Sunday morning, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

Possibly see you in line tomorrow! We’ll be doing the same!

And yes, thank you for the maps! The visual definitely makes me feel more confident about all of it.

 

[pharmama]

We did Oga’s in the 11-3 slot yesterday and had a similar experience to mathmagicland. I was the designated Cantina reservation person in our group. I did not get in the line by Hungy Bear until a little after 10:30 and was not particularly close to the front. But was very glad I knew from here to just stay right so I just did that and made it to the cantina line which had doubled back and was almost to the restrooms by the time I got in it. Got my card about 10min later for 2pm return time. My CM yelled out that he had 5 cards left right as I walked up and 2 other CMs seemed to have already finished their stack of cards. I was given a return time of 2pm. I doubt they are keeping close track of the number of people per timeslot and figuring the law of averages will ensure all that works out. I think all the cards were gone within the next few minutes but I don’t know how far back in the line they made it. They were telling us in line that we were not guaranteed to get a card.

When we returned around 1:55 we waited in a short line- less than 5 min- to be taken inside. I was kind of hoping for a booth but our party of 6 was given a standing table right in front of DJ-R3X which ended up being great. It was not as packed in the cantina as I was worried about. They were allowing people to request to sit at a booth and holding those people to the side outside until a spot was available but we did not attempt this.

The check in CMs said something about the new system being intended to test things out for Monday. So I guess the cards simulate reservation time slots. All in all the process was pretty painless for us and we loved the cantina!

 

[midnight star]

Made it home! Thank you everyone for all the info! We had a productive day during our reservation (11 am-3pm). We entered Critter Country around 9:45. I saw a few people clustered around. The CM's said there is no line and we could stand there as long as we didn't block the walkway. So I stood right by the brick/stone part of the entrance. A long line formed near the fence by Splash Mountain and the CM's mentioned that since they don't encourage lines, they weren't going to acknowledge it.

The process to get to the Cantina was organized, but was still stressful. A CM led us to the Cantina line. It was easy to follow. I got pushed a little bit. I think that was mainly due to all of us walking so close to one another and then tripping into each other. Overall everyone was pretty respectful and didn't run. They gave out return time cards, and ours was 11:55am. After getting our return time, I met up with my aunt who stood in line at Droid Depot. I built my droid, which was about 20 minutes. When I finished it, it was pretty much time to go check in for the Cantina, so we went over there.

The Cantina was cool, but small, which I knew beforehand. I tried the Dagobah Slug Slinger and my aunt had the Jabba Juice. We liked them. We only stayed in the Cantina for maybe 20 minutes. Like I said it was cool, but we didn't like being so crammed to other people. My aunt didn't like that there wasn't food. I told her about the Batuu bits, but she wasn't interested in it. I'm glad we went though! Very well themed. We also were getting hungry, so we placed a mobile order for Docking Bay 7. It gave us a time for 1:40 (which was an hour or so away).

After the Cantina we did the ride. My aunt and I were engineers. The pilots for our ship were amazing and we didn't crash at all! We finished the whole mission. I was surprised I liked the ride as much as I did. Even my aunt said she thought it was really fun. Much better than Star Tours.

When we got off the ride, we noticed the crowds had died down quite a bit. Walking around wasn't difficult like at the beginning of the reservation period. Prior to coming, I wasn't interested in trying the blue milk. However when we walked by the stand, the line was pretty short so we hopped in it and got it. We both got blue milk. The first sips I didn't care for it, but then I liked it lol.

Finally it was time to get our food, so we made our way over to Docking Bay 7 to get our food. It took a long time. I had the Garden Spread, and my aunt had the Ribs. We thought it was pretty good.

Random Thoughts:
- I am very glad I read reviews on how to get into the Cantina. I was maybe 10th in line for my group, and we got an 11:55 return time, so no waiting 2 hours. I heard people complaining throughout the day saying that they were told to come at 10:30, but at that time there were a ton of people already there. And I believe the line was cut off in less than 15 minutes.
- The return cards for the Cantina are nice. I heard that on previous days you would put your number down, and it wasn't a guarantee that you would get in. I know I personally would be upset if I put time into getting my name on the list, and not getting in. So at least the return cards guarantee your entry there.
- The land is pretty cool. It is themed very well. As most of you know from my previous posts, I am not much of a Star Wars fan. I haven't seen any of the movies. So while I enjoyed the theming of the land, I didn't really understand what I was looking at lol.
- I'm happy I read up on the language of Batuu. I remembered to say things like "credentials" when asking about my pass discount. Or "facial scan" when I wanted a photopass pic done.
- I really wish the Cantina was larger, and that there was a sit down restaurant. Maybe in the future they will add one
- Crowds weren't bad. I noticed they decreased around 12:30-1:00. We left a little after 2 when the next group entered and it was busy again
- Droid depot was my favorite. I liked carrying around my droid and seeing it move. To me that was how I was able to immerse myself in a land I didn't know much about. Plus, I know throughout the summer as I visit with my friends, we will come, so I can bring it with me (which makes spending $99 not very painful). Droid backpacks are still sold out, so I bought a reusable bag (my box was breaking).

My final verdict: I def think people should give SWGE a chance, even if you're not a Star Wars fan. Earlier this year I was not excited for Star Wars at all. I almost didn't renew my pass because I thought the park was going to be total insanity, and not worth going (granted, it hasn't opened to everyone yet, so it could be still). However, I renewed anyway. I'm glad Disneyland decided to do free reservation system because there was no way I would pay for a preview lol. I do see how it won't appeal to people because many of the experiences require time or money, but it's Disneyland, so what else is new lol. Like I said, the droid was my favorite part because it made me want to interact more with the land. I actually looked around more than I thought because I was interested to see how it would react to certain areas. I was worried that I wouldn't like the ride, but I did! So yeah, I'm a non Star Wars fan, that enjoyed the new land!

 

[figment_jii]

They were testing out a new waiting area today. Before the 2 pm group, the CMs were telling everyone that there was no line and wouldn't let guests wait on the river side of the walkway. At about 1:25, they started scanning wristbands and moved guests into the holding area along the pathway by Hungry Bear.

[See next post for continuation...hit post before I was done.]

 

[figment_jii]

They were testing out a new waiting procedure this evening. Ahead of the 8 pm group, they had created a formal waiting area along the canoe side of the walkway. Guests were told to line up/wait inside the green taped area. This had the effect of creating a line.

 

[pigletliz]

They were testing out a new waiting procedure this evening. Ahead of the 8 pm group, they had created a formal waiting area along the canoe side of the walkway. Guests were told to line up/wait inside the green taped area. This had the effect of creating a line.

Glad to hear it. I was in the 2 pm "not a real line" group. Felt a bit stressful and a bit of a cluster. Not having a line ended up blocking the walkway, as well as the entrance to the restaurant.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

The 5 pm group was a near disaster. There was a "non-line" along the fence for Splash, which started shortly after 3 pm. Around 3:30, another line started along the river. Then, around 4:00, another line started along the ramp for HB. CMs did nothing, but chose to let the lines get longer and more disorganized. Finally, a CM merged the river line with the Splash line, allowing the river people to cut in front of the Splash people (who had been waiting a lot longer). This did not go over well. Then, when CMs began scanning wrist bands, they allowed the Splash/river line to start going in, but then cut off the line for some reason and let the HB line go in front of many people who had been waiting much longer. DH got separated from me by the HB group. Thank goodness we had already discussed this possibility and had a meeting place arranged inside GE. Once the mass moved into the entrance, things started getting aggressive. People were pushing and moving very close. I was being pushed forward from the waist up, but my feet could not move because of the tight crowd. I thought I might fall over. People were yelling for the crowds behind to stop pushing. CMs did not warn about not running. Every time the mass was moved forward, people pushed harder and closer. The vibe was not so friendly. Once the green light was given, people started the running of the bulls. It was a free for all -- people running, trampling the landscaping, one woman was jumping over the trash cans (seriously!), someone fell and almost got trampled -- people behind could not see what had happened and no one could stop or they would have gotten trampled. One woman lost her flip flop, made a u-turn (really?!) and almost tripped up several rows of people behind her. If you didn't run to keep up with the herd, you were a goner. There was no way to get out of the mass horde. People were cutting and shoving left and right. It was dangerous for anyone who couldn't keep up. I made the first cut off by about 20 people. But later, about 15 people ahead of me, the line was cut off again. I went to the Information Kiosk to put in a comment about the lack of safeguards -- not one CM tried to stop the stampede or call out to people to stop running. The plaid told me that CMs are really worried about the Cantina -- that is their one big worry about tomorrow and next week. She said that management knows how to deal with just about everything else, but the Cantina. We saw the 8 pm group run for the Cantina -- a crazy sprint with no CMs stopping them.
Thankfully, the rest of our time in GE was much more positive and less stressful. Fireworks from GE were lovely.

 

[Mathmagicland]

@theluckyrabbit- your experience is both very sad and very scary.

The CMs handling of the the various lines sounds a bit like D23 Expo lines in 2015, for a couple of panels where different CMs handled unofficial lines differently for the same panel.

Hopefully with the online reservation system for the cantina starting Monday there will not be the mad dash to get there.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

The 5 pm group was a near disaster. There was a "non-line" along the fence for Splash, which started shortly after 3 pm. Around 3:30, another line started along the river. Then, around 4:00, another line started along the ramp for HB. CMs did nothing, but chose to let the lines get longer and more disorganized. Finally, a CM merged the river line with the Splash line, allowing the river people to cut in front of the Splash people (who had been waiting a lot longer). This did not go over well. Then, when CMs began scanning wrist bands, they allowed the Splash/river line to start going in, but then cut off the line for some reason and let the HB line go in front of many people who had been waiting much longer. DH got separated from me by the HB group. Thank goodness we had already discussed this possibility and had a meeting place arranged inside GE. Once the mass moved into the entrance, things started getting aggressive. People were pushing and moving very close. I was being pushed forward from the waist up, but my feet could not move because of the tight crowd. I thought I might fall over. People were yelling for the crowds behind to stop pushing. CMs did not warn about not running. Every time the mass was moved forward, people pushed harder and closer. The vibe was not so friendly. Once the green light was given, people started the running of the bulls. It was a free for all -- people running, trampling the landscaping, one woman was jumping over the trash cans (seriously!), someone fell and almost got trampled -- people behind could not see what had happened and no one could stop or they would have gotten trampled. One woman lost her flip flop, made a u-turn (really?!) and almost tripped up several rows of people behind her. If you didn't run to keep up with the herd, you were a goner. There was no way to get out of the mass horde. People were cutting and shoving left and right. It was dangerous for anyone who couldn't keep up. I made the first cut off. by about 20 people. But later, about 15 people ahead of me, the line was cut off again. I went to the Information Kiosk to put in a comment about the lack of safeguards -- not one CM tried to stop the stampede or call out to people to stop running. The plaid told me that CMs are really worried about the Cantina -- that is their one big worry about tomorrow and next week. She said that management knows how to deal with just about everything else, but the Cantina. We saw the 8 pm group run for the Cantina -- a crazy sprint with no CMs stopping them.
Thankfully, the rest of our time in GE was much more positive and less stressful. Fireworks from GE were lovely.

Omg! That is terrifying and so disappointing to hear. It is so hard to believe that Disney didn’t antipicate the cantina situation and come up with a better plan sooner. Hopefully the reservation system eliminates this issues. After all, you can’t get in without a reservation, right? Which means there willl be no point to running I hope.

 

[pharmama]

Wow! Those sound crazy! We didn’t experience anything like that kind of madness on Friday. I wonder why they’re feeling the need to mess around with things now on the last days of reservations. I think the crowds are going to be a whole different animal starting tomorrow anyway so I’m not sure how much they’re really gonna gain doing that.

 

[midnight star]

The 5 pm group was a near disaster. There was a "non-line" along the fence for Splash, which started shortly after 3 pm. Around 3:30, another line started along the river. Then, around 4:00, another line started along the ramp for HB. CMs did nothing, but chose to let the lines get longer and more disorganized. Finally, a CM merged the river line with the Splash line, allowing the river people to cut in front of the Splash people (who had been waiting a lot longer). This did not go over well. Then, when CMs began scanning wrist bands, they allowed the Splash/river line to start going in, but then cut off the line for some reason and let the HB line go in front of many people who had been waiting much longer. DH got separated from me by the HB group. Thank goodness we had already discussed this possibility and had a meeting place arranged inside GE. Once the mass moved into the entrance, things started getting aggressive. People were pushing and moving very close. I was being pushed forward from the waist up, but my feet could not move because of the tight crowd. I thought I might fall over. People were yelling for the crowds behind to stop pushing. CMs did not warn about not running. Every time the mass was moved forward, people pushed harder and closer. The vibe was not so friendly. Once the green light was given, people started the running of the bulls. It was a free for all -- people running, trampling the landscaping, one woman was jumping over the trash cans (seriously!), someone fell and almost got trampled -- people behind could not see what had happened and no one could stop or they would have gotten trampled. One woman lost her flip flop, made a u-turn (really?!) and almost tripped up several rows of people behind her. If you didn't run to keep up with the herd, you were a goner. There was no way to get out of the mass horde. People were cutting and shoving left and right. It was dangerous for anyone who couldn't keep up. I made the first cut off. by about 20 people. But later, about 15 people ahead of me, the line was cut off again. I went to the Information Kiosk to put in a comment about the lack of safeguards -- not one CM tried to stop the stampede or call out to people to stop running. The plaid told me that CMs are really worried about the Cantina -- that is their one big worry about tomorrow and next week. She said that management knows how to deal with just about everything else, but the Cantina. We saw the 8 pm group run for the Cantina -- a crazy sprint with no CMs stopping them.
Thankfully, the rest of our time in GE was much more positive and less stressful. Fireworks from GE were lovely.

That sounds horrible! Totally different from 11am group. Hopefully the reservation system for the Cantina will stop the running and madness. That place really needs to be bigger. They should've known this was going to be the most popular part of the land.

 

[Michele King]

That's crazy. We were there on Saturday the 15th and it wasn't crazy at all. People were mostly respectful. The CMs that were guiding us to the Cantina made it very clear that you had to stay behind them to get in line for the cantina. If you ran ahead, you would have to move to the back of the line. Only those people who were behind them would be counted as in line. That worked. People stayed behind them and walked at their pace. There was a little jostling, but nothing bad. However, we were all the way at the front, and maybe that made a difference.
I do think there could be better ways to handle this. Make a roped queue that starts where people line up that is for the cantina only. All others can enter the park normally.