D23 EXPO 2019 Superthread - dates announced!

[wideeyedwonder]

@wideeyedwonder have you seen this thread, The June 2019 Check In https://www.disboards.com/threads/june-2019-check-in.3718220/

Thx, posted there!

 

[DLgal]

Nowhere have they said anyting about pre-reservation, advanced reservation, nowhere. It's assumed, and even somewhat implied with the details released about each hotel guests having a designated reservation provided to them, but there is no way of knowing exactly how this will work.

Lottery will not control crowds, least not if it's tied to tickets vs. accounts as that would be awful for families - family of 4 with younger kids who have 4 tickets and only 1 or 2 or 3 get in - that's not a good experience at all?

But in the end - even with a full on solid pre-reservation system - most people won't pay attention to the details, they'll just show up blind and be all 'no one told me' when the chips fall. As another has mentioned - May 31st is the big date - it's the one everyone is using and it comes with strings attached that people seem to be glossing over. This group here - this is a group of very detailed oriented Disneyland fans and seasoned park goers - this is the 1% or even less.

The press release says guests will be required to make a reservation. A reservation, by definition, is something you make in advance. It says "guests PLANNING to visit Star Wars Galaxy's Edge will need to make a reservation." It goes on to say that information about how to make a reservation will be available on Disneyland.com. When people are in the planning stage, they haven't arrived at the park yet.

If they were going to do a Fastpass or lottery to enter the land, they would have used those words. These types of press releases are written as specifically as possible, so that there isn't any confusion as to what they are trying to say. There is a general consensus on what "reservation" means, and it is something you obtain in advance of your visit. They could just as easily have said "guests will be required to obtain a fastpass to enter the land on the day of their visit" or "Disneyland will be implementing a day of lottery system in order to allow as many guests as possible to enter the land." They didn't, so it stands to reason they are not using those types of systems.

Again, crowd control is the name of the game here.

 

[dina444444]

The press release says guests will be required to make a reservation. A reservation, by definition, is something you make in advance. It says "guests PLANNING to visit Star Wars Galaxy's Edge will need to make a reservation." It goes on to say that information about how to make a reservation will be available on Disneyland.com. When people are in the planning stage, they haven't arrived at the park yet.

If they were going to do a Fastpass or lottery to enter the land, they would have used those words. These types of press releases are written as specifically as possible, so that there isn't any confusion as to what they are trying to say. There is a general consensus on what "reservation" means, and it is something you obtain in advance of your visit. They could just as easily have said "guests will be required to obtain a fastpass to enter the land on the day of their visit" or "Disneyland will be implementing a day of lottery system in order to allow as many guests as possible to enter the land." They didn't, so it stands to reason they are not using those types of systems.

Again, crowd control is the name of the game here.

My expectation is the reservation will either work similar to how they booked the pandora AP/DVC preview were you signed up for a day/time slot and how fastpass+ works. Both of those require/d valid admission to book.

 

[Michele King]

Not sure if this information will help any of you piece together what will happen, but I thought I would go ahead a post it.
I called in and booked a room Friday morning for May 31st and June 1st. The person didn't have all the details and said those were still being worked out. However, reservations will be required, and I will be given one guaranteed reservation for the dates of my stay for each person in our party at the hotel. He said that I would be getting an email once they have the system in place giving me the link to sign up for up for my date.
I suspect that it will be a date/time slot that you sign up for similar to what has been discussed above. I suspect that they will first sign up the people who are staying on property so that they can get them all in on desired days, then they will open up to the public.

 

[HydroGuy]

The press release says guests will be required to make a reservation. A reservation, by definition, is something you make in advance. It says "guests PLANNING to visit Star Wars Galaxy's Edge will need to make a reservation." It goes on to say that information about how to make a reservation will be available on Disneyland.com. When people are in the planning stage, they haven't arrived at the park yet.

If they were going to do a Fastpass or lottery to enter the land, they would have used those words. These types of press releases are written as specifically as possible, so that there isn't any confusion as to what they are trying to say. There is a general consensus on what "reservation" means, and it is something you obtain in advance of your visit. They could just as easily have said "guests will be required to obtain a fastpass to enter the land on the day of their visit" or "Disneyland will be implementing a day of lottery system in order to allow as many guests as possible to enter the land." They didn't, so it stands to reason they are not using those types of systems.

Again, crowd control is the name of the game here.

In advance of your visit to the thing of interest. That does not necessarily mean in advance of your visit to DLR. Heck, a FP is a reservation. This could easily be something that happens same day. It could also be something that happens in advance of coming to DLR. We do not know.

Crowd control in SWGE does not depend on any of these options. It depends on who stands at the entrances to SWGE and lets people in or not.

 

[rteetz]

I see how many people buy tickets day of or have vouchers that need to be exchanged for tickets every time I visit. It's a large number. There is no way Disney is going to limit the reservation system to people who have scannable tickets in their possession at the time the reservation system goes live. That would be terrible PR.

No it wouldn’t. Disney is being very cautious how they do this and they want to limit everything. They know Disneyland is gonna have issues with crowds which is why it would make sense to require admission media before hand.

 

[RedM94]

Not sure if this was mentioned before, the Disneyland web page now has an FAQ section at the end of the know before you go page. Also, the order of wording for DLRH guest designated reservation, I feel, clears up any confusion with regard to subject to availability.

Apologize if this was already mentioned.

 

[sherilaine]

The information in the FAQ section is a copy/paste from the press release and blog that was posted the day of the announcement. I’m sure once the system is in place they will update the FAQs on their site but right now it doesn’t tell you anymore than was announced Thursday.

I hope everyone is correct that all of this will be in advance and that people without a reservation do not show up oblivious expecting to get in, but that’s expecting a lot of people in my opinion.

 

[DLgal]

Crowd control in SWGE does not depend on any of these options. It depends on who stands at the entrances to SWGE and lets people in or not.

No. Crowd control begins well outside the park gates. The main problem Disney is trying to address is the logistical nightmare that would happen: on the streets of Anaheim, at both parking lots, at the security checkpoints, beyond the security checkpoints in the esplanade, etc., if they did not have an advanced reservation system in place BEFORE people arrived on property. There would be such a massive influx of people descending on the resort area on May 31 (and the days leading up to it), that it would likely shutdown operations due to safety concerns. I'm sure the Anaheim PD and the fire Marshall had a lot of input into this decision.

People were planning to camp out so they would be there on opening day (before this announcement was made). The resort area in Anaheim, being a real city with real residents, could not absorb those kinds of crowds. WDW, on the other hand, has the space needed to be able to do that, if people feel so inclined, and Disney wants to let them.

I will eat my hat if this ends up being a "same day" reservation system. Such a thing will not prevent the nightmare that would be 200,000 people descending upon Disneyland on May 31., which is a number that has been thrown around by many theme park analysts recently.

 

[sherilaine]

No. Crowd control begins well outside the park gates. The main problem Disney is trying to address is the logistical nightmare that would happen: on the streets of Anaheim, at both parking lots, at the security checkpoints, beyond the security checkpoints in the esplanade, etc., if they did not have an advanced reservation system in place BEFORE people arrived on property. There would be such a massive influx of people descending on the resort area on May 31 (and the days leading up to it), that it would likely shutdown operations due to safety concerns. I'm sure the Anaheim PD and the fire Marshall had a lot of input into this decision.

I honestly don't think they are doing a great job of clearly addressing this though - they announced it's opening May 31st, ahead of schedule, and then buried in their press release and their online blog in fine print are the strings tied to that opening date such as requiring reservations and that only 1 of the 2 main attractions will be open. Sure some people will fail to be able to snag a reservation for day 1 or day 2 and maybe they'll keep trying and only show up on the day that they do. However, if Disney really wanted people to stay away they would have done the reverse. They would have said it opens June 24th but...if you want to get in earlier you can by staying on site or making a reservation. Still the crowds that could occur on June 24th depending on how hard it is for people to secure an opportunity to visit the land without staying onsite could be huge as well. I think a little piece of Disney wants the big line, they want to out do what Harry Potter, if possible. Maybe they will make it more obvious and bolder when they do announce the details of the reservation process - but a lot of people heard May 31st and stopped listening as people tend to do.

 

[HydroGuy]

No. Crowd control begins well outside the park gates. The main problem Disney is trying to address is the logistical nightmare that would happen: on the streets of Anaheim, at both parking lots, at the security checkpoints, beyond the security checkpoints in the esplanade, etc., if they did not have an advanced reservation system in place BEFORE people arrived on property. There would be such a massive influx of people descending on the resort area on May 31 (and the days leading up to it), that it would likely shutdown operations due to safety concerns. I'm sure the Anaheim PD and the fire Marshall had a lot of input into this decision.

People were planning to camp out so they would be there on opening day (before this announcement was made). The resort area in Anaheim, being a real city with real residents, could not absorb those kinds of crowds. WDW, on the other hand, has the space needed to be able to do that, if people feel so inclined, and Disney wants to let them.

I will eat my hat if this ends up being a "same day" reservation system. Such a thing will not prevent the nightmare that would be 200,000 people descending upon Disneyland on May 31., which is a number that has been thrown around by many theme park analysts recently.

Disney has no control over how many people show up at DLR on May 31st. They can control how many people they allow into the parks and how many people they allow into SWGE.

I am not saying you are wrong. You may very well be right. But I do not think what they have said so far automatically means the reservation system will be in advance of the day you visit. There are good reasons for Disney to do it either way.

 

[stagemomto3]

Of interest, the Disneyland site only shows 3 of the planned 5 SWGE food establishments as "Opening May 31, 2019" (not listed are Ronto Roasters and Kat Saka's Kettle), making it more likely that only part of the land will be open at first.

 

[disneymum58]

I understand limiting the entry to SWGE by reservation, and allowing people to ride the Millennium Falcon. But once people are actually inside that area, I can see fans "camping out" at any of the food establishments and refusing to leave so that others can enter at their allotted reservation time. How will the CMs handle a land that that gets more and more crowded as the day goes on? I guess this is just speculation on my part. Maybe the fans will enter, ride the one attraction and then leave to enjoy the rest of the park. What does everyone else think?

 

[DLgal]

I understand limiting the entry to SWGE by reservation, and allowing people to ride the Millennium Falcon. But once people are actually inside that area, I can see fans "camping out" at any of the food establishments and refusing to leave so that others can enter at their allotted reservation time. How will the CMs handle a land that that gets more and more crowded as the day goes on? I guess this is just speculation on my part. Maybe the fans will enter, ride the one attraction and then leave to enjoy the rest of the park. What does everyone else think?

Well, as long as people "camped out" are spending money, Disney isn't going to make them leave. The only things to do other than the rides are money makers, and Disney is NOT about to tell people who want to spend money to "move along."

They CAN institute a minimum food/drink purchase per hour policy if they want, at the Cantina and food service locations with seating.

 

[DLgal]

I honestly don't think they are doing a great job of clearly addressing this though - they announced it's opening May 31st, ahead of schedule, and then buried in their press release and their online blog in fine print are the strings tied to that opening date such as requiring reservations and that only 1 of the 2 main attractions will be open. Sure some people will fail to be able to snag a reservation for day 1 or day 2 and maybe they'll keep trying and only show up on the day that they do. However, if Disney really wanted people to stay away they would have done the reverse. They would have said it opens June 24th but...if you want to get in earlier you can by staying on site or making a reservation. Still the crowds that could occur on June 24th depending on how hard it is for people to secure an opportunity to visit the land without staying onsite could be huge as well. I think a little piece of Disney wants the big line, they want to out do what Harry Potter, if possible. Maybe they will make it more obvious and bolder when they do announce the details of the reservation process - but a lot of people heard May 31st and stopped listening as people tend to do.

I completely agree with you. I don't think Disney is being clear enough with the public AT THIS TIME. However, I suspect they will make it pretty crystal clear as we get closer. Already, independent news organizations are writing articles talking about how you will need a reservation. They will get the word out as we get closer.

They obviously want hype and crowds. But, they don't want, and cannot support HP level crowds without impacting the rest of their guests (who have no interest in SW land) negatively. Not to mention, they LITERALLY cannot have lines that extend beyond their property into the city of Anaheim. So, they have a finite amount of space to work with.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I understand limiting the entry to SWGE by reservation, and allowing people to ride the Millennium Falcon. But once people are actually inside that area, I can see fans "camping out" at any of the food establishments and refusing to leave so that others can enter at their allotted reservation time. How will the CMs handle a land that that gets more and more crowded as the day goes on? I guess this is just speculation on my part. Maybe the fans will enter, ride the one attraction and then leave to enjoy the rest of the park. What does everyone else think?

My theory is that they will have a one way funnel system. I have been to Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour in London, which is a timed entrance. It is a one way system through various rooms and buildings. When your time window opens, you are put into a holding area. When the holding area is full, everyone is then allowed into the first section. You can stay as long as you like in each section, but once you leave, you cant go back to the previous section.

Im thinking that with STGE is that at the start, there will be one entry and 2 exits. My theory is that people will be funnelled to exits without realising it. That for example you exit Smugglers Run and end up in the shop. The shop has 2 exits, one back into the land, the other you are funnelled out of the land.

The same with Olgas Cantina, one entry way in, 2 exits, one back into the land and the other out of the land.

 

[disneyheather123]

What are the crowd predictions for June 24th? My family will be in the park June 24th and 25th. We planned this before the SW release and now we are wondering if we will be able to even get in the entrance.

 

[midnight star]

What are the crowd predictions for June 24th? My family will be in the park June 24th and 25th. We planned this before the SW release and now we are wondering if we will be able to even get in the entrance.

Just Prepare for the worst. During your dates, the reservation system will be over, but Disney hasn't mentioned how it will work after that.

 

[Tink1987]

Of interest, the Disneyland site only shows 3 of the planned 5 SWGE food establishments as "Opening May 31, 2019" (not listed are Ronto Roasters and Kat Saka's Kettle), making it more likely that only part of the land will be open at first.

Thank you so much for sharing this. This is something my husband is worried about with the opening phases. Disney didn’t confirm that everything else would be opening along with Smugglers Run and it has put him right off going for the first opening. It does bother me but not as much as him. He really believes Disney have just rushed everything to get a few things open.

I understand limiting the entry to SWGE by reservation, and allowing people to ride the Millennium Falcon. But once people are actually inside that area, I can see fans "camping out" at any of the food establishments and refusing to leave so that others can enter at their allotted reservation time. How will the CMs handle a land that that gets more and more crowded as the day goes on? I guess this is just speculation on my part. Maybe the fans will enter, ride the one attraction and then leave to enjoy the rest of the park. What does everyone else think?

I’m also worried about that. I just can’t imagine CM’s walking around to people in a food or merchandise queue for example and telling them it’s time to leave. Universal in Osaka timed entry to Hogsmeade which you had to prebook but we weren’t asked to leave after a certain amount of time. Once you left you couldn’t get back in though.

Will they have CM’s on the entry and exit with walkie talkies saying x amount of people left, let x amount of people in. But if you have 300 hotel guests outside the land with this designated access to get in at 2pm, what if 300 haven’t left from 10am? I just can’t wait to hear what Disney announces next. I’m going to read more about how the Universal Osaka Hogsmeade entry worked.

And I’m sorry to keep going on about the same thing but I really think people are missing the point with the blog post. It says designated access for hotel guests but then goes onto say that no vacation package or Disney hotel stay guarantees entry. I’m so worried about that. This opening in phases and the rest of the rumours have took the shine off the opening date announcement for us a little bit. I just can’t risk spending all this money and taking a 12 hour flight to be told I can’t get in. But I desperately wanted to be there for the opening date.

 

[kirstie101]

So what are the going theories on what day on-site guests reservations will be for if only staying one night? Check in day or check our day?