D23 EXPO 2019 Superthread - dates announced!

[sherilaine]

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. A

My guess would be turnstiles perhaps into and out of the land? But that might be weird?

 

[Tink1987]

My guess would be turnstiles perhaps into and out of the land? But that might be weird?

It might be the only thing that makes sense - I went a bit retro with the walkie talkie suggestion

 

[Sandeep1]

I'm sick to my stomach. Going June 2-4 and thought we'd miss SWGE.

Wow, Disney just destroyed us.

 

[Sandeep1]

So are reservations only for Disney resort guests? Regular hotel people, like those at the Hyatt, are SOL?

 

[dieumeye]

So are reservations only for Disney resort guests? Regular hotel people, like those at the Hyatt, are SOL?

That’s not correct. Or at least that’s not what was said in the currently available information.

All guests will need a free reservation to visit SW:GE from May 31 until June 23. How you make those reservations is unknown at this time, except Disney has announced that if you are staying on site, you will get a reservation, but how that works is also unknown currently.

 

[MrInfinity]

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.

What is this... reason... you're using... I think they're doing a great job of preemptively avoiding the camp-outs by being so clear that you'll need a res. This isn't going to be camp out to get a res, this is pre-booking so there are no campers. This'll make the opening go really smooth. They will fill every room in their 3 hotels for $600-$900/night while the neighbor hotels that were hoping to make bank on people flocking to SWGE will get nothing.

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.

I think you are missing the point of opening new lands -- to make money. Why would they announce a June 24 opening if they're opening May 31. Then the people who get in would be regular AP holders who showed up and got a woohoo-moment when they get in to something free. That is terrible. They want to announce a date, and sell rooms. No way they spend a month unsold and do quiet openings. Besides the first day an AP'er gets a woohoo-moment they would all camp out to get in the next days and they aren't monetizing it.

This info was not buried. It is in huge font all over the Disneyland site. I was told in advance I'll get a slot to get into SWGE by having a room. It is really clear. I don't know what they could possibly do to be more clear about it. Don't just show up and hope to get in. If you have a room, you'll be good.
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[sherilaine]

I think you are missing the point of opening new lands -- to make money. Why would they announce a June 24 opening if they're opening May 31. Then the people who get in would be regular AP holders who showed up and got a woohoo-moment when they get in to something free. That is terrible. They want to announce a date, and sell rooms. No way they spend a month unsold and do quiet openings. Besides the first day an AP'er gets a woohoo-moment they would all camp out to get in the next days and they aren't monetizing it.

This info was not buried. It is in huge font all over the Disneyland site. I was told in advance I'll get a slot to get into SWGE by having a room. It is really clear. I don't know what they could possibly do to be more clear about it. Don't just show up and hope to get in. If you have a room, you'll be good.​

If it helps to add context, my comment was not to suggest Disney does not want to make money - the conversation I was responding to had suggested that crowd control was their main priority.​

 

[HydroGuy]

What is this... reason... you're using... I think they're doing a great job of preemptively avoiding the camp-outs by being so clear that you'll need a res. This isn't going to be camp out to get a res, this is pre-booking so there are no campers. This'll make the opening go really smooth. They will fill every room in their 3 hotels for $600-$900/night while the neighbor hotels that were hoping to make bank on people flocking to SWGE will get nothing.

I think you are missing the point of opening new lands -- to make money. Why would they announce a June 24 opening if they're opening May 31. Then the people who get in would be regular AP holders who showed up and got a woohoo-moment when they get in to something free. That is terrible. They want to announce a date, and sell rooms. No way they spend a month unsold and do quiet openings. Besides the first day an AP'er gets a woohoo-moment they would all camp out to get in the next days and they aren't monetizing it.

This info was not buried. It is in huge font all over the Disneyland site. I was told in advance I'll get a slot to get into SWGE by having a room. It is really clear. I don't know what they could possibly do to be more clear about it. Don't just show up and hope to get in. If you have a room, you'll be good.
​

Disney hotels would already be sold out (or mostly so) during this time. They are not announcing SWGE this way to sell more hotel rooms.

 

[Gaugersaurus]

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 think this is where the "no vacation package or Disney hotel stay guarantees entry" part comes into play. I have a feeling the reservation won't be for a time of day but for a specific day with only 1 entry per reservation. Those who show up at park opening will have a better chance of getting into SWGE than those who show up later in the day. If they do time slots I could see them doing it a bit like hard ticket events where they will clear out everyone who isn't in line for MF to allow more guests to enter.

 

[DLgal]

Disney hotels would already be sold out (or mostly so) during this time. They are not announcing SWGE this way to sell more hotel rooms.

I tried to book a room on Friday. I called and was on hold for over 30 minutes. That has never happened. I was looking for a specific type of discount, which was all gone for the whole month of June (this never happens this far out). Rack rate rooms were disappearing fast online. They are definitely booking more rooms since the announcement. The CM I spoke to basically said their phones had been ringing off the hook and EVERYONE was trying to book because of the announcement.

Rooms are typically VERY available in the summer months at both DLR and WDW. They are never really sold out for the month of June, especially at Disneyland. Last 2 summers I have been able to score heavily discounted rooms at DL with only a couple weeks lead time. This time...completely shut out.

The cheapest room available during the 2 sets of dates we can go was $561/night (Standard view) at the DLH. With tax, comes to $650/night. My husband said no way, and that he would rather wait for the announcement of a paid preview event, if offered, and spend money on THAT, which will likely be a more enjoyable experience with less people. Even at $1000/ticket, it would be less than 2 nights in the hotel (he is the only one who cares enough about this land to pay to attend a special event). Me and the kids are happy to just wait it out until things die down.

 

[HydroGuy]

I tried to book a room on Friday. I called and was on hold for over 30 minutes. That has never happened. I was looking for a specific type of discount, which was all gone for the whole month of June (this never happens this far out). Rack rate rooms were disappearing fast online. They are definitely booking more rooms since the announcement. The CM I spoke to basically said their phones had been ringing off the hook and EVERYONE was trying to book because of the announcement.

Rooms are typically VERY available in the summer months at both DLR and WDW. They are never really sold out for the month of June, especially at Disneyland. Last 2 summers I have been able to score heavily discounted rooms at DL with only a couple weeks lead time. This time...completely shut out.

The cheapest room available during the 2 sets of dates we can go was $561/night (Standard view) at the DLH. With tax, comes to $650/night. My husband said no way, and that he would rather wait for the announcement of a paid preview event, if offered, and spend money on THAT, which will likely be a more enjoyable experience with less people. Even at $1000/ticket, it would be less than 2 nights in the hotel (he is the only one who cares enough about this land to pay to attend a special event). Me and the kids are happy to just wait it out until things die down.

Hmmm. My experience has been different. I never get discounts in the summer unless there is an economic recession (think 2009-2011) and when I have checked for rooms the last few summers, the DLR hotels were sold out - except for PPH in some cases. Five summers ago we stayed at the DLH and at the last minute needed to get a second room and had a hard time getting that due to lack of availability.

ETA It is true the rooms may sell out faster now than in past summers, but they still sell out in my experience.

 

[DLgal]

I think this is where the "no vacation package or Disney hotel stay guarantees entry" part comes into play. I have a feeling the reservation won't be for a time of day but for a specific day with only 1 entry per reservation.

If you go back to the Disney Parks Blog announcement page, one of the first comments indicates that a hotel guest called and was told it would be for a specific date AND time and hotel guests will be notified soon of their reservation date and time so they can plan other reservations around it (meals, dining packages, etc). Since 60 days is the lead time for such at Disneyland, we should have more information about this whole process by the end of this month, so very soon.

 

[RedM94]

If you go back to the Disney Parks Blog announcement page, one of the first comments indicates that a hotel guest called and was told it would be for a specific date AND time and hotel guests will be notified soon of their reservation date and time so they can plan other reservations around it (meals, dining packages, etc). Since 60 days is the lead time for such at Disneyland, we should have more information about this whole process by the end of this month, so very soon.

I have a split stay at GCH with two reservation numbers. I wonder id I will receive GE reservations?

 

[DLgal]

I have a split stay at GCH with two reservation numbers. I wonder id I will receive GE reservations?

Technically, you should get 2.

 

[DLgal]

Hmmm. My experience has been different. I never get discounts in the summer unless there is an economic recession (think 2009-2011) and when I have checked for rooms the last few summers, the DLR hotels were sold out - except for PPH in some cases. Five summers ago we stayed at the DLH and at the last minute needed to get a second room and had a hard time getting that due to lack of availability.

ETA It is true the rooms may sell out faster now than in past summers, but they still sell out in my experience.

The discount I am referring to is the military discount, which is usually easy to obtain in the summer at DLR. It even was available last year when the same category of room showed "unavailable" online.

 

[bethwc101]

I don't know if this has been posted or not, but this warning is now on the disneyland website.

 

[Gaugersaurus]

If you go back to the Disney Parks Blog announcement page, one of the first comments indicates that a hotel guest called and was told it would be for a specific date AND time and hotel guests will be notified soon of their reservation date and time so they can plan other reservations around it (meals, dining packages, etc). Since 60 days is the lead time for such at Disneyland, we should have more information about this whole process by the end of this month, so very soon.

In my opinion what a CM tells someone is just as reliable as the speculation we have here I just see a date and time system leading to more angry guests who couldn't get into SWGE than just giving someone a date. Even with Disney's "subject to capacity" statement people usually view a reservation as something that guarantees you access, especially if there is a date and time attached to said reservation. The only way I can see a date & time reservation system working is is if they "force" guests to leave when time is up. Either way I foresee Disney having to deal with a lot of "angry" guests when it comes to SWGE.

 

[MrInfinity]

Disney hotels would already be sold out (or mostly so) during this time. They are not announcing SWGE this way to sell more hotel rooms.

Well, as we've been waiting for Star Wars the last few years, when it was announced I checked the DL hotels and found availability at all 3 in most configurations. By that evening, everything had sold out (including one to us). 0 availability w/in a matter of hours. Even the expensive rooms were gone. The next day a few more had come open -- I called in and the rep said they put a few more into inventory so I swapped to a lower cost ($560 instead of $700) and today Standard View rooms are gone again. There seems to be a few of the pricey ones left. Paradise Pier (cheapest) is fully sold. Saw the same thing with flights. There were some steals available the morning of the announcement, and today the best available would cost double. So this is having a major impact on out-of-towners going to DL for the opening, a striking departure from the typical heavy attendance of locals. To guarantee yourself into SWGE you have to book a room which is a game-changer and is bringing people to DL and selling rooms.

PS the weekend before the opening you can still get Standard View PPH for $389 -- so much more availability.

 

[Gaugersaurus]

So this is having a major impact on out-of-towners going to DL for the opening, a striking departure from the typical heavy attendance of locals.

We can't say for sure if it's mostly out-of-towners or locals that are booking DLR hotels. Personally, I almost booked a room for opening weekend just to get the guaranteed reservation for SWGE and I'm only a 30 min from DL.

 

[MrInfinity]

We can't say for sure if it's mostly out-of-towners or locals that are booking DLR hotels. Personally, I almost booked a room for opening weekend just to get the guaranteed reservation for SWGE and I'm only a 30 min from DL.

Point is, it is definitely selling rooms! (And flights) To both locals who will book to get the reservation and to travelers who are coming to share the fun.