D23 EXPO 2019 Superthread - dates announced!

[BadPinkTink]

I do feel somewhat for the average guest, who is not on these boards or any boards. They may have just planned a DLR vacation months ago, booked on off-site hotel, and plan on getting tickets at the gate. They would thus have received no communication from Disney about SWGE and the required reservation. They may even be unaware that it will be open during their trip, or if they are aware, they may be vaguely aware but did not bother to go to the Disney site and read the fine print. Has DLR ever opened a new land but had reservation-only access? Not to my memory, so even if the average guest knows the land will be open, why would they necessarily think that they would need a reservation to even enter the land? I am not defending those who choose to go in blindly, but I also think not everyone has to research the life out of their vacation. And honestly maybe they did initial research, booked it months ago, and just plan on going based on the earlier information.

I think there will be some very, very upset guests.

I think you are exactly right

Over the years I have met many people like you describe. I have talked to people while waiting in line who have no idea about booking restaurants, and who think you have to pay for Fastpasses, ie they dont know about the free kiosks. I have talked to people who are visiting LA and only decide just to go to Disneyland a few days before. LA is a HUGE tourist destination and so many tourists come to Disneyland without any pre planning or research.

 

[ardanxela]

I'm in a similar situation. I registered my daughter hoping she could make it, but she won't be able to and the reservation is just for the two of us. I have a mate I'd love to take instead; so either I'll be taking my mate or going solo. Let us know how you go.

Did anyone end up calling yet? I made a reservation and added my husband but he said he has no interest. My daughter would love to bring her girlfriend if she is in town so I'd like to change the name as well. Mostly likely it will just be the two of us going though.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Apologies if this has been asked and answered, but I know SWGE will not be open for MM/EMH and that there will be no FastPass. But has Disney said anything about a single rider line? If not, does Disney have any historical precedent as to when/whether it adds a single rider line to popular attractions?

Falcon does have a Single Rider line. It is designed as a proper permanent Single Rider Line; think Radiator Springs Racers, not the improperly designed (and never used) line for Flight of Passage.

I think the latest rumor I've heard is it may be open from the start, but we never know! They could open it on occasion but close it if there are too many people in it? Its an operational decision they can change quickly.

RotR does not have a Single Rider line, and part of the whole experience is the queue and pre-show, so a SR wouldn't work well with that.

 

[EmJ]

Th

Falcon does have a Single Rider line. It is designed as a proper permanent Single Rider Line; think Radiator Springs Racers, not the improperly designed (and never used) line for Flight of Passage.

I think the latest rumor I've heard is it may be open from the start, but we never know! They could open it on occasion but close it if there are too many people in it? Its an operational decision they can change quickly.

RotR does not have a Single Rider line, and part of the whole experience is the queue and pre-show, so a SR wouldn't work well with that.

Thank you!!!!

 

[Castillo Mom]

I do feel somewhat for the average guest, who is not on these boards or any boards. They may have just planned a DLR vacation months ago, booked on off-site hotel, and plan on getting tickets at the gate. They would thus have received no communication from Disney about SWGE and the required reservation. They may even be unaware that it will be open during their trip, or if they are aware, they may be vaguely aware but did not bother to go to the Disney site and read the fine print. Has DLR ever opened a new land but had reservation-only access? Not to my memory, so even if the average guest knows the land will be open, why would they necessarily think that they would need a reservation to even enter the land? I am not defending those who choose to go in blindly, but I also think not everyone has to research the life out of their vacation. And honestly maybe they did initial research, booked it months ago, and just plan on going based on the earlier information.

I think there will be some very, very upset guests.

You make some excellent points. However, I was that person way back in '04 when planning my first ever trip to WDW. I was a total newb to the other coast and as a DLR AP holder, minimal preparation was needed to visit my home park. That being said, since I had never been to WDW and had the internet at my disposal, I did my research and learned the dos and don'ts of visiting the #1 vacation destination in the country. Fast forward to 2019, much of what we need to get done is web-based and there's a plethora of information at our fingertips. If I'm going to spend $$$ on a visit to WDW or DLR, it would seem that I should do some prep. Not trying to be judgmental, but I just don't get why in this day and age why folks don't check into things.

So back to the topic at hand. For those of you have don't have an official Disney hotel reservation but have one for SW:GE - what time are you planning to arrive at the park? Day of and at what time? I booked an off site hotel for 5/30 so I don't have to deal with traffic or parking. Thoughts?

 

[JMommyof3]

Re: non-crazy (like us) Disney planners. Bottom line is that I don't think most people really care about planning. For some people, seeing the castle and "being there" is fine. I don't mean this to sound mean or judgmental but the "simple way" is fine for some people. When my family travels, whether its DLR (we are AP's), WDW, or Hawaii, we like to do new things and have new experiences. yes, tried and true is great but we like to try new restaurants, new rides, new adventures and not just same old lunch spot with the same old burger. Not everyone vacations like that.

2 examples of people "just winging it"

I have a good friend who is going with her family in July. They had no idea that SWGE was opening. I told her that by that point it would be open to all, no reservation needed. She asked me about the difference between FP and MaxPass. I started to explain mobile device vs kiosks, time differences (when you can book your next depending on when you get your first), and I could see her eyes glaze over and she was done listening. She basically said "yeah, we will just do whatever, it will be fun." They are going on a weekend in July, no parkhoppers and don't plan to get there at opening. They will just wing it and be fine with it.

My brother has taken his family about 3 times. They know I'm a huge Disney freak and go/plan all the time but never ask any advice about schedules/crowds, etc. When he goes, he just buys a ticket and shows up. If his kids wants to ride Matterhorn all day, they do. If they get on 3 rides all day and that's all they have time for, they don't care. They just go, enjoy it, and come home. No need for anything adventurous. Being at Disney is enough.

With that said, we have DLH reservations in June with our SWGE reservations too. We are toward the end of the reservation period with an 8am slot so I'm hoping things will have been ironed out by then. I just really hope the virtual queue isn't activated by that time (selfishly speaking of course).

 

[RedM94]

Did anyone end up calling yet? I made a reservation and added my husband but he said he has no interest. My daughter would love to bring her girlfriend if she is in town so I'd like to change the name as well. Mostly likely it will just be the two of us going though.

I have been able to change names on one of my reservations by changing the names on my DLRH reservation.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I think you are exactly right

Over the years I have met many people like you describe. I have talked to people while waiting in line who have no idea about booking restaurants, and who think you have to pay for Fastpasses, ie they dont know about the free kiosks. I have talked to people who are visiting LA and only decide just to go to Disneyland a few days before. LA is a HUGE tourist destination and so many tourists come to Disneyland without any pre planning or research.

My friend who had been going to the parks with her kids for a year (So Cal AP) and using the FP and MP system regularly thought until just recently (when I filled her in) that you could not hold more than one FP at a time (i.e., you had to use the FP you’re currently holding in order to get another one, regardless of how much time passes). There is so much about the parks that people just don’t know or don’t understand properly.

I think there will be tons of people showing up to go to SWGE who will be turned away. I hope the have plenty of signs at the parking garages and security warning people about needing an advanced reservation to enter the land. At least it would give people a chance to change their minds before they buy tickets, or to come to terms with the fact that they will not be seeing the land that day.

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

In terms of reservation period crowds in SWGE (not the other parts of the park) I'm thinking that it'll be lower than after SWGE opens to everyone. The reason is because I think that each reservation period will hold half the capacity of SWGE. Here's why: there will be two hours out of the four of each reservation period where the groups are overlapped. This means that during those two hours (beginning and end of each reservation period) SWGE should be at full capacity. however, the other two hours in the middle of a reservation period, crowds will be at half capacity. Just my thinking.

 

[midnight star]

My friend who had been going to the parks with her kids for a year (So Cal AP) and using the FP and MP system regularly thought until just recently (when I filled her in) that you could not hold more than one FP at a time (i.e., you had to use the FP you’re currently holding in order to get another one, regardless of how much time passes). There is so much about the parks that people just don’t know or don’t understand properly.

I think there will be tons of people showing up to go to SWGE who will be turned away. I hope the have plenty of signs at the parking garages and security warning people about needing an advanced reservation to enter the land. At least it would give people a chance to change their minds before they buy tickets, or to come to terms with the fact that they will not be seeing the land that day.

Yep I overhear so many convos in the park that you can only choose 1 at a time. Or one family I was listening to they thought you could only pick one ride through maxpass and the rest through the regular ones...not sure how they came to that conclusion

 

[alvernon90]

I think that each reservation period will hold half the capacity of SWGE. Here's why: there will be two hours out of the four of each reservation period where the groups are overlapped. This means that during those two hours (beginning and end of each reservation period) SWGE should be at full capacity. however, the other two hours in the middle of a reservation period, crowds will be at half capacity.

The problem with this theory is that Disney doesn't know what "capacity" means in this particular context. It's not the designed capacity of the land, because with Rise of the Resistance closed the land can tolerate many fewer people than the design. Plus the land is not meant to operate with a four hour time limit, so Disney has no idea how people will distribute themselves when they know they have to leave fairly soon.

My guess is that the number of people per time slot will vary, so Disney can experiment with how many people can comfortably make the land work when they switch to virtual queue. Some time slots will likely be more crowded than others, and we have no way of knowing in advance what any slot will look like. But I expect that overall they will try to keep the crowds well below what they think is the maximum so they get positive word of mouth for the first few weeks.

 

[Lesley Wake]

The problem with this theory is that Disney doesn't know what "capacity" means in this particular context. It's not the designed capacity of the land, because with Rise of the Resistance closed the land can tolerate many fewer people than the design. Plus the land is not meant to operate with a four hour time limit, so Disney has no idea how people will distribute themselves when they know they have to leave fairly soon.

My guess is that the number of people per time slot will vary, so Disney can experiment with how many people can comfortably make the land work when they switch to virtual queue. Some time slots will likely be more crowded than others, and we have no way of knowing in advance what any slot will look like. But I expect that overall they will try to keep the crowds well below what they think is the maximum so they get positive word of mouth for the first few weeks.

Yup, this! I think they wouldn't do it "at capacity" because it would just be too crowded! On Jim Hill's podcast he said on some of the CM previews they are literally testing how many people can fit in stores and spaces while still being comfortable! Well, comfortable enough that people are willing to still spend money!

I really just wish they called the reservation period what it is - a soft opening, or free previews. Then made the "Grand Opening" June 24th. There are going to be SOOOO many people who show up on May 31 and the days following that are going to be turned away. And they probably won't realize it until they try to enter the land, causing them to get mad and demanding refund on their tickets! I'm wondering what will be longer - the Smuggler's Run line or the line for Guest Services of complaining people!

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

The problem with this theory is that Disney doesn't know what "capacity" means in this particular context. It's not the designed capacity of the land, because with Rise of the Resistance closed the land can tolerate many fewer people than the design. Plus the land is not meant to operate with a four hour time limit, so Disney has no idea how people will distribute themselves when they know they have to leave fairly soon.

My guess is that the number of people per time slot will vary, so Disney can experiment with how many people can comfortably make the land work when they switch to virtual queue. Some time slots will likely be more crowded than others, and we have no way of knowing in advance what any slot will look like. But I expect that overall they will try to keep the crowds well below what they think is the maximum so they get positive word of mouth for the first few weeks.

Oh okay, thanks for letting me know. I really hope that they'll keep crowds relatively low (relative in comparison to what will happen after the reservation period)!

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

Yup, this! I think they wouldn't do it "at capacity" because it would just be too crowded! On Jim Hill's podcast he said on some of the CM previews they are literally testing how many people can fit in stores and spaces while still being comfortable! Well, comfortable enough that people are willing to still spend money!

I really just wish they called the reservation period what it is - a soft opening, or free previews. Then made the "Grand Opening" June 24th. There are going to be SOOOO many people who show up on May 31 and the days following that are going to be turned away. And they probably won't realize it until they try to enter the land, causing them to get mad and demanding refund on their tickets! I'm wondering what will be longer - the Smuggler's Run line or the line for Guest Services of complaining people!

Haha that's so true!

 

[Castillo Mom]

My friend who had been going to the parks with her kids for a year (So Cal AP) and using the FP and MP system regularly thought until just recently (when I filled her in) that you could not hold more than one FP at a time (i.e., you had to use the FP you’re currently holding in order to get another one, regardless of how much time passes). There is so much about the parks that people just don’t know or don’t understand properly.

I think there will be tons of people showing up to go to SWGE who will be turned away. I hope the have plenty of signs at the parking garages and security warning people about needing an advanced reservation to enter the land. At least it would give people a chance to change their minds before they buy tickets, or to come to terms with the fact that they will not be seeing the land that day.

It makes sense that there'll be some sort of notice given prior to entering the parks. When the new stroller and no smoking policies were implemented, flyers were being handed out at the parking entrances. I'll ask my DIL to see if they've shared any of this info with her since she's training for her new role in SW:GE.

 

[twodogs]

I have been able to change names on one of my reservations by changing the names on my DLRH reservation.

Good to know that works. We have a free reservation, so I think that will definitely require me to call. On your hotel reservation, did you have to call or could you modify it online?

 

[twodogs]

I think you are exactly right

Over the years I have met many people like you describe. I have talked to people while waiting in line who have no idea about booking restaurants, and who think you have to pay for Fastpasses, ie they dont know about the free kiosks. I have talked to people who are visiting LA and only decide just to go to Disneyland a few days before. LA is a HUGE tourist destination and so many tourists come to Disneyland without any pre planning or research.

Last year we were in the line to meet a character and were visiting with the family behind us. The two kids (around 4 and 6) were melting down. Father said they had not been on a single ride that morning (it was lunch time) because they waited SB for Splash, and it broke down right when they were near boarding. He had not received a FP to come ride it later, which I thought was strange. He said they had been walking around to rides, but the SB waits were all si high he didn’t think his kids could take it. I said, well have you gotten any FPs yet today? He said no we didn’t pay for FP!! Since the character line was miserably slow, by the time we reached the character, I had helped him download the app, see the wait times, explained FPs and how to get them, that they were free, etc. My public service for the trip!

It is this type of visitor who is going to be irate/disappointed/hysterical when they see an entire land that they simply can’t enter, even if they are wiling to wait in line all day.

I feel sorry for these folks on the one hand, but I am, on the other hand, going to irate/disappointed/hysterical if they allow folks to stand by and enter SWGE during the reservation-only period since I have a reservation!!

 

[Lesley Wake]

It makes sense that there'll be some sort of notice given prior to entering the parks. When the new stroller and no smoking policies were implemented, flyers were being handed out at the parking entrances. I'll ask my DIL to see if they've shared any of this info with her since she's training for her new role in SW:GE.

For Halloween party days, they have numerous signs that you have to physically avoid in order to enter the park. They all warn the park is closing early and the event is sold out. But EVERY time I’ve gone on a party day I always get stopped by people asking about it and are totally confused. One family bought park hoppers, spent most of the day in DCA. Around 4pm they finally came into DL and I spoke to them while in line for a corn dog around 5pm. They were shocked to learn they would be kicked out in an hour without really getting to experience Disneyland. I think the dad/grandpa was going to go complain at GS to try and get a refund for the park hopper portion.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey]

I think there will be tons of people showing up to go to SWGE who will be turned away. I hope the have plenty of signs at the parking garages and security warning people about needing an advanced reservation to enter the land. At least it would give people a chance to change their minds before they buy tickets, or to come to terms with the fact that they will not be seeing the land that day.

Unfortunately, I think they could post this info on the overpass of I5 and people will still be oblivious and show up without a reservation thinking they can walk right in. How folks in this day and age spend thousands of dollars on anything and not do a little research is beyond me.

I feel really bad for the CMs working SWGE during this time. Hope they extra security, management , and guest services on hand to back up the CMs.

 

[twodogs]

I’ll add this about the possibility of Disney letting in stand by folks during the reservation period: If they are not letting VIP tours into SWGE during the reservation period (and several OPs have confirmed that they have booked a VIP tour and have been told they will not have access to SWGE), then I can’t IMAGINE that they would let stand by folks into the land. So now that I thought about it this way, I feel a little more convinced that they won’t let in people who camp out at the land and complain that they don’t have a reservation.