midnight star
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2017
- Messages
- 5,298
I wanted to give a little insight on how to manage SWGE experiences on a higher crowd day. Yesterday I went with some friends. There were 5 of us total. 3 of us have annual passes, and 2 used the $99 promotion tickets. So far this summer crowds have been manageable. They've picked up this week. Yesterday though, it was sooo crowded! Like ridiculously crowded! We didn't get there until 10 am (maybe that was our problem lol), but people were pouring into the park. Ride times were already at an hour long.
Observations:
- Even though it was very crowded, we still got a lot of rides done with maxpass. We did 11 total.
- It was a little stressful trying to balance fastpass and standby times with Cantina and Light Saber Reservations. If you are visiting for multiple days, I would spread out what you want to do, so you aren't time crunched. Since we had non-passholders with us, we only had a day. If you do have a day, you will have to choose what you really want to do. You may have to miss out on some favorite rides. We weren't able to do Indy, Soarin' and Matterhorn. These were rides we thought we would be able to do prior to arriving.
- Our Cantina reservation was at 12:05. They got behind schedule and therefore the whole process to check in, wait to get in, and drink was over an hour long. So be mindful of that if you are wanting to do the cantina. The cast member working the line wasn't nice at all. Not sure if that is how they are supposed to be, but I was shocked at him being rude. This was my 3rd time going, but everyone else's first, so it wasn't the best experience. EDIT TO ADD: There is a 2 drink limit per person. If you are in a group, you can each buy 2 drinks and share so you can taste different items.
- The guys wanted to do lightsabers, and booked 5:25 reservations while we were waiting in line at the Cantina. This added more stress because we had to strategically decide what to do, so we wouldn't be late, and risk getting charged $400. Thankfully we made it.
- We had to suck it up, and wait in some longer than desired lines. We waited 75 minutes for Space, 75 for Smugglers Run, 45 for Incredicoaster. We had RSR fastpasses at 3:05, but of course earlier in the day it broke down, and when it was back up, everyone came back to use their replacement fastpasses. The line to scan in was all the way past Luigi's. My advice to this would be to be careful picking ride times. As well all know, we've had a couple earthquakes the last few days, so we were nervous another earthquake or aftershock would hit and we would get stuck on a ride. But like I mentioned earlier we made it on time. That was a big sigh of relief lol.
-ANOTHER EDIT TO ADD: I've seen people wonder about kids doing the Savi's lightsabers. I asked a while back myself for a coworker. I would say, if you feel comfortable with your kids having one (and you're comfortable paying), then it should be fine. We saw several children with them. The experience itself is pretty cool, and the only thing you are really assembling is the hilt, and they guide you through that. So as long as your kid can follow instructions, it should be fine. There was a boy next to us who looked about 9 and he built one (and his was pretty cool too lol).
Hope this helps some for those wanting to juggle SWGE plus other park experiences when it's crowded.
Observations:
- Even though it was very crowded, we still got a lot of rides done with maxpass. We did 11 total.
- It was a little stressful trying to balance fastpass and standby times with Cantina and Light Saber Reservations. If you are visiting for multiple days, I would spread out what you want to do, so you aren't time crunched. Since we had non-passholders with us, we only had a day. If you do have a day, you will have to choose what you really want to do. You may have to miss out on some favorite rides. We weren't able to do Indy, Soarin' and Matterhorn. These were rides we thought we would be able to do prior to arriving.
- Our Cantina reservation was at 12:05. They got behind schedule and therefore the whole process to check in, wait to get in, and drink was over an hour long. So be mindful of that if you are wanting to do the cantina. The cast member working the line wasn't nice at all. Not sure if that is how they are supposed to be, but I was shocked at him being rude. This was my 3rd time going, but everyone else's first, so it wasn't the best experience. EDIT TO ADD: There is a 2 drink limit per person. If you are in a group, you can each buy 2 drinks and share so you can taste different items.
- The guys wanted to do lightsabers, and booked 5:25 reservations while we were waiting in line at the Cantina. This added more stress because we had to strategically decide what to do, so we wouldn't be late, and risk getting charged $400. Thankfully we made it.
- We had to suck it up, and wait in some longer than desired lines. We waited 75 minutes for Space, 75 for Smugglers Run, 45 for Incredicoaster. We had RSR fastpasses at 3:05, but of course earlier in the day it broke down, and when it was back up, everyone came back to use their replacement fastpasses. The line to scan in was all the way past Luigi's. My advice to this would be to be careful picking ride times. As well all know, we've had a couple earthquakes the last few days, so we were nervous another earthquake or aftershock would hit and we would get stuck on a ride. But like I mentioned earlier we made it on time. That was a big sigh of relief lol.
-ANOTHER EDIT TO ADD: I've seen people wonder about kids doing the Savi's lightsabers. I asked a while back myself for a coworker. I would say, if you feel comfortable with your kids having one (and you're comfortable paying), then it should be fine. We saw several children with them. The experience itself is pretty cool, and the only thing you are really assembling is the hilt, and they guide you through that. So as long as your kid can follow instructions, it should be fine. There was a boy next to us who looked about 9 and he built one (and his was pretty cool too lol).
Hope this helps some for those wanting to juggle SWGE plus other park experiences when it's crowded.
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