Star Wars: Rise of the Crowds

[Twol247]

Being a huge star wars fan and having the very video games I played become tangible. This feels like a dream. Something that when I go there see and experience all of this land has to offer, I am going to come home that night wake up the next day for all to be gone.

The good news, it won't be the second part of what I just said. The bad news is that this will become a magnet for crowds of all ages. For the generation who were fans of the original trilogy, for a generation who were fans of the newer trilogy, and for the generation we are in now who are fans of the trilogy that is wrapping up this saga.

All that to say the word most of having come to cringe when it's said "Crowds". This word is what Disney is known for and not necessarily just for bad crowds but good ones as well. So let's focus on the positive on how this will impact the parks, specifically Hollywood Studios.

I think Galaxy's Edge will bring such an enormous crowd of people that Disney will have to promote more job openings, allowing more employment and explore new ways of casting for the exclusive shows that will take place in the land. This may also force the company to re-evaluate pay as seeing how the crowds affect the economy of the parks after seeing the attention this new land receives.

We can less assume Disney World will do a reservation system, as was done in Disneyland, helping regulate a new type of crowd control structure forcing guests to explore the rest of the Hollywood Studios while they wait or come on certain days as to evenly disperse crowds throughout the week.

Now it's time for discussion. What do we think will be the fate of this new land? What do we think will happen with the Rise of the Crowds?

 

[tlmadden73]

If the crowds are so much (and Disney can't control them) that you can't experience this land without tremendous lines, it will probably start to get a bad rep. It will just be interesting to see what "normal" crowds will be like once the DL reservation system stops.

I think controlling the amount of people in and out of the land will be key for a while at WDW, otherwise lines for the simple things people want to experience (the Cantina, the shops, the food, the drinks) will frustrate guests. I'm okay with getting a reservation, with being limited in my time in there, etc. if that means I can experience the land without lines spilling into walkways and long waits for the smallest of things.

While Pandora is an immersive land, it is mainly a themed area with two cool rides and a restaurant. There isn't the amount of other stuff (besides the store) to explore. SWGE is different with a wide variety of shops and food as well as other immersive things (like the phone app stuff) to want to explore .. doing that with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds isn't going to be very immersive.

The main problem with the land is the lack of the Rise of the Resistance as a crowd eater. That means more people are going to be doing the food and shopping, making it more crowded.

 

[fatmanatee]

Nobody really knows until 1. the reservation period is done and 2. Rise opens but I think people are generally just expecting it to be bad. How bad is a different question but again, nobody knows.

 

[NWOhiogal]

I worry about the crowds in Orlando, given that A. so far Disney hasn't said it's going to try to mitigate them at all and B. the climate in Orlando is very different than Anaheim, eg, much hotter and more humid. I don't see a whole lot in GE in the way of shade and ways to get air flow, and my concern is that so many people are going to be smooshed into a comparatively narrow space with high walls and thus no way for a breeze to get through, and someone is going to faint/get hurt, especially in that opening rush.

My hope is that Orlando adopts something like the FastPass system, where resort guests can reserve a slot for GE and, when they show up at registration, get a colored wristband just like at Anaheim so CMs can keep track of who needs to be politely told their time is up. That seems to be working well for Anaheim and keeps the crowds at a manageable level, and that's crucial for GE's success, particularly in places like Oga's Cantina, where without crowd control the first people to get there will just hang out there all day and nobody else will be able to get in.

 

[rteetz]

I worry about the crowds in Orlando, given that A. so far Disney hasn't said it's going to try to mitigate them at all and B. the climate in Orlando is very different than Anaheim, eg, much hotter and more humid. I don't see a whole lot in GE in the way of shade and ways to get air flow, and my concern is that so many people are going to be smooshed into a comparatively narrow space with high walls and thus no way for a breeze to get through, and someone is going to faint/get hurt, especially in that opening rush.

My hope is that Orlando adopts something like the FastPass system, where resort guests can reserve a slot for GE and, when they show up at registration, get a colored wristband just like at Anaheim so CMs can keep track of who needs to be politely told their time is up. That seems to be working well for Anaheim and keeps the crowds at a manageable level, and that's crucial for GE's success, particularly in places like Oga's Cantina, where without crowd control the first people to get there will just hang out there all day and nobody else will be able to get in.

WDW is telling guests that capacity is limited so I wouldn’t expect wall to wall people.

 

[Dracoa Dragoon]

When it opens in Orlando, it will be whoever lined up at 5am to get in, followed by a at capacity GE throughout the day, as late comers line up throughout the rest of HS waiting for a few people to trickle out of GE and squeeze in.

 

[hertamaniac]

The main problem with the land is the lack of the Rise of the Resistance as a crowd eater. That means more people are going to be doing the food and shopping, making it more crowded.

And without that attraction (included in your ticket price) online, the other experiences brings in extra Disney revenue via guest spending.

 

[AquaDame]

When it opens in Orlando, it will be whoever lined up at 5am to get in, followed by a at capacity GE throughout the day, as late comers line up throughout the rest of HS waiting for a few people to trickle out of GE and squeeze in.

My only real question is how long will it be like that though.... reservations at DL is only running for about a month, so will the "no FP+" at WDW only run for a month or so at WDW also? If not, I wonder how long it will be before they DO start allowing FP+ reservations...

 

[tlmadden73]

When it opens in Orlando, it will be whoever lined up at 5am to get in, followed by a at capacity GE throughout the day, as late comers line up throughout the rest of HS waiting for a few people to trickle out of GE and squeeze in.

I don't know if that will be the case .. I mean .. maybe the first week or so.
Sure . .the first day or two they will probably line people up in and around Muppets Courtyard in a queue, but after that? I guess it all depends .. September (just because traditionally people aren't vacationing there as much) may be less crowded but I am sure the crowds will pick back up in October from their normal Halloween-time crowds.

Really it comes down to where the crowds will go. How many families are making special trips just for SWGE this fall, how many are waiting until 2020? There are four parks to spread the crowds out .. Will some people avoid DHS altogether to avoid what they think will be a crowded park? Will some people go to DHS and not go to SWGE? I mean there will still be huge demand for Flight of Passage over at AK, it's not like ever guest will try to go to DHS every day.

Hopefully they will AT LEAST do a virtual queue (to get in)if it reaches capacity. I'm okay if they limit the people inside, as long as there is a way to usher people out and there is a way to NOT wait in line (and waste hours) just to get in the LAND itself (just to wait again to ride the ride and eat food).

Who knows .. maybe the extra, extra magic hours will help more than we think. I mean . .not everyone resort guest is going to want to go to SWGE at 6:00 AM .. especially after the excitement dies down a month or so later. And the fact that the other parks will have EMH every day will draw people there. I guess we wait and see.

 

[Davey Jones II]

EEMH was instituted to mitigate the crowds, so hopefully that will work. I do strongly agree that a virtual queue is a necessity if the land closes for capacity reasons at any time.