The Running Thread - 2019

[KSellers88]

I am not a big Star Wars fan, so I'm just hoping the opening will keep crowds away from Toy Story Land on my Wine and Dine trip...

 

[Wendy98]

Checking in briefly after a long hiatus....

I just got home from California yesterday morning. The sole purpose of the trip was to visit SWGE. It did not disappoint. The most amazing part? The crowds were so low! We went our arrival day--I made a reservation at Oga's Cantina as soon as we landed. You can only make reservations for same day. It was so neat! They limit you to 45 minutes which was fine--my kids didn't want to hang out forever in essentially, a bar. We all got drinks and spent a small fortune. We then got some pics and went to Millennium Falcon. It said it was a 45 minute wait--probably close to that, maybe a tiny bit less. The line moves well (there is no FP currently) and there is lots to look at. Ride was good--not going to be a favorite, but it was fun. We ate at the quick serve--Docking Bay 7. It was fine, but not fantastic. We then walked around the rest of the land. It is so big. You could see where the other ride was and there are a few other photo ops. We did not visit any of the stores, so I can't comment on that.

We went again a few days later in our trip because I wanted to see it at night. We tried both blue and green milk. They are good--we all preferred the blue. They are basically smoothies. Then we rode Millennium Falcon again--again, posted 45 minute wait. It was probably 35-40 minutes.

A few pics:





Inside Oga's:







Waiting to get into Oga's. The stormtroopers walk around everywhere and interact with people.




And in other news, I have resumed running. VERY, VERY, SLOWLY. I'll expand on that another time.

 

[steph0808]

I'd love to go to SWGE earlier, but the soonest I will be there is Marathon Weekend. I'm planning on spending all day Friday at DHS. I'd like to go back on Monday again, but we are doing the Keys to the Kingdom tour, plus our flight is that night, so I doubt we will get another chance to go back.

 

[bananabean]

Possible QOTD that is sort of about running, but not really: Not sure if this has been asked already but what is everyone thinking about future SWGE trips? Are you altering your rundisney plans next year so you can go or so you can avoid it? Are you planning pre-ROTR trip or waiting til after?

ATPQOTD: I’m not planning any significant park time for W&D, and probably not any until the 50th anniversary. While I would really like to see SWGE because I love theme parks and the detail Disney puts in, as a non-Star Wars fan, I just can’t justify the cost anymore.

I figure once the 50th comes around I won’t be so burned out on the parks and can go back during a run week for a longer trip and enjoy everything I’ve missed or skipped for a few years.

 

[garneska]

ATPQOTD: Not going before Marathon weekend. For Marathon weekend only planning one park day and that will be Monday at Epcot for DATW. We do have another trip planned for Oct 2020 and that is when i plan to tackle SWGE.

 

[Bree]

ATTQOTD: I’m hoping to get in with a passholder preview. I stalk the preview watch thread over on TPAS like crazy.

 

[rteetz]

ATTQOTD: I’m hoping to get in with a passholder preview. I stalk the preview watch thread over on TPAS like crazy.

That thread moves like crazy too

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Possible QOTD that is sort of about running, but not really: Not sure if this has been asked already but what is everyone thinking about future SWGE trips? Are you altering your rundisney plans next year so you can go or so you can avoid it? Are you planning pre-ROTR trip or waiting til after?

I have two runDisney trips next year that will both involve me spending a lot of time in Galaxy's Edge even though I've already spent a lot of time there in Disneyland with more time still to come before I head out for marathon weekend and Star Wars race weekend.

ATTQOTD: At this moment in time, we plan to rope drop DHS to head to SWGE on 1/14/20 (Tues) and 1/15/20 (Wed) after the marathon weekend races. Those are the last two park days we're there, so we're pushing it as far as we can in our trip in an attempt to diminish the possible crowds. But I'm sure I'm not alone in this strategy. Strategy may change between now and then, and we'll see what happens on Tues to dictate what we end up doing on Wed.

I think the biggest wildcard in all this is that we don't yet know how Disney World is planning to handle the opening.

Are they going to use any sort of reservation required system like Disneyland did for the first two weeks?

Are they going to use the boarding group system that Disneyland has in place, but has only needed to use twice so far?

Are they going for the free for all method wherein you show up, get in line, and wait? And wait. And wait. And wait.

Will they offer extended extra magic hours for SWGE for all resort guests? If yes, for how long?

Going to DL in September and glad ROTR is not open yet, because I am holding out hope that that is what’s keeping crowds away.

I think that's part of it, but Disneyland also blocked out all deluxe APs in addition to the SoCal passes for Disneyland this summer when they thought that SWGE would be fully operational. There is heavy speculation that once those blockouts are lifted next month, things will change.

And I'm a SW fan. So yeah, I have many plans for SWGE!

You and me both. I'm heading down to Disneyland next month with my sister and her family and I know she's thinking "what have I gotten myself into?" as I tell her all my plans for things I'm going to do in SWGE with my nephews.

I am heading back to Disneyland next week and have to take the kid to see it so I am interested to see if it is any different crowd-wise from when we went during opening week when it was reservations only.

I was just there last Saturday. Aside from walking to and from SWGE and one ride on Star Tours, I spent the entire day in SWGE. I thought it was a little bit more crowded than the reservation period, but still quite pleasant.

Marathon Weekend have to go back and see Rise of the Resistance.

I already have tentative ideas about how I'm going to handle that.

As a resident SWGE expert I cannot wait to see it in person.

I can't wait to experience it when it's fully realized. As much as I love it right now, it does feel incomplete pending ROTR opening. To me one of the most impressive things it pulls off is managing to feel you are not actually in Disneyland.

So are you going to get a droid to keep the banshee company?

The real question is how many droids to keep each other company? My nephew and I already have plans to build a droid next month.

 

[DIS-OH]

Not running related, but...most of you can probably relate...

I got THAT message last night...you know, the one when a friend messages you to say, “hey, we’re in Florida at the beach and going to Disney tomorrow. Where do we get tickets? And is Fast Pass worth it? We thought we’d check with you since you go to Disney a lot.”

 

[rteetz]

Not running related, but...most of you can probably relate...

I got THAT message last night...you know, the one when a friend messages you to say, “hey, we’re in Florida at the beach and going to Disney tomorrow. Where do we get tickets? And is Fast Pass worth it? We thought we’d check with you since you go to Disney a lot.”

Gotta love that. I always love when people ask me how much is FP?

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD:
Going to DL in August as part of a California trip. We plan to visit SWGE then. And the next time will be Marathon Weekend. We will probably rope drop SWGE Wednesday January 8... The only morning when we were not obliged to wakeup (Flight Tuesday and Dopey after)!

 

[Wendy98]

Anyone planning to go to DL, get the MAXPASS. OMG, best money spent! DL fp system is so superior to WDW.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I always love when people ask me how much is FP?

I've had other park guests argue with me when I tell them FP is included with park admission. They just don't believe me.

DL fp system is so superior to WDW.

Agreed. The only thing I like about WDW's system is the MagicBand and being able to scan it for FP and make purchases with it provided it's linked to my credit card. But MaxPass is really nice. You can get a lot of FPs that way if you're aware of your window.

 

[Kazrak]

Not running related, but...most of you can probably relate...

I got THAT message last night...you know, the one when a friend messages you to say, “hey, we’re in Florida at the beach and going to Disney tomorrow. Where do we get tickets? And is Fast Pass worth it? We thought we’d check with you since you go to Disney a lot.”

And here I'm thinking, "In July? Are you MAD?" But they're there already, so they presumably know what the weather's like.

 

[dis_or_dat]

ATTQOTDs:

-balancing family and running is so tough, especially with very young children. There's a lot of compromises to make and communication is imperative. It's something I still struggle with. Initially, even getting 25 min on a treadmill was a battle - but I would run as hard as I could and it would make a huge difference. I think my husband is starting to understand how important running is to me, but I've stopped everything else like girls nights out if I'm training because I don't think it's fair to him. I do wake up at 4:30am for runs too.

-SWGE: it's amazing. I can't wait to go back! The little one always napped through our reservation times, so I'm excited to show him everything. Jealous of everyone who gets to go on ROTR.

-Maxpass is everything! We went with 2 other families, so we connected all of our tickets with the Disneyland app and maxpassed all the tickets at once.

@Wendy98 - will you be able to run Berlin? Can you defer?

 

[Barca33Runner]

Re: SWGE

I booked a trip for Sept. 5-10 back in February thinking, for multiple reasons, that there was zero chance SWGE was going to be open (heavy room discounts and previously stated timetable of "late fall 2019" (I think that was the wording) being the most influential). Anyway, I've been back and forth in my mind about how SWGE will affect our trip so many times that I don't even know what my thoughts are anymore. On the one hand, I think it's so close to opening day that there must be an increase in crowds (surely) and that it will spill over into other parks and make my carefully chosen non-busy week (relative to Disney) now a busy one. On the other, I see how things are going in California and it doesn't seem to be overrun (quite the opposite according to some reports I've seen). So I've got no idea what I'm expecting anymore and I am willing to believe any reasonable (and most unreasonable) predictions about what the crowds will be like in both SWGE and the parks in general.

I arrive before 10 AM on the 5th and my family doesn't get in late that night. I booked a FP+ for 11:xx for RnRC because I plan to head over to DHS while waiting for my room notification specifically to scout the plausibility of bringing my sister, niece and nephew back to SWGE later in the trip (and, in the incredibly unlikely event that the crowds are manageable, a fun first look by myself). Tentatively, we have Saturday morning available for the 6 AM Early Magic Hour attempt if it is deemed necessary and not totally insane. I'm cautiously optimistic that the existence of SWGE will not negatively affect our trip; despite being a huge Star Wars fan, I'm ready to completely ignore it and just have fun at the other parks, attractions and at our resort.

Anyway, I'll be happy to report our experiences in my journal after I get back.

ETA: I have a curiosity about SWGE and I’ve previously stated my fandom but, I have to be honest, I’ve watched a ton of content about what has opened in DL and outside of walking around and riding Smugglers Run I’m not interested in any of the other potentially available experiences. The food looks meh (or, at least, there are things I’m equally or more excited to try at any number of other places in WDW). I’m a massive nerd and am only slightly embarrassed to admit that I own multiple lightsabers that are of higher quality than anything I can make or purchase in SWGE. The droid depot is interesting, but seems a little $$$. I don’t drink alcohol and despite the existence of plenty of non-alcoholic specialty drinks at Ogas it just doesn’t hold much appeal to me. All this is to say, if the crowd levels primarily affect SWGE and not the other parks I’ll be more than happy to leave SWGE for everyone else and just have fun elsewhere.

 

[Dopey 2020]

ATTQOTD: I’m hoping to get in with a passholder preview. I stalk the preview watch thread over on TPAS like crazy.

This 1000 times. I have no idea at this point how I could book or pay for the trip, but I want it anyways. Every time I get an email from Disney I’m like a kid at Christmas until I open it and it’s nothing

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Re: SWGE

On the other, I see how things are going in California and it doesn't seem to be overrun (quite the opposite according to some reports I've seen). So I've got no idea what I'm expecting anymore and I am willing to believe any reasonable (and most unreasonable) predictions about what the crowds will be like in both SWGE and the parks in general.

Please keep in mind that almost all DL patrons have annual passes, and most of those passes are blacked out right now. That, combined with the bad press about the limited time allowed in SWGE, is why the crowds are so low. WDW will be nothing like this. The crowds will be huge. The only question is what SWGE will do for folks who prefer the other parks and do not have plans to visit SWGE. Will there be so many people traveling to WDW for SWGE that all of the parks become a madhouse, or will the other parks experience lower crowds? Based on my experience when they opened Pandora, I am betting that all of the parks will be mobbed.

 

[TheHamm]

Anyone planning to go to DL, get the MAXPASS. OMG, best money spent! DL fp system is so superior to WDW.

I almost agree with this. However, almost nothing in fantasyland is available for FL FP which made going with small people harder than we expected. When we went without the kids, we much prefer the DL system over the WDW system so I am optimistic as they grow and take on bigger rides it will work out better.

At WDW we can have manageable lines in the morning and use our FP for smaller kid attractions before heading out for an early afternoon break. This was not possible in DL. On what appeared to be lower attendance days, it was not a problem. When we went on a Saturday the wait for everything in FL was over an hour, which is longer than I can get one of my kids to wait for anything, so we ended up riding much less than we do in WDW. We actually rode more at MK on Christmas day than we got in that day at DL.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Please keep in mind that almost all DL patrons have annual passes, and most of those passes are blacked out right now. That, combined with the bad press about the limited time allowed in SWGE, is why the crowds are so low. WDW will be nothing like this. The crowds will be huge. The only question is what SWGE will do for folks who prefer the other parks and do not have plans to visit SWGE. Will there be so many people traveling to WDW for SWGE that all of the parks become a madhouse, or will the other parks experience lower crowds? Based on my experience when they opened Pandora, I am betting that all of the parks will be mobbed.

Yeah, I’m aware of the quirks of DL that make assuming any parallels between the two resorts treacherous. Like I said, I’m prepared to believe anything at this point. I’m just not sure at what level of inception we are with SWGE.

“I’m so excited. We need to be there opening week.”
“Yeah, but it’s going to be so crowded. We should probably wait a while”
“Well, if everyone thinks like that maybe we should go as early as possible. Gotta zig when everyone else zags.”
“But Rise of the Resistance isn’t even going to be open yet. We should wait to go until the whole land is open.”

I’m expecting things in all of the parks to be very busy. In my mind I’m preparing for a similar experience to the holiday/New Years crowds of Marathon Weekend 2018. Those weren’t ideal, but we still managed to have a good time. I’m sure the same will be true this time regardless of the crowds.