Galaxy's Edge crowds at Disneyland lower than anticipated

El Bombastico · Jul 5, 2019

https://news.yahoo.com/disneyland-apos-star-wars-galaxy-162154414.html

For months, Disneyland officials prepared for the large crowds that would descend with the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the largest and most anticipated single-themed addition in the park's history.

Paths were widened, planters were narrowed and queues were redesigned, all in an effort to open as much room as possible when the new land opened. Steps were taken to control access, ensuring the 14-acre Black Spire Outpost would not burst at the seams.

Yet crowds have been lighter than anticipated since Galaxy's Edge opened to all visitors on June 24. (Reservations had been required for the three weeks prior.)

The virtual queue, which park officials created to handle high demand, has been triggered only a handful of times, typically in the morning. Otherwise, Galaxy's Edge has been open with no limits, allowing guests to come and go as they please.

Attendance has been relatively light through the rest of the park. Waits for Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean have typically been 20-30 minutes, roughly half of what might be expected this time of year. Shorter lines also have been seen for the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Speculation on the lower-than-expected attendance numbers has focused on two possible reasons, neither having to do with the look and feel of Galaxy's Edge.

First, potential visitors may have feared the anticipated crush of guests and decided to wait until the novelty wore off.

Second, some may have put off visiting until Rise of the Resistance opens. The cutting-edge attraction that takes riders aboard a Star Destroyer won't open until later this year. (Disney won't even hint as to a possible date.)

In addition, the cheapest annual passes aren't good through July and most of August.

I've been to Galaxy's Edge 3 times now (hurrah for select premium passport) and each time I noticed how light the crowd felt outside of the new Star Wars land. It was damn surreal experience compared to how crazy the park was last year during the summer. When I went last week after the reservation period was over, it seemed packed, but in the afternoon the rush seemed to die down.

I feel like people staying away deliberately might be the best explanation right now. With how much coverage this thing got for the past year and how much everyone was told how crazy it would be, a lot of people are probably staying away right now. Though if it stays low I wonder if Disney will left the blackout dates for lower tier passport holders. That might make the crowds insane again...

BDS · Jul 5, 2019

The fact that one of the two main attractions isn't even open is the reason I haven't bothered booking a Disney World trip for this upcoming year yet.

SirMossyBloke · Jul 5, 2019

The whole park is so damned expensive nowadays, I'm priced way out of it.

Ernest · Jul 5, 2019

I think part of it is that people are finally tired of the crazy inflated price/cost of going to a theme-park.

MMarston · Jul 5, 2019

First, potential visitors may have feared the anticipated crush of guests and decided to wait until the novelty wore off.

lol so everyone was waiting to psyche each other out

Brass Body Dave · Jul 5, 2019

Part of it is that I've seen enough video to not feel like I need to go there. The exposure it got is out of control, and I think I'm ok waiting years.

Suiko · Jul 5, 2019

MMarston said:
lol so everyone was waiting to psyche each other out

I don't know if the phenomenon applies here, but it's not too far from the bystander effect.

iareharSon · Jul 5, 2019

I assumed it'd be crowded, so we've been avoiding it. I actually went to Universal Studios weekend before last assuming Disney Land would be too crowded lmao

Deleted member 10629 · Jul 5, 2019

This is going to be a no fun allowed post, but it blows my mind how people still go to Disneyland given how expensive it is, and how much waiting involves. And worse, the existence of Fast Pass is just downright insulting.

/rant

HStallion · Jul 5, 2019

Probably more to do with the park nickle and diming you to death.

plagiarize · Jul 5, 2019

Speaking personally, I haven't seen enough to convince me it's worth going yet. Smuggler's run waiting area looks very cool, but the ride itself isn't that appealing as it's another smaller simulator deal that doesn't look super different to star tours, even with the interactivity. I don't want to spend huge money building a lightsaber to boot. So, yeah. I'm not feeling as much pull as say Pandora or Wizarding World, that seem to offer more fun stuff to do.

At least, until the other attractions are up and running.

bionic77 · Jul 5, 2019

I don't mind the price of Disney (though it sucks) as much as the insane crowds.

Waiting in line is never, ever fun. And there are almost no downtimes now for the parks so you can expect to sweat and wait and struggle for everything if you go to a Disney park these days.

Suiko · Jul 5, 2019

plagiarize said:
At least, until the other attractions are up and running.

They did a partial launch?

That might explain a bunch right there.

El Bombastico · Jul 5, 2019

Yeah, outside of the one ride, anything else good in the land right now requires money (a lot of it, in the case of the Lightsabers/droid).

Still doesn't explain why the rest of the park is barren as well...

Suiko said:
They did a partial launch?

That might explain a bunch right there.

Its just one more ride though.

ChristopherDX · Jul 5, 2019

This new land has ONE ride

$200 to build a light saber - which looks cheap and is a light show with Yodas voice.

$100 to build your own $30.00 droid.

$8 for "blue milk" that apparently tastes like crap

$12 for a "hot dog wrap" themed to Star Wars

What did they expect?????

Joshua · Jul 5, 2019

Disney: Lets block our two most popular annual passholder groups from entering Disneyland for 6 weeks during the summer this year.

Also Disney: Lets delay opening one of the key rides in our big expansion area.

*summer attendance plummits*

Disney: shockedpikachu.jpg

Rodney McKay · Jul 5, 2019

Fantastic, planning in going in September or October so hopefully the lines will be light by the time me and my fiancé go.

Hope they are still allowing the sale of individual Savi lightsaber pieces too. People have been able to do that and I'd love to be able to customize the lightsaber more.

Supercrap · Jul 5, 2019

They ran a very good discount earlier this year that I took advantage of before star wars opened since my kids are too young for Star wars anyways.

3 day 1 park a day for $210 (280 regularly AND the prices went up after)

I'm sure allot of people took advantage of this deal and aren't planning on going back for awhile

plagiarize · Jul 5, 2019

NarohDethan said:
This is going to be a no fun allowed post, but it blows my mind how people still go to Disneyland given how expensive it is, and how much waiting involves. And worse, the existence of Fast Pass is just downright insulting.

/rant

Disneyland is one of the *very* best single day parks I've been to. I got on everything I wanted (went in October during the halloween stuff). It's got a lot of attractions which help keep waits for the individual rides down. It's by far the best single Disney ticket of their parks in the US.

Magic Kingdom is an absolute snoozefest by comparison, with less rides and inferior copies of what Disneyland offers in some cases.

Islands of Adventure remains my number one, but Disneyland is right up there, and that's pre Galaxy's Edge.

Jiraiya · Jul 5, 2019

30 minutes is short? Boo that ish.

Ryan. · Jul 5, 2019

I know they lifted the blocking of higher tier annual passes but the lower tiers are still blocked as well as cast members, which if it's like the Orlando parks they can bring a couple of guests with them with their cast member passes so there goes a huge chunk of regulars.

I read that Disneyland is a lot more reliant on locals compared to Disney World so when you take away annual passes and cast members, throw in the other locals that just don't want to deal with the potential crowds, and yeah, you can see why it's quiet. Although from videos Galaxy's Edge still seems pretty busy.

I also heard that the entire park has been pretty quiet so I think it's just people wanting to avoid the craziness, not because it's expensive.

Darknight · Jul 5, 2019

The conclusion is spot on for me. I'm avoiding it because of fear of the crowds and because not everything is open yet. I had a choice to go but decided not to because of these two reasons and I frequent Disneyland pretty often.

plagiarize · Jul 5, 2019

Jiraiya said:
30 minutes is short? Boo that ish.

For Pirates? Sure. It's more than 12 minutes long.

El Bombastico · Jul 5, 2019

Rodney McKay said:
Fantastic, planning in going in September or October so hopefully the lines will be light by the time me and my fiancé go.

Hope they are still allowing the sale of individual Savi lightsaber pieces too. People have been able to do that and I'd love to be able to customize the lightsaber more.

Passport blackout dates end in September and the new ride opens up around that time. If you want to go, the next couple months would be the best time.

Rookhelm · Jul 5, 2019

Or maybe because Disney tickets are over a hundred dollars now

iareharSon · Jul 5, 2019

Supercrap said:
They ran a very good discount earlier this year that I took advantage of before star wars opened since my kids are too young for Star wars anyways.

3 day 1 park a day for $210 (280 regularly AND the prices went up after)

I'm sure allot of people took advantage of this deal and aren't planning on going back for awhile

Yup, I took advantage of this to go to Disney World for the first time. It happened to coincide with cheap roundtrip tickets from San Jose to Orlando.

PrimeBeef · Jul 5, 2019

BDS said:
The fact that one of the two main attractions isn't even open is the reason I haven't bothered booking a Disney World trip for this upcoming year yet.

People and crowds are mine. But I can see main attractions not being open keeping people away for now.

Ryan. · Jul 5, 2019

ChristopherDX said:
This new land has ONE ride

$200 to build a light saber - which looks cheap and is a light show with Yodas voice.

$100 to build your own $30.00 droid.

$8 for "blue milk" that apparently tastes like crap

$12 for a "hot dog wrap" themed to Star Wars

What did they expect?????

The only thing I'd agree with is the droid. They could have done better with that, by adding a bit more customization and a couple of extra items for free.

The lightsaber isn't cheap as it's not plastic and actual medal. Plus with the additional items you get and the experience and it's priced fairly well.

The food and specialty drinks are about on par with other food prices around the park.

CreepingFear · Jul 5, 2019

I was told that you wouldn't be able to see shit for like two years. That's why I've avoided going.

Deleted member 10629 · Jul 5, 2019

plagiarize said:
Disneyland is one of the *very* best single day parks I've been to. I got on everything I wanted (went in October during the halloween stuff). It's got a lot of attractions which help keep waits for the individual rides down. It's by far the best single Disney ticket of their parks in the US.

Magic Kingdom is an absolute snoozefest by comparison, with less rides and inferior copies of what Disneyland offers in some cases.

Islands of Adventure remains my number one, but Disneyland is right up there, and that's pre Galaxy's Edge.

I guess I'm just not attracted to amusement parks.

studyguy · Jul 5, 2019

My girlfriend wants to go but we both decided we'd probably see it sometime next year to avoid everyone rushing it.

subpar spatula · Jul 5, 2019

what's a galaxy edge? maybe disney has priced people out?

Torpedo Vegas · Jul 5, 2019

I can't afford it.

werezompire · Jul 5, 2019

As someone who used to live in Southern California & has been to Disneyland many times, as well as Disney Tokyo, TokyoSea, and Hong Kong Disneyland, the lines predicted for Galaxy's Edge + the high cost just sound so unappealing.

Of the 4 Disney amusement parks I've been to, Hong Kong is by far my favorite. It's much cheaper than California Disneyland, the lines were very short when we went (It's a Small World's lines were so short that the wait was basically just how long it took to walk to the front of the line), and they have some decent unique rides that I haven't seen elsewhere like Mystic Manor instead of the Haunted Mansion (yeah, Haunted Mansion has nostalgia, but I think Mystic Manor is a much better ride in general with newer tech & a good mix of scary + jokes), an Iron Man defending Hong Kong from invasion ride instead of Star Tours, and the Toy Story RC Racer ride (which is basically one of those pirate ship rides that rock back and forth but a lot bigger & faster than normal).

Jiraiya · Jul 5, 2019

plagiarize said:
For Pirates? Sure. It's more than 12 minutes long.

I'm not an amusement park kind of person.... So those numbers sound like the wait/ride time split isn't worth it.

Lazlow · Jul 5, 2019

El Bombastico said:
I feel like people staying away deliberately might be the best explanation right now. With how much coverage this thing got for the past year and how much everyone was told how crazy it would be, a lot of people are probably staying away right now.

This feels like a reasonable explanation but like, this isn't the 90's or even the 00's when you heard something and then that was it; people can find out the news instantly about it being slow and react accordingly surely?

plagiarize · Jul 5, 2019

Jiraiya said:
I'm not an amusement park kind of person.... So those numbers sound like the wait/ride time split isn't worth it.

You wouldn't wait 20 to 30 minutes for a 12 minute ride? Yeah. Theme parks aren't for you. That's one of the best wait to ride ratios you'll find in a popular park.

BringBackSonics · Jul 5, 2019

People put off vacations because they thought it was going to be packed. Not surprised, but now I guess its not packed because everyone put it off lol

I'm not putting any of this of people being priced out.

Dekuman · Jul 5, 2019

Most people I know have plans to visit next year or the year after to avoid crowds. This may mean more.crowds in 2 years time

Maynerd · Jul 5, 2019

Lazlow said:
This feels like a reasonable explanation but like, this isn't the 90's or even the 00's when you heard something and then that was it; people can find out the news instantly about it being slow and react accordingly surely?

True but people make plans for vacations months in advance.

Ryan. · Jul 5, 2019

Lazlow said:
This feels like a reasonable explanation but like, this isn't the 90's or even the 00's when you heard something and then that was it; people can find out the news instantly about it being slow and react accordingly surely?

I guess it just depends on the people. How many of them can just get up and head to a Disney park after seeing the lines aren't really that bad? Plus a lot of them do have trips planned but for later when they think times won't be bad.

Deleted member 13798 · Jul 5, 2019

ChristopherDX said:
This new land has ONE ride

$200 to build a light saber - which looks cheap and is a light show with Yodas voice.

$100 to build your own $30.00 droid.

$8 for "blue milk" that apparently tastes like crap

$12 for a "hot dog wrap" themed to Star Wars

What did they expect?????

Is that really what's on offer? Woof, that sounds highly underwhelming especially considering the already high costs.

El Bombastico · Jul 5, 2019

Lazlow said:
This feels like a reasonable explanation but like, this isn't the 90's or even the 00's when you heard something and then that was it; people can find out the news instantly about it being slow and react accordingly surely?

Unless you're a passport holder, you can't just change your plans on going to Disneyland on the fly. If you're not a resident and have to stay and eat at or around the park you're looking at spending at least a thousand dollars every day you are there, more depending on your family size.

Ryan. · Jul 5, 2019

Fury451 said:
Is that really what's on offer? Woof, that sounds highly underwhelming especially considering the already high costs.

Well if you're going to spend money for a one day pass and just go straight to one portion of the park, yeah it's probably going to be underwhelming.

BringBackSonics · Jul 5, 2019

Lazlow said:
This feels like a reasonable explanation but like, this isn't the 90's or even the 00's when you heard something and then that was it; people can find out the news instantly about it being slow and react accordingly surely?

Most families plan out their vacations Months in advance to try and coincide with breaks for school etc. We had already determined back in November that we would not be going till 2020 to avoid the Star Wars Rush.

iareharSon · Jul 5, 2019

And are they talking about weekdays or weekends? Weekends from what I've experienced are hell no matter what, especially during the Summer. I tend to avoid Disney Land in the Summer anyways. Whenever I go to Disney Land or California Adventure during the week in the non-Summer months, the crowds have always been more than manageable.

Stuntman · Jul 5, 2019

captmcblack · Jul 5, 2019

Shit's too expensive. I doubt it's some sort of lowering in popularity, but I'm sure they'd have no trouble having crazy lines for the new stuff if they could temper the costs a bit.

Calamari41 · Jul 5, 2019

This is probably a Carmageddon effect. Everybody I know who regularly goes to Disneyland is basically abstaining for months due to the opening of Galaxy's Edge. It's actually been intimidating watching them build the massive new parking structure over the course of the past year, it's not confusing at all that people have been scared away from going near the park during the opening of this thing.

Beef Supreme · Jul 5, 2019

Well I'm one of those people that were waiting for the novelty to wear off. The other reason is that the biggest attraction of that area isn't even open.

Galaxy's Edge crowds at Disneyland lower than anticipated

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