Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Disney's Hollywood Studios)

[gabe3235]

Visited the land today, definitely enjoyed it quite a bit. It all felt much bigger than I was expecting it to, but there wasn't really much to do without spending money and waiting in a line to visit a gift shop or getting food. It seems like they're relying too heavily on CM interactions and the upcharge experiences to carry the land as of right now. Tried the Blue and Green Milk, both were terrible (Blue especially).

Smuggler's Run queue was extending out past the Milk Stand so we just did single riders (probably around 20 minutes there). I had engineer and didn't see anyone else in my crew pushing any buttons, ended up making me feel incredibly sick. The little bit of the queue that we did see looked great and I'm sure the ride is much better when you have a group of friends with you.

Overall, I'd probably rank it just under Pandora but that could definitely change with RotR. Some proper shade would be much appreciated, and I think it would benefit from having music inside the land as well.

 

[Tbad556]

Just got back from visiting as well and unfortunately have to kinda echo @gabe3235 and @SeventyOne. I thought it was cool, but really lacking. I'm a local with no interest in dropping insane amounts of money on droids or lightsabers, so I kinda circled the land a few times checking out every shop I could and eventually just left. The shops in the Market are so incredibly cramped and underwhelming. For a land focused so heavily on trying to make you feel like you're in the movies, the shops are really just pawning off some of the lowest levels merch humanly possible (cups, shirts, plushes). I wish they tried to push the merch in more creative directions.

I felt the same way about Oga that @SeventyOne did sadly. My girlfriend and I were awkwardly thrown into a spot at the bar with absolutely no space and the people in that part of the bar understandably had no desire to inch over to try to make space. There was literally no way they could've made way for two people let alone one and even then, who would ever want to drink like that?

I'm actually a fan of the current trilogy and I still just felt completely whelmed by the land. A few stormtroopers roaming around isn't enough to make the land feel alive, especially when they were already so common in the park pre-Galaxy's Edge. Seeing Rey fidget around in her area briefly was actually really cool however. I really think the scrapped droids would've brought a lot of life to this land because right now, it just doesn't have enough of that Star Wars vibe for me at all.

I held off on MFSR because I have family potentially coming on Sunday or Monday and wanted to save that experience, so that could absolutely change things a bit for me and I absolutely do think RotR has the potential to be an absolute gamechanger.

 

[Teebin]

I'm actually a fan of the current trilogy and I still just felt completely whelmed by the land.

Your use of whelmed... I can’t tell if you mean it in a good way or a bad way?

 

[Tbad556]

Your use of whelmed... I can’t tell if you mean it in a good way or a bad way?

I may have misused it a little lol. I just found it perfectly "fine". Neither blown away nor finding it the worst thing ever. Some aspects impressed quite a bit. Some disappointed quite a bit. We both kind of just left a little confused, I guess.

I just wish there was more to do honestly. Street entertainment, shows, something. I shouldn't have to spend money every time I enter the land to be entertained. It kills the repeat value a bit when all of the "big things" revolve around purchasing things (outside of the rides of course, but with only one there, that's fairly limiting too for now). It almost feels like this land is just too upcharge heavy. I think Savi's Workshop could be incredibly cool from what I've seen, but I'm not spending $200 on a lightsaber. I'd love something more like Ollivander's where you can watch/participate without buying the actual product if that makes sense.

 

[Teebin]

So, you can’t really do Savi’s unless you slap down some money? Can you play with the saber parts at all without spending money?

 

[Tbad556]

So, you can’t really do Savi’s unless you slap down some money? Can you play with the saber parts at all without spending money?

Honestly, I don't know for sure, but I don't think so. Everything I've seen has said that you need a reservation to do the experience. I would love to hear otherwise though because it does seem fun.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

So, you can’t really do Savi’s unless you slap down some money? Can you play with the saber parts at all without spending money?

Nope you need to book it and pay upfront.

 

[Teebin]

Nope you need to book it and pay upfront.

OMG. (in case you cannot tell, i am rolling my eyes) I wonder how booked with reservations they are or is it all hidden from view so that no one really knows?

The word “upcharge” is really starting to sink in now.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

OMG. (in case you cannot tell, i am rolling my eyes) I wonder how booked with reservations they are or is it all hidden from view so that no one really knows?

The word “upcharge” is really starting to sink in now.

No one really knows but at DL people waited in long lines to do it but the capacity is waaaay low so even 30 people could be an hour wait. Now it's all booking ahead.

 

[Mad Dog]

Info for people looking to go to the parks now......Just looked at Touring Plans DHS times from Saturday. They had people testing the 'actual' ride times. 7 stand by line time tests on Millenium Falcon Smugglers Run throughout the day showed the real time in lines ranging from 55 minutes to 105 minutes. These line tests were staggered throughout the entire day. Alien Saucers was in the 15 to 25 minute range. Slinky Dog 25 to 55 minutes. Star Tours was a walk on. Tower of Terror and R & R coaster were 10-25 minute range.

 

[darkridelover]

No one really knows but at DL people waited in long lines to do it but the capacity is waaaay low so even 30 people could be an hour wait. Now it's all booking ahead.

Right, they only built one show room for Savi's Workshop.. They knew better but decided not to add more rooms. Some Disney meet n greets have 4 rooms. Olivanders in Diagon has 4 rooms. So I blame this completely on Disney. It's poor design. They wanted to force the upcharge and keep everyone else out of the experience.

 

[Nico]

After being in Universal last week, I think an easy way to bring some life to this area is to drop the ban on land purchased outfits. Hogwarts robes are 175 dollars a piece and people drop that easily. Altering the rule to only allow people to wear Jedi robes in the land itself will make it feel more like Star Wars and make those who are fans of the original connect more to the land.

 

[Nick]

Right, they only built one show room for Savi's Workshop.. They knew better but decided not to add more rooms. Some Disney meet n greets have 4 rooms. Olivanders in Diagon has 4 rooms. So I blame this completely on Disney. It's poor design. They wanted to force the upcharge and keep everyone else out of the experience.

Between this and the Cantina being extremely small/restaurant being cut, it’s definitely a bit confusing the decision making that went on.

 

[Brian G.]

So after spending some time in Star Wars... There’s a lot to like, but a lot of head-scratching decisions.

Land is massive and beautiful but does feel empty. Lack of Rise and diverse entertainment definitely does not help. It does feel like it belongs in Star Wars, but also feels like Morocco in Space. The entrance has a lackluster weenie. I personally hoped for a more “grand” visual a la Hogwarts, Floating Mtns to walk into. Still, the view upon first seeing the Falcon is surreal, and an awesome sight - especially at night.

Batuu legit feels like a town instead of a theme park land, which is both impressive and kind of a detriment (from a theme park layout standpoint). It also feels very alive in the main walkways - with sound effects used exceptionally, especially the TIE fighters flying overhead.

Lack of protection against Orlando weather is a total "WTF?" and my biggest gripe. For example, we ate at Docking Bay 7 and had to sit outside due to lack of seating (another WTF?), and the heat was just brutal. Within 5 min, our sporks were too hot to handle because the sun was just nuking the metal. They had fans set up around the patio which at least shows that they recognized their F up. After the complaints of Toy Story Land, you'd think they'd find a way to make sure they didn't repeat this mistake again - but alas, here we are. Areas such as the outdoor market, Falcon's queue, and the restaurant seating needed to be better thought out. There's not even fans installed in Falcon's outdoor queue portion, which takes up half of the line. Disney is known to be very meticulous about the details (e.g. taking Florida's brutal sun into account and painting the rockwork darker to help buffer the colors fading), so I don't know why they couldn't make adjustments in the design (save for the, in this case, inexcusable cutting costs).

Oga's is fine. Overpriced, but had a good vibe. Seating situation sucks hard. Probably wouldn't go back as a local. Don't know if I can recommend or not. Rondo Wrap is delicious. Docking Bay 7 is serviceable. Cutting the other dining area was a huge mistake, especially for a huge property in a huge land.

Falcon is fun, but yes - totally depends on your crew. Confused as to why the queue only holds up to 60 min. Maybe that gets alleviated when Rise opens? How they handled the overflow is weird, since DL has an overflow area set up, but DHS didn't?

Still, I loved my time in the land. It has the potential to be better if they add those entertainment elements.

 

[Mad Dog]

Between this and the Cantina being extremely small/restaurant being cut, it’s definitely a bit confusing the decision making that went on.

Seems like they thought they could herd people into the high cost/high profit experiences that dominate the land by limiting their capacity ie. hard to get demand thought process. But they forgot about providing experiences/entertainment for the other 99%...... GESWL: The Land of the Elite (Empire), for the Elite (Empire), by the Elite (Empire). ....Yes. It seems like the fixes to get this land better are easy fixes, but so far Disney executive management is too arrogant and stubborn to admit they made some really bad decisions by limiting entertainment/streetmosphere/, capacity for experiences/dining/drinking....and shade/cool areas.

 

[devinp267]

Greed plays a major part in this land not performing, and by God I hope they get it!

 

[Nick]

Greed plays a major part in this land not performing, and by God I hope they get it!

The land has all the necessary parts in place, they just stopped short in areas where they should’ve gone all out. It makes an amazingly themed land feel like it’s missing something. Because it is.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

The land has all the necessary parts in place, they just stopped short in areas where they should’ve gone all out. It makes an amazingly themed land feel like it’s missing something. Because it is.

I compare it to Disney holding back punches in a fight when they shouldn’t.

 

[Nick]

The other thing that bothers me about the DHS version of the land specifically is that the Grand Avenue entrance is clearly meant to be the main portal of sort to a different world. It sort of works with that effect, but once you've walked through, all you see is a dead resistance forest.

The *true* grand entrance is through Toy Story Land, but they cheaped out and cut the tunnel that was going to be here, so the entrance doesn't feel as grand, although what you see upon entering is undeniably stunning.

 

[Jonea32]

The other thing that bothers me about the DHS version of the land specifically is that the Grand Avenue entrance is clearly meant to be the main portal of sort to a different world. It sort of works with that effect, but once you've walked through, all you see is a dead resistance forest.

The *true* grand entrance is through Toy Story Land, but they cheaped out and cut the tunnel that was going to be here, so the entrance doesn't feel as grand, although what you see upon entering is undeniably stunning.

So as someone who is spoiler free for the most part, now that both are opened up as entrances, which would you recommend for the better wow factor?