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

[rastuso]

Went to SWGE on Sunday with friends. Here's some hot impressions.

+Land is massive with plenty of space for guests, I don't know why Disney thought this would need boarding passes to get into.
+Set design and decoration is fantastic, lots to look at.
+Food and beverage is good to great. Had a Ronto Wrap, liked it but wasn't as enamored with it as others. Oga's is fun and good but loses something with the capacity issues, drinks being pre-mixed, and weird cups. Had a drink spilled on me because it was so top heavy. Had some popcorn a stranger shared with me and it's like Fruity Pebbles and popcorn had a love affair.

=Smuggler's Run is a good ride but not outstanding, which it should be for RIDING IN OR PILOTING THE FALCON. The biggest issue I see is they either need it to be a madcap adventure in the Falcon OR an interactive video game. They tried to thread the needle for both and it doesn't work. I was the right pilot and I have to say pulling the lever to hit light speed is HIGHLY satisfying.
=Character interactions are fun but so so so random and individual that it feels lopsided. I like having Rey walk around with kids and interact, I like Vi or Chewie around. But the only real entertainment I could enjoy was the Kylo "show" because it was available to all. They need both small scale, personal entertainment (like they have now) in addition to more large scale, entertain 200-500 people shows.

-The land needs non-diegetic music. It just does. It's such an iconic part of the movies that having it only in select experiences just misses the mark completely. It doesn't need to be everywhere, doesn't need to be blaring loud, but it is needed. Why Disney decided to throw away decades of work on this, and then have fans defend it, is boggling.
-This land desperately needs things that do not require money. More elaborate shows, experiences, and activities are needed.
-Talking about activities, I could not get my data pad to work at all in the land.
-The land, as it sits now, does not feel like Star Wars.

Overall the bones of the land are good but it needs some help. Even once RotR opens there's a lot here that just needs a spit polish. After four years of hype, five years since Diagon opened, and one billion dollars per land later I expect more. This is desperately evident that night at HHN when I walked into Diagon Alley and it hit all the ways Batuu did not.

I'm going to be writing a larger piece on this for Parkscope that incorporates Pandora and Disney's design philosophy for new lands.

I found the lightspeed lever a HUGE letdown. It didn’t really sync either time, and there was no motion to match it. Even with me yelling “Punch it, Chewie!”

 

[dandan]

From our two visits in the last week or so... my takeaway was also that it just doesn’t feel like Star Wars in the land. It’s a very impressive land and has so much going for it, and I loved going into the Millennium Falcon, and the little First Order area. The only thing that really felt like Star Wars was building a lightsaber. This was incredible. Everything in there felt like star wars, the music... bring that music outside of just that experience! It made it everything it was and it was one of my favourite theme park experiences I’ve ever had, especially all activating the lightsabers with the lighting/sound/music etc. Incredible. More of this but preferably for less money!

 

[Scott W.]

On the merchandise front, this is another example of how common and far reaching it is:

The Morning After: A Darth Vader dutch oven

 

[bob albert]

Member star wars oranges?

 

[Doug A.]

On the merchandise front, this is another example of how common and far reaching it is:

The Morning After: A Darth Vader dutch oven

The internet has ruined me, totally thought that was something else :bolt:

 

[Coasted]

 

[Mad Dog]

A good friend from England, a long time theme park enthusiast and former staff member on a UK theme park internet site, just shared his view of GESWL with me and Dave after visiting GESWL at DHS last month...." Oversized theme mall selling anything at ridiculous prices to have guests part with their money, and that sucks. They really need the next ride to be 10/10, else this is a wasted $1 Billion"........ Ouch!

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Im anxious to visit this April, but that seems to be a sentiment. A family I know who goes to WDW once or twice a year, if not more, liked SWGE but did not love it. They didn't enjoy the Falcon ride, and found the shopping to be forced. Interestingly, they said the land itself was their favorite part, along with seeing the falcon. That didn't make me hyped to go to Batuu honestly. Rise really needs to kill it though I agree if its not successful then this is likely the biggest missed opportunity in the history of theme parks. Cause when we all thought of a Star Wars theme park land, we though of the Disney trilogy, right?!

 

[Mad Dog]

Im anxious to visit this April, but that seems to be a sentiment. A family I know who goes to WDW once or twice a year, if not more, liked SWGE but did not love it. They didn't enjoy the Falcon ride, and found the shopping to be forced. Interestingly, they said the land itself was their favorite part, along with seeing the falcon. That didn't make me hyped to go to Batuu honestly. Rise really needs to kill it though I agree if its not successful then this is likely the biggest missed opportunity in the history of theme parks. Cause when we all thought of a Star Wars theme park land, we though of the Disney trilogy, right?!

I shared that post privately with one of our other IU UK regulars that just visited the Disneyland version. He said that description is 'spot on'. I'll be at DHS in 28 days. I'm sure I'll like the land since I like, and have fun with, just about anything at Disney or Universal (except F&F). But like so many said, I doubt I'll love the land. I'm thinking that without RotR, it's a notch behind Pandora.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I shared that post privately with one of our other IU UK regulars that just visited the Disneyland version. He said that description is 'spot on'. I'll be at DHS in 28 days. I'm sure I'll like the land since I'm e I like, and have fun with, just about anything at Disney or Universal (except F&F). But like so many said, I doubt I'll love the land. I'm thinking that without RotR, it's a notch behind Pandora.

Ya im expecting to like, not love it. Of course that may change as Im like you and go along and have fun with everything (even F&F!) so I'm not worried per say, but I can't help but recognize the missed opportunity. Excited to see the reaction once Rise opens.

 

[Bulldog45]

Star Wars Themed Names Removed From Menu Items at Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios - WDW News Today

Interesting development...I guess this goes back to the conversation people were having regarding the cast members speaking in a different language in the land and how it would be confusing...so much for being "immersed in the land"...

 

[Yabbadabba Doh]

Star Wars Themed Names Removed From Menu Items at Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios - WDW News Today

Interesting development...I guess this goes back to the conversation people were having regarding the cast members speaking in a different language in the land and how it would be confusing...so much for being "immersed in the land"...

Chapeked! They think they are not hitting their numbers because people don’t know what they are ordering??? This just gets worse by the day. I’m about 37 days out from my visit and anxious to get a first hand look at the land

 

[UniversalRBLX]

When it comes to practicality, this was bound to be one of the first things to change. With WDW's large amount of international travelers, the language barrier already confuses them - let alone an additional created language.

 

[Nick]

When it comes to practicality, this was bound to be one of the first things to change. With WDW's large amount of international travelers, the language barrier already confuses them - let alone an additional created language.

Yeah... I remember myself looking at the menu opening day and being confused. Didn't order.

When "Fried Endorian Tip-Yip" is the name of your Fried Chicken offereing (as it's now referred to on the menu), you were just trying too hard to begin with.

 

[Mad Dog]

OMG....the Disney never does nothing wrong enthusiasts that loved having airport sounds in the land instead of Williams great music score will be be shocked since their food will lose it's immersive names, that no one understood anyway. ...Actually this is a good move. Now, bring on the good Williams music and add a dozen or so streetmosphere characters and a couple of street shows, and the land will be on the right track.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

The food changing names is the smallest of the issues with this land, no need to get upset over it. As others said, now add the Williams score! Makes literally zero sense to not include it! Imagine the Wizarding World without the Potter music?

 

[Brian G.]

Yeah... I remember myself looking at the menu opening day and being confused. Didn't order.

When "Fried Endorian Tip-Yip" is the name of your Fried Chicken offereing (as it's now referred too on the menu), you were just trying too hard to begin with.

I thought the Tip-Yip was Tri-Tip originally...

 

[EMC5466]

Those names were beyond stupid anyway. Who put those names together for the menu? Was it the infamous Lucasfilm story group?

 

[frank_1991_]

I thought the Tip-Yip was Tri-Tip originally...

this is brining back memories of the Star Wars weekend podcast where you had hatetofly figure out whether food items were real or fake.

 

[Brian G.]

this is brining back memories of the Star Wars weekend podcast where you had hatetofly figure out whether food items were real or fake.

One of my biggest regrets was thinking that I had the original recordings when I killed that podcast feed....