GESWL at DHS Review.....
As I said in a previous post, we spent more than 12 hours over parts of 4 days exploring GESWL. We were there at all times of the day, mornings, afternoons and evenings. We rode Smugglers Run 7 times. Photos, You Tube videos, and the ilk cannot adequately describe the utter beauty of the land. GESWL is absolutely stunning and easily navigated with vast pedestrian walkways and areas. This also is the height of Disney rock work. The mountains are majestic, immersive and 'believable'. We arrived at our Arts & Animation hotel much earlier than originally scheduled (late Weds. morning) since we left Pennsylvania early to outrace expected snow in the mountains of West Virginia & Virginia. That turned out great since it essentially gave us a bonus day at the Disney parks. Our room wasn't ready on arrival so we took the excellent Skyway to DHS. We were there in a short 15 minutes. First destination, GESWL, of course. Following are my bullet point observations of the land...
*I originally thought the land would best be experienced in the evenings. But daylight has it's positives too, so my final opinion was that both times are grand.
*I had no issue with the land being themed to Batuu. Everything comes across well as a space planet location, so it fits SW.
*The entrance tunnel at Grand Ave. is well done. You can't immediately see the inside of the land, so it's a nice reveal. They play a Star Wars type music in the tunnel, but it wasn't anything I recalled, and the sound level was fairly low, so it really didn't have much effect. I thought the music choice was a small miss.
*The village areas are nicely done. It's fun to explore and a lot to see. It really takes a few trips into the land to fully appreciate this area, and I'm sure I'll discover more nuances on future trips. The robot building show was quite crowded, looked like fun if you were willing to spend that much money, and it appeared sales were brisk. But short of the light sabers and robots, the merchandise in the store and small shops was pretty much uninteresting. I really didn't see any merchandise I would consider buying. In fact, some of it was god awfully ugly.
*The quick service dining selections were average at best, which kind of fits DHS since it has the worst quick service food of the Disney parks. Also, a cold front had come through, and it was way too cold in those heavily shaded areas to sit down and eat. Brrrrr. And, in the heat of summer I would think it would be uncomfortable too. But it was fun to watch the robot roast food on the giant spit.
* We didn't do the Canteen since I hate those far in advance Disney reservation times and refuse to use them anymore. But it did seem popular since there was always a long line waiting to get in.
*The crowds were huge....and huge at all times of day. No way that the cramped Diagon and Hogsmeade common areas would be able to hold that many people.
*The mountains looming over the lands are nice during the day but absolutely fabulous looking with the evening lights shining on them. Great photo ops there.
*The two Storm Troopers and Chewbacca streetmosphere characters are very effective. They stand out and there was always people crowding around them. Storm Troopers had a really cool routine. Rey and the other streetmosphere blended in with the crowd too much. It was hard to even differentiate them from some of the general public that wear 'almost Star Wars' outfits. They could use a better routine and spiel to be effective. WDW really needs to divert some of their Hub show stormtroopers to the land to better entertain the huge throngs of people. A small pantomine type show with Chewbacca and Rey 'clumsily' trying to repair a plane was largely a miss. A couple of real entertainment shows would be a real plus.
*The various planes, fighters etc. throughout the land are a real plus. Lots to see and experience there.
*We really liked Smugglers Run. I didn't expect that. Alene, who is not a Star Wars fan or a gamer, got off her first ride as a 'gunner'. She was jumping up and down saying, "I loved , loved that ride. It was really great". I enjoyed it very much also. I'll do a full review of the ride in the Smugglers Run thread.
*The Sounds instead of Music throughout the land was kind of hit and miss. The Sounds were fine if you were in an area where the loud sound of a fighter taking off, or explosions of some sort, were happening. But that low airport type drone that occurs in most of the land could barely be heard with the noise levels of the large crowds. The majestic early Star Wars music would work way better and establish the mood and emotion. Example: We were walking the queue into Star Tours Two. They were just starting the adjacent light saber training show and had a burst of fog and started playing the original Star Wars theme music. I immediately got a shiver up my spine, just like I get in Diagon or Hogsmeade. That's what's missing in GESWL. It's an easy fix if they want to.
*I actually enjoyed the land more, the more times I went. Same with Alene, who really doesn't care for Star Wars. That's a big positive. RotR operating will be another plus. That area of the land will be improved once the ride opens.
*Ambiance, a term that's important to me, is very much present through the entire land. I get lost in it's immersiveness. A Big Plus there.
........Soooo, final words. I liked the land very much. The only things lacking were significant live entertainment, more streetmosphere, and grand music to ignite and satisfy the emotions. The totality of the land is almost there. Bottom line, I was pleasantly surprised with GESWL and it greatly exceeded my expectations.