SWGE at DHS ..... The countdown is on.

Just under 3 weeks and counting to the opening of SWGE at DHS, and the new entrance with its multitude of bag checks lines, and huge open plaza either side of the area is now up and running. Pity they still only have 1 “guests with no bags” line but then again there’s not many of us that go in bagless. 3 exits make it appear to be good for escaping, but we’ll see how that works out when the masses arrive later this month. It looks really good, that’s for sure. CM’s have their new uniforms to match the bright and colorful paintwork …… or does the paintwork match the CM’s bright and colorful uniforms ??

This weekend was the CM + spouse/friend previews at work (weird how they all ended up going on the same few days !?!?) but as you can imagine I took a fair amount of ribbing beforehand. All good fun though. I even received some photos of them wandering round what looked like a deserted SWGE. I think the one that hit home the hardest was a photo of the wait time for Smuggler’s Run …. it was 5 minutes !! and came with the comment ……. “Something you’ll never see .. LOL” Smart Ass friends … :)

Anyway, here’s a few of their thoughts and comments …

All 3 work colleagues had a great time, and agreed that due to the CM previews being relatively quiet, the land was easily doable in 2 hours, or less. The attention to detail was the thing that impressed them the most, and certainly the photos I’ve seen confirm that. I’m certainly looking forward to my first visit, and being able to wander around to see what it’s all about. The average wait time for MFSR was 20-30mins but all of them only rode it the once. The overall feeling was it being a good, but not great ride/experience. 2 of them were engineers and both said the view was OK but would have been much better if the consoles were facing the front or even angled at 45°. The other CM and spouse were gunners, and both admitted to being totally guided by the lighted buttons for the ‘flight”. How successful your mission was, seems to be related to the amount of money Hondo pays the ‘crew’ at the end of the flight ?? With audio and visual signals telling the crew when and what to do, hopefully the mixed cultural flights at DHS won’t be too much of a disaster.

None of them did the light saber or droid workshops, and it seems not many of the CM’s were that bothered either as they didn’t recollect seeing anyone walking around with a light saber hanging over their shoulder. All in all, a good time was had by all, that’s for sure. The actual park itself was very busy though, so the opportunity to try any of the other rides was none to zero as they didn’t have any FP+’s. Slinky was steady at almost 2 hours, and TofT around 90mins. Busy times at DHS.

CM previews finish on the 16th, and the Platinum passholders get their chance from the 17th. I have my FP+ for TofT on the 29th, so I’ll drive over after work. If I can get the car into the parking lot, then I’ll go in, but if it’s full, I’ll head home and try again the week after Labor Day. Rumours abound the Skyliner will be running soft openings later this month, but I’ll believe that when I see it. More likely sometime after Labor Day would be my guess.

We just got back from a 2-week excursion to SoCal, and I have some impressions regarding Galaxy's Edge...

1. The detail of the land is INSANE, and since DHS's is pretty much a carbon copy (save for the 3rd entrance/exit in DL), I expect WDW's to be equally awe-inspiring. As a huge Star Wars fan, it was nirvana for me. I'll go into more detail when I write about our experiences, but it easily tops PtWoA even with just the one ride running.
2. I found MFSR very repeatable. I'll admit that the first time we rode, I was too busy picking my jaw up off the floor just walking through the queue and into the cockpit, but it's a fun ride, definitely made easier if you make quick friends with those in the cockpit with you. I never got into the pilot's seat, so I cannot compare the views from up front versus the back of the bus, but I think Disney really missed an opportunity by having a small video screen at each of the 4 "rear" positions that doesn't duplicate at least part of the image that the pilots see. I found myself looking back and forth trying to use my peripheral vision to see which buttons were flashing, but I would have concentrated more on my console if I could have seen the forward view from the video screen at my station.
3. Savi's was an otherworldly experience for me. Again, I'm a huge SW fan, and even when one of the Gatherers accidentally dropped a Kyber Crystal on the ground when explaining their power, it did not lessen the overall awe-inspiring experience. My guess is that most CMs are waiting to see if Disney might start allowing discounts before plunking $200 down on a Lightsaber. Also, I'm wondering if WDW might offer shipping to the front of the park or to resort hotels (something DL is not doing) to eliminate the burden of lugging the awkward devices around the park. We did our build at 5 PM, and wish I didn't have to lug the thing through the park for just 5 hours (can only imagine what it's like to tote one around all day if you have an early morning build). FWIW, I didn't notice many Lightsabers during the day, but they multiply like rabbits at night, particularly at all of the Photopass locations.

I am still skeptical about the Sweatliner opening date, and also wouldn't be surprised if it starts taking early runs at the end of the month. I think it's a case of under-promising and over-delivering, but it also might be Disney truly concerned about the heat and not wanting to run it on 90+ degree days right off the bat. Doing so might create lots of unhappy people that will never ride it again even in cooler temps just because of a bad first experience. It might ultimately come down to the weather forecast as to when it starts carrying its first official passengers. If it's under 90 on August 29th, and the DHS parking lot is overflowing at 7 AM, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Disney puts the Sweatliner into action.

I can't wait to read your full review, Russell! My November visit is (very slowly) approaching!

Considering Star Wars Land opens in (what is basically) September and the big ride opens in December, based off what we've seen at DLR I think there's a good chance WDW won't be busy the first few months its open. Starting in December WDW will probably be packed and will stay that way for a few years.

@the_man - I think WDW will be crowded from day 1. Don't forget that Disney offered a number of discounts and promotions for guests to visit during the September-November period even BEFORE they announced the opening date for Galaxy's Edge. It was long believed that the new land was going to open in November when they offered these discounts, but they instead bumped up the timeline. In fact, a number of guests that had little interest in Galaxy's Edge deliberately booked trips this fall to try to get ahead of the anticipated rush for the new land with discounted rooms and DDP promotions sweetening the draw to WDW. Instead, those that wanted to avoid the Star Wars fans will be right smack in the middle of the initial rush for the new land. Throw in the annual Halloween events and EPCOT F&W festival, and WDW could have a perfect storm to see parks as crowded as they are during peak seasons like the Holidays, Spring Break, and July 4th.

I think it will be hard to tell whether there will be a direct impact of RotR, because it's opening at time where WDW starts seeing a slow ramp-up of guests towards the busiest week of the year, though I have no doubt it will have a lasting impact on attendance at DHS for many years to come.

I expect the extra-extra magic hours to have an impact on thru the day park attendance at DHS. Hotel guests will see those 3 hours as an opportunity to beat the crowds, but if they all do it, then SWGE could be at it's busiest during the 6-9am time frame.

I'm still hoping for slightly reduced crowds during the evenings. I'll found out on the 29th.

And as Russell mentioned, ROTR opens just before the madness and mayhem that is WDW at Christmas, so it's going to be extra-extra crazy for sure :)

I had the opportunity to visit SWGE at WDW yesterday with a cast member. The one impression that really stuck out is that Batuu is expensive, about 20%-30% more expensive than other parts of WDW. We did SWGE in the morning/early afternoon and DAK in the afternoon/evening and the price differences were noticeable. A $13 beer in Batuu was $10 at DAK, $16-$19 food items counter service in Batuu were $12-$16 at DAK. My advice when visiting Batuu is watch your wallet closely as it can get out of control really fast. And when you visit Oga’s Cantina, do not feel obligated to have two drinks each. For two people, four drinks (no food) can easily exceed $80.
As for SWGE itself, the land felt incomplete, obviously, with only one attraction. My second bit of advice is to be patient and wait for Rise of the Resistance to open before visiting Batuu.

With the CM previews over, and the la-de-da Platinum’s also done and dusted, it was time for us mere mortal plebs to sample Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios. I had briefly thought about staying on-site to get into DHS at 6am, but with the extra-extra magic hours available to all park goers for the first 3 days of opening, I figured it was going to be crazy busy anyway, so I decided to see what it was like on the evening of August 29th.

The local news media were more interested in Dorian than SWGE opening, so the usual embarrassing interviews of people in the queue was thankfully missing. No helicopter fly overs either, so all in all quite a civilised start to the morning. I’d read on the blogs that DHS opened well before 6am due to the huge number of people waiting to get in. Disney transport had been up and running since 3:30am, so it was undoubtedly a very early start for some.

The down side for me, was Disney using the virtual queue for entrance to the SW area. This was a real pain, as I had to be at the park to join my “boarding group”. Undaunted though, my plan was still to try and get in after work. If it was not going to happen, I would drive over to DAK, where I could pick up my passholder Simba car magnet. So win-win no matter what.

Armed with my now very easy to get TofT FP+, thanks to the tier change, I left work early, and headed for WDW. On checking MDE before I left, I was very happy to see the land was now open to all comers, although MFSR was still at 2 hours. The road construction just off I4 had been completed about a month ago, and the bridge taking people to DAK was still looking shiny new as I headed right towards DHS. Yep, I was still motoring freely towards the park. This was something I hadn’t expected …. surely I would come across a huge line of traffic trying to enter the park ?……. but no, I drove straight up to the entrance plaza. I waved my pass and ID at the attendant, and in I went. The parking lot was certainly fuller than usual, but there was still no need for a tram ride. I was in Jessie row 204. Photos taken, I made a bee-line for the gate.

The mass of humanity exiting was a good sign, and the bag check lines were surprisingly short. I strolled straight thru the bagless line …. so far, so good. It was now almost 4pm, and my TofT FP+ was at 6:25, so I headed for SWGE. On the way I used up my other 2 FP+’s on 2nd tier attractions. TofT was good until 7:25, so I figured I’d have plenty of time to wander round and take in the Star Wars atmosphere. As I rounded the corner from Star Tours it was great to see a free and open entry way to the area. All I’d seen up until today was boarding and/or planter hedges. I was finally going to enter the world of Batuu.

Wandering thru the entryway ‘tunnel’, I exited and found myself on the outskirts of the Resistance forest, and close to the entrance of ROTR, which for now was all roped off and patrolled by security staff. Tonight was going to be an immersive wander round, and an opportunity to take plenty of photos. It’s been noted by many who have been to previews at DHS and actual visits over in CA, the attention to detail is truly amazing. Goodness only knows how long it will take me to spot every little SW nuance, maybe years ?? As I stood by the Millennium Falcon, I have to say I was very very impressed. The wait time was 105 mins, so for now I’d skip that ride. I spent just over an hour wandering round, and I felt for a first visit that was plenty of time. I’d seen what I wanted to see, and sampled a glass of the blue milk along the way. Which actually was really good. At least I could say “I was there” on the first day of SWGE opening at DHS, and I have my limited release pin to prove it :) I exited into the Toy Story Land area, and had a grilled cheese sandwich at the little eatery there.

I have to admit I was tempted to try MFSR, so I pondered what would I do next. My son had tried to persuade me that 105 mins wasn’t long at all, but I hate queues. In the end I left DHS and headed for DAK to get my Simba car magnet. That was a 30 min wait just to get a darn magnet !! Back at the car in Peacock I noted the line for MFSR was now only 70mins. Hmmmmmm …… yep, I headed back to DHS …. !!!

When I got back to the Millennium Falcon, the wait was at 75mins, so I thought, why not, and I joined the line. It would be the only time I’d do this, next time it will be via the single rider line, or hopefully sometime soon, a FP+. A lot of time was spent wandering back and forth outside, but once we entered the repair shop area, it was like … Wow !!! …. this really is absolutely amazing. Stuff like rusted joints on the cradle that held the blue engine in place, and little oil leaks here and there, ducting and wire in the ceiling …. everything was detailed to perfection. As with all new rides, I’ll do the stand-by once, and this one stands out as being most probably the best I have ever seen. Although I still have to do Hagrid’s sometime in the next few weeks.

I thought the ride itself was pretty blah. The view out of the cockpit window was awesome though, but for me it doesn’t get close to Flight of Passage. I was an engineer, with a family of 5 taking up the rest of the seats. The 2 kids flew the Falcon, and were actually good at it, and the other youngster managed to snag 2 crates, so Hondo was happy. Although I did learn later, they had all done the ride earlier in the day, so knew what was coming. In my engineer’s seat I just watched the action and pressed the lighted buttons. Not sure if I had any effect on the outcome, but it was a lot of fun, and those 3 kids had an absolute blast, which in the big scheme of things is what it's all about. Will I do it again … ? For sure, but as a single rider I wonder just how much of a chance I have at being a pilot ? My guess is zero to none, but I’ll see next time. I didn’t like the idea of left pilot doing left to right, and right pilot doing up and down. Too much close interaction required between the pairing. But all in all, not bad.

Of course, I missed my TofT (I cancelled it :) ..) but it was now 8pm and there were still plenty available. I pondered again, but decided to leave and head to Publix to do my pre-hurricane shopping. No Slinky FP+’s, but it was only a 45min stand by, and that in itself was something of a miracle. I had never seen it that low in all the time spent at DHS.

What a great evening ……. left work at 3, visited Batuu, rode the Millennium Falcon and got my Simba car magnets from DAK. Phew, and off we go again on Saturday with the Epcot Food and Wine festival and another chance to get my car on the high score board at Test Track … :) Plain white T’s, a Chef Minnie car magnet and loadsa’ food ….. make it a must-do event.

It sounds like Disney was smart to open the flood gates early, especially since they were pretty vague about how pre-dawn guests were going to be handled (they were far more up front when GE opened at DL). I did read some horror stories from guests who wanted to be the FIRST into the land on its public debut, and were frustrated by the chaos and confusion at every turn. Disney has a tendency to do this from time to time where they have a plan, but don't bother telling anyone what that plan is.

FWIW, Disney mentioned the Boarding Groups system when they announced the opening date for DHS's Galaxy's Edge earlier this year, but I think most people forgot about it because it was only used in Disneyland for the very first day. It probably caught a lot of people by surprise, because many probably assumed that Disney had done away with it since it wasn't needed anymore at DL.

The MF:SR queue is pretty amazing. What I liked most about it is the slow build of excitement and anticipation. You start on the outside where you see the Falcon from below. You then enter the hanger where there's lots going on and an incredible level of detail. Then you get the majestic view of the Falcon from the upper level (along with the rest of Galaxy's Edge beyond) leading into the preshow with Hondo. You're then wowed by the Hondo animatronic, which is out of this world. Then it slowly builds your anticipation back up through the long narrow hallway to the grouping area, culminating with you entering the Falcon itself. The only thing missing is the split off of the gunners to their own turrets like in the movie, but aside from that, the queue is pure perfection and right up there with Forbidden Journey for best queue in the world.

I've read a bunch of different accounts of single riders being placed in the pilot seats, but most of them comment on having to negotiate with other riders for those positions. If you're more introverted and riding through the single rider line, I think more often than not, you're going to end up in the back 4 seats. The problem is that if you're by yourself and riding through the standard queue, you're going to probably get stuck with those positions like you experienced Makorider, because CMs are going to naturally default the pilot's spots to larger groups and those with kids.

Russell ... indeed, I forgot to mention Hondo !! Staggering animatronics for sure, and with the Falcon in the background, visually stunning.

I won't ride MFSR every time I go, like I do with FofP at DAK, and may only try the single rider the once anyway, so a pilot's role is one I'll happen on by chance one day, or maybe I'll never get that role. To be honest, I had so much fun watching those kids try to fly the Falcon, I'd be very happy with that scenario every time I go.

It's too much responsibility being a pilot, for an old guy like me to handle anyway ... :)

For most of us who experienced the devastation of Charley, Frances and Jeanne in 2004, there’s not a great deal that phases us when it comes to hurricanes. Of course we are watchful and respectful to these incredible forces of nature, but at the end of the day we get on with life and see what happens. Dorian is a classic example of media driven paranoia, but I’m sure for the large transient population of Orlando, the reality of living in Florida seemed just a little bit more real these past few days.

For us 2004 “veterans “ we carried on as normal, so Labor Day saw me at the parks once again. I stopped by EPCOT on my way to DHS to register my 2nd visit of 4 to get me half way to my Chef Minnie coaster set. With that done, I headed for DHS. Wait time for MFSR was 105 minutes on the app, but I’d been there done that, so today I’d be trying out the single rider line. I stopped and chatted to the CM’s blocking the RoftR entrance and got a neither deny or confirm smiling nod and a wink answer, that come Dec 5th the ride would open with FP+ up and running. The lanes and the scan buttons are certainly there, so we wait and see. Although that said, they are also on MFSR.

Labor Day was a typical close-by hurricane squall day, so every time one came thru I joined the MFSR single rider line. 4 bouts of rain saw me be a gunner 3 times and very luckily a pilot once ... :) Wait times varied, from about 20mins to the longest at 45mins.

For my first try at a gunner I chose the auto mode just to get a feel for the position, but for the subsequent 2, I chose the manual mode. Oddly, for all 3 gunner rides I ended up on the right, so I was blasting red tracers. They are blue on the left. My first manual run was good and I shot down 14 enemy ships, but on the 2nd manual run I only had 3, which was very odd as you can see very clearly when your red tracers take out an enemy ship, and I hit a lot more than 3. That said, all 3 gunner rides were a lot of fun, and despite having some iffy pilots we nearly always ended up with 8-10 thousand credits after Hondo had taken his share due to ship damage.

I was told very clearly by the CM’s that as a single rider I did not have the option to choose my seat on the Falcon, so it was by a huge stroke of luck I was next in line, and the first person in the standby line was a single rider as well, so I got my pilot chance. She took the right seat, so I was on the left/right control. It was more sensitive than I’d imagined, but I did OK. And yes, only OK, but with that first pilot position under my belt, I’ll be much more prepared the next time, very much like being a gunner. I will say this though .... the coordination between the 2 pilots has to be spot-on, and that’s tricky with 2 total strangers at the controls. We did pretty good though, but the ‘expert’ pilots will undoubtedly come with the onset of FP+, and being able to choose the position you sit in. Going in as pair would be a must.

MFSR is basically a larger than life video game, but when played in the spirit of what’s good about gaming, it’s a huge amount of fun. I’ve now ridden it 5 times, and even in the hot seat of a pilot, I had so much fun I think I could have ‘played’ all day long ... :).

MFSR isn’t a Flight of Passage that's for sure. For me, FofP still reigns supreme, but the fun factor is well worth a visit .... and worth the rerides as well. I must admit I've grown to like MFSR, especially with the optional single rider line, but the start of FP+ allocation is when I'll be more inclined to ride it every time I visit. A bit like I do with FofP at DAK.

Other take aways from today ...... the green milk is so much better than the blue. Although next time I'll be adding the alcohol, so my favourite may change again ?? I waited about 5 minutes to enter Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities and it was worth a visit. Everything is very pricey in there though, but another superb example of the attention to detail that Disney has built into SWGE. Next time I will have to find out what those strange cubes and pyramids are ??

They also had exit and entry from Toy Story Land today. On opening day, it was only an exit.

So there we have it. SWGE has been open a few days now, and we're entering into one of our quieter periods for a few weeks. It'll be interesting to see if the crowds pick up after Dorian is long gone, or maybe they will stay stable until RoftR opens in December. Exciting times to live in Orlando, that's for sure.

Next up .... Hagrid's at Universal, sometime soon ???

Those pyramids and cubes are called Jedi and Sith Holocrons. Think of them as the lightsabers for those that don't want to pay $200 for a model from Savi's. The Holocrons come with a kyber crystal, and in Disneyland were the only way for guests to procure extra crystals when the park ran out of individually sold crystals. I haven't personally played with one, but they are essentially little electronic toys that will glow and provide guidance from famous Star Wars characters based on the color crystal placed inside (the holocrons come with either blue or red crystals, but like the lightsabers, can be swapped out with any of the colors).

To me, these devices are a throw away, because they don't actually exist anywhere in the Star Wars film universe. They're definitely a way for Disney to capitalize on the popularity of the lightsabers while giving guests a souvenir that's not quite so expensive that utilizes the same tech.

It's a bummer that the CMs were saying that single riders were being relegated to the back of the bus. I was reading that in Disneyland, some CMs were occasionally mixing up the cards so they were handing them out randomly to the six guests queued to each pod. What you've described sounds like the way I feared they would run the ride, meaning a single rider is almost never going to get into one of the pilot seats unless they haggle with the other guests assigned to their cockpit.

I have done Falcon twice in California, once as an engineer and once as a gunner, with plans to get over to DHS on Friday.

SWGE is good enough, and the previews for RotR mind-melting enough, that I've reversed course on my decision not to renew and will be coming back when my passes expire in two weeks, though I will be going from Gold to Silver due to the price increase (the summer months are my least frequent and that period and PhotoPass are not worth $325 for two passes). The level of detail is unprecedented, even compared to Pandora. I'm not huge on cast interaction, so while I sympathize with those frustrated by the budget cuts to the actors and interactivity, it hasn't really phased me. The food at Docking Bay 7 is top notch for Disney counter service, and Oga's is a really great time that feels like Star Wars at its best.

I am low on FoP compared to most APs I know, so take that with a grain of salt (it's Soarin' done about as well as possible imo, but it's still just a fancy flying theater in the end). The interactivity and relative re-rideability of Falcon puts it ahead of FoP for me. I actually really liked engineer! It was easy enough to do, there are tons of fun buttons to push and switches to flip, and you mostly get to sit back and playfully bark commands at the pilots while enjoying the view. The rendering in real time with the movement of the cockpit is incredible. I will be going again and again, and hopefully I'll catch it eventually where I can be the pilot. It's not a deal-breaker for me. RotR looks like it's going to change the game, and it has a chance to become the best theme park ride in the world if they can get everything running smoothly. I plan to be at the opening on December 5, though I expect numerous delays and a potential on-ride breakdown. Should be fun!

Haven't been brave enough to spend $8 on a milk yet. Makorider's review is the first where someone prefers the green to the blue. I will eventually gather the courage to try both!

Russell .... in respect to position distribution, I didn't see anything that deviated from the first 2 getting pilots, 2nd 2 were gunners and finally the engineers. There were enough first in line 3 person 'groups' that allowed me to get those gunner spots. The most single riders I saw to go in at once was 4. The 1st 2 in line were pilots, and the next group was 5, so the single riders filled that pod.

I'm not going to stand in line just to try and get a pilot seat, but it will be interesting to see once FP+ starts, if they do allow us to choose. Maybe with RoftR opening, MFSR will be a walk on anyway ??

EvanW ... I liked the engineer spot the first time, but as a complete newbie I just took it all in and really had no clue what I was doing. I know the next time I'm an engineer, I'll be much better prepared.

There's definitely more people wandering round with blue milk, but yesterday when I was in line (about 15 people) I think I was the only one to buy a milk without alcohol ... LOL .... :)

WDWNT did say that the blue with the rum was much improved, so maybe I'll spring for that instead of braving the regular versions, haha!

I do think that there's a good chance that Falcon is, if not a walk-on, at least pretty easy to get on once RotR opens. I do anticipate RotR having FoP-level lines, but every prediction about SWGE crowd levels has been wrong so far, so maybe it'll be manageable!

An update from WDWNT ..... it seems they have updated the software on MFSR and now you are ranked depending on how well you do, and also get a read-out of your profit, with 13,000 credits seemingly being the max you can get.

Certainly makes a return trip to fly the Falcon on the cards sooner rather than later. And of course another glass of the superb blue milk with rum :)

That's interesting that Disney is already performing major software upgrades on MFSR Makorider. Considering that Imagineers are probably pouring all of their resources into getting RotR up and running on time, it's admirable that they're still listening to guest comments at the same time and ensuring the best possible experience. This is how I always thought every screen-based attraction should operate with designers constantly upgrading and improving the systems to address guest concerns and critiques. It seems more often than not, attractions like this are opened, and then left untouched for years until designers want to "refresh" the attraction after a few years, touting it as an all new experience. This certainly brings promise to guests hoping that other aspects of Galaxy's Edge will continue to be modified and improved, and that perhaps Disney has dedicated resources to continuously change the experiences on Batuu.