The current system for getting into Disneyland’s Star Wars-themed Galaxy’s Edge is working well for the theme park. When Galaxy’s Edge first opened, Disneyland set up an online system for guests that allowed them to request Galaxy’s Edge reservations weeks in advance for specific four-hour periods to visit the land with Disney hotel guests guaranteed access. The reservations were free, but were also limited, meaning not everyone could get in.
That system seemed to work well and kept that part of Disneyland from getting too crowded. It also gave those guests visiting Galaxy’s Edge a chance to visit some of the high-profile experiences of that land, including Smugglers Run, the Millennium Falcon ride, as well as Savi’s Workshop where they can build a lightsaber and Oga’s Cantina where they can mingle with aliens and have a drink. However, the reservation system ended on June 24, when Galaxy’s Edge became open to everyone. That resulted in Galaxy’s Edge filling to capacity on opening day one hour after it opened.
However, Disneyland still has a system in place to keep Galaxy’s Edge from getting chaotic. Once the land has filled to capacity, guests can use the Disneyland app to request later entrance. They will then be assigned a boarding group number and can enter the park once that number comes up. Guests can also make reservations at Savi’s Workshop and Oga’s Cantina starting at 7 a.m. on the day they plan on visiting; those guests with reservations for experiences don’t need a boarding group to enter the land. Despite how busy Galaxy’s Edge was on opening day, the system is working very well and keeping wait times to a minimum; Smugglers Run currently only averages around an hour wait time.
With this system, Disney anticipates that everyone who wants to visit Galaxy’s Edge on any given day will have the opportunity to do so. It is also likely that once the second Galaxy’s Edge ride opens, Rise of the Resistance, one of the most ambitious attractions in Disney’s history, wait times within the land will decrease even further.
Disney’s success in keeping Galaxy’s Edge accessible to everyone who wants to visit is in direct contrast to how Universal Studios opened its latest Harry Potter-themed attraction, which saw wait times of up to 10 hours on its opening day and is still causing issues for the park. However, Disney did its homework, and as a result, those who want to visit Galaxy’s Edge are guaranteed to be able to do so without many of the hassles that often come with the opening of new attractions. Universal Studios could learn a few lessons from Disney by studying how Disneyland approached the opening of Galaxy’s Edge.
Next: Galaxy’s Edge Explained by a Walt Disney Imagineering Producer
