D23 EXPO 2019 Superthread - dates announced!

[HydroGuy]

Previews in May, I am very confident there will be. I am HOPING there will be a preview May 4th....

That said, MY OPINION and THOUGHT PROCESS is they will not open it until June 21 because 1. they said June, 2. they said Summer (June 21st, first day of summer) and 3. they aren't going to open it while deluxe APs are still open.

 

[HydroGuy]

To SWGE, to stagger the crowds. If you had a 5:00 ticket, you wouldn't show up at opening if that's all you wanted to do. Universal did something similar when Harry Potter opened.

None of us know yet, but we can (hopefully) learn something from when they opened Pandora at WDW 2 years ago. It was a really big deal at the time, with the Avatar actors present and Disney CEO Iger there, all televised on ABC. But Star Wars GE will be unlike anything we have ever seen.

I was there at AK on Pandora opening day and on Day #2. Some things I have posted on this as food for thought...

I think/hope Disney learned something when they opened Pandora over Memorial Day weekend in 2017 at Animal Kingdom in Florida. I have written this elsewhere in this forum, but I was shocked at how well Disney handled that as far crowds. Wait times for the new rides were 5-6 hours. And wait times to even enter Pandora were an hour - yes, they restricted access to the new land. Only when people left would they allow new people in.

Also, Pandora does have some of the immersive elements you are talking about. CMs in character and trained beforehand. Translation booklets from English to Na'vi to guests. CMs ready to show you the local "Pandora" fauna. I think Pandora is about 12 acres vs. 14 for SWGE - so a similar scale. I just hope that Disney is smart enough to get that learning curve from Florida to California for SWGE because from what I have seen at DLR in recent years, they do not handle super large crowds very well from an organization standpoint. WDW nailed it for Pandora IMO.

As I recall for Pandora, they started doing CM previews in April and DVC and AP previews in late April and early May. I suspect that DLR's SWGE will make for longer queues than WDW's because of the AP effect at DLR. But with DAPs blocked most of the summer that will mitigate the APs. It is a year-and-half since Pandora opened and their signature ride, Flight of Passage, is still peaking at 4 hours wait times.

If they have any brains at all, and I believe they do but am not as confident as I used to be (at least at DLR...WDW seems to be under good control) they will definitely restrict access to SWGE. They will form queues for SWGE outside the land - probably in the BTM Trail area. They will have one way in and two ways out. The ways out will be one way traffic only.

They will use MaxPass to restrict access. And only give out MP to either ROTR or MFSR (not both on same day) and only one MP per day to SWGE.

They will form lines for SWGE on Main Street in the morning (sort of like what they did for GOTG in HollywoodLand area). With ropes monitored by Cast Members, and many, many signs directing people where to go. Those folks will be let in slowly to BTM Trail area and queue there, and then into SWGE in small bits. All controlled with ropes and CMs and signs.

 

[ten6mom]

So- my sister has (crazily, IMO) decided to book a DL trip around the last week of September. Do you think there's even a chance they'll get to ride anything in SWGE by that time? I told her she was nuts and that I'm not even going near it for a year.

 

[Malcon10t]

So- my sister has (crazily, IMO) decided to book a DL trip around the last week of September. Do you think there's even a chance they'll get to ride anything in SWGE by that time? I told her she was nuts and that I'm not even going near it for a year.

Yes, they should be able to get the rides by then. You know what is nuts? I just booked my hotel room for Jun 20-24......

 

[HydroGuy]

Yes, they should be able to get the rides by then. You know what is nuts? I just booked my hotel room for Jun 20-24......

 

[HydroGuy]

So- my sister has (crazily, IMO) decided to book a DL trip around the last week of September. Do you think there's even a chance they'll get to ride anything in SWGE by that time? I told her she was nuts and that I'm not even going near it for a year.

I guess I do not understand what you mean. If SWGE opens by June then of course there is a chance they can go on the rides in SWGE in September.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Yes, they should be able to get the rides by then. You know what is nuts? I just booked my hotel room for Jun 20-24......

We booked last week for June 22-26. I know we’ll likely miss opening day, but at least we’ll be close. And if they announce a different date, the hotel can be canceled. Although who am I kidding - we’ll probably keep the trip!

 

[ten6mom]

I guess I do not understand what you mean. If SWGE opens by June then of course there is a chance they can go on the rides in SWGE in September.

I just meant in terms of wait times. I possibly should have said, will they be able to ride the SWGE attraction and still have time for anything else (I am thinking of 6+ hour wait times, things of that nature).

 

[theluckyrabbit]

So- my sister has (crazily, IMO) decided to book a DL trip around the last week of September. Do you think there's even a chance they'll get to ride anything in SWGE by that time? I told her she was nuts and that I'm not even going near it for a year.

Your sister (and you, too!) will have all summer to read posts here about tips and strategies on how to deal with SWGE, the lines, the insanity, etc. By the end of September, she'll be a pro! And she'll have all the Halloween Time things to distract her and the SWGE crowds, too. So make sure she keeps up with the Halloween Time Superthread here for those tips and strategies. She'll be fine -- and you may end up wanting to join her on her trip!

 

[HydroGuy]

I just meant in terms of wait times. I possibly should have said, will they be able to ride the SWGE attraction and still have time for anything else (I am thinking of 6+ hour wait times, things of that nature).

Your sister (and you, too!) will have all summer to read posts here about tips and strategies on how to deal with SWGE, the lines, the insanity, etc. By the end of September, she'll be a pro! And she'll have all the Halloween Time things to distract her and the SWGE crowds, too. So make sure she keeps up with the Halloween Time Superthread here for those tips and strategies. She'll be fine -- and you may end up wanting to join her on her trip!

I think that is your answer. Iwas able to ride FOP at AK Pandora on opening day with a FP. There should be FPs for both these rides, plus there is always rope drop. There has been speculation that Disney may limit all riders to FP, and maybe only MaxPass. As @theluckyrabbit said, you will have all kinds of advice on this forum after SWGE opens.

 

[luulu1999]

Yes, they should be able to get the rides by then. You know what is nuts? I just booked my hotel room for Jun 20-24......

im getting ready to book mid july

 

[HydroGuy]

I have an Expo ticket question. I have always bought tickets for the last 4 Expos far in advance. For 2019 I have not any family members commit. So I bought a solo ticket last month. DS22 is likely to decide to come based on past experience - but not until later this year. Do Gold Member family tickets sell out? If so, any idea when?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I don't remember Gold Member family tickets selling out (certainly not far in advance anyway), but the Saturday single day tickets always sell out first, usually a month or two before the actual event. But the three day tickets (including the Saturday) remain on sale for longer. How much more time does your son need? He should be fine until at least May -- but I don't know if all the excitement when SWGE opens will cause increased interest in Expo ticket sales. (At least, you know D23 will try to use it for marketing...) So I wouldn't wait too long past June. Hope this helps and makes sense.

 

[HydroGuy]

I don't remember Gold Member family tickets selling out (certainly not far in advance anyway), but the Saturday single day tickets always sell out first, usually a month or two before the actual event. But the three day tickets (including the Saturday) remain on sale for longer. How much more time does your son need? He should be fine until at least May -- but I don't know if all the excitement when SWGE opens will cause increased interest in Expo ticket sales. (At least, you know D23 will try to use it for marketing...) So I wouldn't wait too long past June. Hope this helps and makes sense.

I would be getting DS22 a 3-day ticket. I would hope by May he will know but almost for sure by June. I just do not want to wait too long if they indeed sell out the 3-day tix.

Thanks!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Last Expo, I think the 3-day tickets did sell out, but not until shortly before the event. This time around, I would watch the D23 emails about ticket sales. If your son still hasn't committed by the time the Saturday 1-day tickets have sold out, buy his 3-day ticket anyway and threaten to take another kid if he won't commit!

 

[PatMcDuck]

We got our rooms booked, we do VGC before Expo and PP during the Expo. Flights booked too, we are east coasters. I usually do not need park tickets (CM) but I expect my guests will be blocked from DL all summer and maybe me too.... oh well.

 

[skier_pete]

Yup, we bought our flights as well this past weekend. Pretty happy with prices - around $300 RT from east coast. Couldn't get into VGC at 7 months though - no surprise there. Likely we stay on Harbor for our days at DLR.

Only problem is that D23 (discount) park tickets don't start until Monday the 19th and we arrive on the 17th. The discount will have to be pretty good for me to want to sit around for a day waiting to enter the parks.

 

[tobikaye]

I am so glad to see more Expo talk. I had to cancel my WDW trip that I would be on right now, just a few weeks ago, so I am really wanting a Disney trip.

We also booked our flights last night to LA, but from the Midwest, and we still have to book our return. My sister and I are definitely going, but my parents are debating on if they will go with us for part of the trip or not. So, we have two hotels booked for both situations, Grand Legacy (2 room suite) and Best Western Stovall. We will wait to purchase our park tickets once we know if we will do more than 2 days after the expo.

I still have to figure out:

• Car service vs car rental from the airport to Anaheim
• Where to go after expo/DLR: San Diego, Vegas, San Francisco, hang out in LA area
• Wheelchair or EVC for my sister from home and then rent the other in Anaheim
• What items I need to take to the expo for the overnight waits, although, we will not head there until 1-2 am if we can help it

 

[skier_pete]

So we booked the Anaheim Portofino Inn & Suites for nights around the convention (Thurs-Mon). It looks from the map like it's probably less than a 1/4 mile walk to the convention center. (We've decided not to rent a car while we're there.) Anyone stayed here? Right move? Price was pretty good - or at least not bad (around $200 a night).

 

[theluckyrabbit]

So we booked the Anaheim Portofino Inn & Suites for nights around the convention (Thurs-Mon). It looks from the map like it's probably less than a 1/4 mile walk to the convention center...

If there aren't any mobility issues involved, the Portofino's not far at all. It's just past the Sheraton Park and conveniently next to the 24/7 CVS. You can get to the Convention Center either by going through the Sheraton parking lot toward the Hilton (this way gets you to the CC front door and past the food trucks -- yum!) or take Katella to the CC (which takes you past Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf -- this can increase in importance as you get more tired each morning!).