We went for our second visit on Sunday, June 9 from 8:00 to noon. The way they ran the Sunday morning group was very different, and it left a lot of people very angry.
For starters, the initial line up was weird. As I noted in the previous post, the crowd on Saturday lined up at Nemo, and then was walked to the Big Thunder Trail gates by Red Rose Tavern, where we waited until it was time to enter. On Sunday the 9th, the crowd was lined up at Nemo until about 7:40. Then they moved the crowd to Matterhorn and held us until almost 8:00. Then the crowd went straight to the Frontierland entrance. That long walk caused the group to break down and people started running and pushing their way forward.
We got separated from our daughter, but she knew our plan was to go to Savi's because we had done the cantina the day before. She entered the land a few minutes before us, but when she walked past Savi's the Batuu citizens (CMs) ordered the crowd to keep going forward with the group toward the cantina. By the time my wife and I got up to that point, people were bailing out and turning left to head to Savi's. Our daughter, who was far in front of us in the crowd, ended up arriving at Savi's about three minutes after we were already in line. I assumed we were screwed at that point. A scrapyard worker came down the line handing out cards, and it looked like I would not get one. I got incredibly lucky, because when she got to me she was down to her last five cards. I got in, and the four people behind me got in. Everyone else was turned away, including a large number of people who were well in front of me in the line and had been waiting two hours just to visit Savi's. One guy screamed an F bomb in frustration, and I could hardly blame him.
It turns out that being at the back of the Savi's group was a bit of a booby prize for anyone who only has one reservation. I waited in line for over an hour to pay and get my 10:30 return time. Upon returning at 10:30, we waited another 15 minutes to enter the workshop. So more than half of the window was dedicated to just that one experience.
However, for real Star Wars fans that one experience was worth it. I read the reports of people crying during the ceremony but dismissed those people as pathetic little wimps who cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Then I went through it myself, and I actually started tearing up and I had to admonish myself to get straight before I broke down into flat out sobs. My daughter, who is not a huge Star Wars fan, felt the same way. I won't do any spoilers, except to say that it uses music and lighting effects to draw an emotional response and it works. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was moved by it. Reports that it is almost a religious experience are absolutely true. If you love Star Wars and have $220 to drop on a toy, make this your priority.
On Sunday the area was more crowded and hotter than Saturday, and the 11:00 crowd was huge. We did some more shopping at Dok Ondar's and then headed out. Before that we had breakfast at Ronto's, flew the Falcon, and downed some blue and green milk.
We are going back on Sunday night. I spoke to some people who had been there at night and they said it was better because the heat was gone, the lighting was beautiful, and the crowds disappeared after the fireworks. We are hoping for the same. I will report back.
BOTTOM LINE:
If you want to do the cantina or Savi's, get to the DL main gates by 6:00 am for the morning slot (I can't help with strategy for later slots). Do not do the Falcon for the first 90 minutes, wait for the standby time to drop to 15 minutes. Most importantly, if you have the means to put your spending out of your mind, do so. The prices hurt. If money is tight, you must prioritize. Disney is going to make a billion dollars per year off of this land alone.
We also didn't do many of the datapad tasks because we didn't want to spend our time staring at our phones instead of experiencing the land. I recommend saving that stuff for your second visit, or third if you have one.
Falcon is great fun, but people who call it a D ticket are correct. It is like an interactive Star Tours, and some of the interaction is little more than "push this flashing button."
May the Force be with you!
We’re going March 2020 and I’d really it rather still be closed or have been opene for awhile. Oh well.
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