New SWGE Superthread! Now Open to All! (6/24/2019)

[Theactualdisneyprincess]

We are at almost a week mark since it has opened to the public. I will be there on Wednesday through the weekend. What is the order we should do things upon entering if we want to take advantage of all attractions/activities/dining?

 

[cdatkins]

We are at almost a week mark since it has opened to the public. I will be there on Wednesday through the weekend. What is the order we should do things upon entering if we want to take advantage of all attractions/activities/dining?

I haven’t been there yet, but based on reports, for this Saturday (which is an early entry day at DL) I am planning on:

1. Being in security line at 6:30 (coming from GCH)
2. At 7am Grabbing a Savi reservation for late morning
3. Going as far as I can toward GE at 7am rope drop
4. Heading straight to MFSR at 8am opening of GE
5. Going to see the rest of GE after we are done with MFSR (i.e. shops, snacks, characters, etc.)
6. Doing Savi late morning
7. Hitting lunch at Docking Bay 7

 

[poptart90]

If you watch the wait time on the DLR app rope drop and early morning have been the worst times of day to the ride as far as wait times go.

Yep!! IMO, stay away first thing unless you are camped out in line. For us, dinner-time hours have been magic! SR ride time almost always drops to 35-45 minutes around 3pm-6pm...somewhere around that window. Way better than 120 minute wait at 9am!! Haha!

 

[katyringo]

After watching wait times now for a week straight, out strategy for tomorrow (yayayaya!!) is to book a cantina reservation before we even arrive for 7-8pm. Ride times seem to be lower the later it gets.

 

[BigCheese]

After watching wait times now for a week straight, out strategy for tomorrow (yayayaya!!) is to book a cantina reservation before we even arrive for 7-8pm. Ride times seem to be lower the later it gets.

I think that’s an excellent strategy. The ability to make reservations for Oga’s and Savi’s (if you’re so inclined) right at 7am for whatever time you want later in the day is wonderful. Based on the patterns this past week there’s no reason to rush to MFSR or SWGE at all in the morning, and while I wouldn’t assume tomorrow will be as light as last week was, it could be. But the first part of the day is the perfect time to experience DL while the majority heads towards GE.

 

[midnight star]

After watching wait times now for a week straight, out strategy for tomorrow (yayayaya!!) is to book a cantina reservation before we even arrive for 7-8pm. Ride times seem to be lower the later it gets.

Have fun tomorrow!

 

[BadPinkTink]

finally back at my hotel after an EPIC day. I will do a full trip report later so this is just my Batuu report while it is fresh in my mind

Cantina Reservation
I was at Harbour Boulevard Security for about 6.30am and there was no line, I just walked up and got checked straight away.
I did a mobile order for Starbucks in Downtown Disney.
After collecting my Starbucks, on the walk back to the entrance turnstiles I opened up Disneyland website on my phone, on my browser, not the App

1. There was a page for Cantina reservations so I clicked into that
2. It was about 6.45am and I was put into a holding page which refreshed automatically
3. At around 7.05 am it refreshed and the reservation page came up
4. I could choose an hourly reservation time, and then when you selected the hour it gave you a few times during that hour
5. I first selected 3pm and then 3.05pm
6. I had had to say how many were in the party ( 1)
7. I had to put my first name and then my last name
8. I had already added a payment card but I needed to manually input the 3 digit security code
9. I had to put in my phone number
10. I put in the wrong phone number so I dont know if I received a text alert for my reservation.
11. When my reservation was confirmed, it showed up in the App where my restaurant reservation was
12. I heard from people throughout the day that all Cantina reservations were gone by 7.15am.

Cantina Arrival / Check In

1. The App says to check in for your reservation 15 minutes before your time
2. However, I picked a very busy time and the CM's would not let anyone check in before their time.
3. There were about 3 CM's working the line and they were very strict about not letting anyone check in before their time
4. They also explained the rules to us, 2 drinks per person, 45 minute time limit, limited seating area, bar snacks only, not a a restaurant, loud music and dark atmosphere
5. The check in line reached from the Cantina door down to the water / drinks cart
6. There was a CM with a Tablet at the end of the line
7. He checked me in at exactly my reservation time of 3.05pm and gave me a Blue ticket and wrote my party size on the ticket
8. I then waited in line for about 20 minutes
9. When I got to the top of the line, another CM took my blue ticket and put me in a group with 5 other people, a party of 3 adults an a party of 2 adults.
10. We were led in a group into the Cantina and brought to a standing table

Cantina Ordering and Drinks
When we arrived at the table, a server appeared to take our orders.
As we were 3 separate parties, he took 3 separate orders.
When we ordered the drinks we had to give our credit cards to the server.
I ordered my 2 drinks at the same time. The other people at my table just ordered drinks one at a time
I had
Fuzzy Tauntaun - $15
Cîroc Peach Vodka, Bols Peach Schnapps, and Simply Orange® topped with Tangerine, Pure Cane Sugar, "Buzzz" Foam

Blue Bantha - $13
Blue Milk served chilled with Bantha-inspired Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookie

Overall thoughts
I entered Batuu from Fantasyland entrance at about 2.30pm
Walking up I just loved the first sight of the land
The Millennium Falcon is just WOW, seeing it for the first time from the Cantina side , with the rock backdrop is a real heart stopping moment
While I waited for my Cantina reservation I sat in the shade under the bridge and did some people watching.
The majority of the people were NOT the typical Disney family, it seemed alot more males, alot more older teenage and upwards couples.
Some citizens of Batuu came by and many people did not know how to interact with them. People were trying to talk to them like regular CM's and couldn't understand why they didnt know anything off land
I couldnt fully interact with the land as my phone is not compatible with Disney Play App
I loved the uniqueness of the land, I loved that it wasnt like the other land, I loved the sounds, the plane noises. It felt more real and immersive WITHOUT the music. Its like when you travel to a new country, people speak a different language, there is new food to try, new experiences, and things are not like what you are used to.
I loved all the tiny details, however I feel that the details are lost on many people. You really need to look up, look at different angles, and explore everything. There really is so much to see, but again it seems than many people are not really fully appreciating or experiencing the land.

Smugglers Run
I did Smugglers Run 3 times, each time single rider and waited no more than 20 minutes, when standby was 55 minutes
Again I think this is getting a rough time in reviews
All 3 times, very few people actually realised about the chess table, and I saw hardly anyone taking photos. Alot of the time, it was empty, most people not even realising the significance of this seated area.
I was engineer all 3 times
It didnt seem to matter that I was a single rider, everyone got into the spirit of the ride and it was great fun
The engineer has a a button console on the side and its basically like Simon Says, when the buttons light up you press them
The ride itself is just awesome, sitting in the cockpit, with that view then lightspeed, it wow. Again, after reading alot of peoples opinions who havent been there and who have been watching YouTube videos, you really need to experience it, before you form an opinion.

People really need to stop expecting it to be like the other lands.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I loved all the tiny details, however I feel that the details are lost on many people. You really need to look up, look at different angles, and explore everything. There really is so much to see, but again it seems than many people are not really fully appreciating or experiencing the land...

I agree that SWGE is abundantly rich in detail -- so much so that it is easy to overlook things and to miss how much artistry and magic there is all around. During the reservation period, I think many people felt so rushed and pressured to do as much as possible during their limited time in the land that they just didn't/couldn't take the time to enjoy all the details -- soaking and absorbing them in. Now that there isn't any more time limit, guests can take their time to enjoy the land without rushing. I know that one of the things we enjoy most is just walking around Batuu finding new things we haven't noticed before. There really is just so much to see that it will take many more visits before we even start getting super familiar with this new land the way we are with DL's other lands.
So glad that you enjoyed your visit to Batuu! I know how much you've been anticipating this day -- super glad that it was magical!

 

[midnight star]

The majority of the people were NOT the typical Disney family, it seemed alot more males, alot more older teenage and upwards couples.
Some citizens of Batuu came by and many people did not know how to interact with them. People were trying to talk to them like regular CM's and couldn't understand why they didnt know anything off land

I loved all the tiny details, however I feel that the details are lost on many people. You really need to look up, look at different angles, and explore everything. There really is so much to see, but again it seems than many people are not really fully appreciating or experiencing the land.

For these reasons you mentioned, I am glad I chose a reservation time during the last weekend. If I had picked a time earlier on, I wouldn't have known how to talk to the Batuu residents, or that the little details are what make the land unique. You really do feel like you're on another planet. I do think that the main audience for this land are the teen and adult crowd, which is why I do think they need to add some more family elements if they want to bring in more families. I could see how families with younger children wouldn't have a good time. The majority of the experiences are very expensive (i.e Lightsaber and Droid), or not super kid friendly (i.e Cantina). Plus if you read descriptions of the ride, it sounds a bit complicated. I was worried about that myself, as I am terrible at attractions that require you to have "skills" (like Buzz or TSMM).

 

[BadPinkTink]

I do think that the main audience for this land are the teen and adult crowd, which is why I do think they need to add some more family elements if they want to bring in more families. I could see how families with younger children wouldn't have a good time. The majority of the experiences are very expensive (i.e Lightsaber and Droid), or not super kid friendly (i.e Cantina)

I disagree, its less kid friendly than other lands and I like it that way. The rest of the park is kid friendly, this needs to be left the wayit is.

Disneyland is now fulfilling Walts wishes, a place for ALL to visit. I loved that Batuu had a more adult crowd. Now the people who might not fit in with the conventional Disneyland crowd have a place to go.

For example, I saw a family, dad covered in tattoos and piercing, mom dressed in the same style, with a disneyfied princess kid. Now this family can bring the princess mad kid to Fantasyland, and then have a wander into Batuu and possibly spend double the amount of money. Before this family may have only stayed half a day, the bring the kid to Disney but theres nothing really of interest to the adults, but now with Batuu, there is.

Remember, the single adult in Batuu may spend the same amount of money on food and merchandise as a family in Fantasyland. Low crowds in Batuu does not equal a low spend per person.

 

[katyringo]

We are on our way! Snagged our Oga’s reservation for tonight. We are currently hanging out on a layover in Phoenix.

So getting the reservation for stressful. I tried at 645 and it would put me into the virtual que but then I would get kicked out every single time and given an error page. It didn’t work until 7:01am.

 

[720L]

Please everyone keep doing daily trip reports, hoping crowds don't change drastically after July 4.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

Also still hoping to hear someone’s experience with Savi’s with the new system! Still waiting to know for sure that they don’t charge until you arrive so I know whether I can use a gift card to pay or not.

 

[ImDMous]

We went up after work on Friday just to hang out in Batuu and see it at night as our two reservation timeslots were the opening morning ones.
It was so amazing at night!! I loved it during the day but man, it's a whole different place at night, such a cool atmosphere.
We left around 5:45, got up to Disney about 7:30 and went straight to GE. We came in through the Big Thunder gate and I finally heard the music. I know a lot of people have said there's no music, and I don't remember hearing it before, but it's there! It was really only a small distance when you first enter, after that the general wildlife, ship, etc noises took over.
We went to Docking Bay 7 for dinner since we had not eaten there yet. Mobile ordered, no wait, got a table on the patio overlooking the Falcon. I had the Yip Tip which was pretty good. Friend got the Shaak Roast which I'll probably get next time. What I tasted of hers was yummy.
We got done eating and waited about 10 minutes for the fireworks to start. Our view was great sitting at our table and the fireworks are really LOUD over here since you're so close to them. Great pictures!
Then we wandered around and just soaked up the atmosphere. I mobile ordered a blue mug in the sipper bottles since they didn't have them when we were there before. It was ready immediately. We also went past the creature stall but they were still out of Loth Cats, haven't seen one in real life yet, always out.
We stayed around until about 11, the line for MF seemed like it was about 40 minutes the whole time (that's what the sign said, not sure how long it actually took).
I could definitely see this becoming a great night-time hangout spot for APs, we had a great time.

 

[midnight star]

I disagree, its less kid friendly than other lands and I like it that way. The rest of the park is kid friendly, this needs to be left the wayit is.

Disneyland is now fulfilling Walts wishes, a place for ALL to visit. I loved that Batuu had a more adult crowd. Now the people who might not fit in with the conventional Disneyland crowd have a place to go.

For example, I saw a family, dad covered in tattoos and piercing, mom dressed in the same style, with a disneyfied princess kid. Now this family can bring the princess mad kid to Fantasyland, and then have a wander into Batuu and possibly spend double the amount of money. Before this family may have only stayed half a day, the bring the kid to Disney but theres nothing really of interest to the adults, but now with Batuu, there is.

Remember, the single adult in Batuu may spend the same amount of money on food and merchandise as a family in Fantasyland. Low crowds in Batuu does not equal a low spend per person.

Don't get me wrong, I love how the land is! The fact that it caters a little more to adults is probably another reason why I like it despite not being a Star Wars fan. That cantina is calling my name! lol That's why I said IF Disney wants to bring in more families, they would have to add some other experiences.

 

[Tasmen]

I do think that the main audience for this land are the teen and adult crowd, which is why I do think they need to add some more family elements if they want to bring in more families. I could see how families with younger children wouldn't have a good time. The majority of the experiences are very expensive (i.e Lightsaber and Droid), or not super kid friendly (i.e Cantina). Plus if you read descriptions of the ride, it sounds a bit complicated. I was worried about that myself, as I am terrible at attractions that require you to have "skills" (like Buzz or TSMM).

I completely disagree. A lot of Star Wars loving parents have raised Star Wars loving kidlets. I know we have. My daughter used to be into Princesses but now she's all superheroes and Rey (all the Rey). To her, seeing all the Star Wars stuff is going to be amazing even without us getting her the $200 lightsaber (She can watch mom and dad build theirs ).

We have a trip planned for October with 2 other families specifically so that we can Star Wars and Halloween.

 

[katyringo]

As a parent of two young kids heading to Disneyland right this second... the thing is that we want to experience Star Wars even tho we have young kids with us. Just one expirence there that would be fitting for a 2-5 would be great while mom, dad and older kid do rider swap. I’m nervous about this part of the trip and keeping our youngest happy during this time.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

So getting the reservation for stressful. I tried at 645 and it would put me into the virtual que but then I would get kicked out every single time and given an error page. It didn’t work until 7:01am.

For the benefit of others avoiding stress: I see absolutely no reason to try to be in a virtual queue before 7am. I made four different Cantina reservations this past week (not all for me!), and 3/4 times I simply jumped on the page around 7 and refreshed until the day opened up (was 7:01 most times). I’d get the “sit tight, friend” screen briefly and then go straight to the booking page. I was online all of the other days around 7:15 and there was still tons of availability (that’s when I booked the fourth day). Some days, there were reservations open until 10 or 11am.

You do want to book around 7, especially if you want a specific time, but there’s no reason to be in there early like I keep seeing people mention.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

As a parent of two young kids heading to Disneyland right this second... the thing is that we want to experience Star Wars even tho we have young kids with us. Just one expirence there that would be fitting for a 2-5 would be great while mom, dad and older kid do rider swap. I’m nervous about this part of the trip and keeping our youngest happy during this time.

Some suggestions since I’ve been there with kids a few times now: Go hunting for Rey or Chewie or Vi (she’s great with kids). Stalk some stormtroopers. Get some blue milk to drink. Let them hack things on the Play Disney app. Check out all the creatures in the Marketplace (have them keep an eye on the tank above the drinking fountains).

Since they’re not actually using a boarding system, you could also just hang in Fantasyland if there’s really nothing they’re interested in.

 

[B-rad]

Does anyone know if a Savi's reservation only allows entry to the section for up to two people if it's at capacity, or would a family of four all be able to enter on one reservation? We're planning on trying for a Oga's reservation too, so it may be moot. We're headed there the week before Labor Day, so I'm worried that crowding may be an issue by then.