News Round Up 2019

Status
Not open for further replies.
rteetz said:
I couldn’t be more excited for this.
Click to expand...

I am as well. Kind of cool backstorywith the Marty Sklar tie-in ....how this all came to be after he saw the Pixar Story and posed the question as to when the “Imagineering Story” would be created. The rest will be history on November 12th!
 
I think Galaxy's Edge has already given up on a lot of it's immersion.

Whatever happened to cast members interacting with you depending on your reputation that you got from the app/magic bands.

That droid that was wheeling around D23 in 2017 when they had the Galaxy's Edge model has never shown up. What was it? They wanted to wait to put out the droids until the crowds decreased? Pretty sure they've decreased, especially in DL.
 
WiredForFlight said:
Yep. I will be looking forward to it :)
Will be very interesting to see the park for an event like this. Tickets are included for attendees but if they want to bring someone it is $175 per person.

The host hotels are Swan & Dolphin with over flow into YC and GF.
Click to expand...
Gartner is crazy busy, they overflow well beyond 4 hotels (they have a contract with 20 hotels). And the Dolphin gets so busy that they shut down the park busses, and send everybody through the Swan. It’s lots of fun chaos.
 


TheMaxRebo said:
Looks like the GE food time names are changed in the locaitons as well, not just online:

View attachment 445063View attachment 445064
Click to expand...
Shame .. I figured that some "immersion" things will slowly go away -- I just didn't expect it THIS quickly. This is why I wanted to experience the land as soon as possible.

I feel this is caving too quickly. I found the picture menus they handed you in line with pictures was fine enough and had great descriptions. Though I guess it doesn't matter -- some people just don't like themed names. Or just want to order the "#4".

I guess save this style of immersion for the the Star Wars Hotel where people truly want that immersion. I am sure a ton of people just want to ride the rides and get annoyed at the immersion (like Kevin from the podcast).

AT least (as Rteetz noted) the "real" names are underneath it.
 
My guess as to why Disney dumbed down the menu is that the CMs were probably tired of people asking them what they were, in spite of the explanations being right there in front of them. Think of the people in Cosmic Rays and other similar places who just stand there and refuse to read before they get to the counter. These same people get to the front of the line and are totally confused by these unfamiliar words. They are unwilling to read the explanations and instead ask the CM. This probably makes the time it takes to get your food much longer. So, we lose the theming and immersion because of people who refuse to read. My 2 cents :)
ETA: I didn't realize there were picture menus available in the queue. Jeez
 
OhioStateBuckeye said:
I think Galaxy's Edge has already given up on a lot of it's immersion.

Whatever happened to cast members interacting with you depending on your reputation that you got from the app/magic bands.

That droid that was wheeling around D23 in 2017 when they had the Galaxy's Edge model has never shown up. What was it? They wanted to wait to put out the droids until the crowds decreased? Pretty sure they've decreased, especially in DL.
Click to expand...
I think the style of immersion they were trying for was too much for a big crowded land that tons of "casual" fans will be visiting. I get what they are trying here .... a Renaissance Faire vibe. But, at a Ren Faire, you are expecting that type of immersion the minute you enter the gate. It's cute. The problem with SWGE is it is a land WITHIN a park that doesn't have that level of immersion .. so people don't have that expectation when going to Disney World. Plus, some people (who aren't Star Wars fans) just don't understand or care for it. They want to know where the bathrooms are, not the "refreshers". Having droids wander around like Chewbacca, Rey and Stormtroopers would be a nice touch. I think a lot of people find the cast members "in character" to be annoying, while my family found in amazing.

The reputation thing is probably something else they will just save for the hotel.
 


Just visited SWGE for the first time today, and I would almost guarantee the name changes in the food have to do with how many people are NOT eating there. Even today when we ate supper there, with the new menu names, despite the rest of the land being reasonably crowded, there was absolutely no line to get food at Docking Bay 7, and empty tables for days.

Also, speaking to immersion and atmosphere. we only ever saw 2 stormtroopers at any one time, saw Rey from a distance once, and saw Vi Moradi a couple of times. That was it. We spent a pretty good chunk of our day there between getting up for EEMH and coming back later in the afternoon/early evening, and I expected to see far more character roaming and interaction.
 
Mal6586 said:
Just visited SWGE for the first time today, and I would almost guarantee the name changes in the food have to do with how many people are NOT eating there. Even today when we ate supper there, with the new menu names, despite the rest of the land being reasonably crowded, there was absolutely no line to get food at Docking Bay 7, and empty tables for days.

Also, speaking to immersion and atmosphere. we only ever saw 2 stormtroopers at any one time, saw Rey from a distance once, and saw Vi Moradi a couple of times. That was it. We spent a pretty good chunk of our day there between getting up for EEMH and coming back later in the afternoon/early evening, and I expected to see far more character roaming and interaction.
Click to expand...
That is shocking. I felt Docking Bay 7 didn't have a lot of seating for being the only restaurant in the land, and it was pretty crowded during the AP preview, but it is tucked away in a corner. I could see people just not "seeing" it (compared to Ronto Roasters).

Also the menu may be a bit small. It probably just doesn't have enough appeal or "feels" too exotic for the folks just wanting a burger or hot dog. And let's face it .. for what you get .. it is pretty expensive.

As for character interaction. You didn't miss much except maybe Chewbacca and Kylo (who isn't around all the time). When I was there for the preview (granted this was the preview) Chewbacca was freely roaming through the market .. and usually always 4 stormtroopers wandering and occasionally (but not all the time) Kylo Ren (who had a great, personal interaction with my son).

I feel that the menu's may be the first step of "normalizing" the land. I could see some of the cast members (except maybe certain shopkeepers and the ones at Savi's and Droid depot) being told to NOT be in character. Some people just want a "soda" and "popcorn" and want to know where the "bathrooms" are.

And since the characters walking around are "acting talent" and WDW seems to like to cut them .. I could see it being reduced over time and limited to maybe a stage show or two.
 
TheMaxRebo said:
yeah, was chatting with some other people about this and I think it comes down to that the vast majority of guests to Disney don't want to experience it as if they are going to some place "foreign" - they just want to experience going to Disney and having fun and riding rides and not going that extra level.
Click to expand...

I didn't think I was in the minority of people who can have fun while still using their brain. Learn something new everyday I guess.

OhioStateBuckeye said:
Whatever happened to cast members interacting with you depending on your reputation that you got from the app/magic bands.

That droid that was wheeling around D23 in 2017 when they had the Galaxy's Edge model has never shown up. What was it? They wanted to wait to put out the droids until the crowds decreased? Pretty sure they've decreased, especially in DL.
Click to expand...

I thought the reputation thing was specifically going to be for people staying at the hotel, but I didn't pay too much attention. Then after riding Smuggler's Run I thought my credits were going to come into play somewhere in the park. As the cashier (or whatever they call them) was telling me how many credits I owed at Docking Bay 7, I jokingly said, "Oh...that's perfect. I just got a couple thousand from that Honda Accord guy. I'll use those." And she laughed and said, "Unfortunately those don't work here."

Listen, I get it wasn't going to work, but it seems like for as much thought as was put into the land, no one thought about that? Instead of getting credits, why didn't they just give you an achievement on your datapad based on the amount of canisters you got. Then at least you can brag to whatever walk around characters they have.

But to your point about reputation following you, even if that was the case, they have to have people walking around. We went for AP previews, so I feel like my experience in that regard may be a little skewed as I would think they would want to go full out during the preview. Then they probably were like, "Oh...wait...all of this is going to cost money..."

I've mentioned this before, but I'm not a Star Wars fan. I know what I know mainly from one very entertaining YouTube channel. I went into the land a blank slate and felt very underwhelmed.

tlmadden73 said:
But, at a Ren Faire, you are expecting that type of immersion the minute you enter the gate.
Click to expand...

You mean you don't feel like you're actually being transported to a different planet by walking through a tunnel in Los Angeles?

I know it sounds like I'm being nit-picky, and I understand it's all marketing, but don't try and feed me that bull of "each cast member is a character".
 
mikepizzo said:
You mean you don't feel like you're actually being transported to a different planet by walking through a tunnel in Los Angeles?

I know it sounds like I'm being nit-picky, and I understand it's all marketing, but don't try and feed me that bull of "each cast member is a character".
Click to expand...

I think the problem is they either went too far or not far enough ... I think this type of thing is something that is really hard to do half-way. They probably should have backed off from the start and made it clear that for the average guest it would be like a regular land, just set in the Star Wars universe but that there would be ways for people to be more involved - either via purchasing certain things that "unlocked" immersion elements and/or for those staying at the hotel
 
OSUZorba said:
If they're giving up on immersion, they are kind of giving up on the main concept of the land.
Click to expand...

I blame the die-hard SW fans for this. They didn’t show up; they pitched a temper-tantrum about how the land wasn’t based on a place in the movies; they constantly criticize it for what it isn’t and some root for its failure, etc.

Then, you hear from people like Kevin on The DIS Unplugged, who, while extremely hilarious in his retelling of events, got very annoyed when CMs *were* staying in character. My guess is that there are a large number of “Kevins” out there who just don’t want to engage in the immersion.

On a more personal level, we *loved* GE! My brother could not have been more excited by it! We saw characters roaming and interacting with guests every time we were there. (I even got sassy with a Stormtrooper.😆) We thought the criticisms of MF:SR were way overblown.

The one place where we thought the immersion was fantastic, but could also go even further, is Oga’s Cantina. Our bartender was fun and engaging! We really enjoyed our two-drink, 45 minute time in there. 😁 But how awesome would it be if there were some characters in THERE?!? That is the perfect place for your reputation to come into play and to bring the immersion to the next level. People going there would be given a heads-up that the expectation is you play along with the story. I imagine the cost to WDW would be minimal - just the cost for talent.

It makes me sad/disappointed that Disney is softening/removing the playful elements, but again, what is a company to do when the people for whom this immersion was created don’t show up?
 
TheMaxRebo said:
I think the problem is they either went too far or not far enough ... I think this type of thing is something that is really hard to do half-way. They probably should have backed off from the start and made it clear that for the average guest it would be like a regular land, just set in the Star Wars universe but that there would be ways for people to be more involved - either via purchasing certain things that "unlocked" immersion elements and/or for those staying at the hotel
Click to expand...
Right .. they were obviously trying to compete with Wizarding World. The difference is the Wizarding World is in OUR world and not an alien planet. So things don't have to be foreign.

I think SWGE would be just as fun and immersive if it looked like it did .. had the set pieces .. have the cast members dressed like they live there and just have a STAGE show (or two) a few times a day to help with the immersion with wandering characters every now and then .. again .. just like a Ren Faire.

The cast member's role playing .. and only serving alien food and not selling "normal" Star Wars merch in the stores may have gone too far. You could still sell animals at the pet store, but selling t-shirts, plastic Star Wars figures and such would have been fine. My guess is that a lot of the products in the shops in SWGE don't sell as well as the stuff in Launch Bay or Tatooine Traders. Most tourists just want a t-shirt, a pin, a $10 figure or some Star Wars Legos. Only the hard core Star Wars fans want a $200 lightsaber, or Star Wars costumes.

Don't get me wrong, I love the immersion, I love going to SWGE.. As a Star Wars fan, wanted a Ren Faire like experience in Star Wars universe and I got it. But, my guess is these immersion elements will slowly erode away due to most guests not liking them and probably even moreso because of budget reasons (I am sure the actors that wander the land are a big expensive .. and we know how Disney likes to cut live talent).
 
MommaBerd said:
I blame the die-hard SW fans for this. They didn’t show up; they pitched a temper-tantrum about how the land wasn’t based on a place in the movies; they constantly criticize it for what it isn’t and some root for its failure, etc.

Then, you hear from people like Kevin on The DIS Unplugged, who, while extremely hilarious in his retelling of events, got very annoyed when CMs *were* staying in character. My guess is that there are a large number of “Kevins” out there who just don’t want to engage in the immersion.

On a more personal level, we *loved* GE! My brother could not have been more excited by it! We saw characters roaming and interacting with guests every time we were there. (I even got sassy with a Stormtrooper.😆) We thought the criticisms of MF:SR were way overblown.

The one place where we thought the immersion was fantastic, but could also go even further, is Oga’s Cantina. Our bartender was fun and engaging! We really enjoyed our two-drink, 45 minute time in there. 😁 But how awesome would it be if there were some characters in THERE?!? That is the perfect place for your reputation to come into play and to bring the immersion to the next level. People going there would be given a heads-up that the expectation is you play along with the story. I imagine the cost to WDW would be minimal - just the cost for talent.

It makes me sad/disappointed that Disney is softening/removing the playful elements, but again, what is a company to do when the people for whom this immersion was created don’t show up?
Click to expand...

I agree with a lot of this - but I also think there is an element of "did Disney build the land the die hards want, or build the land they wanted and assumed the die hards would show up no matter what"? I keep going back to that comment from Iger when he said (something to the effect of) "we don't need to market Galaxy's Edge, we just announce it is open and people will come" - I think that was a mistake on their part and maybe a bit arrogant.

I do wish more people who were like Kevin (not to pick on him, but just as putting a face/name to the type of guest) were a bit more open to immersion and welcoming of the fact other people do want this and you have to start from a position of immersion and then move off of it, you can't go the other way. But also think the CMs could be better about reading the guest and moving off of immersion quicker when it is clear the guest is not into it

But comes back to trying to build a land for everyone and in the end making a lot of people unhappy - it's too immersive for some, and not immersive enough for others. Plus, we are going to see more of the negative things posted / discussed as it is just the nature of the internet - people who go and enjoy it but dont' feel super strongly either way aren't going to go out of the way to write passionate blogs about that
 
tlmadden73 said:
Right .. they were obviously trying to compete with Wizarding World. The difference is the Wizarding World is in OUR world and not an alien planet. So things don't have to be foreign.

I think SWGE would be just as fun and immersive if it looked like it did .. had the set pieces .. have the cast members dressed like they live there and just have a STAGE show (or two) a few times a day to help with the immersion with wandering characters every now and then .. again .. just like a Ren Faire.

The cast member's role playing .. and only serving alien food and not selling "normal" Star Wars merch in the stores may have gone too far. You could still sell animals at the pet store, but selling t-shirts, plastic Star Wars figures and such would have been fine. My guess is that a lot of the products in the shops in SWGE don't sell as well as the stuff in Launch Bay or Tatooine Traders. Most tourists just want a t-shirt, a pin, a $10 figure or some Star Wars Legos. Only the hard core Star Wars fans want a $200 lightsaber, or Star Wars costumes.

Don't get me wrong, I love the immersion, I love going to SWGE.. As a Star Wars fan, wanted a Ren Faire like experience in Star Wars universe and I got it. But, my guess is these immersion elements will slowly erode away due to most guests not liking them and probably even moreso because of budget reasons (I am sure the actors that wander the land are a big expensive .. and we know how Disney likes to cut live talent).
Click to expand...

I think it also worked out ok for Pandora as that still existed in "our universe" and the guest were visitors from Earth so was eaier to relate to it even if set on an alien planet. The idea of actualyl being in the Star Wars universe and the residents there not knowing what Earth is (since it doesn't exist in Star Wars) nor what Earth terms are I think just goes too far for many guests

Hopefully this is just a learning case for Disney and not a reason now to never build anything on the scale of Galaxy's Edge ever again
 
TheMaxRebo said:
I think it also worked out ok for Pandora as that still existed in "our universe" and the guest were visitors from Earth so was eaier to relate to it even if set on an alien planet. The idea of actualyl being in the Star Wars universe and the residents there not knowing what Earth is (since it doesn't exist in Star Wars) nor what Earth terms are I think just goes too far for many guests

Hopefully this is just a learning case for Disney and not a reason now to never build anything on the scale of Galaxy's Edge ever again
Click to expand...
I guess I have never felt "immersed" in Pandora and didn't feel like they were trying that. It is a great themed land (like walking through India or Africa) but just feels too small and not enough to do/see to be immersive (could use another restaurant or shop or some walkthrough attraction).

I wonder how this "negative" feedback will affect the Star Wars hotel? Will they pull back on the extreme immersiveness? Will they have trouble filling the hotel because if it is supposed to be basically SWGE immersiveness on steroids (a true LIVE ACTION ROLEPLAYING (LARP) experience), it may only appeal to a very very small audience (Probably people aged 40-50 who grew up with the original trilogy and are old enough to have the disposable income to spend on an "excursion"). Any younger and they probably don't have the money (or aren't huge Star Wars fans), any older and the same applies.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Share this page


GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!


New DISboards Threads

figment do the bart123
Wand Holders?
Replies
0
Views
10
figment do the bart123
figment do the bart123
DizMe
These 2 tours were mentioned as new
Replies
2
Views
32
NorCalFanatic
NorCalFanatic
B
First trip
Replies
4
Views
50
DisneyMom93
DisneyMom93
SquashBanana
Rope dropping MK, late June, no. EE
Replies
3
Views
45
gottalovepluto
gottalovepluto
B
Deleted
Replies
0
Views
25
buzzandzurg
B
L
Add one feature/change one thing from each resort to make it perfect
Replies
0
Views
39
lowlight
L
NEWS & UPDATES



Latest posts







facebook twitter
Top