Well, it’s all over the internet. Photos, stories, videos and more.
Disney was banking on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland to bring in massive crowds and even more money. But it doesn’t seem to be going the way they expected.
On June 24th the park opened to the public without a required reservation. In preparation Disney announced a Boarding Pass system that would be used to control the crowds. They only needed to use it on the first day and after that the crowds were low enough to not require it.
Several prominent blogs are reporting about the very low crowds at Disneyland Park and particularly at Galaxy’s Edge. We were in Disneyland around this time last year and it was super busy!
What Could Be the Cause?
Well there are several reasons this could be happening.
- It’s not very kid friendly.
A few blogs have mentioned that it isn’t really appealing for younger kids. Not sure why the wait times are so low outside of the Galaxy’s Edge Area if that was simply the case though.
2. Some Annual Passholders are on Black Out Dates
Due to the opening of this “highly anticipated” addition some of the AP types are currently blacked out. Since Disneyland is more of a “locals” park compared to Walt Disney World, this might be keeping the crowds low.
3. People are Waiting for the Full Experience
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened incomplete. There is the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run attraction, but the highly anticipated Rise of the Resistance attraction won’t open until later this year. If I was me, I would wait too. Vising the parks is expensive, I would wait for the full experience.
4. People are Burned out on Star Wars
Disney and Lucas Films have been addressing the problem of “franchise fatigue.” Their reasoning is that there were too many Star Wars films back to back. It also doesn’t help that The Last Jedi has caused a divide in the fandom. People are just getting apathetic to it all.
5. Disney is getting too expensive
$200 lightsabers, ticket increases, reservations for Disneyland hotel guests only, price hikes on parking and food. People are starting to feel that visiting a Disney park isn’t worth the incredible price tag that comes with it.
Will this Impact the Walt Disney World Opening?
Honestly, I don’t know, but I think that it might perform better there as it’s more of a global vacation spot that Disneyland is. Plus, they probably will learn from the issues at Disneyland and make more of an effort to bring in the crowds for Walt Disney World. But Walt Disney World has just seen some pretty steep price increases ahead of the new addition opening. People might just be at their limit on what they will spend.
Only time will tell how it will go, but the take-a-way is that right is a good time to visit Disneyland if you want low wait times and crowds.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Source: MiceChat
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