Galaxy’s Edge: Disneyland makes changes to address long lines and crowds

There are inherent problems in successful parks, one of which being crowds and queues and with Galaxy’s Edge having the template blockbuster opening the park is full and Disneyland are looking at ways to deal with it.

There are rumours of reservations for lightsaber building and Oga’s Cantina going minutes after opening (and this is before restrictions on time spent in the park are lifted later this month). Loth cats and gift cards being swiftly sold out, yellow and white kyber crystals are gone while the black kyber crystals are reportedly being pulled because of the frenzy. We even hear that standard plastic sporks are being used instead of the themed metal cutlery, as the proper knives and forks are being taken out of the park. These may sound like problems, but they are all issues caused by the huge interest generated by the success of the opening.

Last week James Bareham at Polygon took a look at the enormous crowds on opening day.

When we entered the park, we were instructed to wait on our first line of the day. At the Tomorrowland building once known for the Carousel of Progress, we joined a long, angular line drawn onto the pavement in tape. The queue looked intimidating, but before one of us could buy the others coffee, we’d already reached the front. This was a recurring trend. Big lines moved quickly.

On opening day, the wait to climb inside the Millennium Falcon rarely spiked over one hour, and we saw the wait time dip to as low as 30 minutes. I overheard a number of folks bragging that they’d rode Smuggler’s Run twice, and were considering a third go. Maybe the ride is efficient. Maybe the reservations meant fewer potential riders. Maybe guests had other things to do. Whatever the case, I was never concerned about fitting the ride into my four-hour window at the land.

Now a week later Mercury News weigh in with reports of these changes.

The wildly popular Oga’s Cantina that generated hours-long standby lines and forced Disneyland to turn away patrons on opening day now has a virtual queue.

The text message return system allows cantina patrons to return later to a shorter “buffer queue” with a wait time of approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

The goal of the new system: Let Star Wars fans spend more time experiencing the new 14-acre land and less time standing in line.

“What we’re trying to do is diffuse the long queues so that people don’t feel like that’s how they have to spend their day,” Disneyland vice president Kris Theiler said.

Visitors who provide their name, smartphone number and the number of people in their party will receive a text message to return when space becomes available in the cantina. Bar patrons are limited to 45 minutes in the cantina and a two-drink maximum. So far, Disneyland has not had to enforce the 45-minute time limit in Oga’s Cantina, theme park officials said.

Read both articles in full as they give interesting looks at the enormous pressures Disney are under to manage the expectations and numbers of the crowds heading to Batuu.