And you thought Hagrid’s ten hour waits were bad? In August Disney’s Hollywood Studios will turn I-4 into a parking lot…okay…bad analogy. But to say that the lines for a whole land are going to exceed the lines for a single ride is an understatement. The fantasy of Disneyland’s very easy going opening are going to be traded in at Walt Disney World for people camping out for hours upon hours at a time. However, there’s a little bit of hope…and do I mean little.
Annual Passholders will get exclusive access to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge before the land opens on August 29th. Before all you Silver and Gold Passholders go getting all excited, you might want to stop and smell the Bantha Poodoo.
Here’s an excerpt from a Passholder Update:
In addition, Platinum, Platinum Plus and Premier Annual Passholders will be among the first to experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with complimentary special preview opportunities planned before the land’s opening on Aug. 29. Capacity is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. More information and registration details for previews will be shared at a later date.
Yeah…sorry Gold and Silver Platinum Passholders, there’s no mention of you. At least not yet. This isn’t to say that there won’t be previews for those passholder tiers AFTER the Platinum, Plus and Premier Passholders. They just will be AMONG THE FIRST.
With that said, don’t hold your breathe.
But honestly, if you look at it, the move makes complete and total sense. Platinum, Premier and Plus Passholders spend the most money on their passes. It stands to reason that someone that drops over $800 bucks a year on a Disney pass also has more money to spend on the exclusive experiences at Galaxy’s Edge, such as the lightsaber building, the $75 dollar beer flights and the $25,000 droids. Right now, the only way to see those things is to pre-pay. There’s none of this “do the experience and buy it if you want it”. No…to do the experience you have to pay. Plain and simple (at least at this time). I’m a Gold Passholder and there’s no way I’d drop $200 bucks on a lightsaber, and then buy food in the park…or hell buy groceries for the month. It’s just not within my budget. And Disney knows it, so they don’t care if I come or not. It’s simple economics kids, and at the end of the day, while Disney does create memories for families and fans alike, they are a business and businesses are in the business of making money. It does suck for the rest of us poor schlubs, but unfortunately Disney has a product that we want, and they have other people willing to pay it.
Just wait until the Star Wars hotel opens!
Still, Disney is doing tons to help ease the crowds from Extra Extra Magic Hours, and return time tickets for the land. It’s one of the biggest theme park additions at one of the biggest vacation destinations based on one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. Did you really expect anything less?
