If you’ve been following the development of the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge additons, in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, we have confirmation of on opening time frame for Disneyland.
Previously, we were just told “Spring, 2019” but Disney’s CEO Bob Iger has recently indicated June as the opening month for the galactic addition in California.
Speaking to Barrons, about this question:
Do you still feel like you can bring more people through the parks, or is it more about growing ticket prices?
Mr. Iger answered the question and mentioned a specific month for the opening.
In some, you get more repeat visitation and increased length of stay because there’s more to do. You get more capacity. When Star Wars opens in Anaheim in June and in Florida later in the year, that’s adding capacity. You’re adding 14 acres of land [each], more rides, and more things for people to do. It’s the biggest land we’ve ever built. We’re just getting higher demand on our product spread throughout the year. That gives you pricing leverage. But what we’re also trying to do is be much smarter about pricing strategy, to try to spread attendance and reduce attendance in the peak periods so we can improve guest satisfaction. Crowding is an issue.
Based on his response we not only learned about the expected opening date in June 2019, but we also learned that Disney plans on using “pricing leverage” and “pricing strategy” to “spread” and “reduce” attendance in the peak periods to “improve guest satisfaction.” Something like Star Wars is going to have a much greater guest demand and at Walt Disney World, they have recently opened Toy Story Land and soon they will open Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, in an attempt to offset the crowds for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. But it sounds like they plan on leveraging the popularity to justify pricing increases, or “strategies.” For the most part, this was the expected outcome.
We can probably expect some price increases, but a lot of the big Disney and Star Wars fans will pay it to take part in their own epic adventure. The good news is that you can start planning for that now, so it won’t be a problem financially, and it probably won’t be a deal breaker for most fans.
Disney fans know that Galaxy’s Edge is going to be a huge draw and if it’s even half as incredible as we are hearing, it will be worth any added expense. The good news is that if you book through a travel agent, they will know all the ways to keep the costs down. If you are interested in visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, you can start planning for that now that we have a more specific time frame. The twin land in Walt Disney World is still being slated for late 2019.
Other good news is that when Galaxy’s Edge opens, other high traffic areas might ease up some and guests will likely have lower wait times for those attractions.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Source: Barrons
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