In just two hours, the first 24 days of reservations to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge shot into hyperspace.
Earlier today, Disneyland in Anaheim, CA highly anticipated new theme park expansion opening May 31.
Due to the high demand, Disney decided that for the first several weeks, people who wanted to attend would need a specific time-slot reservation. They could get them either by booking a Disneyland hotel or by braving a lottery, which was what happened today.
The reservations, which were free and open to the anyone (so they didn’t technically “sell” out), were made online as people picked specific dates and four-hour time slots. Each person (reservations were limited to one for each Disney account) waited in an online waiting area for their chance to select remaining slots; they could also add up to six guests. The process began at 10 AM PST and took five minutes for some and over an hour for others. By roughly noon PST, all the slots were gone.
Of course, not all hope is lost for fans who want to be among the first to visit Galaxy’s Edge and didn’t get one of these reservations. This particular reservation system only covered May 31 through June 23. If you book a hotel room during those dates, you can still get a reservation — and starting June 24, the land will be open to all attendees of Disneyland. At that point, they’ll utilise a virtual queuing system, much like you’d “Fastpass” a ride in the park.
Also of note is that when Galaxy’s Edge opens on May 31, it won’t be fully operational. Fans will be able to fly the Millennium Falcon on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and enjoy all the other amenities of the land, but the second ride, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, won’t open until later this year. The same goes for Galaxy’s Edge in Orlando, FL, which opens August 29. That park will not have a similar reservation system when it opens, though.
“We are delighted that our guests are as excited as we are about the May 31st opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge,” Disneyland spokesperson Liz Jaeger said. “We can’t wait for them to visit, and we look forward to delivering a great guest experience both now and after June 23rd, when reservations will no longer be required to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.”
For much, much more on Galaxy’s Edge, read our coverage below and stay tuned for more in the coming weeks as this writer may have secured himself one of those coveted reservations.