The virtual queue will be offered inside
Disneyland only for visitors to reserve a spot
to enter the Star Wars attraction, and is
intended to alleviate long lines. Updates will
be available through the Disneyland app or a
kiosk in the park.
“We believe that we can get a lot of folks
through the land, and the wait won’t be
unmanageable,” Theiler said.
Theiler said Disneyland has learned from its
other attractions, such as It’s a Small World,
Dumbo and Matterhorn Bobsled, how to
manage crowds.
“Many of these attractions were built in the
’50s,” she said. “We didn’t have the volume back
then that we do today. We’ve gotten into the
practice of utilizing walkway space. We really
want to make sure from a guest perspective
that we’re ready to go. We’ve been doing a lot of
infrastructure work the last couple years.”
Even before Galaxy’s Edge opens, Disneyland was
the second most popular theme park in the world
last year with 18.6 million visitors. It is second only
to Disney World in Florida, where a version of
Galaxy’s Edge is scheduled to open Aug. 29.
Theiler said Disneyland also wants to create a
fun and safe environment for visitors who might
want to partake in a lightsaber battle or let their
personal droid roam. Activities like that will be
monitored on a case-by-case basis, she said.
“If everyone’s having fun and no safety issues,
we’re going to let people do that,” she said. “But
if we start feeling like that’s interfering with other
guest experiences or other safety issues, then
we’ll have a gentle conversation with that group.”