Disneyland is serving alcohol... and the world did not end

It's an exciting day no less for Disney theme park fans. I've been checking the ride wait times via the app, mind you I'm 700+ miles away, and Millennium Falcon was at a 5 minute wait at around 10:20 Pacific!

Perhaps Disney on purpose really limited the amount of reservations to keep crowd control down and maximize the enjoyment of those first guests to the new land.

I'm guessing wait times are going to be difficult to gauge and not be predictive once the 4-hour reservation periods end. With limited time to explore the new land, I'm not surprised to see short lines in the middle of a reservations period for the ride with most guests choosing to experience that first before moving on to the shops, restaurants, and Cantina in the second half of their window. I think limiting the number of guests in the land through the reservation system is affecting wait times, but I do think limiting the time guests can stay in Galaxy's Edge is having a larger impact. Once the reservation period ends, guests will be free to ride for hours without having to worry about being kicked out before they can grab some Blue Milk or build a lightsaber.

I would say that the photos from this morning show a land far less crowded than the opening days of WWoHP, so you're probably onto something there, but you also have to consider that today's opening day is on a Friday, which is naturally going to limit the number of guests in the park as a whole versus what could be intense crowd levels to come over the weekend. I think that if you're not visiting during the reservation period, but plan to visit later this summer (like me), current wait times are not overly predictive of what to expect starting June 24th. Also, the unknown debut of RotR could have a HUGE impact on crowds - will Disney formally announce when the hallmark attraction opens (perhaps causing guests to delay a potential visit), or will they quietly open it one day with an official "grand opening" once the internet gets its panties out of a knot?

I didn't attempt to get a reservation for this phase of operation. If I had, I would have been much more focused on experiencing the land than riding the ride. The ride isn't going anywhere, but having a chance to explore all the nooks and crannies with out the land at capacity won't be an experience that many get for a good long time I'd expect.

Adding alcohol was long overdue at the original Disney theme park, especially considering how well that has worked out for the rest of Disney's theme parks everywhere. Only time I have ever had to deal with the negatives naysayers decry has been drunks at private events after park hours- or outside of the theme parks themselves. Used to be an issue at long departed Pleasure Island usually involving terming CPs and ICPs on Thursday Cast Nights there. Likewise outsidw the thene parks at Universal Orlando, where some CityWalk events had similar drawback. But really not a concern overall inside the actual theme park gates anywhere.

Actually Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Shanghai Disneylands all still do not publicly sell alcohol, and it's working out fine for them. The ban was never about preventing guests from getting drunk, that's a canard. The no alcohol policy was about preserving a child-like playful atmosphere in the park for adults to enjoy and return to their youth with their own children. Japanese love to drink alcohol, but they don't want a bar in TDL because they want to feel like kids again.

A question for those who have been to the new land. Why is there a fence around the Millennium Falcon? The fence looks temporary, is it? I think guests would like to get closer, explore the details, and even touch the most iconic ship in the galaxy. This is like putting a fence around Sleeping Beauty Castle. Seems odd.

Man, this looks really good. I love Star Wars, but I thought this new land wouldn't have a strong impact on me. I think I'll be wrong.

I'm actually excited about this place. Nice work Disney. And nice work Robert for presenting enough depth to get me intrigued.

The company isn't Walt's Company, he's been dead over 50 years. "The Walt Disney Company" is a huge public mega-corporation that is worth over $200 billion, its a totally different situation.