Online reservations to see Disneyland’s Star Wars land fill up within hours

Two hours after Disneyland began accepting online reservations Thursday from people who want to be the first to experience the newest attraction, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the coveted slots were all filled.

Disneyland began at 10 a.m. Pacific time to accept online reservation requests to visit the $1-billion expansion for four-hour periods. Those reservations were filled by noon, according to theme park officials.

Fans who want to see Galaxy’s Edge during the first three weeks after its May 31 opening can still get a reservation to visit the land but only by booking a room in one of three hotels in the resort.

“We are delighted that our guests are as excited as we are about the May 31 opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge,” Disneyland spokeswoman Liz Jaeger said.

Congestion and frustration are expected when the attraction opens, and Disneyland has outlined ways parkgoers can get into the new attraction, plus guidelines for those with reservations:

• If you make reservations to stay at one of three hotels in the Disneyland Resort during the first three weeks after the new Star Wars land opens, the park will automatically send you reservations to visit Galaxy’s Edge for a four-hour period.
• The free reservations through the Disney website, which went quickly, still require paid admission to the park. Each reservation can be used for a party of up to six people, and each adult in the group must show government-issued identification.
• After the first three-week period, no reservations will be needed. Disneyland representatives say the park probably will adopt a virtual queueing system to manage how many people get into the attraction. The park already operates a virtual queuing system, called FastPass. A similar online version operates from the Disneyland app.

“Star Wars” fans who snagged early reservations Thursday expressed glee on social media, while those who had trouble getting onto the Disneyland site didn’t hide their frustration.

The new land, which will resemble an out-of-the-way outpost on the planet Batuu, will feature two rides, four eateries, one space-themed cantina and five retail shops.

Only one of the two rides — the interactive Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — will operate at first. The second Galaxy’s Edge attraction — Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance — is to open later in the year.

The Star Wars land is being replicated at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. That attraction will open Aug. 29.

In hopes of easing the crush of fans when the 14-acre site opens, Disneyland engineers and landscapers have been working to widen walkways and improve queuing systems to accommodate more visitors.

Disneyland managers announced last month that the efforts to ease congestion included removing several smoking areas from the resort and banning extra-wide strollers.

[email protected]

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.