If travel advisor Sue Pisaturo had to describe Star Wars:
Rise of the Resistance in one word, it would be “epic.” And she’s not even a
fan of the “Star Wars” franchise.
“This is definitely a game-changer for rides in the future,”
said Pisaturo, president of the Washington Township, N.J.-based Small World
Vacations (No. 54 on Travel Weekly’s 2019 Power List). “I don’t even know that
you could call it a ride anymore. Disney calls their rides attractions, and
this really was an attraction. This was an event.”
Pisaturo’s fellow travel advisors shared her opinion of Walt
Disney World’s newest attraction at its Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land at
Hollywood Studios in Orlando. Rise of the Resistance opened to the public
earlier this month. It is scheduled to open at Disneyland Park’s Galaxy’s Edge
in Anaheim, Calif., on Jan. 17.
Beci Mahnken, CEO of MEI-Travel in Issaquah, Wash., said a
lot of theme park attraction openings are overhyped.
“However, Rise of the Resistance lives up to the hype and
sets a new bar,” she said. “Not just in the technology that makes you wonder
‘How did they do that?’ but in the way you truly become a participant in the
story like I have never experienced before.”
Rise of the Resistance casts guests as Resistance recruits
tasked with getting to a secret, off-planet Resistance base, but things don’t
go as planned and they end up on a First Order Star Destroyer. The attraction
uses multiple ride systems, including simulators and walk-through portions, as
well as life-size set pieces and in-character cast members.
“You feel like you really have an experience,” said Holly
McGuire, CEO of Hi Ho Vacations in Greenfield, Ind. “It’s not just an
attraction. It’s not just a ride. … I was really into the whole story part of
it, and I think that’s what a lot of people want to see and feel when they go
on an attraction.”
Advisors predicted that Rise of the Resistance will spur
further innovation in theme park attractions.
“When one player in the industry creates something
incredible, then others have to step up,” said John Magi, president and
co-owner of Dreams Unlimited Travel in Blackwood, N.J. “Now I feel like it’s
going to be everyone else’s turn to try to catch up to Disney in this arena. It
won’t be easy.”
Holly McGuire, CEO of Hi Ho Vacations in Greenfield, Ind., on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Source: Holly McGuire
Disney sales this year were up for some, like McGuire, who
estimated annual sales increased about 20% in early December. Others, like
Magi, said annual sales were just about on par with the year prior, but it
looks like that’s changing, in part because word is spreading about Rise of the
Resistance.
“We’ve already seen a bump in requests for Walt Disney World
from people who have said, ‘I can’t wait, I’ve got to get on this ride,’” he
said.
Many advisors reported clients waiting until Rise of the
Resistance came online to visit the park. (Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disney World
this summer with one attraction, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run).
Mahnken was among those who saw delayed sales, but like
Magi, she reported a bump in sales for MouseFanTravel.com, MEI-Travel’s
Disney-focused division, surrounding the opening.
“Once the opening dates were announced and 2020 dates were
available to book, the flood began,” she said. “We are now seeing higher demand
for rooms and packages, but people are still attempting to calculate when the
crowds may die down a bit as the guests who want to be first get their chance.”