Star Wars: New Details Emerge About Disneyland’s Plans to Improve Park Ahead of Galaxy’s Edge Opening

UPDATE: While this story stated Disneyland wouldn’t be limiting park attendance for the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, it has since been revealed that operational plans have not officially been released for the park, including ways in which attendance might be impacted.

The article as it initially ran continues below:

Disneyland is debuting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge later this year, which is sure to result in a massive influx of guests. Recent reports about renovations the Anaheim, CA park is making reveal that, rather than imply various high-tech solutions or limiting attendance, physical obstacles that slow traffic flow will be re-designed to accommodate the thousands of visitors who will swarm the park.

The Disneyland Parks Blog revealed, “A number of efforts are already un­derway or completed. On Main Street, U.S.A., for example, curbs are being enhanced with slow inclines to help improve access when guests first enter. New brickwork adds to the storytelling of the iconic thoroughfare, and for the first time, the horse-drawn streetcar track was replaced in its entirety. In Fantasyland, reconfigured guest queues for Matterhorn Bobsleds, ‘it’s a small world,’ and Dumbo the Flying Elephant have improved guest access and comfort, while Tropical Hideaway in Adventureland now welcomes guests to a brand new area that was previously underutilized.”

It added, “Throughout Disneyland park, the lo­cations of planters and outdoor vending carts are being adjusted to make room for additional walking space and new, more efficient stroller areas.”

Interestingly, the overhaul has been dubbed “Project Stardust,” which was also the codename in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for the Death Star plans.

The park opened in 1955 as a way to entertain the countless Disney fans who would descend upon the small movie studio in hopes of witnessing magic unfold in front of their eyes. The upcoming expansion of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will add 14 acres to the park, with the attraction also opening at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL.

“We are preparing our legacy as we welcome a new galaxy,” Kris Theiler, vice president of the Disneyland Park, shared with The L.A. Times.

The Star Wars-themed attraction Star Tours has been a staple of both parks for years, yet the scope of this expansion will see a significant change to the park, rivaling the scale of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Galaxy’s Edge will likely surpass the massive crowds at the opening days of those attractions, given the decades of popularity Star Wars has earned.

“You have several more generations that followed Star Wars than you have with Harry Potter,” Martin Lewison, a theme park expert and business management professor at Farmingdale State College in New York, shared with the Times. “If anything is going to top Harry Potter at Universal Studios, this is it.”

A specific date has yet to be revealed, but both parks are slated to open later this year.

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