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Credit: DisneyThis weekend started with Disney World inexplicably announcing that it would offer a “soft opening” of its Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade at Magic Kingdom. Disney World followed that up with two “soft opening” showings on Saturday night.
Not only does the soft opening give guests an unexpected treat, but it also gives cast members in the parade a chance to experience a live audience before its official opening on Sunday. This is also an opportunity for cast members in crowd control to work out any kinks before the parade goes live.
Disney expects large crowds for the parade’s debut on Sunday, so this will give all the cast members a chance to work in front of a slightly smaller audience before its official debut. Disney’s thought process seems to be to get the bugs out now and roll out perfection when the time comes.
Shortly after announcing a second soft opening for the Starlight parade, Disney World also announced a two-day soft opening for Test Track 3.0 at EPCOT. Guests in the parks on Sunday, July 20, and Monday, July 21, can wait in the standby line and ride the updated attraction before its official opening on Tuesday, July 22.
Both new experiences are getting rave reviews from fans, for the most part. So what made Disney decide to offer a soft opening rather than wait until their official opening dates to let the general public see the new offerings?
Perhaps Disney has learned from its past failures. The opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disney World was nothing short of a disaster, and that could have changed Disney’s perspective on opening new rides.
When Tiana’s Bayou opened to select groups, the prevailing narrative was that the ride continually malfunctioned and the animatronics kept breaking down. While the animatronic problem still hasn’t been addressed, Disney could not change the narrative about the ride, and to a certain extent, these issues have colored people’s feelings about the ride and probably always will.
Offering a soft opening gives cast members and the attraction time to get used to crowds slowly. The surprise announcements also give guests a magical surprise at a time when Disney World needs some help getting people through the doors.
With guests generally feeling good about these two new attractions, this strategy seems to work and has created some much-needed positive buzz around Disney World. Perhaps Disney Imagineering is learning.
Why do you think Disney offered soft openings for its two newest attractions? Let us know in the comments.