'Star Wars' fans quickly fill reservations for Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland
Handout image provided by Disney Parks, Star Wars-themed lands will be coming to Disneyland park in Anaheim, CA and Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, FL, Photo by Disney Parks Via Getty Images.
ANAHEIM (FOX 11) - 'Star Wars' fans responded in force on Thursday as Disneyland began accepting reservations to visit the park's upcoming attraction based on the iconic film series, with all slots for the Galaxy's Edge land filling within two hours.
Due to the anticipated crowds, Disneyland announced previously that visitors will need a reservation to get into the new land for the first three weeks after it opens May 31.
The online reservation system opened for business at 10 a.m. Thursday, and by noon, park officials announced that all of the general reservations had been filled.
But there's still hope for fans who didn't snag one of the coveted spots. Anyone who books a room and stays at one of the three Disneyland Resort hotels between May 31 and June 23 will automatically receive a reservation to visit the new "Star Wars" land.
The $1 billion, 14-acre Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge land will feature two rides, four eateries, one space-themed cantina and five retail shops. The attraction is being replicated at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, but it will not open there until Aug. 29.
After the first three reservation-only weeks, Disneyland is expected to use a "virtual queueing" system for visitors who want to experience the new land. Parkgoers will have to obtain a boarding pass and will be called to enter the land when there is enough room, according to park officials.
On Wednesday, Disneyland officially implemented its new size restrictions on strollers and push wagons, and eliminated a series of smoking areas in Disneyland and California Adventure Park.
Strollers wider than 31 inches are banned, as are push wagons. The park had previously banned pull wagons.
Visitors can measure their strollers before going through security screening to see if they meet the new restrictions. If the strollers are too wide, they will have to be taken back to cars or hotel rooms. The park rents regulation-sized strollers for $15 a day.
Four designated smoking areas were also removed at the resort to clear walkways and improve traffic flow, a move that makes both Disneyland and neighboring California Adventure Park smoke-free for the first time in resort history.
One former smoking area, a collection of benches near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, will serve as an entrance into the new "Star Wars" land.
Another smoking area in the California Adventure Park, near the Silly Symphony Swings, one in the esplanade between the two parks, and a fourth in the Downtown Disney shopping district were also eliminated.
Park visitors who want to smoke will have to either use the smoking areas near the three resort hotels or go to open areas beyond the security screeners near the edges of the resort.
CNS contributed to this story.