We went to the opening of Star Tours 2.0. We got in the merchandise line (DH’s top priority) around 4 AM, and he was able to get everything he wanted when they let us in the store around 7. If certain merchandise is a priority, bring extra people if you can as some items are limited per person. For example, DH wanted pins that included actual film from the old ride’s opening sequence. With four people, he was able to get 8 pins with different pieces of film. If you put them together, you can basically envision the sequence. After that, we staked out spot for the opening ceremony. As a member of the general population, we stood behind bleachers for VIPs, but I could see (I’m pretty tall— 5’11”; DH at 3 inches shorter had some trouble, so ymmv depending on how well you can see over a crowd). It was several hours’ wait in the hot, hot, relentless May sun, so in June if you do this, bring proper apparel.
The opening ceremony was a big show with Star Wars characters, George Lucas (he still owned SW then) and Bob Iger. You should watch it on YouTube to get an idea of what you might expect. AFter the ceremony, everyone—VIPs first, of course— were directed to follow Lucas and Iger for the first rides. They had overflow lines cordoned off on Streets of America and at one point, I think the wait hit 6 hours. We went to the hotel instead, took a nap and came back in the evening when the line was a more-reasonable 90 minutes or so.
I felt like they really went all out, and the experience was totally worth getting on the road at midnight and in line at 4 AM. I don’t know if the opening ceremony for TS land will be open to the public like the Star Wars ceremony sort of was, or if it will be just one horde of people heading en masses to the rides. The show is really what made the experience special for me.