Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is the newest land at the Walt Disney World Resort. We were able to check it out on our recent visit to the parks and had so much fun! If you are heading down for a visit or just want to know a little more about the park, this post will hopefully answer any question you have. If not, leave a comment below or contact us through Instagram and we will try and help you out!

What Is Galaxy’s Edge?

Galaxy’s Edge is Disney World’s newest and most anticipated land to date. It is the largest expansion in Disney World’s history at 14 acres. Galaxy’s Edge is located in Hollywood Studios and is an incredible addition to the park. It connects Toy Story Land to Muppets Courtyard (it makes for a nice loop to the outer edge of the park).

Galaxy’s Edge is an ultra-immersive land that is set on the planet Batuu during the most recent trilogy (think Team Rey-Lo). Batuu is a planet on the outer-rim. This planet used to be a great place for smugglers to hang out and sell their goods at the Black Spire Outpost but recently the First Order and Resistance have started to show up. This has made this planet a powder-keg of activity with everyone on high alert.

When we say highly immersive, we mean it. Every cast member has a story of how they came to Batuu. All of the food is themed to the planet. Characters from the movie walk through very frequently and are constantly interactive with the guest. The shops go perfectly with the land. The detail in theming is maybe the best we have ever seen. It really is incredible!

What Can You Do At Galaxy’s Edge

Though Batuu is only one land, you could actually spend a whole day exploring and still have more to see. There have been a lot of mixed reviews about Galaxy’s Edge. We think one of the reasons for this is because people don’t realize everything this place has to offer. So, what can you do?

Explore The Land

Batuu is broken up into three main areas. The covert Resistance post is a wooded area located by the main entrance through the cave by Muppets Courtyard. The Black Spire Outpost, is the market area on Batuu located in the center of the land. The First Order cargo area is a more industrialized part of the Outpost located on the Toy Story entrance side. Each area is unique and offers you a different way to immerse yourself in the Star Wars experience.

In order to truly enjoy Galaxy’s Edge you need to pay attention to every detail. The Imagineers did an amazing job and they really crushed it with this. Everywhere you turn there are nods to the movies (not just the new ones). We loved walking around just looking for those little Easter eggs. You can do this for hours. We loved the droids, the speeders, the antennas – everything we have seen from the movies. We really felt like we were transported to another planet.

One really great thing they have around Galaxy’s Edge is the amount of Photo Pass options you have. That is good because there are a ton of places you want to get pictures from. They have them at all the ships. They also have two special Photo Pass picture spots – the zoom out near the Falcon and the overhead shot in front of Kylo Ren’s command shuttle. Ask the cast members around there and they will get you in the right direction. These lines are typically longer.

Don’t try and zoom through this land. Carve out AT LEAST half a day to just wander around and explore. Also, it is totally different day and night. We highly recommend going both times.

Rides

There are two rides planned for Galaxy’s Edge. As of the writing of this post, only one of them is open.

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run

Ok, this ride lets you get in the Millennium Falcon and actually pilot it. It is located in between the First Order cargo area and Black Spire Outpost. It is way better than we thought it would be. The whole ride is awesome from the queue to the exit. It made it pretty high on our Disney World ride rankings. The premise of the ride is you have been hired by the smuggler Hondo to grab some coaxium which is a space element that helps with faster than light speed. You are part of a crew of six that has to work together to complete your mission. This ride is different than other simulators because how the crew works together effects how successful you will be in your mission. This ride is a combo of Star Tours, Mission: Space, Mania! and Flight of Passage. It is really cool.

There are three different roles – pilot, gunner, engineer. Each has two people.

• The left pilot moves the Falcon side to side while the right pilot moves the Falcon up and down. You really have to work together on this. The pilots have to put the ship through some really tight spots. The right pilot also makes the jump to light speed. One of the highlights for me was when Silas and I were pilots I got to yell out to him, “punch it, Chewie!”.
• The gunner has the responsibility of shooting the TIE Fighters that are after you as well as shooting the trains that are carrying the coaxium that you are after. There are two different modes for gunner – manual and automatic. Automatic is easier (good for kids) but will earn you less credits. Manual is more difficult, but probably more fun if you are after a challenge and the more credits you will earn.
• The last position is the engineer. This position is the back row and is responsible for fixing any damage that the Falcon takes on and firing the harpoons to the two trains with the coaxium. You do this by pressing buttons on the wall. Most people are saying that this is the worst of the three positions. If you are riding single rider this is where they will most likely place you. If you want that pilot position, your best bet is to wait in line.

At the end of the ride Hondo gives you credits based on how much coaxium you got and how much damage you caused to the Falcon. This stays with you through your magic band and if you are playing the Play Disney App game it adds up to your overall account.

As great as the ride is, the best part of the whole thing could be the holding area between the queue and the cockpit. The holding area is the inside of the Falcon. You get to walk through the hallways, sit around the round space chess table, and check out all of the nooks and crannies to see some really cool details. You are on the Millennium Falcon, need we say more. It was so fun for this Star Wars family.

Right now there is no FASTPASS for this ride. They will eventually go to it but I think that is a mistake. We rode it three times and waited 30, 40, and 60 minutes respectively. There is a ton to look at in the queue. Plus, the Play Disney game keeps you busy.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Rise of the Resistance is located in the Resistance forest area as you are coming in through the tunnel. This ride is not opening until December 5th but it is unlike anything that Disney has ever done. This ride is the big one for the land which is saying something because the Falcon is so great. When we check this out we will make sure to update this post.

Black Spire Outpost Shopping

Another highlight of this land is the market area and other shops spread around. Each shop has their own goods and wares that they specialize in. We loved looking at all the little details of the shops. The market place has an open air feel where different local vendors have set up shop. The merchandise here was pretty unique and had many things we haven’t seen at any other Disney shops.

Just a heads up, this area can get a little congested as it also holds bathrooms and a couple of food locations. We hopped in and out of the other stores they had scattered throughout the land. Make sure you check each of them out! The displays alone are worth it. Many droids from movie sets are found in these locations and other fun props. And bonus, if it is a hot day you can take a break in some air!

Build Something

One great way Galaxy’s Edge is immersive is how you are able to build your own souvenirs. Leave it to Disney to save on labor costs by getting its guests to do the work but selling it as a fun thing to them. Genius. There are two ways you can do this – by building a droid or building a lightsaber. Both of these are awesome and both allow you to pick out what you want and put it together.

Droid Depot

The droid experience was super fun. This is what Silas really wanted to do so we surprised him with it on our last day. We are glad that he wanted to do this instead of the lightsaber because this was half the cost. To build a droid you pay $100 to pick out your parts and put it together. In my mind – $25 for the experience and $75 for the droid. Not cheap but worth it. You can make a reservation and we highly recommend doing that. We did standby and waited a total of about an hour. The reservations walked right up and got to it. It is important to note that only two people can go back to build the droid. For this one Megan sat out and watched from behind the barrier they had.

You can choose between building a BB unit or an R2 unit. Silas went with an R2 unit (raising him right!) and named him R2-35, or Rob for short. You pay first and then they give you a basket for all of the parts you need to pick off the conveyer belt. At the bottom of the basket is a map of what parts you need. It is really clear and easy. There are plenty of options on the belt and they are constantly replacing and refilling. There are a ton of different color and model options.

After you pick up your parts you move over to the assembly station. This is really cool. There are cast members to help you but it is pretty simple. Silas loved using the screw gun and putting it together. After assembly, the cast member leads you through the activating process. This is where your droid comes to life and it is super cool. It is synced up to the remote and starts to talk and move. There is an additional personality chip that you can upgrade to. We did not do this and don’t regret it. There is enough personality as is.

After you get activated, you can head outside and take your droid for a test run. We highly recommend this especially if you have a BB unit. We had someone in front of us go out to check theirs and it didn’t work. If they had gone home they would be out $100. Silas has played with Rob a bunch and has had no problem. Now if we can just program him to bring us drinks.

Savi’s Workshop

We did not personally build a lightsaber but we went with a couple of people who did. They both loved the experience and would recommend it. Like the droid factory, you can pick out the different parts of the lightsaber and construct your own. The key is the Kyber crystal. That will determine the color of your saber. You definitely should get a reservation unless you are going late for this experience. Every time we went by there was a line of people with reservations waiting for their time. This is really popular. Lightsabers costs $200 if you build your own.

Eating and Drinking

This land offers a lot of unique dining options and experiences! Hands down the one thing you must do is try the blue milk! They actually have two options – blue and green. This drink is actually not milk at all but is dairy free and has a smoothie/slushy consistency. It’s very refreshing on a hot day!

I can’t even begin to explain what they taste like. It’s weird..but good..but weird. Meg actually loved the blue milk so much she had 3 over the course of the week. Silas and Justin – one was enough! We definitely recommend blue over green! The blue and green milk is found at one of the stands in the black spire outpost.

For dining options you can choose from a couple of quick service places like Docking Bay 7, Ronto Roasters and Kat Saka’s Kettle. You can also make a reservation for Oga’s Cantina, which is highly recommended. The line was always out the door and wrapped around to get in! The food in this land sounds like it would be weird but everything we have heard is that it’s pretty good. The Ronto Roaster is a must try and the flavored popcorn is a great snack to grab while you walk around and explore!

Play The App

This is one of the most unknown and under appreciated parts of Galaxy’s Edge. If you are going, download the Play Disney app and start playing. The reason this is so cool is because it causes you to see parts of the land and the details in it that you would otherwise miss. This app allows you to complete different jobs around the Outpost in order to gain credits and move up in the ranks of the different groups you can work for.

Your smartphone is your datapad which has all of the devices you need to hack, scan, tune, and translate around the land. As you do this, you can explore and earn credits. You can also access different jobs by looking through the map. As you scan different cargo you can find equipment, clothing, and weapons that you can use. As you go through the land, people will start to recognize you for how you are playing the game. This app is a game changer and enhances the experience of traveling to Batuu. Download it is you are going!

Talk To Cast Members

Finally, talk to the cast members. All of these people have spent a lot of time coming up with their own backstories of how they ended up at Batuu. Honestly, at the beginning we were kind of weirded out by it, but after a while we got used to it and just went with it. We learned a lot about the galaxy far far away and loved the enthusiasm that the cast members had for their roles. This is just another way that this land is so immersive.

If you see characters wandering around and want to interact with them you have to do more than ask to take a picture (scans) with them. You have to join them in the story. Pick a side – Resistance, First Order, or Smuggler – and join the story. When you do that you will have some great interactions and a lot of fun. It’s Disney World, nobody cares what people do at Disney World.

Pro Tips For Visiting Galaxy’s Edge

If you didn’t read everything above, here is what you need to takeaway for visiting Galaxy’s edge:

• Take your time and look at the details
• Make reservations any chance you can
• Take advantage of the Photo Pass options
• Download the app
• Talk to all of the cast members you come in contact with
• Try and learn the language of Batuu
• Try something different to eat
• Wait in line for your best chance to pilot the Falcon
• Become immersed in the experience

We hope you have a blast going to Batuu. Have you already been? What were some things that surprised you? What were some of your favorite things?

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