Galaxy’s Edge has quickly transformed Hollywood Studios from a half day park into a multi visit experience for a vacation. Now a lot of people that are not big Star Wars fans may think that Galaxy’s Edge might not be for them, but Disney has made it a must do experience for everyone. Aside from the Star Wars back story, they have created beautiful visuals, unique food, interactive character experiences and a couple of rides that need to be experienced by all. So I am going to go over a few things that set the land apart from other areas in Disney.
The Food
When Disney gave details about what to expect from Galaxy’s Edge, the last thing on my mind was food, but they have created some unique foods and restaurant locations to enhance your experience. They have a quick service location called Docking Bay 7, a walk up counter service called Ronto Roasters along with a bar called Oga’s Cantina. The menus are very limited, but every item looks out of this world and tastes pretty amazing as well. Oga’s Cantina is the most interactive location with a droid DJ, singing staff and some great things to look at all around the bar, but my favorite place to visit is Ronto Roasters for a Ronto wrap. I usually pair that up with a Blue milk from the Milk stand.
The Characters
The characters and citizens of Batuu make the area feel much different than what you are used to at Disney. The Cast members are called citizens and they always stay in character, they greet you with “bright suns,” call money credits and will let you know that things you purchase in the stores are powered by the force. Now Rey, Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, Stormtroopers, Vi Moradi and Imperial officers do not have meet and greet spots, they wander the land and interact with guests and the Batuu surroundings. They will stop and take a picture with you at times, but there will be times that you need to be creative to get a pic with them.
The Rides
No land in Disney would be complete without a ride or two and Galaxys Edge does not disappoint in this category with Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance. Smugglers Run is a very impressive flight simulator that lets you be the pilot, gunner or engineer of the Millenium Falcon. The queue features a full size Falcon and some of the best animatronics I have ever seen. The ride itself varies with the role you play, pilot being my favorite. Rise of the Resistance is what I consider to be the best ride in ANY theme park. It incorporates so many ride elements, preshow, character interaction, dark ride, flight simulator and thrill ride. Now that might seem to be a little overly ambitious, but the imagineers at Disney have pulled it off in a big way. I have been on it a dozen times and it still makes my jaw drop.
The stores
Shopping is always a big experience in any area of Disney, but in Batuu it feels very different for sure. They have a market area that features stuffed animals, T-Shirts and snacks (droid shaped Coke bottles). There is one other store that feels like a combo of a store and a museum, that place is Dok-Ondar’s. From the second you walk into Dok’s you realize they created something truly special, whether it be the Dok animatronic watching people shop, the artifacts on the walls or just the unique items that they have for purchase. You can find something to please every level of Star Wars fan, from lightsaber, Kyber crystals, holocrons, character busts or even character outfits, everything in there is impressive.
Interactive Shops
There are two stores that have a very interactive element to them at Galaxy’s Edge, Savi’s workshop and The Droid Depot. My favorite is Savi’s, you get to build your very own custom lightsaber and partake in a very cool show/ceremony. The $200 lightsaber price tag will probably keep the more casual fan away, but the quality of the product is top notch and the show they put on is second to none. If you have a friend or family member planning on building one, they are allowed to bring a guest, so two people can experience the show together.
The other one is the Droid Depot, where you have the chance to pick out parts to build your very own interactive Star Wars droid. The droid is $99 and not only can you control it via a remote control, but it will also interact with the surroundings of Batuu. There are a number of upgrades that you can purchase for your droid as well (personality chip, lasers, stickers, carrying case), the only downside is that the experience is a little quick and its not always convenient to lug the droid around. I still recommend you do it at least once.
Always make sure to explore every little inch of Galaxy’s edge and be sure to use the Play Disney Parks app to enhance your experience a little more……..bright suns everyone.