It's time to visit Batuu! Theme Park Overload has your complete guide to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the all-new land that is now open at Disneyland Park! We fully cover every merchandise location, food and beverage option, and attraction in this massive 14 acre land!
Special thanks to TPO Correspondent Harris Lanum for writing today's trip report! Make sure to check out his AMAZING Instagram account CoasterPhotos42 (It features some of the best shots out there from coasters nationwide!).
On Sunday, June 2nd, 2019, I had the opportunity to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. This brand-new land opened on May 31st at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, with a nearly identical Galaxy’s Edge to open on August 29th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando. The area does an absolutely spectacular job of immersing guests into a different world from a galaxy far, far away. Stay tuned for a full review of Galaxy’s Edge - well, at least as full of a review as is possible this early in the land’s existence, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
As multiple signs throughout the Mickey and Friends parking structure, esplanade, and Disneyland park itself will remind you, entrance into Galaxy’s Edge from now through June 23rd is limited to those who have made advance reservations online (which sold out in a couple hours about a month ago) or are staying in a Disneyland Resort hotel. Starting on the 24th, all Disneyland guests will have an opportunity to enter the land, but it will still be limited by capacity and an online system that will allow guests to make day-of reservations to enter Galaxy’s Edge later in the day.
Currently, guests with Galaxy’s Edge reservations must check in to Star Wars Launch Bay (located in the former Innoventions building in Tomorrowland) up to two hours before their four-hour reservation window begins. Here, guests are given a wristband which is scanned before leaving the building to allow for entrance into Galaxy’s Edge. There is also lots and lots of Star Wars merchandise for sale inside.
Galaxy’s Edge has three entrances: one directly behind Big Thunder Mountain, one farther down Big Thunder Trail closer to Fantasyland, and one in Critter Country behind the Hungry Bear restaurant. As of now, entry is limited to that third entrance. Here, wristbands are scanned for entry.
This view from the Rivers of America is just about the only visible part of Galaxy’s Edge from the rest of Disneyland...at least at ground level.
The Resistance Forest
Galaxy’s Edge is split into two sections: Black Spire Outpost and the Resistance Forest. Guests find themselves in the latter after entering passing through the Critter Country entrance. This is the area, in story terms, where the Resistance is camped out to keep a low profile and stay out of the First Order-occupied Black Spire Outpost. It serves as the entrance to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, an experience that Disney has described as the most ambitious attraction that they’ve ever created. Unfortunately, the attraction isn’t ready yet (Disney has only stated that it will be ready “later this year”). It should be worth the wait though, as the attraction is rumored to utilize multiple ride systems and never-before seen effects to transport guests to a First Order Star Destroyer.
For now, though, the Resistance Forest serves mostly as a glorified cattle pen to control guest entry into Galaxy’s Edge. Look at all those people!
This is the closest picture I have to an overview of the area. The Resistance Supply store is barely visible on the left. Here, guests can buy Resistance-themed souvenirs and clothing out of temporary-looking kiosks.
This turret marks the future entrance of Rise of the Resistance. The queue and ride exterior looked completely finished.
There is still some quality theming here. There are multiple ships scattered around, as well as equipment hastily constructed by the Resistance. Chewbacca, Rey, and other members of the Resistance can be seen walking around the area and interacting with guests. “Urgent transmissions” are heard over an intercom. But, there really isn’t much to do in this area of Galaxy’s Edge for the time being.
Black Spire Outpost
The majority of the things to see in Galaxy’s Edge are located in Black Spire Outpost - a bustling village full of everything you’d expect to find on a planet from the Star Wars galaxy: a cantina, multiple shops and eateries, and massive starships moments away from taking off. TIE fighters and other craft can even be heard passing overhead just out of sight. The audio is incredibly realistic due to the strategically placed speakers!
Paths are clogged immediately after the masses are let into Galaxy’s Edge, and it’s a little difficult to take everything in. Luckily, Disney has done a great job of crowd management in this land with the reservation system. There are many wide walkways, so the crowds dissipate eventually.
The main entrance to Galaxy’s Edge, if there even is such a thing, will likely be this one, which takes guests from behind Big Thunder Mountain and drops them directly into Black Spire. Guests then find themselves directly in front of the Droid Depot.
Ride
Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
The heart and soul of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (at least until Rise of the Resistance opens) is Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, which is currently the land’s only ride. I would be remiss to not mention the massive, life-size replica of the Millennium Falcon sitting outside the ride entrance. The ship is huge and awe-inspiring.
A closer shot of the Falcon in all her glory. Although there is a fence around the ship, you can get close enough to stand underneath the front mandibles and take in all the detail…at least when there aren’t hundreds of other people taking pictures.
This tower marks the actual entrance to the attraction. There are currently both a standby and single rider queue; there is no Fastpass/Maxpass option for the time being.
The beginning of the queue snakes behind the Falcon through switchbacks that are nearly close enough to the ship for one to reach out and touch it. The detail continues back here, including this rather large and worrying hole in the Falcon’s underside.
After passing through a few more switchbacks, guests find themselves in this large, multilayered queue room stuffed with detail. The room is somewhat reminiscent of the boiler room from Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout/Tower of Terror, only this isn’t isn’t a loading room. The queue snakes through both levels thanks to a series of ramps that surround a large jet or thruster of some kind.
Every once in a while, voices can be heard over the intercom testing the device. When this happens, the exhaust ports light up and strategically-placed speakers create the illusion that an extremely powerful piece of machinery is being tested just a couple feet away.
As I mentioned before, the room is chock full of detail (like this game of Sabacc on a table)
Next, the queue takes you above the Falcon, revealing - you guessed it - even more detail. This is also the only place in Galaxy’s Edge where you can see other Disneyland landmarks.
Then, guests are separated into groups before entering the pre-show through those very large Star Wars doors. These doors make Star Wars Door Sounds (Copyright Disney) when they open.
Inside, Hondo Ohnaka and his droid present you with your mission while the Falcon flies overhead via screen. Your task is simple: fly the Falcon, try not to crash, pick up some questionable cargo for Hondo, and hopefully make back out alive (and with a profit). When the ship flies past, the room vibrates. You can sense the ship passing by above you via some very cleverly-placed speakers, which makes for a very cool effect. The Hondo animatronic is quite impressive, and never stops moving (even between pre-show groups).
After passing through a rather tight hallway themed to a jetway, guests are separated into groups of six. Each individual is given one of three responsibilities while flying the Falcon: pilot, gunner, or engineer. Pilots, well, pilot the ship via a joystick. Gunners shoot enemy targets and engineers push buttons to repair the ship when the pilots screw up. After being given colored “credentials,” guests are let into the Falcon.
It’s here where things start to look very, very familiar to Star Wars fans. The Falcon’s interior has been recreated with incredible accuracy, with the addition of a few extra walls and corridors (as well as emergency exit signs, heh heh) to help with operations.
The holochess room from the movies has been repurposed as a sort of waiting room here. There honestly isn’t much waiting going on, though. As soon as you get your camera out to snap a few pictures, your color of credential will be called, and then it’s time to enter the cockpit. Guests are split back into their groups of six and led down different hallways, which prevents a group from seeing any other groups enter the cockpit at the same time.
After one final reminder from Hondo, guests are quickly escorted into the cockpit. And I mean quickly: there’s practically no time to snap pictures before the ride starts, which is why I don’t have any pictures of the cockpit… yeah, oops.
Without giving too much away, the ride experience is epic. In my opinion, the attraction does a great job of giving just enough control to the pilots that they feel like active participants, but not too much that they can screw things up so badly enough that the ride experience is drastically altered. Even with rider control, the same story occurs in the same order, though you may end up with different amounts of cargo or profit at the end depending on your skill level. I rode the attraction three times (once in each position), and enjoyed all three times thoroughly. But, in my opinion, the role of pilot is definitely the most fun. If I have one criticism, it’s that for being an interactive attraction, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run doesn’t actually allow for all that much variation between rides. Unlike the current version of Star Tours, there’s only one destination, or “mission,” possible...at least at this point. I hope the ride is eventually updated with multiple potential missions, because this is the one aspect where Smuggler’s Run feels like a step backwards instead of forward compared to Star Tours. I don’t mean to complain, though: I still loved the ride, and I think it is better than Star Tours as an overall experience by quite a margin.
Merchandise
Droid Depot
This somewhat odd-shaped building houses the Droid Depot, where guests can buy droid-themed merchandise as well as build a custom astromech droid for themselves. This was the line to build a droid nearly four hours into our reservation time (the line was much longer earlier).
Inside, guests can build their own R or BB series droids from parts moving along a baggage claim-like conveyor belt. There are parts in many colors and shapes, which permits plenty of customization.
Then, customers assemble their droids, as seen on the left here. The store (like everything else in Galaxy’s Edge) is completely filled with details and Easter eggs from the Star Wars galaxy (Notice the droid legs and other parts being transported overhead).
If your budget doesn’t include room for a $100 self-built droid, more conventional droid-themed merchandise is available throughout the shop.
Or, if you have plenty of “galactic credits” ready to spend, you can buy life-size astromech like R2 here for $25,000. Yes, you read that correctly.
Savi’s Workshop
Savi’s Workshop lets guests construct their own lightsabers, and follows the same trend of customization like the adjacent Droid Depot. Perhaps the greatest difference between Savi’s and the Droid Depot is capacity; while the Depot uses a continuously moving conveyor belt to pump out as many droids as possible, Savi’s is a much more personalized affair. Individual groups enter the shop at designated times for a story-driven, show-like experience. Because of the limited capacity, guests must make a reservation when they enter Galaxy’s Edge to return to the workshop later that day. If you want to find out for yourself what goes on inside, be aware that these reservations sell out quickly and cost $200 for a party of two to enter and build a lightsaber.
Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities
The largest domed building in the center of Black Spire Outpost is Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, which houses what is probably the most spacious individual retail space in Galaxy’s Edge. Outside, you can see some of Dok’s collection waiting to be moved inside.
Inside, rare items (read: more Star Wars Easter eggs!) decorate every wall in sight. Dok Ondar’s most precious collectables can be found higher up; they aren’t for sale. Closer to the ground, though, shoppers can purchase items straight from the Star Wars galaxy, such as kyber crystals, Jedi and Sith holocrons, and lightsabers ranging from your typical plastic versions to detailed replicas.
There is Jedi merchandise available, including a painting and bust of Luke Skywalker…
...as well as Sith merchandise on the opposite side of the building.
There’s a section devoted to the now defunct Galactic Empire as well, featuring kits to build your own Imperial rank badges as well as a $450 film-accurate Imperial pilot helmet.
Dok Ondar watches over his Den from behind his desk, occasionally standing up and speaking in an alien language. He’s a rather impressive animatronic, but he’s unfortunately hard to see due to the cage that he’s in.
A full-sized stuffed wampa watches over the shop from above, surrounded by other collectibles. Easter eggs scattered around include Han Solo’s blaster, multiple helmets from the original Star Wars trilogy, the Ark of the Covenant from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and even a gold bust of Jar Jar Binks’ head!
First Order Cargo
The evil First Order has occupied the far east end of Galaxy’s Edge. Here, they’ve parked a massive starfighter called a TIE Echelon, seen above.
To the left of the ship is First Order Cargo, which is your go-to shop for anything pertaining to the pseudo-fascistic villains of the new Star Wars trilogy. There’s lots of Stormtrooper stuff, some militaristic looking hats, lots of Stormtrooper stuff… yeah mostly Stormtrooper stuff.
But: these mini-TIEs are not Stormtroopers!
Merchant Row
Located near the transition area between Black Spire Outpost and the Resistance forest, Merchant Row is really a combination of small shops and eateries contained within a small area that basically functions as one retail location. Here, you can buy merchandise that really seems like it was crafted by aliens in a small kiosk (and not something that was mass-produced by a theme park).
The Creature Stall sells miniature versions of all your favorite Star Wars creatures, which range from cute fuzzy ones to some that look downright gross.
An animatronic lothcat sleeps in a cage right by the entrance. This little fuzzball from the TV show Rebels definitely fits in the “cute” department.
There’s the Toydarian Toymaker, who presides over this small shop selling dolls of familiar Star Wars characters and other “in-world” toys.
Black Spire Outpost sells some slightly more traditional Black Spire merchandise.
There’s also Kat Saka’s Kettle, which sells fruity yet slightly spicy flavored popcorn. It sounds a little strange, but I liked the little bit of it that I sampled. If you tried the multicolored World of Color popcorn that was for sale in California Adventure for a while, this tastes somewhat similar.
Food and Beverage
Since I’ve found myself discussing food, now seems to be a good time to transition from the shops of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to the eateries. These food and beverage locations range from small stands to one high-capacity counter service restaurant. Most of these locations, with the notable exception of Oga’s Cantina, accept mobile ordering through the Disneyland app.
Ronto Roasters
At the busier end of Merchant Row lies Ronto Roasters: a hard-to-miss food location thanks to its signature podracer engine that can be seen “cooking” rotating meat on spits as hot steam bursts out of the engine above. It’s all very dramatic and entertaining to watch. The whole apparatus is controlled by a grumpy droid who audibly complains about his work from time to time.
Above is the Ronto Roasters food location itself. You can purchase a Ronto Wrap here, which consists of sausage, pork, and slaw wrapped in pita bread. The wraps might look small from a distance, but they are quite filling. Overall, they are tasty and make a good meal. The location also sells turkey jerky and a variety of drinks blended from more traditional Earth ingredients.
A Ronto Wrap in the foreground, with the remains of a Blue and Green milk (I’ll get to those in a second) and a Meiloorun juice and Sour Sarlacc in the back. Both of those last two drinks are available at Ronto Roasters, and were both good.
The Milk Stand
Let’s be honest: ever since you watched the original Star Wars film and saw Luke living with his aunt and uncle on Tatooine, you’ve wanted to know what that weird stuff tasted like. Now, you can find out!
Round containers of Blue - and Green! - milk are suspended above the milk stand. Both varieties cost $8 a pop. Notably, this is more expensive than Universal Studios’ Butterbeer across LA in Hollywood. Here, the milk is served slightly slushed (though it is definitely not a slushie-type texture).
So how do they taste? I really liked both flavors! Some of the internet seemed down on them (especially the Green milk), but I honestly liked the Green better than the Blue. Neither really taste like milk though, as they are both non-dairy coconut and rice milks. But, they have the right texture. The taste itself is hard to describe...but, both are fruity. The Blue milk is more sweet and the Green tastes a little more tropical (for lack of a better word). I recommend trying both, though they are admittedly pricey for their small size.
Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo
The largest, highest capacity dining location in Galaxy’s Edge is Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo. You can find it beneath the large ship unloading crates onto the rooftop on the left.
Inside, this large crate is being lowered from the ceiling. The queue to purchase food winds behind large shipping crates that double as booths and house tables.
Docking Bay 7 has a spacious, warehouse-like feel, which creates a good size dining space and fits into the theme of being a shipping location. We did not eat here during our visit, but I’ve heard it is comparable in quality to Ronto Roasters (with a larger variety of food options). Highlights include the Smoked Kaadu Ribs (pork ribs), Fried Endorian Yip-Tip (fried chicken), and a dessert called an Oi-Oi Puff (a raspberry-flavored puff that is reportedly delicious).
Oga’s Cantina
Oga’s Cantina is the most popular, but also most exclusive, food and beverage location in the land. A very large percentage of the people who entered Galaxy’s Edge at the beginning of our reservation time immediately got in line for the cantina, which caused the line to stretch all the way past First Order Cargo and toward the Fantasyland entrance to Galaxy’s Edge.
Apparently, since our visit, the line has been reworked to put guests on a text message reservation list. With this system, guests can enjoy the rest of Galaxy’s Edge while waiting for a space to open up and return when they receive a text message. Regardless of what system is being used: if you really want to visit the cantina, get in line immediately. Don’t make the mistake many others before you have made (including the author) and wait to get in line later in your reservation time. You may find that the line has been closed off as soon as an hour into your reservation time, as it was during our visit.
I haven’t been inside the cantina, but I’ve heard great things about it (some even going as far as to call it the best thing in the entire land). It’s exquisitely detailed, with all of the drinks coming out of themed taps and other odd contraptions. There’s also a three-hour long audio loop controlled by DJ-R3X, the former droid pilot of the original Star Tours ride.
This is the only location in Disneyland Park that serves alcoholic beverages. Guests can consume beverages like the Fuzzy Tauntaun, Jedi Mind Trick, and Yub Nub. There are non-alcoholic drinks too, which include Jabba Juice, Blue Bantha, and Hyperdrive.
Well, that just about does it for my Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge trip report! In a word, Galaxy’s Edge is incredible. There are so many small details that I noticed or photographed but didn’t put into this report, and so many more that I’m sure I haven’t discovered yet. The land as a whole is incredibly immersive, all-encompassing, and overwhelming in the best way possible. Although I wouldn’t go so far as to say I actually felt transported to another planet, there were moments where I forgot I was at Disneyland (or even in a theme park at all), which I think is pretty incredible. But, don’t just sit there reading my ramblings: you should definitely go check out Galaxy’s Edge for yourself ASAP! Thank you for reading this rather long report, and may the Force be with you!
Special thanks once again to TPO Correspondent Harris Lanum for his trip report from Galaxy's Edge (His CoasterPhotos42 Instagram is a must for any coaster fan!). That's all for now from Theme Park Overload! Make sure to "LIKE" our Facebook page to get Breaking News Updates and Exclusive Content delivered straight to your newsfeed! Facebook.com/ThemeParkOverload My name's Nicholous, and Thanks for Reading!