Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will have its grand opening in just a few days on May 31st at Disneyland Park, and many are predicting that it is going to be the biggest new land opening ever at a Disney park, anywhere in the world. No matter whether you are visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on opening day or are waiting for crowds to die down, here is your ultimate guide to this new land!
The Story
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Though Disney created its first truly immersive land with Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disney is taking things even farther, with guests becoming a part of their own Star Wars story, which takes place at the Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batuu.
As a bustling spaceport, Batuu will be no stranger to busy streets and huge groups of tourists, and guests will find themselves caught smack in the middle of the war between The First Order and The Resistance to claim this unique outpost. Every element of the land’s design has been finely tuned to contribute to this and make it feel as immersive as possible.
And though this land will undoubtedly be crowded, Disney is leveraging the power of their Play Disney Parks app to give guests a way to shape their own narrative, allowing them to use their smartphones to discover interactive features, hidden secrets, and even join up with the Resistance or the First Order.
Getting in
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Beginning on opening day (May 31st) and lasting through June 23rd, guests at Disneyland who want to experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will need a reservation. There will be absolutely no exceptions to this rule, and no one will be admitted without a return time. Guests who do secure a reservation will also only have a 4-hour window in which experience everything they can inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, after which they will need to leave to make way for other guests.
After almost a month, beginning on June 24th, guests will no longer need to have a reservation to enter Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. However, that doesn’t mean guests will be able to flood this land immediately. Starting from this date forward visitors will need to secure a “boarding pass” that can either be reserved digitally via the Disneyland app or at a paper boarding pass kiosk to get into the new land.
Image: Disney
Once they know their return time, guests will have two hours to show up for their boarding pass window, but the good news here is that once your party is inside, there will be no time limits, like with the aforementioned reservation times. However, though guests can spend as much time as they’d like inside this new land, once they exit, they may not reenter, and guests cannot secure more than one boarding pass in a single day.
And though boarding passes will almost certainly be needed for almost all guests visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland this summer, during certain specific times, boarding passes will not be required to enter the land, such as in the very early morning when the park first opens, as well as late at night, when crowds are thinner. However, as soon as crowds get heavy, Disneyland will shut down free access to the land, and only those with boarding passes may enter.
The Ride
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Because of the delay of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the only ride that will be available at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland when it opens will be a flight simulator ride that allows guests to “take the controls of one of the most recognizable ships in the galaxy, the Millennium Falcon, on a customized secret mission”.
Interestingly, guests who experience this attraction won’t just be tagging along for a ride (like they currently do on Star Tours) but will actually be piloting the Millennium Falcon themselves! Guests will be able to turn, bank and even fire weapons in this simulation-style experience.
When guests enter the attraction they will be able to climb into one of seven pods that seat six riders each. Each pod will be able to rotate 360 degrees, and there will be a LOT of interactive elements all around riders that will affect the experience, with multiple buttons, knobs and switches on the inside of the cockpit, each with a specific function.
Image: Disney
And interestingly, many of these interactive elements will be specific to different “jobs” riders will have on the ride, similar to the format for Mission: Space. So, for instance, gunners in the center will have weapons controls while engineers in the back will have buttons and levers related to keeping the ship flying.
And guests will definitely want to do well with their jobs, as those who bring back their bounty and fly the ship expertly without a lot of damage will be able to earn extra Galactic Credits, which will change the way characters in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge interact with them. Conversely, guests who lose the bounty or damage the ship will end up owing money, which will also produce different interactions with characters.
This all sounds really exciting, but it looks like there will be one big issue with this attraction when it opens: wait times are going to be crazy. With seven pods that seat 6 each, you’re looking at an attraction that can only handle 42 guests per ride cycle, which is very low for an attraction that will undoubtedly be extremely popular since it will be the only ride in this new land.
Because of the massive interest that will undoubtedly accompany this attraction, Disney has announced that they will not be offering FastPass+ reservations for this attraction when it opens, and we don’t expect this to change very much while this attraction is the only one open in this part of the park.
The merchandise
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Merchandise has always been a big part of the Star Wars world (and a part of Disney theme parks), so you can bet the shopping at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is going to be amazing, with over half a dozen shops available selling clothes, costumes, collectibles, toys and more.
One of the most interesting of these new shops will be Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers, which will allow guests to meet with the Gatherers – a secretive group of people who have dedicated their lives to restoring balance in the galaxy by passing on their knowledge of Jedi lore and the Force. A workshop Master will guide guests in groups of 14 to customize and build their own unique lightsabers, and instruct them on the ways of the Jedi. Guests will be able to pick their own Kyber crystal, and will learn about how their choices affect their lightsaber. Of course, this experience won’t be cheap, and will cost guests $199.99 per custom lightsaber
Image: Disney
Another interactive merchandise oportunity will be the Droid Depot, which will invite guests to construct their own astromech droids. Guests will pick pieces and parts off a conveyor belt to build one of two core models (R-series or BB-series) and can customize their droids with various parts and colors, according to a special blueprint which will be provided at the beginning of the experience. These droids will be capable of interacting with elements in the land, and will cost $99.99 each. In addition, guests can putchase the DJ R-3X — the former Star Tours pilot Rex turned cantina DJ for $149.99 inside this new land.
The Food
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Of course, it wouldn’t be a new land without new dining options, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will have plenty of choices.
Oga’s Cantina is the local watering hole on Black Spire Outpost, and will have both choices for kids and libations for adults. Interestingly, musical entertainment in this establishment will be provided by RX-24, who Star Tours fans may recall as the former StarSpeeder 3000 pilot droid prior to the “Adventures Continue” reimagining of this attraction.
This watering hole will be the first inside Disneyland park to serve alcohol, but there will be some restrictions here, as all drinks served inside this establishment will be pre-mixed, and guests won’t be able to order any “off-menu” items (like a Long Island iced tea or Margarita, for example). In addition, guests who order alcoholic beverages must drink them in the restaurant, and will not be able to take these beverages “to go” anywhere else in the park.
Inside the Cantina guests can enjoy exotic sounding drinks like the Bespin Fizz, Bloody Rancor, Dagobah Slug Slinger, Fuzzy Tauntaun, Jedi Mind Trick, Jet Juice, The Outer Rim, Spriran Caf, T-16 Skyhopper, and Yub Nub, and non-alcohol drinks Black Spire Brew, Blue Bantha, Carbon Freeze, Cliff Dweller, Hyperdrive Punch It!, Jabba Juice, Moogan Tea, and Tarine Tea.
Image: Disney
Up next is Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo, the main eatery in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, offering quick service food and drink during lunch and dinner. Here’s the full opening day menu:
- Smoked Kaadu Ribs – sticky pork ribs served with a blueberry corn muffin and cabbage slaw
- Fried Endorian Tip-yip – crispy chicken served with roasted vegetable potato mash and herb gravy
- Yobshrimp Noodle Salad – chilled shrimp served with marinated noodles and vegetables
- Roasted Endorian Tip-yip Salad – marinated chicken served with mixed greens, roasted seasonal vegetables, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, and green curry ranch
- Felucian Garden Spread (lunch only) – plant-based “kefta” served with herb hummus, tomato-cucumber relish, and pita
- Braised Shaak Roast (dinner only) – beef pot roast served with cavatelli pasta, wilted kale, and mushrooms
- Ithorian Garden Loaf (dinner only) – plant-based “meatloaf” served with roasted vegetable potato mash, seasonal vegetables, and mushroom sauce
- Oi-oi Puff – raspberry cream puff with passion fruit mousse
- Batuu-bon – chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse and coffee custard
In addition to these two main locations, guests can grab a glass of Blue Milk at the Milk Stand, a unique popcorn snack at Kat Saka’s Kettle or a quick snack wrap at Ronto Roasters.
