I’ve been a hardcore Star Wars fan for about 30 years – And the rides at Disney World in Florida have ALWAYS been awesome for the Star Wars crowd. I’m a big fan of the Star Tours ride, I thought Star Wars Launch Bay in Hollywood Studios was a neat addition to the park when it was opened a few years back, so to say I was pumped about Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge would be an understatement!
First thing’s first – BEFORE YOU ENTER STAR WARS GALAXY’S EDGE – GO TO THE BASELINE TAP HOUSE RIGHT OUTSIDE OF THE STAR WARS AREA AND GET THE BEER THAT HAS A 7.1% ALCOHOL CONTENT… A 25 OUNCE BEER FOR $10.25. YOU ARE WELCOME.
Now that you’ve got your beer, the first stop you’ll want to make on Batuu is the Millennium Falcon. I spent about 15 minutes outside of the ship just walking around and staring at it. While the ride is fun, I enjoyed standing outside the ship just as much as I did the actual ride. The detail is amazing. The ride itself is pretty neat – I sat pilot and got to hit the lever to make the Falcon enter Hyperspace. (LIFE GOALS) There are some controls that passengers have to hit on the ride, and I’d LOVE to try it with a group of people who have taken the ride before and would like to complete it properly. My ride was with a group of five 40 something moms…. So while their gaming expertise might not be on par with mine, they certainly made the ride entertaining.
Next I met the main character currently at Galaxy’s Edge, Vi Moradi. I told Vi I was from Chicago…. Which she assumed was located off planet. lol. It was a fun conversation and I’m happy I went up and said hello. Another fun aspect of the area is the Storm Troopers have some funny lines that they say to guests.
You had to have a reservation to get into the Cantina on Batuu, so this time I did not hit up the Star Wars themed bar. Knowing you have to have a reservation – I definitely will plan ahead next time to get into the bar. I also haven’t tried the Blue and Green milk – yet. It just didn’t sound appealing with my beer. There are quite a few shops full of Star Wars stuff, but I visited right before Star Wars Force Friday, so I’m willing to bet there’s a lot of new merchandise in the area now compared to when I was there just last week.
Overall I really enjoyed the Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge addition to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.- BUT like every life long Star Wars fan, I’ve got opinions (We are the Star Wars fanbase… Ha we definitely have our opinions on EVERYTHING) on a few things I’d like to see added to the area.
The first thing that struck me about the area is the music. John Williams (who I’ve been lucky enough to see conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra 3 times – Check out this photo I got last time I saw him!) wrote a brand new piece for the area. I don’t have an opinion about the music – like I’m going to tell John Williams his song is bad or something. lol. I will say though the main Star Wars themes that are played around the Star Tours ride are missing in this area. There’s just a feeling hearing those iconic songs that is missing.
Another aspect I’d like to see more of in Galaxy’s Edge is more Star Wars characters in general. Kylo Ren makes appearances, Chewbacca is running around, but I’d still like to see more characters from the first 6 movies. There was a stage show with Darth Vader and Kylo Ren who were on stage at the same time, and they almost look like the same character. It would be neat to see Darth Maul or The Emperor alongside Vader and Ren. I’m sure with the upcoming Mandalorian series we’ll see a few more new characters walking around. Another thing that could be fun from the Prequels would be some Battle Droids in the area.
Lastly – Just MORE of everything! More rides, more shops, maybe a second Cantina to cut down on wait times for a drink! The new ride Rise of the Resistance is supposed to be phenomenal – and it’s going to be Disney’s LONGEST ride as far as length goes. The new ride opens this December so I’m excited to go back and experience what the Disney Imagineers have cooked up!
Overall I think Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is a pretty neat addition to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney’s Hollywood Studios was already one of my favorite places on Earth – So more Star Wars is a GREAT THING! – Producer Dan
