Disneyland’s Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is the newest themed land at the Disneyland resort, which opened on May 31, 2019. Spanning 14 acres in the back of Disneyland, the new area is the largest single land expansion ever at the Disneyland Resort.
Taking place between Episode 8 and Episode 9 of the Disney sequel trilogy, the land is meant to completely immerse you into the movies. Whereas Disneyland’s other themed lands brings you a romantic version of the past, Galaxy’s Edge literally takes you to a different galaxy and to a whole new world.
On August 29, 2019, an identical version opened at Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. However, this review will analysis the Disneyland version, by visiting the planet Batuu and exploring Black Spire Outpost and the Resistance Forest. Also, this review is from the summer of 2019, before the Rise of the Resistance attraction opened.
On January 17, 2020, Rise of the Resistance finally opened at Disneyland (it opened in December 2019 at Walt Disney World). As I am currently away on military training, I have yet to experience this new attraction. Once I do, I will update this review with a complete analysis of Disney’s most ambitious attraction to date.
Welcome to Star Wars
When I first entered Galaxy’s Edge and walked into Black Spire Outpost (the main settlement in Galaxy’s Edge), I was blown away. Within seconds, I forgot about the Disneyland Resort. For now, I believed I left Disneyland and entered the Star Wars Universe. Wow was the only word that came to mind as I began my journey into this new world.
My brain couldn’t compute complex language as my eyes and ears took over trying to process everything before me. There is no other way around it, this is the best fully immersive experience Disney has ever created. The Avatar themed land at Animal Kingdom was a warm up. Galaxy’s Edge is the main event. And you will know within seconds.
Once inside Black Spire Outpost, we headed straight to Oga’s Cantina. When Galaxy’s Edge first opened, Oga only accepted walk-ins. Fortunately, Oga now only takes reservations (up to 60 days in advance). On the way to the bar we passed the area of town under First Order occupation. A squad of Stormtroopers marched around, hassling anyone that seemed to be a Resistance sympathizer.
We also passed a full size First Order TIE Echelon ship. As would be the trend, the word wow came to mind. As we approached the cantina, it was hitting me even more that I was in fact in the Star Wars Universe. Was my childhood dream finally becoming reality? It certainly began to feel like it.
We got in line at Oga’s and waited about twenty minutes before going inside. We saw a Resistance pilot wandering the street in front of us, ducking behind guests as First Order Stormtroopers marched by. The event was meant to showcase the “living world” of Galaxy’s Edge.
Disney promised “mini scenes” to add to the immersive experience. If Galaxy’s Edge is truly a living world, then random encounters were bound to happen. As we watched the Resistance pilot, she eventually wandered off. I wonder if she escaped?
Oga's Cantina
It didn’t matter now as we were escorted into the cantina. Instantly, I felt like I was in the bar from Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope. It had that gritty, scoundrel feel, complete with blaster marks on the walls. Obviously, this place has a story with someone needing shooting lessons.
There was a huge bar in the middle of the horseshoe shaped room. The outer part of the bar seated booths (for larger parties). The middle of the bar area housed standing room tables (for up to six) and then the bar had a standing counter. For the most part, the bar is standing room only.
The bar includes DJ Rex, playing music from the Star Wars universe. Rex, if you remember, used to be one of the robots from Star Tours. Now, he can be found inside the cantina, playing music and making comments about the bar. I was standing right next to him, watching him select music and try to liven the place up. He is an excellent audio-animatronic.
Once settled, we ordered drinks. For the first time in the history of Disneyland Park, alcohol can be ordered (outside of Club 33). All of the drinks at the bar are premade, but they are still enjoyable and worth the experience.
We started off with the Jet Juice, Yub Nub, Bespin Fizz and one nonalcoholic mocktail. I personally ordered the Jet Juice, a bourbon based drink. Normally used to drinks at Disneyland coming in at least a cocktail glass, this one came in a large shot glass. Although only a shooter, it was great and I could feel the effects of the alcohol shortly after I finished the drink (like a blast from a jet!).
The Bespin Fizz was pretty cool. It came out with a “cloud swirl”. I believe it was from a dry ice effect as it created a fog and bubbled. Remember, Bespin is the name of the planet on which Cloud City sits from Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back. The drink tasted pretty good, although it was a little heavy on the syrup. And for the third alcoholic drink, Yub Nub, it was a tasty rum/tropical drink. It reminded me of a drink one could find at Trader Sams.
The drinks were pricey ($15) but exploring the bar is a must. The servers were “mean” and seemed more interested in receiving your ‘credits’ (Star Wars speak for money). But, its all apart of the show and really does make you feel like you’re drinking in an outpost on the outside edge of the galaxy. Check out our full, in-depth review of Oga’s HERE!
After finishing our drinks, it was time to ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. The ride is located just around the corner from the cantina. We exited the cantina, took a right out the door and BOOM, there she was, right in front of us. I always wondered what the Millennium Falcon would look like in real life, ever since I saw a New Hope for the first time back in 1997. Twenty years later, I had my answer.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
She was beautiful, gorgeous and gritty all at once. The childhood dreams imagining myself flying the fastest ship in the galaxy as I watched the original trilogy all at once seemed to come true. Seeing the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs in front of my own eyes proved dreams do come true. Thank you, Mr. Iger. After exiting my state of shock, it was time to ride. Better yet, it was time to fly.
The line queue was cool. It wrapped around the Millennium Falcon inside a spaceship repair facility leading to a preshow area. In here, the story is revealed by an audio-animatronic Hando Ohnaka. Ohnaka, as head of Ohnaka Transports (he’s in the Clone Wars animated series), is employing us to use the Millennium Falcon to help him collect coaxium, the fuel used for faster than light speed travel.
With a crew of six, we must all work together to collect as much coaxium as possible. The more we collect, the more money for Ohnaka. Chewy makes a brief appearance (he’s lending Ohnaka the ship in exchange for help with the Resistance) and we are escorted out of the preshow area to another line. In this line, we were given our roles (and a corresponding color):
Two Pilots: One flies left to right and the other up and down.
Two Gunners: Each gunner fires the ships weapons at objects, enemies or the coaxium transporter.
Two Engineers: If the ship is damaged, the engineers repair the ship (by hitting a button) and also launch harpoons that attach to the coaxium transporter.
Let's fly
Once you are given your role, you are placed in a waiting area, themed to the main living area of the Millennium Falcon. This included the chessboard area where Chewy and Luke play in a New Hope. It also includes buttons you can press, and some you may need to if the ship is malfunctioning.
Eagle-eyed guests might even spot Luke’s Jedi training equipment from Episode 4. This is still real life, right? After a few minutes, a cast member will call your color (located on your role card) and escort you to the cockpit.
As advertised, the cockpit includes hundreds of buttons and switches. Some will be used in the actual ride while others do not serve any purpose but it is fun to press them. The cockpit includes six seats with three rows of two seats each. The pilots sit next to each other, followed by the gunners and then the engineers in the back.
Once you are seated, you clip on a seat belt and then each seat has a button that lights up that everyone must press to fire up the ship. Once that is done, the ride begins and it’s up to the pilots to start flying the ship towards the coaxium transporter.
And it’s awesome! WOW, I screamed as I saw the ship actually leave Black Spire Outpost and then Batuu before going into hyperspace. It feels like a real-life video game as you work together (yes, you must ALL work together in the cockpit) to collect coaxium for Ohnaka. You can do well or you can “fail.” It all depends on how well you can work together as a team.
I had the opportunity to ride it three times and try each role. Trust me, you want to be the pilot. It’s the most engaging and most fun. It is also the most challenging. The other roles are fun, but as the pilot, you make or break the mission. Don’t worry, the ride isn’t hard to get used to. Once you ride it a couple of time, you should feel familiar with the controls. If you don’t “win” the mission, the ride is still fun and Disney does a great job of creating a unique experience.
Time to Explore
Smugglers Run is one my favorite rides at the Disneyland Resort. Now only is it thematically beautiful and convinced me I was piloting the Millennium Falcon, but it has a mission objective aspect that is dependent on skill.
Because of this, it adds a sense of realism and I don’t feel like a passive observer, the norm for most Disney rides. You are in control as you fly the ship around planets, asteroids and TIE Fighters. If you sit back and relax, the ship will crash (and will ultimately lead to a very bumpy ride). You must be actively participating to succeed.
With our first ride experience over, we decided to walk around the rest of Black Spire Outpost. A huge marketplace, reminiscent of a Middle Eastern bazaar, makes up the middle of Star Wars land. It includes shops hosted by various merchants, Docking Bay 7, a counter service restaurant and a grill (Ronto Roasters) serving pita wraps (it will also include mobile phone ordering).
The outside of Ronto shows a pod racing engine being used to cook the ‘meat.’ Again, another amazing detail in this already detailed place. It’s a cool area and we briefly checked out the shops (all expensive) before eating at Docking Bay 7.
I’ll have a detailed review of Docking Bay 7 later, but we found the food to pretty good. It is pricey, around $15 a plate, but decent. Serving pork, chicken and salads, they are named after animals in the Star Wars Universe. Some dishes include Kaadu Ribs (pork) or Fried Endorian Tip-Yip (friend chicken). It’s a neat place that really looks like a cargo storing area. Although, I would recommend grabbing food before/after visiting Batuu to save money. Update: Disney removed the unique names for more generic names.
After lunch, we headed to the Resistance Forest. Located on the outside of Black Spire Outpost by the Critter Country entrance, this is the location of the Rise of the Resistance attraction, slated to open later this year. Billed as Disney’s most technically advanced ride ever, I saw the ride entrance and wished it was open. However, when it eventually does open, I can’t wait to see if it lives up the hype. Who wouldn’t want to miss an attraction with a full sized AT-AT?
The forest includes full size replicas of a X-Wing and A-Wing Fighter. We took some pictures with the ships and saw Chewy and Rey walking around, interacting with guests. They weren’t posing in a certain area like a normal photo opp. Instead, they were actively walking around, like they were on a mission, and stopping only when guests asked for photos. Another great detail giving life to this place.
From there, we visited Savi’s Workshop, the location where one can build their own lightsaber. We were allowed to go in as spectators and after watching the show, it is not worth $215 in my opinion. I’ll have a more detailed review of the show later, but I can’t justify spending $215 on a toy.
Now, if the lightsaber actually retracted, I would buy it, as that would add a sense of realism. Instead, it’s an expensive toy lightsaber with some show elements. But you do select your own kyber crystal, which is awesome.
One we finished the show, we looked at some more of the shops located around Savi’s Workshop, but didn’t buy anything. We checked out the build your own droid shop (Droid Depot). it was packed and included lots of fun details. But then again, what I am going to do with a remote-controlled droid for $100? Probably not much. Now, the $25000 R2-D2? Hmmm, maybe I’ll ask my boss for a raise.
Once we checked out the shops, we rode Smugglers Run two more times, including once as a single rider. The singer rider line is very quick, but you skip the Hando Ohnaka pre show. And you’ll probably end up as an engineer, arguably the most boring of the three different roles.
The cast member giving out roles always starts out with pilots, followed by gunners and then engineers. After our third ride, it was past 6pm and we were tired after five hours of exploration. Knowing we would back in a couple weeks, we departed Batuu. Before we left, we tried the Blue Milk ($7.99). Expensive, but tasty!
Conclusion
As I said in the beginning, Galaxy’s Edge is AMAZING and easily the best land at the Disneyland Resort. With all the hype, Disney hit a homerun with Galaxy’s Edge. Nothing compares to Galaxy’s Edge at the Disneyland Resort. Within seconds, you forget about the world around you and become a member of the Star Wars Universe. The details are out of this world, literally.
The outpost town looks like a tired, battle scarred area of the galaxy. The ground has droid tracks, and the city walls are damaged and full of missed blaster shots. TIE Fighters can be heard flying by as the First Order attempts to occupy the city and crush support for the Resistance. Stormtroopers march the city streets, hassling anyone that may look dangerous to their cause.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter over at Universal shocked Disney. Due to the Universal’s run away success with Harry Potter, Disney knew it needed to do something. The old attractions were no longer as appealing as they’ve once been. This generation of theme park visitors desire full immersive experiences (myself included). So, what better way to create an immersive experience and battle Harry Potter than Star Wars, with its massive universe and fan base?
Without The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I truly believe Galaxy’s Edge would not exist today. But fortunately, corporate competition lead to its creation. This is the pinnacle of Disney Imagineering (outside Tokyo DisneySea).
I was wary of how Star Wars land would fit in the original Disney park, but it feels cut off from the rest of Disneyland, which is exactly what it needed to do. Disneyland doesn’t exist on Batuu (ask the cast members) or in the Star Wars Universe, and Disney perfected this separation.
Before visiting Batuu, I was starting to feel the Disneyland Resort was falling behind the other Disney resorts, in terms of scale and experiences. As the oldest resort, it was beginning to feel its age, tired and weak. The other resorts have bigger castles, bigger rides and bigger experiences. Now, Disneyland is back on top. Go to Galaxy’s Edge and fly the Millennium Falcon.
Go to Galaxy’s Edge and have a drink at the cantina while escaping the careful watch of Stormtroopers. Go to Galaxy’s Edge and create your own Star Wars experience.
Thoughts?
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a beast. As we continue to this visit this new land, we will do our best to update this review and add even more content. Additionally, check our full review of Oga’s Cantina HERE and our Galaxy’s Edge Night Report HERE!
Have you been to Galaxy’s Edge? What did you think? Is it better than the Wizarding World of Harry Potter over at Universal? Did Disney hit a home run with their new land? Let us know in the comments below!
