Preparing for a Galaxy Not So Far Far Away… How to Plan Your Time in Galaxy’s Edge

[x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 1px; “][x_text class=”center-text “]Article and photos by John Roiniotis[/x_text][/x_column][x_column bg_color=”” type=”3/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]Editor’s Note: Welcome to a new monthly travel series featuring Disney and other theme park inspiration!

May 2019 saw the culmination of four years of planning and development to launch one of the biggest expansions in Disney theme park history. A soft opening has been running from May 31st through June 23rd and visitors have been sharing their adventures to the World of Batuu for a month now — reactions have been impressive to say the least.

As of this writing I have been lucky enough to travel through the portal from Disney to Black Spire Outpost twice. With those adventures under my smuggler’s vest, I’m here to help you plan for your future trip to a theme park not so far away!

[x_button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”https://www.vraimagazine.com/exotic-delicacies-at-galaxys-edge/” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]What should you eat (and avoid) at Galaxy’s Edge? Find out in our food guide. [/x_button]

1. Pick your priorities

The most important part of entering Galaxy’s Edge (GE) is prioritizing what you’re looking to do. The Majority of people seem to be split into three activities: drinking at Oga’s Cantina (first time to do so inside of Disneyland), buying scrap (building your own custom lightsaber), and riding the Millennium Falcon.

The Cantina is Han(ds) down the most popular experience inside of GE — so much so, that as you’re guided into the park, the cast member leading you is leading you to the Cantina. Your best bet is to line up to enter GE at least 45 minutes early and if you’re with other people, send at least one person in your party in line to make a reservation for the Cantina. You’ve got 45 minutes inside, and Between DJ R3X, the amazing drinks that numb your lips, and collectible tiki cups, you’ll want to spend most of your time inside this den of scum and villainy!

While one of your party runs to the Cantina, if anyone is looking to spend the $200 on a custom built lightsaber (like I did), you’ll want to send them to Savi’s Workshop to pre- purchase a lightsaber (and get a time slot to return to build it). This will allow you to kill two birds with one stone and get both reservations at the same time. You may wonder if the $200 price tag is worth it (as did I while in line), but between the surprisingly touching immersive experience and all you get (a surprisingly heavy metal saber, collector pin and carrying case) it’s more then worth the price.

Finally, piloting the Millennium Falcon was thought originally to be the most time consuming and popular part of the GE experience, but it has become the most accessible aspect of your time in Batuu! The best time to head onto this bucket of bolts is generally in the middle of your four-hour GE experience (it’s generally the shortest standby time). Go through the line at least once to see the entire docking bay and see the Falcon from every side, as well as get your assignment from the state-of-the-art Hondo animatronic.

After you walk through the life sized Falcon and are reverted back to childhood, you’ll get to be either a pilot, gunner or engineer. The ride is very fun and gives you a lot of emotions just being inside the Falcon cockpit. There is also a single rider option which allows you to bypass the line and ride the other positions which you didn’t get a chance to do the first time around!

2. Get a reservation, then dive in

After getting your Donald Ducks in a row, you’ll have some time to kill and this is where GE truly seems to excel. The cast members that have been hired on or transferred in are always in character and are there to offer you fun Star Wars-themed conversations, while trying to understand the complex things on earth like, cows and datapads.

Tied in with the Disney Play App, you can follow activities on there, hacking signals, listening to broadcasts, and just going around admiring all the detailed designs of the park’s decorations. All this helps to amplify that immersive feel sucking you into Batuu! This really does help to make the four hour journey to Batuu feel like a whole new world…without the genie.

3. Flying the hunk of junk or how I stopped caring and being the best smuggler in the galaxy

Smuggler’s Run is one of only two rides in GE that is open currently, but don’t let that disappointment ruin your experience, because this ride delivers on all of the thrilling feelings and excitement that comes with piloting the fastest ship in the galaxy! Between the three positions you can fly, the ability to bypass the line with single rider, using Disney Play to get points, and the addition of two other scenarios by the end of the year, this ride really does have a lot of fun and heart to make you come back for more each time!

Note: GE’s main attraction (Rise of the Resistance) will be opening sometime this fall in Disneyland and at Disney World. This is rumored to be one of Disney’s longest and best rides to date, and judging from their secrecy, it looks to deliver on it’s “wow” factor. Stay tuned for more information and speculation about what’s to come from this amazing ride!

4. Partying on the outer rim

The Cantina is hands down the place to party in Batuu. Between the drinks and original music, it’s an all around spectacle that fully makes you forget that you’ve been traveling through hyper space. Order a Fuzzy Tauntaun to numb your tongue and lips, and wait for the beat to drop as DJ R3X spins three hours of new tunes!

5. The journey is the reward

More than anything, just enjoy the experience of walking around with all the other Star Wars’ fans. Start up a conversation with cast members or other fans, be snarky to Kylo Ren and the Stormtroopers wandering about, or grab a selfie with Rey and Chewy in front of the Falcon! My favorite moment in the park is still rounding a corner and seeing the full-sized Falcon for the first time and my mind becoming a 15 year old again.
So remember to avoid traps, fly casual and let the force be with you!

[/x_text][x_button size=”regular” block=”false” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://www.vraimagazine.com/this-is-why-we-love-disneys-toy-story-land/” title=”” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””]Find out why we love Toy Story Land in Disney’s Holly Wood Studios! [/x_button][x_text][/x_text][/x_column][/x_row][/x_section]