If you are any kind of Disney fan or Star Wars fan you’ve heard that Galaxy’s Edge is NOW OPEN at Disneyland and will open August 29 at Disney World. I wanted to break down some information for you to get excited about. I’m also here with information for those of you who would just like to completely stay away while all this craziness begins. Because…..if I know one thing, it is that Disney fans are crazy dedicated…but Star Wars fans are their own special crazy!
Basic Facts:
Disney World : August 29th is the Magical Date! The park will open at 8:00 am for Magic Hour. This magic hour is only for park guests staying on property. But, you can bet it’s going to be crazy busy.
Disneyland : May 31 was the soft opening, and June 23 it opened up to everyone.
Both: This is only Phase 1 for both parks. There is still more to come. Phase 2 has no release date yet, except "later this year".
Planning:
You still must have a valid park pass to access Galaxy’s Edge. This may seem like a no brainer, but I feel the need to spell it out. This also means that Disney will still stick with their capacity limits. Since opening to the general public on the 23rd, lines have been so reasonable that Disneyland lifted their block cast members visiting during the summer. It has yet to prove to be a problem, as lines are still low(even in the summer).
FastPass and MaxPass are still not available, but rumor has it that that they will soon be available for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Disney states that they will evaluate this during the opening. So……..pack your lunch, games, good attitude because you WILL be waiting a long time in line. Lines have yet to exceed 110 minutes with the current boarding groups as well. So, Disney is figuring things out.
As far as getting into Galaxy's Edge, Disneyland is utilizing a virtual queue system. These are the directions direct from Disney.com.
Rides:
There are 2 EXPERIENCES that have been released.
1. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. This is the MOST anticipated ride. It puts you behind the controls of a Millenium Falcon with 1 of 3 roles during the journey. Guests must be 38” tall.
My son enjoyed this ride the most. He loved being the pilot with all of the controls. I enjoyed being the gunner the best. I liked that I could sit a little further back, which helped my motion sickness. My husband liked the engineer job. Overall it was a fun ride, but the technology wasn't anything more impressive than Pandora's Flight of Passage in DAK(Disney's Animal Kingdom), so I was a little disappointed. My husband and son were able to ride it 3 times.
2. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Promises to put guests “in the middle of a climactic battle”. It also states that it will “blur the lines between fantasy and reality.” Guests must be 40” tall. This one will not open until Phase 2.
Food:
If waiting in line isn’t your jam, don’t fear. Galaxy’s Edge has plenty to offer. A lot of people come to Disneyland for the food, and there won’t be a shortness of it here. We tried a couple of the food offerings, but I recommend leaving Battu and getting something to eat elsewhere. However there are a few great things.
Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo
This iis a fast casual location which means you’ll order with a cast member, then walk up to a window to pick up your food. Disney states that the food may be familiar but with “unexpected and surprises colors and textures”.
Here's the List:
Entrées:
Desserts:
Kids’ Meals:
All Meals include choice of Small Lowfat Milk or Small Dasani Water
Specialty Beverages without Alcohol:
Oga’s Cantina
This fun little bar offers other worldly beverages. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic will be available. This will be a first for Disneyland. They do not offer adult beverages outside of Club 33 in Disneyland itself. If you want a libation you must visit California Adventure, until now. You can make a "day of" reservation using the Disney app and won't need a virtual queue reservation to get in to Galaxy's Edge.
Concoctions with Alcohol
Featuring a wide range of classic and unique spirits found throughout the galaxy with a mixture of tastes and flavors to liven your taste buds.
Morning Specialties
Afternoon and Evening Specialties
Concoctions without Alcohol
Showcasing a combination of beverages found throughout the galaxy which yield vibrant colors along with sweet, tangy, or savory taste and fruity or spicy flavors.
Morning Specialties:
Afternoon and Evening Specialties:
Provision
Beers on Tap
Cider on Tap
Wine on Tap
Ronto’s Roosters
This is walk up sandwich stand offering “Ronto Wraps”. I mobile ordered ours, and it cut down on our wait time significantly. The Ronto Wrap was AWESOME. I would go back for that. I would also go to SWGE for the Meiloorun Juice alone. The best thing in the land...by far.
Food
Specialty Beverages
Milk Stand
Promising delicious BLUE(Coconut and Rice Milks with flavors of Dragon Fruit, Pineapple, Lime, and Watermelon)and GREEN milk(Coconut and Rice Milks with flavors of Mandarin Orange, Passion Fruit, Grapefruit, and Orange Blossom) . If you’re in to that. People's choice has been the blue milk. I'm a fan of the green. The blue is more sweet and fruity, while the green is sweet and flowery.
Kat Saka’s Kettle
Offering unique popcorn flavors. The popcorn is good, and only slightly spicy. It's worth trying, but nothing "special". The bottles of Coke products are the fun stuff.
There were of course places to pick up your favorite merchandise along the way, as well as plenty of fun photo ops. Marketplace shops offered fun toys, creatures, and souvenirs from Batuu. There is also an experience where you can make your own light saber. It is the most exclusive experience in Disneyland at $199 a person. You can also build your own droid, starting at $99. There are some other unique gifts worth walking around and finding in Batuu.
Galaxy's Edge is a really fun addition to Disney and I know that Star Wars fans will love it. It was fun for our little family as well. I hope you enjoy it.