Star Wars Galaxy's Edge - An Overview and Our Experience

At Walt Disney World you can be transported to a galaxy far away, and it is every Star Wars fan’s dream come true!

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the end of August 2019. The entrance to the newest land is located at the very back of Grand Avenue, and in the morning this area is for entering the land while the exit takes guests into Toy Story Land. 

As you enter Galaxy’s Edge you are transported to an outpost on Batuu. Disney did such an amazing job of making you feel as if you’ve really gone into a Star Wars movie. The details are amazing! And you never know who you’ll run into. Throughout the day we saw Stormtroopers, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca and Rey. 

Galaxy’s Edge has rides, food and drink, and plenty of chances to pick up a souvenir from your trip to the Black Spire Outpost. We checked out as much as we could, but there are so many little details that we’ll still find new things for many, many, many trips to come. I really loved seeing all of the ships around the land, but especially the Millennium Falcon. 

When Galaxy’s Edge first opened Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run opened with it. The queue for this attraction takes you behind the scenes of the famous ship before meeting with Hondo Ohnaka, and then boarding the ship for your trip about the Falcon.  

The second ride in Galaxy’s Edge, Rise of the Resistance, opened in December 2019 and allows visitors to join the fight against the First Order. This attraction includes being captured and interrogated by the First Order, stormtroopers, giant AT-ATs towering overhead, and even a close call with Kylo Ren. We had watched an on-ride video before our trip just to see what it was like, and being on the ride was so, so much better! You have to experience it for yourself. Keep in mind that at the time of writing* this attraction can only be accessed by virtual queue. (*March 31, 2020 – when the park is closed due to coronavirus)

Due to the anticipated popular nature of Rise of Resistance a virtual queue system was established even before the attraction opened. As soon as the park opens each morning, guests that wish to join the Resistance can join a boarding group using the My Disney Experience app. Once you have your boarding group all that’s left to do is wait for your number to be called. A notification will come from the app when your group is called. Once your group can ride you have a certain amount of time to return to the ride and enjoy your experience. During your trip this time frame was two hours. Keep in mind that there are a limited number of boarding groups available, and everyone may not be able to ride.

Our Day
We arrived at Hollywood Studios around 6:30am for a 8am park opening. We wanted to make sure that we were in a spot in the park that we would not only be able to get a boarding group number for Rise of the Resistance, but also so that we could try to beat some of the rush and get on at least one ride before wait times got to be too high. 

We got our boarding group, rode Slinky Dog and Toy Story Mania, and met Woody and Bo Peep before making our way to Galaxy’s Edge! 

When we first arrived on Batuu it was like stepping into a Star Wars movie, but with A LOT of people. We explored a little, taking it all in, and trying to find our way around. The land is incredibly immersive, and because of that there are no directional signs to tell you where to go. 

Shortly after we arrived in Galaxy’s Edge it was time for Howard and Christian to head to Savi’s Workshop! Howard built a custom lightsaber and Christian went along as his guest. 

While they were at Savi’s, Bella and I took some more time to explore the land and check out the gift shops. Also, while they were there the notification came through that our boarding group could now board Rise of the Resistance. Howard and Christian went first and then I went by myself. The queue, the ride, it was all an amazing experience. 

After Rise of the Resistance it was time for Christian and I to use our Fastpass for Tower or Terror. It was his first time on the ride and he enjoyed it! (Keep in mind he’ll turn six in June.)

We watched the end of the Star Wars stage show before heading back to Galaxy’s Edge. It was just before 4:00pm and the crowds from earlier we already starting to die down. We did a little more exploring and enjoyed a Blue Milk from the Milk Stand and a delicious Ronto Wrap and Galma Snack Sampler from Ronto Roasters. It was so much easier to get around in the land and find a place to sit and enjoy our food with less people in the land.

Christian had droid building appointment at Droid Depot at 5:00pm. He enjoyed picking out the pieces for his droid, and putting it together! I got to go as his guest and we both enjoyed the experience. 

After leaving Droid Depot we made our way to Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run to finally go on the second ride in Galaxy’s Edge. At the time of our trip Fastpasses were not available for the attraction, they are now, though. The boys made their way to the standby line where the wait time was 30 minutes. The evenings are the best times to get shorter wait times for a lot of attractions, and Smuggler’s Run is the same way! While they were in line and on the ride Bella and I walked around, took in the details of the Falcon, and got a photo with Rey!

After they were done, I went through the single rider line and was on the ride in less than ten minutes. The single rider line is great if you just want to get on the ride, but you don’t get the details that the standby line offers. We enjoyed the ride. It is a lot like Mission Space combined with Star Tours experience (minus the 3D). It was fun, but it was not my favorite. 

We ended the evening with Christian testing out his droid by Droid Depot while I walked around and took some night time photos around Galaxy’s Edge. After that we headed out of the park and back to the resort. Howard and Bella drove back to Pop Century while Christian and I took the Disney Skyliner. It was a long, fun, Star Wars filled day and I’m so glad that we got to experience Galaxy’s Edge. 

The Food
As mentioned above we tried the Blue Milk from the Milk Stand. It was cold, refreshing, and nicely fruity! It is a combination of coconut and rice milks with “fruity characteristics” according to the menu. It had a berry taste to it, and all four of us really enjoyed it. 

We all also shared a Ronto Wrap and Galma Snack Sampler from Ronto Roasters. The Ronto Wrap was delicious! Roasted pork, grilled pork sausage, a tangy, crunchy slaw, and a creamy peppercorn sauce are all sandwiched in a fluffy pita. All of the flavors go so well together and I could have easily eaten two of them by myself. The Galma Snack Sampler was also surprisingly good. We had read mixed reviews, and we’re so glad that we got it! The menu says that it includes Blue Potato Chips, Plantains, Pork Rinds, and Rice Crackers. We’re pretty sure that there was also some sort of sweet potato something in there, but we’re not sure. And there was also jerky as well. The sampler was full of different flavors, salty and sweet, and different levels of crunch. It was really good.  

Favorite Ride
Christian – Smugglers Run
Howard – Rise of the Resistance
Miriya – Rise of the Resistance

Favorite Food or Drink
Christian – Ronto Wrap and Blue Milk
Bella - Everything
Howard – Ronto Wrap
Miriya – Snack Sampler

Favorite Experience  
Christian – Smuggler’s Run and building a droid. 
Bella – The food. 
Howard – The overall experience of building a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop. 
Miriya – Walking around at night while everything started to be lit up. When the crowds thinned and the sun went down it got to be more and more like you were really in a Star Wars world. 

Based on our experience we recommend visiting Galaxy’s Edge in the afternoon to early evening for the smallest crowds and shortest wait times throughout the land. Keep in mind that Fastpasses are now an option for Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run. Rise of the Resistance is still only accessible by virtual queue, and we really think that this option is best. It allows you to wait the same time you would have to wait to ride if you where standing in line the whole time. Now, though, instead of standing in line for more than two or three hours, you can now experience other parts of Galaxy’s Edge and Hollywood Studios while you wait!

We had a great time at Hollywood Studios, and we’re glad that you used our one day at Disney World to check out Galaxy’s Edge! 

Things are crazy in the world right now, but eventually things will go back to normal again! When you’re ready to start planning your next getaway I’m here to help! Contact me at miriyawhitaker@worldofmagictravel.com for your FREE quote and to start planning! For more Disney and travel information follow me on Facebook. 

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