Hello! Today I’ll be bringing you a full review of Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. I’m so excited to tell you guys that I finally got a chance to experience Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios this past October! I am a huge Star Wars fan, so naturally I was super excited to see how immersive the experience was. I’d heard great things so far, and I couldn’t wait to see things for myself.
Here is my quick review of Galaxy’s Edge – what they got right, what they could have improved, and what I hope to see added in the future!
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Smuggler’s Run
I’m not a huge fan of motion simulator rides, to be quite honest. Star Tours is probably one of the only rides at Disney that I won’t do anymore. Still, I HAD to try out the new ride Smugglers Run! How often do you get a chance to fly THE Millennium Falcon?
Chris and I were both assigned as engineers, and my sister got gunner. We were placed with another party of three, which included two small children who were our pilots. I had no idea going in to it that if you didn’t hit the buttons when you were supposed to, it actually impacted the ride! So needless to say, having two six year olds pilot our flight made it…a little rough.
A little rough was actually an understatement. Our ship was destroyed when we finished – which made my stomach a little upset. Still, it was fun watching the little kids try to figure out how to steer the ship, and we did our best to help with our roles! It was truly a one of a kind experience and I’m sure if I did a different role with different people, we’d get a new ride experience!
The wait was not very long at all – we got on in about 40 minutes. The theming inside, once you get in the Falcon, is straight out of the movie!
Food and Drink
There are many places to grab food and drink while at Batuu. My parents checked out Oga’s Cantina while we were in line for Smugglers Run and loved the food and the theming!
One thing I like about Galaxy’s Edge is that they also had a limit on how long you could spend in the Cantina to make sure the crowd kept moving. They only had 45 minutes to sit and eat in the cantina. Still it was one of the few places you could find shade in Galaxy’s Edge, and a great place to relax while waiting for us to return from our flight. Docking Bay 7 is also an option for a full counter service meal, although multiple snack stands liter the area as well.
My favorite Batuu snack? Definitely the milk…
Blue or Green Milk?
Of course we had to try the legendary blue and green milk! Michelle and I got the blue milk – Chris got the green milk. The green milk was more of a banana-tropical tasting sort of drink and a bit thicker. The blue milk was my favorite. It was more of a pineapple-y fruity blend. It was the absolute PERFECT drink for a hot Florida day! In case you didn’t realize from my flavor descriptions, it’s not ACTUALLY milk. It’s a mixture of rice and coconut milk. So lactose intolerant friends can enjoy it too!
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Immersive Characters
The final addition to Batuu that makes it different from other Disney lands is the addition of immersive characters. While they still walk around with character attendants, they don’t have set meet and greets. When you see Chewie walking around, he’s doing business on the planet. You can still say hi to him and strike up a photo opportunity, but don’t expect him to hang around much. He’s got to inspect the Falcon before we take off!
Another character you may seem wandering around is Vi Moradi. She is a new addition to the Star Wars canon. This blue haired rebel is usually sneaking around Batuu, trying to recruit people to the Resistance and warning of the dangers of the First Order. In fact, I didn’t even notice her at first when we went! Michelle actually pointed her out and said “Look, that girl as blue hair!” and as soon as she said that, I knew she was talking about Vi!
Every once in a while you’ll find Kylo and his First Order officers and Stormtroopers wandering around. Be sure to prepare yourself for a possible interrogation!
What Could They Have Improved
One thing I noticed about Galaxy’s Edge was that the area it covered was rather large – and rather empty! The theming was obvious from the second you stepped up to the tunnel leading to the land, but that’s all it was. Theming. There was a Coca-Cola stand scattered here and there, but that was pretty much it. Part of the problem was that Rise of the Resistance isn’t open, causing a sort of dead area at the East entrance. Still, considering how large it is, there was all this empty space that could have been filed. On one hand, this makes you really feel like you’re on a desert trading planet. Additionally it gives Disney room to work and expand in the future.
Still, do I really need to walk through all that space to feel like I’m really on a Star Wars planet? No. It’s not shaded and just a bunch of extra walking to get to the main attractions of the land.
Another thing I would have liked when it came to the droid building experience and lightsaber experience was to make it a bit easier to access reservations. They don’t make it very clear on the site that you need a reservation for the experience. I only knew because of other blogs. On that note I’d also like for them to come up with a better design for the lightsabers that make it easier to transport them home. This was the main reason I did not do the lightsaber experience – how am I supposed to get that thing home?? This would probably explain why I saw a ton of people with droids – and only ONE person with a lightsaber the day we went.
What’s Coming Up?
On December 5th, Rise of the Resistance, the other attraction at Galaxy’s Edge, will finally open! I anticipate that when it opens it’ll be similar in wait times to Galaxy’s Edge. This ride is supposed to be very innovative (which is why the opening was pushed back). This should help thin out crowds around Smugglers Run and also open up wait times at other Hollywood Studios attractions.
As I said above, I’m hoping that Disney will continue to work and expand on Galaxy’s Edge. They definitely have the space and the room available to do so!
I hope you enjoyed my review of Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World! Have you checked out Galaxy’s Edge? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below! And don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter! You’ll get my FREE WDW Prep Checklist as a thank you, and you’ll get updates when I post new Disney content!
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