Ready to visit Batuu in Disney’s Hollywood Studios? From the food to the ambiance to the rides, here are the most important tips for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World.
Officially, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (SWGE) doesn’t open until August 29, 2019, but some media and Annual Passholders got a sneak peek last week. We won the Disney lottery and got an invite, so I took all the photos and tried as much of the food as I could stuff down in my time in Batuu.
Here are my suggestions for must-do things and touring tips to make the most of your visit.
Just in case you need it, here’s the link to the official Disney’s Hollywood Studios map.
1. You Don’t Have to Be a Star Wars Fan to Enjoy the Land
My husband can rattle off Star Wars stats unlike anyone I know, so I have insight into super fans. But, even if you’re not a fan of the movies or books, it’s still worth visiting.
The land itself is truly immersive from the moment you walk under the tunnel and I felt as though I was no longer in a Disney park. The feeling is oppressive, especially when the Stormtroopers come around, but not in a scary way.
There’s also no way to not mention the ambiance. The attention to detail is thorough and impressive.
2. There are no FastPasses Available – Yet
At this time, there’s no FastPass+ availability for Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. Of course, once the popularity starts to wear off I can foresee it, but until then, there are only two lines: Single Rider and Standby.
Rise of the Resistance, the Dark Side’s ride, will not be open when SWGE officially does. That part of the land opens on December 5, 2019.
Quick reminder: FastPasses can be scheduled at 30 days out if not staying on property and 60 days out if staying at a WDW Resort.
3. Extra Magic Hours for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Just in case you needed a refresher course, Extra Magic Hours (EMH) are those either before the park opens or after it closes. They allow on-property resort guests to spend extra time in the park. Not every Disney World theme park offers them everyday.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, as long as you’re staying on-property and Disney’s Hollywood Studios offers EMH, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be open.
When SWGE officially opens, it will be open to all Disney guests. But, starting in September, Extra Magic Hours will apply. You’ll have to have a valid theme park ticket and, once inside the park, you’ll have your ticket or MagicBand scanned for validation.
Want to know more about Disney’s MagicBands? Here’s what Not to do with MagicBands when you visit.
4. Height Requirements for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Yes, there are height requirements for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attractions. Here’s what’s listed:
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run: Guests must be 38 inches or taller to ride.
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: Guests must be 40 inches or taller.
To save some heartache, you may want to measure the kiddos before you visit. If a Castmember is in anyway unsure of height, you will be asked to measure your child to determine eligibility.
5. Tips for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Both Blue Milk and Green Milk Are Available
If you know about food and drink details from the books and movies, you’ve probably heard about the “Blue Milk”. I had a chance to try it in Oga’s Cantina as a non-alcoholic beverage and it was good.
There’s a dedicated Milk Stand that offers both Blue and Green Milk (Luke Skywalker’s drinks of choice!) if you don’t want to go in Oga’s. Just for reference:
Blue Milk – Plant-based Dairy blend of Coconut and Rice Milk with alluring fruity characteristics. Think of it as Fruity Pebbles flavored.
Green Milk – Plant-based Dairy blend of Coconut and Rice Milk with zippy citrus and tropical characteristics. This one has more of a tang than the Blue Milk.
Also it’s frozen, so the texture is somewhat thick.
6. PhotoPass Opportunities Offer Magic Shots
When we visited SWGE, there were several PhotoPass opportunities available. Again, the land is new, so you’ll probably be waiting in line for them. There’s a super popular one right in front of the Millennium Falcon, and others popped up during the day.
It was so popular that I opted to not get any PhotoPass photos when we visited, but I did look at the ones on the official Walt Disney World website. They have added magic in them – so cool!
7. Tips for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Character Meet and Greets
At this time, there is no dedicated meet and greet opportunities (think Princess Fairytale Hall in Magic Kingdom), but Star Wars characters do wander around the land. Sometimes you’ll be able to take photos with them, sometimes not. It all depends on crowd level and luck, honestly.
During our visit, Chewbacca was wandering around and did stop for a couple of photos. We also saw him inspecting the Falcon (loved that!) for durability.
8. Quick Service Dining
You’ll have two options for Quick Service Dining when you visit:
Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo – We ate lunch here and it was very good, especially for a Quick Service option. Offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you’ll find entrees (I love the Fried Endorian Tip Yip – it’s chicken with potatoes) and really cool desserts (we likes the Batuu Bon better than the Oi-Oi Puff).
There’s also plenty of indoor seating – great for those hot, humid Central Florida days.
Ronto Roasters – A much smaller Quick Service, Ronto’s offers only a few food items and drinks. Having written that, the Ronto Wrap is very popular, so if you like pork, maybe give it a try.
As for seating, there are several tables available that offer shaded dining, but it is an open air area.
Here’s a list of the best Quick Service Dining Spots – straight from the experts.
9. Tips for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Table Service Dining
There’s one Table Service dining option available in SWGE: Oga’s Cantina. It offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and will be very popular when it opens. Also to note, each visit is limited to 45 minutes.
We ate breakfast at Oga’s and it really was a fun time. A must-know tip:
Oga’s Cantina is mainly standing around the bar area, but does offer limited seating. According to the official website: “Seating is not guaranteed upon entry, separate parties may be seated together and large parties may be separated.”
Translation? You’ll probably be standing when you visit.
10. Tips for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Shopping
There are two shopping hot spots in SWGE:
Savi’s Workshop – It’s here you’ll be able to customize and create your own light saber. The 20-minute experience is a cool one, but it will cost you around $200.
Important information via the official website:
- $199.99 per light saber
- Payment will be due upon arrival at the location
- One lightsaber per builder per experience
- Carrying case included
- Additional customization items can be purchased at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities
- Age Recommendation: 5 years or older
- The experience area is limited to the builder and one Guest—at least one person in the party must be age 14 or older
- Guest of the builder may not build a lightsaber when accompanying the builder
- Custom lightsabers are nonrefundable and are not eligible for Annual Passholder or other discounts
Droid Depot – Head here to make your own droid. It’s less expensive at just under $100 per droid and you really do get to assemble it yourself.
More Information for Droid Depot via the official site:
- $99.99 per astromech droid unit, plus tax
- Carry box and instructions included
- Various personality-affiliation chips and other accessories are available for an additional charge
- Age Recommendation: 3+
- The experience area is limited to the builder and one Guest—at least one person in the party must be age 14 or older
- Only the builder will be allowed to build a droid; the Guest of the builder may not build a droid
- Custom astromech droid units are nonrefundable and are not eligible for Annual Passholder or other discounts
11. Enhance Your Visit with Play Disney Parks App
My teen daughter is a huge fan of the Play Disney Parks app no matter which Disney World park we’re in. It’s a great way to pass time while waiting in line and it offers a musical playlist for when you’re walking around the parks.
For SWGE, the app has some really cool features:
- Sign translator
- Droid hacking
- Scan Crates
- Tune into radio transmissions
- Play trivia
But the coolest feature is the ability to get pseudo “money” from Smuggler’s Run. It can be used in the app to buy avatar costumes and other enhancements.
Play Disney Parks app can be used on its own or can be found in the My Disney Experience app.
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