Photos & First Impressions of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Greetings from Batuu! Today, I had the chance to visit Star Wars Land, ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, sample drinks at Oga’s Cantina, explore, and soak up details as part of a media preview of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. And take a ton of photos in the process.
I have a lot more to say about this addition, but I’m still on cloud nine from the experience of visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Accordingly, I want to hold off on more comprehensive reviews until I have a chance to reflect, collect my thoughts, and write some coherent and measured, rather than a bunch of hastily strung-together superlatives.
In a nutshell, the themed environments of Batuu and Black Spire Outpost are a new high water mark for Imagineering. All of the recent blockbuster additions that were themselves praiseworthy now seem like a warm-up act; proof-of-concept for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The land itself is the star of the show, and simply being there is a joy.
As indicated above, my biggest takeaway from experiencing Galaxy’s Edge is that the land itself is the biggest attraction. I don’t mean that in the Disney sense of the term, and am not going to offer ‘justification’ for the land being incomplete and only having one ride right now by saying, “actually, there are 5 attractions if you count Oga’s, the land itself, that one drinking fountain that has the cool effect, and…”
Rather, I’m saying that the themed environments of Batuu are the primary draw of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. There are so many intimate areas, winding pathways, and details–from small things like light fixtures to large starships. I spent several hours in Galaxy’s Edge simply wandering around, taking it all in.
I really hope Disney keeps attendance well below capacity, because having the freedom and space to actually explore and get lost in the market is what makes Galaxy’s Edge special. That’ll almost certainly be lost if the land is overly congested. The good news there is that Galaxy’s Edge has a ton of physical space to soak up crowds, and the majority of that area is also worthy of getting lost exploring.
Those of you who are attraction junkies may not be able to relate to my sentiments about the themed places being the primary draw, or view that as cover for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run being weak (it’s not) or ‘cover’ for Rise of the Resistance not being open.
For me, themed environments reign supreme. For what it’s worth, I’d say the same “land is the primary attraction” sentiment applies to Pandora, Diagon Alley, Adventure Isle, and most of Tokyo DisneySea. It arguably also applies to Cars Land and Hogsmeade, although the two exemplary flagship attractions in those lands might edge the lands themselves for me.
When it comes to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, I have sky-high expectations for Rise of the Resistance, but I can’t imagine how it could top Black Spire Outpost and the rest of Batuu.
While Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a totally new environment, it speaks the language (both literally and visually) of Star Wars perfectly.
You’ll see a lot of design motifs that are reminiscent of other planets from the various Star Wars films, in addition to the obvious things like the Millennium Falcon, various droids, characters, and tools. Batuu feels new, yet familiar.
As only a casual Star Wars enthusiast, I went in with some trepidation that a lot of the land would be totally lost on me. However, the Imagineers have drawn inspiration from real world locales, including those of the Middle East and Petrified Forest National Park, among other places.
While I’m sure some of the land’s nuances and quirks are lost on me, it’s easy to see parallels to real world locales, architectural styles, and design influences. Batuu is grounded in Star Wars, but it also stands on its own and can be easily appreciated by anyone. The learning curve didn’t feel steep, even if there are a ton of terms and character names I still don’t know.
My initial reaction as to what’s most impressive about Galaxy’s Edge is how Imagineering has iterated upon other theme park lands (specifically, those named above). It really feels like Imagineering took the lessons learned from what worked and didn’t about other recent lands, and applied them–with great success–to Galaxy’s Edge.
I’m not sure that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is revolutionary so much as it is the culmination of everything theme park designers have learned post-Hogsmeade. The layout and ways the land engages you as a guest are really interesting and satisfying. Suffice to say, the sense of immersion in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is spectacular.
The hyper-immersive single environment is obviously the future (well, and the present) of theme parks, and Imagineering excellently carries the torch forward in that regard.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is going to be difficult to top in terms of environments, and I can’t think of any projects on the horizon that are likely to best it in that regard. (Maybe Super Nintendo World or Fantasy Springs, but both seem more ride-centric.)
The other big takeaway from this should be that this is a themed environment that literally every Disney fan should make an effort to see. This is not just for Star Wars enthusiasts.
I know some readers–especially those with Walt Disney World trips planned this fall who were hoping to “beat” the opening of Galaxy’s Edge–have indicated they will avoid Star Wars Land. I’d strongly encourage you to make every effort to see it.
Take advantage of early openings or late nights to avoid crowds (to the greatest extent possible). Don’t let not liking Star Wars, be your hang-up about visiting, as that’s not really an issue. Just imagine this as “Space Morocco” and you’ll be fine.
You won’t find the words “Star Wars” literally anywhere in the land–even on merchandise–so it should be pretty easy for a non-fan to enjoy the land. There’s just too much great stuff here to overlook Galaxy’s Edge completely.
Attraction-wise, Millennium Falcon is very good, but it’s not the land’s flagship ride. Even here, the main draw is the themed environments–being aboard the famed Millennium Falcon. The queue, pre-shows, and cockpit, make this attraction is really impressive…before the attraction even starts moving. (Think Flight of Passage’s queue, but with a good pre-show.)
That’s not to diminish the actual ride, which is a lot of interactive fun. (Piloting the Millennium Falcon is also way more challenging than I expected, and apparently I’m not very good at it.) This should say more about the depth, detail, and immersiveness of the queue and pre-shows. These are fantastic, and will satisfy the lifelong desire many people have had to step inside the Millennium Falcon. That’s an incredible feeling.
I think that’s a good point to end these hasty first impressions, which I feel like have rambled a bit (apologies if so). Even though I’ve already spent several hours “on” Batuu, I’ve only scratched the surface. I spent the vast majority of my time wandering around, and still have so much more to see, do, eat, etc. I’ll be heading back in tonight and tomorrow morning, and my goal is to get a full review of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge up after that. In that, I’ll try to address everything I didn’t cover here, from how it fits into Disneyland to food & drinks to logistics and more.
If you’re planning on visiting the new land, you’ll also want to read our Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Guide. This covers a range of topics from basics about the land and its location, to strategically choosing a hotel for your stay, recommended strategy for the land, and how to beat the crowds. It’s a good primer for this huge addition.
If you’re preparing for a Disneyland trip, check out our other planning posts, including how to save money on Disneyland tickets, our Disney packing tips, tips for booking a hotel (off-site or on-site), where to dine, and a number of other things, check out our comprehensive Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of my Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge first impressions? What about the new land has you most excited? Looking forward to piloting the Millennium Falcon? Trying some of the unique Star Wars foods & drinks? Dropping a few grand in the gift shops? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Do you think that when they open Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios they’ll do a soft opening as well? Thanks for all the info, I love reading your posts!
Can’t say I’m surprised at all to hear you say the land is the best part, but based on the videos I’ve seen of people exploring, this really does look to be the case! The food looks like an adventure as well, and the disney play app seems to have a ton of interactive stuff with it! (Time to pack those portable charging batteries!) Makes me wonder how park wifi will handle what will no doubt be a surge in people using it, especially when they bring the land to WDW… Wondering if there’s any way to improve the wifi in the parks as well…
Nice column, Tom. Can’t argue opinions … at least until I experience it. I can say Disney set things in motion for a smooth as silk opening. They saw what happened when Universal debuted Potter lands. And what happened when they launched Cars Land and Pandora. Everything was done to make the opening weekend and, indeed, the opening month, go as well as possible. When the bloggers are home (real media too!) or gaming whatever system is in place to beat tourists to ride the Falcon, buy another lightsaber or droid, or get overpriced drinks in the Cantina, that’s when the real test begins. … Of course, we can also point to the fact the land opened minus its headliner attraction that will open who knows when? BTW, interesting you use the term ‘Space Morocco’ for the land since that is what some WDI types are informally calling it.
“Everything was done to make the opening weekend and, indeed, the opening month, go as well as possible.”
The irony is that this was a mandate from on high because numbers (on both coasts) were looking soft, and there was the expectation that moving forward the opening would buoy hotel reservations and attendance. At Disneyland, the exact opposite has happened. (In addition to all 3 DLR hotels having plenty of availability, the Good Neighbor Hotels are having their slowest June/July in years.) I thought that, despite this, locals would still show up in droves, eager to buy whatever LE merchandise and be able to say “I was at Disneyland” opening day.
I had the same first impressions. The land itself is the main attraction, and 4 hours was not enough to explore it all. It was breathtaking and I might have teared up when we were welcomed by the Disney crew. I wanted to spend hours just walking around taking photos.
Here are my thoughts from opening day (morning group):
*Disney nailed it on crowd control. We walked around comfortably for the first 3 hours, with no lines at many locations. Many of my pictures have no people in the way, or very few. Cantina wait time was 10-15 min, and Millennium Falcon was around 60 min right upon entry. I heard the wait time dropped to 15 min. for later morning.
*Millennium Falcon was fun, but not on the same level as Avatar. I don’t like the stress of being a pilot with strangers, and it took away from some of the enjoyment.
*I was disappointed the Cantina did not have any animatronics or characters from the Star Wars scene. It would have been spectacular if those were part of the design. They could help the queue issues by cutting back the excessive time allowed inside. 45 min to 60 min is not necessary.
*Where were the characters? With the exception of 2 Storm Troopers we saw no Star Wars characters our entire 4 hour reservation.
*They need to add background music. Part of the immersive experience is familiar music from the films, and it was noticeably absent. Imagine walking into Adventure Land without music? Disney is known for this, so it was odd they left it out.
*The last hour of our morning reservation became extremely crowded because they let the next group overlap the 4th hour of the reservation. It created impossible lines at the droid station, and other merchandise shops.
*We hopped over to California Adventure when our reservation was over and it was the quietest I’ve seen in years. We walked right on Radiator Springs single rider line. Literally empty. Ride times were very low everywhere.
*I am dying to go back to Star Wars Land, and might be planning another trip in June.
We’re going in December will the rise of the resistance ride be open by than and will fast passes be available by than?
Great questions Eric, but nobody (including Disney) knows the answers to them yet.
I host a podcast (the Jedi Temple Archives Podcast) and we approach Star Wars, and specifically Galaxy’s Edge content in a way that we hope lets ‘casual’ Star Wars fans get more of out of the land. You can find us at http://jtapodcast.buzzsprout.com or on pretty much any podcast platform including iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, etc.. Feel free to check it out and let us know if it helps!
I really appreciate the insight you provided regarding a casual fan being able to appreciate this land, ie “Space Morocco”. I have watched some of the more recent movies and I loved them, but I am definitely a jump on the bandwagon fan – I’m sure there are a lot of references (visual and otherwise) I wouldn’t necessarily be familiar with until I watch all the movies. I think Disney in general has done a good job of adding layers to their work – a younger child watching a movie, for example, may not pick up on the layers of embedded depth but would still enjoy the overall experience of the film.
Do you think the 4 hour limit is sufficient to see enough of Galaxys Edge or better to wait until after the reservation period to visit. Sound like 4 hours, especially with crowds may not allow time to really see all the land has to offer.
Although it’s too early to tell, I would suspect that the reservation approach will end up being brought back fairly quickly. I think that Disney is going to run into issues where people are purchasing park tickets specifically to experience the land and then will be unable to based on capacity. Personally, I’d be shocked if they don’t institute the reservation system at Walt Disney World Resort as well. I think it will be a long time before they can take a different approach to this particular land. Again, just my opinion so take that for what it’s worth.
Great review. Can’t wait for more. Must say I’m a bit disappointed with the ride. Looks like the two front people get to have real fun piloting the ship and four passengers sit behind, not being able to see much and just get the ride. I’d be miffed if I was at the back, especially being short!!
Tom do you have anymore info regarding the hotel and the prices?
Great post. Long-time reader, first-time commenting. Really appreciate your work.
Thanks for all of this great information! Yeah this definitely makes me worried about crowds. Cast member previews with 3 hour waits is not a good sign
i am in that “we planned a trip to avoid the crowds of the opening” group. i will say what i have seen thus far really does look amazing, but having said that, i am still petrified of the crowd levels in florida and getting unexpectedly slammed with the opening week of GE for our labor day week trip. i know they have the EEMH and we’re going to try making use of that, but i am still hoping they announce more crowd controls. having the land fill up while trying to just see it won’t be fun for anyone and is a recipe for disaster. i’m really hoping they do timed reservations there as well, if even just for a couple weeks to start off, and if they do, i will get one so we can see it. if they require reservations for any time period like they are doing in CA (which i know is logistical out there but is a good safety measure) then hopefully it will cut down on crowds on the whole (but who am i kidding, disney doesn’t want that). but i refuse to stand in line for hours to see it. if that’s the case, i just want to get into HS to see everything else (toy story land, which we have not seen yet, and my beloved muppets). i just don’t want to be boxed out of the park. i want to be able to include and enjoy GE if possible, not have it ruin our whole trip with crowds.
“…that one drinking fountain that has the cool effect, and…”
Dude, Spoiler Alert! Come on…
Love your photographs. I am not sure when I will be able tot get out Disneyland… but I will be in the World this fall and am excited to check it out first hand!
I really appreciate the insight you provided regarding a casual fan being able to appreciate this land, ie “Space Morocco”. I have watched some of the more recent movies and I loved them, but I am definitely a jump on the bandwagon fan – I’m sure there are a lot of references (visual and otherwise) I wouldn’t necessarily be familiar with until I watch all the movies. I think Disney in general has done a good job of adding layers to their work – a younger child watching a movie, for example, may not pick up on the layers of embedded depth but would still enjoy the overall experience of the film.
I watched the live stream of the dedication ceremony and it had a wonderful balance of ambition and heart, fan appreciation and historical context appreciation. I wasn’t expecting to feel the nostalgia and to feel proud of the full-circle accomplishment, but it was so well done how could I not. And, honestly, reading your response to the new land reinforced that. I’m really looking forward to getting there this winter.
Wow, Tom!! You lucky duck!!! The pictures look amazing and I can’t wait to hear the rest of your thoughts on GE. So exciting!!!