Star Wars Land Info & Galaxy’s Edge Guide
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is once again fully open at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World and at Disneyland! This guide details what we know, with tips for visiting, avoiding crowds, and info about Star Wars Land in both California and Hollywood Studios. (Updated June 23, 2021.)
We’ve spent considerable time in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on both coasts, and absolutely love the land that we’ve dubbed “Space Morocco.” Thanks to our extensive experiences doing literally everything in Star Wars Land, we’re able to offer tips, info, crowd advice, and way more than you’ll need to know in this ultimate guide to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
What we do not offer in this guide is a subjective assessment or review of either of the attractions or the land itself. If you are interested in what we think of the land, check out our “Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Review: A Land Like No Other,” which is our mostly spoiler-free review. You can also read our spoiler-free Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Ride Review. We’ve followed those posts up with several reports from the land and that great–but unreliable–attraction…
Speaking of that unreliable flagship attraction, required reading before visiting the parks is our FAQ & Ride Guide to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Walt Disney World and Strategy Guide to Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland for the ins and outs of the virtual queue—including our tips to improve your speed.
Accessing the attraction is incredibly complicated (there is no standby line!) and results in tons of disappointed guests every day who don’t get a chance to ride. Seriously, reading one of those posts is more important than reading this! Additionally, you can find our most recent Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge coverage here.
Dedicated strategy for doing Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is not as imperative as you might expect. Consequently, if you simply want to consult our 1-Day Disneyland Touring Plan or 1-Day Disney’s Hollywood Studios Touring Plan, both of which have been updated for Galaxy’s Edge, those resources are probably sufficient.
If you want a deeper dive into all things Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, continue reading…
Star Wars Land Info
Officially known as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, this new land is the largest settlement on the planet Batuu, set in the remote village of Black Spire Outpost, which is an infamous stop for traders, adventurers, and smugglers traveling around the Outer Rim and Wild Space.
Got all of that? Of course not. Everyone is just calling it Star Wars Land, just as Wizarding World of Harry Potter is simply “Harry Potter Land” or Pandora – World of Avatar is called “Avatar Land” by most guests. This is all mildly amusing, as I remember it being a small controversy that Cars Land would defy Disney naming conventions by not being Carsland.
Back in my day, Disney theme park lands and attractions used clear and concise names, and avoided convoluted syntax that served no discernible purpose and would be ignored by most of the general public. But I digress.
Here are quick descriptions of the major attractions, dining, and shopping in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge so you’ll know what we’re talking about as we continue this Star Wars Land Guide.
Attractions
While there are “only” two attractions in Star Wars Land, these are two blockbuster rides. Both of them are among the most ambitious and expensive that Imagineering has ever created, and will leave a lasting impression.
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – An interactive motion simulator attraction where 6 guests are grouped together, given roles, and put in control of the Millennium Falcon. This collaborative ride promises to be somewhat skill-based, with your team’s performance reflected in the attraction itself and the appearance of the ship as you exit. Think Mission: Space meets Star Tours meets Toy Story Mania–all on steroids. Read our Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run Review for more feedback on the attraction.
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – A lengthy hybrid walk-through and trackless dark ride with a mixed media presentation including projections, Audio Animatronics, and a variety of physical effects. The attraction puts guests into the middle of a battle between the First Order (including Stormtroopers) and the Resistance, and feature an eight-seat ride vehicle known as a First Order Fleet Transport. This is the flagship attraction in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and is one of Imagineering’s best ever. Read more in our spoiler-free Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Ride Review for more feedback.
Dining
In terms of dining, the options in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge are surprisingly limited, with only a bar, counter service restaurant, and snack stalls. There is no table service restaurant, although that might be added later. Right now, the Lucasfilm Story Group and Imagineering are zealously guarding the thematic integrity of Star Wars, both inside and outside the land.
After about a year passes and the lack of dining options in Galaxy’s Edge becomes apparent, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Star Wars character meals added to restaurants outside the land. The most obvious choice for this would be Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, which already had a really fun Star Wars Breakfast a few years ago.
Another “big deal” and something we think is fascinating is that Coca-Cola is sold in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, in special on-theme packaging. These so-called thermal detonators have been national headlines after the TSA took the strange step of banning them.
As might be evident from our Shanghai Disneyland Serves Pepsi article, we are oddly fascinated with soda sponsorships in the Disney Parks. This is a big-money partnership for Disney, but selling only (more expensive) novelty drinks would’ve also been a boon to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
- Oga’s Cantina – Limited capacity bar serving alcoholic beverages (yes, even at Disneyland), mocktails and other drinks, including Blue Milk. Oga’s Cantina is mostly be standing room only, with restrictions on how long guests can linger likely to be enforced. Captain Rex, a former Starspeeder 3000 pilot of Star Tours fame, plays DJ at Oga’s Cantina. Read our full Oga’s Cantina Review to see drink and interior photos, and more!
- Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo – The main dining option in Star Wars Land, this counter service restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating, themed to a working hangar bay. We’ve eaten everything on the menu, which we found to be ambitious and inventive. Read our full Docking Bay 7 Review to see drink and interior photos, and more!
- Ronto Roasters – This exotic meat stall serves the glorious Ronto Wrap (breakfast version pictured above). Former smelter droid 8D-J8 is cook, using a recycled pod-racing engine to roast meats at this dining stand.
- Milk Stand – This small drink stall serves frosty confections, including blue milk and green milk. The vendors at this quirky stall offer travelers an invigorating, refreshing drink that’s a favorite among the locals. Expect a signature snack or two in addition to the green and blue milk.
- Kat Saka’s Kettle – Serving specialty popcorn known as Outpost Mix, this small food stall is run by grain merchant Kat Saka, and is unlikely to serve much else besides popcorn and bottled drinks.
Shopping
Black Spire Outpost has number of small vendors in a street markets, inspired by those in Marrakesh, Morocco. These intimate shops are part retail and part show, with a variety of props and colorful backstory, with a proprietor from the Star Wars universe running each.
In addition to the shops listed below, a variety of stores outside the land, including those in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland carry off-planet and limited edition Star Wars merchandise.
- Savi’s Workshop: Handbuilt Lightsabers – A group known as the “Gatherers” welcomes guests into their covert workshop stocked with unusual parts, whimsical pieces, and miscellaneous memorabilia collected from the far reaches of the galaxy. Under their guidance, you can construct one-of-a-kind lightsabers and bring it to life through the power of kyber crystals. Read our full Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt Lightsabers Review to find out whether this pricey experience is worth the money.
- Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities – Hidden inside the den is a rotating collection of unique treasures that include jewelry, ancient tools, rare kyber crystals, statues, and even a collection of famous lightsabers. The eclectic assortment of goods comes from many different planets and eras. Read our full Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities Review, and why this hidden gem is a must-see!
- Droid Depot – A build-your-own-droid workshop stocked with stacks of parts, chips, manuals, and other tech items useful for constructing droids, one of the galaxy’s most indispensable sidekicks. Pick from the popular BB-series or R-series unit, then begin designing, building and activating a droid. Read our full Droid Depot Build-A-Droid Review to determine whether this $99 experience is worth the money.
- Creature Stall – This exotic shop offers a glimpse into cages and crates filled with hard-to-find species from across the galaxy. Bina, the stall’s proprieter, scours star systems to keep this storefront stocked with unique companions for her customers, including porgs, tauntauns, rathtars, and more.
- Black Spire Outfitters – This local apparel shop features an eclectic selection of stylish, functional clothing suitable for a variety of occasions and worlds.
- Resistance Supply – Rendezvous with Resistance allies in a forested area near the ancient ruins. Here, members of the Resistance have set up a secret makeshift post where guests can join the cause to defeat the First Order…and buy Resistance merchandise to show their support.
- First Order Cargo – The First Order has recently arrived in Black Spire Outpost at Docking Bay 9, where they’ve set up a temporary post next to their shuttle to win the hearts and minds of the locals…and to sell gear to those who want to show support for the First Order.
- The Jewels of Bith – Accessories, trinkets, and other treasures are sold in this street stall.
- Toydarian Toymaker – This humble, jumbled shop contains all manner of artisanal playthings and collectibles handmade by the busy toymaker, Zabaka the Toydarian. Her fantastical storefront is cluttered with crates of toymaking supplies and other unique works in progress.
Star Wars Land is located in the back of the parks at both Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. The lands are nearly identical on each coast, with only minor differences in layout and orientation. Substantively, the lands are 100% the same, and cosmetically, they are 99% the same. As such, the specifics about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge apply equally to both versions.
Otherwise, the only difference is that the version of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World will have an adjacent Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort opening in 2021. Construction has begun on this resort, and we have a photo update as of earlier this summer.
Star Wars Land Strategy
In terms of strategy and touring info applicable to both coasts, neither attraction offers FastPass, MaxPass, or FastPass+ right now. Also on both coasts, it’s not necessary to rope drop Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Get a virtual queue spot for Rise of the Resistance before beginning your day, but there’s no need to physically enter the land right away.
If you do opt for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at rope drop, we’d suggest starting at Oga’s Cantina if you’re interested in experiencing that themed bar, or Savi’s Workshop if you want to purchase a Handbuilt Lightsaber. (Both Oga’s and Savi’s also accept reservations, and getting those is definitely the preferred route to go.)
However, it is not necessary to prioritize Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. This attraction has a healthy hourly capacity of 1,800 to 2,000 guests.
This is far higher than many other attractions in both parks, and between hourly capacity and the reality that many guests are racing to the Millennium Falcon because it’s the hot new thing, waits for this ride usually peak in the early morning hours.
For now, that’s really about it. Strategy-wise, the difficult task is acquiring a boarding pass for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
As stated above, this is the most complicated attraction to experience on either coast, with demand far exceeding ride capacity. Again, you should absolutely read our ride guides for Rise of the Resistance long before visiting. Not doing so will set you up for colossal disappointment.
However, once you have that boarding pass, it’s pretty easy to slot Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge into your normal itinerary. We’ll continue visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge throughout the rest of 2021 at Walt Disney World and Disneyland to monitor the situation with crowds, and how strategy changes and continues to evolve with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
We will continue to update the tips in this guide with info and analysis that we observe while inside Star Wars Land. It’s going to be a wild ride, but with smart planning, Galaxy’s Edge is a satisfying experience that was worth the wait.
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Your Thoughts
What are your thoughts, tips, strategy, etc. for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? Disneyland or Walt Disney World? Have you had any frustrations or disappointments with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? 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!
Has there been anything about when the Disneyland hotel guests will be able to pick their reservations, now that that May 2nd date for the general public was announced?
Reservations for hotel guests went out today…but the opening date was blundered, causing some minor issues and jammed phone lines for Disneyland.
My boyfriend and I had talks of rope dropping Oga’s Cantina! But do you think they would open what is essentially just a bar earlier than 1030am? Also holding hopes they would bring back Star Wars Hollywood and Vine, but I guess that’s a stretch since you were saying they are trying to protect the franchise a little more in your muppets post. At the moment I find it hard to imagine paid After Hours for a land with one ride, but wouldn’t put it past Disney.
Questions…we’re planning a January 2020 visit to WDW. It’s typically recommended that you avoid parks on days with EMH to avoid the overall crowds. In the case of Star Wars Land, it sounds like you’re recommending altering that strategy and taking advantage of the EMH. Is that correct? I know the park will have high crowds regardless, so maybe the former strategy doesn’t apply for the foreseeable future.
I only recommend avoiding parks with EMH nights. If you can, you should always take advantage of morning EMH.
Ok, good to know! Thank you!
Disney Parks Blog just accounced that Disneyland Reservations will open up May 2nd at 10 am, with a how to do it announcement at 8 am.
Just saw that and updated the post with that info!
Exciting times! Do you think the security lines will have a separate line for people with no bags/purses/fanny packs for Hollywood Studios on opening day? Once at Disneyland I noticed a separate line and I was thinking it might be worth it to head there with only a cell phone and wallet in pocket. Could be an hour or more saved time I’m sure!
My wife and I are going to be in San Diego for a wedding in early June and purchased discount Disneyland tickets through my workplace back in October in the hopes of taking our 1 year old and going for a couple “calmer” days. The opening being moved up has both excited and terrified us (our travel dates are the week after the grand opening), so my question is, are there any travel benefits for coming from the south versus the north? Which parking structure should we look at? What is the best course of action for handling this with a toddler? I’m assuming that Rider Switch will be enabled…
Yes. Travelling from the south provides easier access to the Toy Story Parking Lot at 300 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802. I’m a local and I always choose and recommend the Toy Story Lot over the parking garage. You will need to take a Disney bus to the resort’s Harbor Blvd entrances (or walk the 1 mile), but I find it much easier than the tram from/to the Mickey and Friends parking garages. I am not sure about Rider Switch, but the reservation system for Galaxy’s Edge has been announced for May 2, 2019, 8am Pacific Time: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/04/reservations-to-visit-star-wars-galaxys-edge-at-disneyland-park-available-may-2-or-book-a-stay-at-a-disneyland-resort-hotel-now/
i hope Disney does something to make things manageable for guests especially those of us that booked trips to avoid GE opening and are now right in the middle of the storm.
completely agree. it’s only fair.
What about taking the train and then biking to Disneyland? Is there bike parking at Disneyland? If not, where’s the best place to park a bike? Is there bike parking at the hotels? Thanks!
Tom, have there been any further hints, speculation, rumors about when the rest of Star Wars land will open in HS? I planned mid September to avoid crowds. I would like to look around Star Wars, not ride anything or get food / drink (just to see what all the fuss is about) is there any chance of walking through to see it? Finally, I have reservations at Sci Fi, should we allow for extra time just to get through the crowds to get to that reservation?
Tom, we’ll be at WDW from Aug. 21-26 (staying at the Swan) and are wondering whether there might be any GE soft opening opportunities for resort guests. Any experience with this from past attraction openings?
Your article asks what my thoughts are about strategy – and my strategy right now is to call Costco travel and ask how much it will cost to CANCEL MY $4K, 4-DAY SEPTEMBER DISNEYLAND TRIP. As a mom who researched dates for weeks to make sure I booked our trip for me and my preschoolers at a tolerable time, I have been FLOORED to see how this opening has unraveled. The second phase is likely going to birth ROTR right during our trip. I don’t know what to do. I hate Star Wars, find this whole project totally off-brand (I know they bought the SW brand, but it should be on its own piece of real estate – seriously), and am feeling really upset and discouraged. I appreciate your blog putting so much time into a thoughtful approach to navigating this new attraction. It’s just not one that a 4- and 5-year-old should have to deal with.
will i be visiting in the first few weeks? yes, but this was not by choice. i think Disney is making a huge mistake on both coasts by pushing up the openings before both rides are ready. and i will forever be rightly upset that “late fall 2019” was published, and they pushed it up to august. we already had booked airfare for labor day week when we were banking on low crowds. i hope people don’t take the suggestion to travel to WDW instead of disneyland seriously, the crowds there will be bad enough. i hope most people just suck it up and wait on both coasts for at least 6 months. we had no choice but to go with our original trip or eat the cost of the airfare, but now we’re faced with this mess.
i think disney is also making a big mistake by not opening runaway railway in the originally planned timeline either. it’s obvious all manpower was moved to SWGE to open it early, even though it’s only half ready, and forgot about railway, which is now pushed back to 2020. they have lost a place to put a lot of the crowds. and with ROTR not ready yet either, they lose yet another place to stash crowds. and who loses? the guests.
i personally look for disney to implement some sort of crowd control plan for WDW after disneyland’s opens. there’s simply no way it can just be a free-for-all with a giant standby line as the only “plan”. angry mobs in the hot sun for hours is not a good look. my suggestions:
-have a reservation system like that of disneyland for resort guests only
-have a separate park entrance into SWGE (this has been rumored on and off with the star wars resort, it could be a reality and a godsend for the first few weeks if it is in fact true)
-have the standby line exist entirely outside of the park. this allows for day guests to come in and enjoy the rest of the park if they do not want to see star wars, especially those who already had trips booked before the date bombshell.
my concern with having the lines inside the park is that how are guests not in the GE line going to navigate the rest of the park? for example, above it suggests grand avenue to be the lineup spot… how do people who want to see Muppets (who, let’s face it, need as many butts in the seats as they can get) get around the line to even get in? i think lining up outside the park and being escorted in is the safest things for everyone involved, cast members, SW guests, and other guests wanting to visit the rest of the park.
if they don’t implement a plan, i think this winds up being a logistical and PR nightmare.
“It’s obvious all manpower was moved to SWGE to open it early, even though it’s only half ready, and forgot about railway, which is now pushed back to 2020.”
I don’t know if this will make you feel better or worse, but this is not why Runaway Railway is delayed.
I do agree with you that it should be opening simultaneous to Star Wars Land to help with crowds. I suspect a lot of people within Disney feel the same way.
fair enough. it’s disappointing disney doesn’t seem to stick with their timelines anymore. i feel like maybe they shouldn’t even publish them. just open it when it’s open, lol. i mean here, we have 2 instances- railway was supposed ot be summer 2019, which is now spring 2020, and GE was “late fall” 2019, moved up to late summer. i get projects never follow exactly, but this is just very odd all the way around.
i’m just so worried for my trip. i had everything perfect, made my ADRs, and two days later had the rug pulled out from under everything. it will take me a long time to get over it, if i ever do. i just hope our whole trip isn’t ruined by this decision.
It’s really annoying to me that so much real estate is devoted to shopping and so little to dining.
Thank you for the post Tom. We gambled on booking Caribbean Beach in November of 19 about a year ago (rates were cheaper!) based on some speculation from your blog, and it looks like things might come together (i.e. Skyliner access).
As we approach the ADR window, and pick park days any guesses based on your experience with other lands how often Disney will have morning early magic hours at HS? Will they maybe just have them 7 days a week? Thanks for all you do, and good luck on the first day at both lands. Couldn’t pay me enough to be there…
It’s hard to say what will be the case in November. At some point, Disney will want to pivot from offering “free” early/late access to Star Wars Land to more monetized access.
It’s too early to speculate on how it’ll be handled come November and December.
Tom, this is the first I’ve heard of Rise of the Resistance “encountering difficulties”. I know it’s been delayed, but I assumed it was because they just weren’t finished with all of it in time, or they decided to take the foot off the gas on it and finish everything else, then focus on it… Are they truly having issues with it?
Yes.
And what issues are they?
i don’t know how credible it is, but another comment section on a blog said the original head engineer was let go and having to find someone else led to big delays due to problems encountered.
My hopes is that they will have a separate entry for people visiting Star Wars. We will be there the 2nd week in September and would love to see Toy Story Land and the new Lightning McQueen show, but will not stand in line for 2 hours just to get entry into the park. Any chance a separate entry will happen? Should we plan on only going at night to catch a few things. We have 4 grandchildren with us and do not want to fight crowds. That’s why we went in September.
There’s only one set of turnstiles at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so no dice on a separate entry.
However, unless the entire park is at a capacity closure, there’s no way it’ll take two hours to get inside in the second week of September. Perhaps the line to get into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be that long, but if you’re avoiding that land, you’ll have nothing to worry about.
Yeah hopefully they divide the turnstiles so things move better for those not going to GE.
if they don’t it will be incredibly unfair to those of us who already had trips booked before the opening date was announced. i also fear of standing in line for hours with small kids just to enter the park itself, and we don’t even care about star wars right now.
Any rumors about the Star Wars themed hotel and its construction/opening schedule and location within Galaxy’s Edge?
Oga’s Cantina is going to be madness for a while.
The Star Wars ‘Starship’ Hotel is located outside of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, on a parcel near the old main entrance. Last I saw, they were still moving around dirt back there, with some work started on the foundation.
My guess would be a 2021 opening for the hotel, but that’s not based upon anything credible.
Oh, wow. So that’ll be a whole other big opening event. The hotel/spaceship itself almost seems like another “land” to experience–be immersed in–but a very exclusive one.
Thanks for info.
Will the WDW resorts on the gondola line still have bus transportation as well? I imagine they’d have to as not everyone will want to/be able to take the Skyliner.
My expectation is that those resorts will have significantly reduced bus service to DHS and Epcot.
I would strongly suggest that anyone who fears or doesn’t want to use the Skyliner stay at non-Skyliner resorts.
I’m excited for your return to the west coast, can’t wait to hear all about Galaxy’s edge when you get inside! As a Southern Californian, I’m heading for my “last hurrah” in mid/late May and probably won’t go again until January/February so I hope you all spend some time out here and I can get my Disney fix vicariously through you 🙂 thanks for writing!
We’ll be out in California for a while…and several times over the next few months, so coverage of all things Disneyland will definitely be on the upswing again!
My husband has a work trip to San Diego planned for this week so we made a spur of the moment decision do a Disney trip this weekend to get out fix so we can wait out the Star Wars crowds,. I’m hoping, I know its a HUGE wildcard, that they might be doing some testing and letting guest in and we’ll get a sneak peek. I know its a long shot but a girl can dream ….
Thanks this is helpful. We have allocated two days at HS of our 10 night trip so we can get to see GE one day and the rest another day and spend the afternoons somewhere else. That makes sense to start with Ogas Cantina and Savis Workshop first. I keep trying to find this out but do you know if in the past when Disney opens a new land if they do DAS passes for the rides? I have two boys with autism that love Star Wars but definitely can’t wait in hours long lines. Hoping to do a DAS pass for Millennium Falcon. Have you heard anything?
I haven’t heard anything about the logistics of DAS for Star Wars (either the rides or entering the land–both of which should be on your radar), but it’s still a mad scramble to finalize operations, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Walt Disney World makes some of its operational decisions based upon what works or doesn’t at Disneyland.
I’d suggest not worrying about it too much now (they will offer something), as whatever is rumored now could very well change between today and August.
That is true. It will be interesting how things go once Disneyland GE opens. I’m surprised they haven’t released more logistical information for there though. It’s really close to opening.