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!
Hey Tom,
Love your blog! I’m a WDW veteran, and my husband (who has only been to WDW once and is not a fan of crowds) and I were planning on checking out Disneyland for 1 day during our California vacation this summer (end of July), but with the Star Wars opening, I’m second guessing it. We really have only one day to spend, and it’s sounding like it will be pandemonium crowd-wise. If we plan to avoid the Star Wars attractions, do you think it will be possible to see anything in a reasonable amount of time if we have a light list of things we want to ride, or should we be prepared for the worst (and postpone this until a less crowded time in 2020 or beyond)?
Thanks!
MJ
Going to Disneyland California mid September. Do you think both Star Wars rides will likely / possibly be up and running by then?
We are staying in DW the end of August through the middle of September. We already have our ADR and a few places in DHS; if the park closes due to capacity, can we get in for our reservations? Thank you.
You can get in with an ADR through a phase 3 closure. That’s the next to worst closure level. Phase 4 is the absolute worst, where basically one person has to leave before another person can go in.
My family has a planned trip in October this year (planned before SW opening date news). You’re saying fastpass may not be available initially. I’m curious given the way child swap (we are traveling with a 2 year old) would be handled, seeing how it utilizes the fastpass system. Anyone have any ideas?
We booked a bounceback last year for the first week of Sept. and have an 8 a.m. ADR at Hollywood & Vine for 9/2. Do you think we will be able to get into Galaxy’s Edge faster if we keep this ADR and speed thru breakfast? Or, should we cancel and just plan on being in line at HS around 5 a.m?
We are staying the week of Labor Day (booked before Star Wars opening was announced). Currently park hours are normal…only one morning EMH and no standard early openings. I remember with Toy Story Land the park opened at 7am for awhile and/or had morning EMH daily for awhile. When do we expect Disney to announce extended park hours for this? Not until after Galaxy’s Edge opens in Disneyland? Surely there will be more extended hours than are currently posted. We are staying at YC so we have that advantage but I am nervous about crowds. We aren’t even big Star Wars fans but we still haven’t seen Toy Story Land (it opened the week after we left last year). I am still holding out hope that many people won’t be able to vacation right after Labor Day and we won’t be hugely affected for our week. But we have traveled during spring break and right after New Year’s so we know how to tour with crowds.
We are staying at old key west from 7 September thru 14 September, I love your advice on where’ we should go first during that week. Have daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters age 8 and 6 in tow
Ps love your blog, it will be 2nd time at Disney world, but 1st for the rest
Hey Tom,
I love your articles. They get me through my day. I wanted to know your thoughts on visiting Galaxy Edge at Disney World on opening day? Do you think they will use a reservation system? How early can I line up for the park?
Thanks!
Just an FYI for any DVC folks who are waiting for their SWGE reservation emails – after seeing reports on the disboards, I called in today and was told that many (if not all) of the DVC reservations in their system didn’t have emails associated with them. The default seems to be the day after check-in for 8-noon, but I was offered the option to change it. So if you haven’t gotten an email yet, it’s probably worth your while to call in before it’s opened up to the general public on May 2nd!
Do you have any info about the Star Wars Hotel they are building in WDW? My husband is a huge star wars nerd and we are wanting to take a trip next year to see Galaxy’s edge. We are hoping to stay in the hotel but we haven’t heard any announcements about the hotel opening date or construction progress. I’ve heard the hotel will be fairly small compared to others and am worried it will be hard to book.
Thanks for all this fun info! Question – when it comes to extra magic hours, does Disney ever update the calendar once it’s published? We’ll be visiting in late September, and sadly, there aren’t any extra magic hours at Hollywood Studios on the days we’ll be there. I’m curious if you think they might add a few more days per week of Hollywood Studios extra magic hours once Galaxy’s Edge opens? Or is the calendar basically set in stone once published? Thanks so much!
That calendar is almost certainly going to change.
We booked our September trip before the star wars announcement. We are arrive 9/10. We are star wars fans and this is our first Disney trip for all of us. So, I am very bummed and worried about how crowds will he elsewhere during this time. Any predictions on what the other parks may he like? Or how they may he affected? We chose this week due to normally lower crowd predictions.
Oh my that was supposed to say we are NOT star wars fans. Sorry!
Hey Tom
From your experience of new attractions, any thoughts on soft openings and if so how Disney will “select” riders? Do they merely open the line and let word of mouth do its thing? Do they tell people at entry that the ride may be operating today and check regularly at the ride entrance? Or perhaps do they cherry pick likely candidates at resorts and ask if you’re prepared to spend an hour answering marketing questions you can have a go? We come home on August 13th so I’m clutching at straws but it’d be nice to have look!
Normally, a soft opening for this sort of thing would merely be a door in the construction wall being open or the wall down. Totally unannounced.
Everything about Star Wars Land has been ‘different’ though, so it could be something totally unprecedented.
While I read and understood Rise of the Resistance would open later in the Disneyland run, I don’t remember reading/seeing anywhere that it would ALSO be staggered opening at WDW? My understanding was that everything was opening at once at WDW. This is the first time I’m reading of this!
Wonderful information. I enjoy your articles.
But the popups have GOT TO STOP! As I tried to read this article a pop up would cover the bottom half of the viewed section. And. …GD… ITS COVERING THE WHOLE SCRENAS I TRY TO WRITE THIS!!!
AAAAAGGHHHH!!!
The same one, EVERY 5 SECONDS!
STOP IT! Or I’m going to stop subscribing to articles!!!
Get an ad blocker. None on my screen.
Is it just me, or does the “on theme” packaging for the coke products look like a hand grenade? Hopefully they are large enough to not be confused with one by a TSA worker.
I have a question on making reservations for Galaxy’s Edge (and I know we don’t know the process, but this may be more of a general question): we have hard paper tickets for Disneyland, so I’m wondering if we’ll need to add them to the Disneyland app (each individually or if I’ll need my wife to download the app and add her ticket to her app) to make reservations, and if I’ll be able to get a reservation for each of us. Does anybody have any clarification they can offer on this?
Hi Tom. Thanks so much for all the information. I love reading your posts. Great tips! I have a vacation planned the first week of September. I plan to be at HS two mornings and one evening that week. I’m trying to figure out if making a reservation for one of the dessert parties will guarantee us access to HS in the evening. Any thoughts? …maybe we’ll see you there 🙂
“I’m trying to figure out if making a reservation for one of the dessert parties will guarantee us access to HS in the evening.”
Yes, it should.
Thanks for the info! I look forward to reading your post once SWGE opens. We had already booked a DL package through your site with Get Away Today before they announced the official opening of SWGE. One of my concerns is if Smuggler’s Run is going to make me sick. You said it will be a cross between Mission space and Star Tours on steroids. I only do the mild version of MS and don’t really do Star Tours anymore because it makes me a little nauseous. I hate to miss out but I’m wondering if I should even attempt it! I’ll look forward to your review!
For what it’s worth, the “on steroids” part is in terms of the quality of the experience, not intensity.
I haven’t heard anything about intensity, but I’m guessing it’ll be right around Star Tours level.
We already had a September trip planned. We like Star Wars so on one hand we are excited we’ll be able to experience the land but on the other we’ll be there with our 7 & 4 year old girls so their patience will be limited. I have an 8am breakfast booked at Hollywood & Vine for the day I’ve planned at HS so I’m hoping we can get to Star Wars Land and get on the ride. But that’s probably a pipe dream
I appreciate your update on SWGE and wonder what you think will be the effect on getting into the rest of Hollywood Studios. Will there be so many people trying to get in the new land that the park hits capacity, but the rest of the park sits empty while everyone is in line for SWGE? We have Fantasmic reservations for that first evening through Hollywood and vine but think it might be best to cancel because we won’t even get into the park.
I wouldn’t proactively cancel. For one, capacity closings usually happen in phases, and anyone with an ADR is allowed in at every level phased closure.
As for crowds, I would expect the rest of the park to be lighter at and for around 1-2 hours after rope drop, but gradually the crowds will level out.
>Seriously, the significance of this cannot be understated.
Yes, it can be understated. What you meant was, ‘the significance of this cannot be _overstated_’.
I could care less about typos like that. 😉
(Before I get corrected by someone else on that, it was intentional. Seriously though, thanks for the heads up!)