Need vacation planning advice quickly? Join our Facebook group and get your questions answered!
Skip to Content

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge

At last, the time has come and we finally get to travel to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World. The land is set to open on August 29th, 2019 which is a couple of months after its counterpart in Disneyland opened. Of course, it’s important to note that only one of the two attractions will be open. The headlining attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, is set to open December 5th 2019.

In Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, you will get a chance to visit the Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batuu. This little village is filled with shops and food but also some very familiar faces. Expect to come face to face with Rey, Chewbacca and Kylo Ren. If you’re wondering, the whole timeline for this planet is from the recent movies Star Wars Episode 7 through 9.

Getting into Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge

There are two entrances into this roughly 14-acre land. The first is on Grand Avenue by the Muppet Vision 3D and Baseline Taphouse and this is the only entrance and exit you can use during the preview period. The second entrance will be coming in via Toy Story Land. You can find it right next to the Alien Swirling Saucers

Good news for Walt Disney World Resort guests. You will get a chance to spend some extra hours inside Batuu. From September 1st to November 2nd, Disney is offering all new Extra, Extra Magic Hours every morning at Hollywood Studios from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Plus if you are looking to avoid the lines there are reservations open for select experiences. This includes Oga’s CantinaSavi’s Workshop, and Droid Depot. Reservations are available up to 180 days out on the My Disney Experience app or at MyDisneyExperience.com.

Map of Batuu

It’s important to get the lay of the land before you head to any Disney park. Here is a look at the specific map for just Batuu.

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 37

Star Wars Land Rides

The land is going to feature two rides. The headlining attraction is the Rise of the Resistance which will open up later this year. If you are eager to get to the land asap no worries because you can get behind the wheel and fly the Millennium Falcon on Smugglers Run. 

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 38

This ride puts you behind the controls of the most famous ship in the galaxy in one of three unique flight crew roles. Fair warning the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is a simulator ride. You step inside the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon and get to take it out on a mission to help the resistance. Yup, the same infamous ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs! When you walk down the passageway leading to the ship you really feel like you are boarding the Millennium Falcon.

Hondo Ohnaka is looking for discreet flight crews to deliver a backlog of hard-to-find items to a particular clientele. AKA we need to steal a shipment of Coaxium. Lucky for us, Hondo has struck a deal with Chewbacca to borrow the Millennium Falcon

The video below with show you a look at what the inside of the Millennium Falcon actually will look like in Galaxy’s Edge. For more details read What to Expect on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

CAUTION: the video below includes full spoilers of Smugglers Run. 

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Watch out for this ride since you will find yourself in the middle of an epic battle between the Resistance and the First Order. When it opens, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will blur the lines between fantasy and reality and will put you in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance. 

Join the ride and you will be recruited to join Rey and General Organa at a secret base. Along the way, they will be captured by a First Order Star Destroyer. With the help of some heroes of the Resistance, they break out and must escape the Star Destroyer, protect the secret base, and stay one step ahead of Kylo Ren. Check out the video below to catch a peek of the action.

Dining on Batuu

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 39

At Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo, Chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs’ transport shuttle sits atop the building as a mobile kitchen and restaurant. Be sure to look up before you enter to get sight of his ship. He turned the hangar into Tuggs’ Grub. Tuggs’ journeys from system to system allow him to fill his pantry with exotic ingredients he uses to make new and unusual dishes. This includes food such as smoked Kaadu ribs, Fried Endorian Tip-yip and Batuu-bon for dessert. For more on our experience here read Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo Review.

Oga’s Cantina

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 40

If you are expecting the cantina from the beloved original Star Wars, with the alien band and all be warned. This is NOT that Cantina. There are booths that look like they could be where Greedo met his doom, but remember you are on Batuu now, not Tatooine. The bartenders inside have a pretty good idea of the order of arrival of new guests. There are quite a few drinks on the menu, some alcoholic and some non-alcoholic.

The line here gets long and shows no signs of getting short anytime soon. The good news is you can make dining reservations for Oga’s Cantina up to 180 days in advance of your trip. It works the same as making any other dining reservation at Disney World. 

Ronto Roasters

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 41

Nestled in the Black Spire Outpost is this tasty eatery, Ronto Roasters. The grab and go counter features a sandwich, snacks, and beverages. This location is located right next to Batuu’s other quick-service dining, Docking Bay 7. Plus is right on the way to riding the Millenium Falcon Smugglers Run!  We are in a hurry to get back here and enjoy another one of these tasty wraps. For more read Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Ronto Roasters.

Milk Stand 

Blue and Green Milk on Batuu

The milk stand is home to the famous blue milk and green milk. It’s a really neat outdoor stand with globes of the colorful beverages hanging from above. If the line is super long fear not, the queue moves quickly. If you have any dietary concerns you may be happy to find out that both of these kinds of milk are not actually made from cow’s milk. Instead, they are made with a blend of coconut and rice milk. The drink has a frozen slush-like consistency and a great way to cool down on a hot day. For more read Blue Milk and Green Milk at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.

Kat Saka’s Kettle

Kat Saka’s is in the marketplace. Someone in line in front of us for Oga’s got the red and purple kettle corn. They offered their bag of popcorn to us because they thought it was gross. So I was not exactly enthusiastic, but in the name of research,  I tried it.

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 42

It was not disgusting, but I wouldn’t buy it. It’s a mix of spicy and sweet. The purple was very sweet tasting and the red was supposed to be spicy. I didn’t find it to be very spicy at all. It did come in a cute little mouse droid bucket though! Not gonna lie, it might possibly be worth the cost for that popcorn bucket!

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 43

Shopping in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge

The land features a street market in Black Spire Outpost. If you are hungry check out the food stalls where you can enjoy delicacies like blue milk or visit the Cantina where you can see an old friend Rex, as well as encounter creatures and characters that are hallmarks of the Star Wars universe.

Dok Ondar’s Antiquities

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 44

Some seriously cool stuff in here!! Prefabricated lightsaber hilts from such iconic Star Wars greats like Rey/Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan, among others, begin at $129. Cloaks and costumes, lots of action figures, playsets and collectibles are available for purchase. As part of the theming, one can spot tanks of other world creatures… like a baby sarlacc!!

Droid Depot

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 45

If you don’t want to build a droid there is still LOTS of merchandise to discover here. For $100 you can build your very own droid. If you are worried about the lines Disney has opened up advanced reservations online. The assembly line was full of delighted guests-young and old-constructing their own droids to take home. The process seemed to run pretty smoothly and it seemed to be a highlight for many.

Savi’s Workshop

It’s so easy just to breeze past this little spot. But it’s right around the corner from Droid Depot. This store is where you go to construct your own custom lightsaber. Reservations are required (you can book them here) and a lightsaber costs $200. You don’t just get a lightsaber though it comes with a whole interactive experience. We hope to experience this one for ourselves shortly.

Resistance Supply

This is where you go to find all you need to support the Resistance! Clothing, action figures, helmets, mini droids and that glorious orange pilot jumpsuit that everyone will remember! And if you feel the need for a truly epic souvenir, they do sell a lifesize, custom Astromech Unit that looks amazingly like the beloved R2-D2 for a cool $25,000. No discounts apply to this guy!

Black Spire Outfitters

Black Spire Outfitters

What’s a vacation without a little clothes shopping? The Black Spire Outfitters is the place to head if you want to get some robes that the locals wear. They have styles for both those who align with the Rebels or those who are more Sith. Each piece is sold separately so it’s super easy to mix and match and create a Star Wars look of your own creation. I thought this was really reminiscent of the robes that they sell in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Creature Corner

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 46

I loved stopping by here just to see the Tooka Loth-Cat. This is the creature sleeping in a cage in the middle of the store. If you want your own Porg this would be the spot to stop and get one!

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 47

Across from the bathrooms also be on the look for the Kowakian Monkey Lizards, like Salacious Crumb from Jabba’s palace. They are much like the Banshee shoulder sitters in Pandora.

Annual Passholder Merchandise for Galaxy’s Edge Opening

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 48

You will notice that none of the merchandise inside the land has anything that mentions Galaxy’s Edge on it. We were able to get some merchandise like that however outside of the land. You can pick it up off of Sunset Boulevard at Stage One Company Store.

The landing gear collection is offered in tees, pins, hats, patches, lanyards, Magicband and more.

Character Encounters on Batuu

So character meet and greets are handled a lot differently on Galaxy’s Edge. There isn’t any single designated spot that you can line up to meet your favorite character from Star Wars. However, there are quite a few that you may run into during your time here on Batuu. 

Before we get into the characters I want to quickly cover the lingo used here on Batuu. They have some phrases you may not be used to. First off the sayings “Bright Suns” and “Rising Moons” mean the same thing as “good day” and “good evening.” Every time you go to pay for something notice that they ask for things in terms of credits instead of dollars.

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 49

We found Rey running around a few times inside the land. She always seemed like she was on the run. Though a few people were able to get her to slow down enough fo a photo or quick chat. 

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 50

We spotted Chewbacca a few times over by the Millenium Falcon. These two were looking around the ship for things that needed to be repaired. It was really great when we were waiting in line for Smugglers Run as they were interacting with all of us during our wait. Be warned if you are sporting First Order attire you may scare them off!

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 51

Stormtroopers are routinely patrolling the streets as well. They will stop and question you if they think you are up to no good. It was pretty fun watching a Rebel little girl try to follow and make fun of them as they were marching down the street. 

The Atmosphere of Star Wars Galaxy Edge

The Music of Star Wars

But that’s not all! When you think about Star Wars, I’m sure that the iconic music of legendary composer John Williams comes to mind. Oscar-winning composer John Williams is creating new and original Star Wars themes exclusively for the land! Bob shared a stirring preview of the all-new music, recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. You can listen to the preview as well in this new video, which showcases recent construction progress at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Interactive Star Wars Game

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 52

Batuu is filled with lots of interactive elements to uncover during your visits. If you so choose you can use the Play Disney Parks app and take your experience to the next level. With this app, you can have your own Star Wars stories in a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars Hotel aka Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 53

While we don’t have too many details, there is also a Star Wars resort coming to Walt Disney World. This hotel will be directly connected to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and is promised to be an experience unlike any resort experience you’ve ever seen.

The Big Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge 54

Copyright Disney

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will be a new, first-of-its-kind vacation experience where you will check-in for a two-night adventure aboard a glamorous starship.  Once onboard, guests will interact with characters and become active participants in stories that unfold around them on their galactic journey. Plus you can enjoy space-view cabins and all of the exciting action you would expect from an authentic Star Wars experience.

 

The Best Time to Visit Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge

Of course, until the land fully opens here at Disney World it’s a bit hard to say what is going to happen crowd wise here at Galaxy’s Edge. We all know that Star Wars is a wildly popular franchise with the last film of the franchise making 1.3 billion dollars worldwide. After watching the opening of Avatar World of Pandora over in the Animal Kingdom most of us expected the line just to get into the land to be backed up to the Florida borderline. 

Interestingly enough with the opening of Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland happening months prior to here at Disney World, they saw minimal lines and very controlled crowds. It seems that Disney tactics of scheduling block out dates for Passholders and Cast Members have been working well.

It seems that everyone is holding off now until the land is fully open. As we have stated previously, the headlining attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, still has yet to even open in this land. For most, a Disney World vacation is once in a lifetime and if lucky once every few years. Naturally, this wards off some vacationers who want to wait and see everything all at once.  


We can’t wait to go back to the Galaxy’s Edge again and again. We have already booked a few reservations in advance to go back and check out some of the things that had a longer line. I am eager to see what the other attraction has in store for us as well. Let us know in the comment section below what you are looking forward to most at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.