A Complete Guide to Starwars: Galaxy’s Edge and the Black Spire Outpost on the Planet Batuu

“The Force is strong with this one” – Darth Vader (A New Hope)

Darth Vader made that remark about a young jedi nearly 40 years ago, but the phrase also perfectly applies to Disney’s ability to transport and fully immerse Star Wars fans into The Galaxy for the first time ever. As of May 31st, guests can step into Batuu (aka. Galaxy’s Edge) and experience its main town, Black Spire Outpost, a once thriving trade market which has since become a smuggler’s den and has been long forgotten by the rest of the Galaxy (which makes it the perfect spot for The Resistance). Stepping into Batuu can feel overwhelming and like jumping into hyperspace when you aren’t prepared, so below I’ve compiled a complete guide on how to tackle a new park that can feel as big as the Death Star.  Galaxy Edge is Disneyland’s latest and greatest venture (Over $1B) in immersing you into the world of Star Wars via they magic that only Disney can achieve. 

Galaxy Edge Tips & Tricks:

• First and foremost, to enter Galaxy’s Edge from May 31st- June 23rd, you’ll need to have reservations at one of the three Disney hotels. Once booked into a hotel, you’ll receive an email confirmation and can then make reservations for you and your party! 
• Cast members anticipate that it takes about 30 minutes to get through the process of getting your wristband and you are allowed to start waiting two hours before your reservation, so make sure that you get to the park with PLENTY of time to spare!
• Make sure to download the “Disney Play” app for an even more immersive experience! It includes a ton of interactive content that you can use around the park, including hacking the Millennium Falcon, translate Aurebush, and scan cargo boxes to see what easter eggs are inside!
• Understanding the lingo is key to navigating Galaxy’s Edge and can make it easier to get around! Citizens of Batuu (cast members) greet you with a friendly “bright suns” which means “hello”! The two key phrases that you definitely want to remember are: “Refreshers” for bathrooms, and “Galactic credits” for currency that conveniently matches the U.S. dollar!
• Have your QR code ready ahead of time, and check in at the Star Wars launch bay first
• Then head to the actual entrance to Galaxy’s Edge which is next to Hungry Bear restaurant in Critter Country
• Once in, there are no signs in Galaxy’s Edge, which encourages exploration, but can also be a time waster since you only have four hours in the park! However, the “Disney Play” app can help you navigate the park and can help you get everything done!
• For food and drinks such as the famous blue space milk, you should use the Disneyland App to pre-order your food on your phone so to skip the crazy lines.
• Tip from a cast member about getting everything done: if you start with the Cantina and finish with the Millenium Falcon, you should be able to get everything done!
• Another tip for those who want to build a lifesaver or droid is to head toward those shops first to grab a reservation time for later, before you line up for the rides or see the other attractions, because once they run out you might be out of luck.

Immersive Star Wars Experiences:

Right now, Galaxy’s Edge boasts three main attractions with a fourth one set to open later this year! As of now, we have one new ride, “Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run” and two interactive workshops where you can build your own lightsaber and your own droid!

The Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run is a highly interactive ride that takes six riders on a simulated journey where they have to all work together to overcome a series of obstacles. The outcome of the ride and your mission depends completely upon you and the crew’s performance which makes this a different ride almost every time you go on! The pilots (there are two) definitely have the most immersive experience and have lots of buttons to push and a full view of the ride and visuals. Which isn’t to say that the gunners and engineer don’t have to do anything, but they don’t have as many buttons to push or as many chances to interact with the ride. 

On a super positive note, most guests are reporting that it’s only a 30-60 minute wait time, so you might even have a chance to do this attraction twice during one visit! And, what really captures the attention of most guests is the queue to get to the actual ride! As you’re waiting to ride, you get to stand and wait in the Millenium Falcon and watch a holographic chess game and can even spot Luke’s iconic helmet that he wore when he first discovered The Force!

Next, we have Savi’s Workshop, a disguised scrap metal shop where you can design and build your own lightsaber for $199. The experience is an investment of time and money, but is an amazing one-of-a-kind adventure for the ultimate Star Wars fan! Outside of the workshop, you’ll pay for your lightsaber before you build it and will be able to choose your hilt while you wait for your turn to enter! Each hilt has a distinct theme, including: Power and control, protection and defense, elemental
nature, or peace and justice. Once inside, the workshop has a capacity of 14 people, seeing an average of three groups an hour, but The Gatherer’s inside make it an amazing experience and enhance the top-secret lightsaber building
experience!

Over at the Droid Depot, you can build your own customized droid for $99! You’ll find a workshop stocked to the brim with droid parts, chips, manuals, and other key pieces that you’ll need to activate and program your droid! After your droid is activated, it’ll start to react to different parts of Batuu and will even start to interact with other droids around the park! You can also purchase a special backpack for your droid for $39.99 (There is a one bag limit per guests).

Star Wars Characters:

While there are no formal character meet and greets inside of Galaxy’s Edge, guests will be able to spot a few familiar faces walking through Batuu and interacting with guests! You can see Chewbacca (and even talk to him!!), you’ll be able to spot Kylo Ren and Stormtroopers making their presence very known in The Marketplace, Rey can be seen sneaking around, and be
on the lookout for a very familiar blue droid! The characters that are milling don’t have photopass with them, so the interactions that they have with guests will be more organic and stay true to how immersive the park is!

Galactic Shopping:

Shopping is a completely unique experience and offers items and good that can’t be found in any other part of Disneyland. The Marketplace where most of the shops are located transports the guests into a shopping center reminiscent of the market from Episode One and you can even spot small details like pod parts and droid parts! There are seven main shopping markets
that each boats a vastly different collection of goods, each more impressive than the last!

• First Order Cargo is a temporary stall that The First Order has set up to win the approval of the locals of Batuu and will agree to sell you goods if you pledge and show your allegiance to them.
• Whereas, The Resistance Supply has a secret posts on the outskirts in a forested area where you can support the Resistance and purchase their goods to help the cause against The First Order.
• Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities hosts a mass of highly curated galactic artifacts that include rare lightsabers, jewelry, rare crystals, and an ever rotating collection of highly rare historic pieces!
• The Creature Stall is stuffed to the brim with a large variety of the galaxies wildest and most exoctic creatures! You’ll be able to find Porgs and Tuantans here!
• Black Spire Outfitters can help you dress the part of Jedi and offers a selection of special apparel that’ll help you explore Batuu!
• The Toydarian Toymaker is an iconic galactic toymaker that boasts handmade toys and collectibles and is always cluttered with other projects that are works in progress!

May the credit card be with you!   Good luck with the plethora of shopping options.

Galaxy’s Edge Dining:

Galaxy’s Edge has five new eatery’s:

• Kat Saka’s Kettle: A stand that includes a popcorn mix of sweet and spicy flavours and coke products
• Ronto Roasters: A quick service that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and includes the Ronto Wrap: A meat extravaganza, stuffed with roasted pork, grilled pork sausage, peppercorn sauce, tangy pickled slaw, wrapped in a pita.
• Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo: The main dining option in galaxy’s Edge that offers indoor and outdoor seating and serves all three meals with vegetarian options and the Braised Shaak Roast (beef pot roast, cavatelli pasta, wilted kale, and mushrooms), which has already become a fan favorite!
• Oga’s Cantina: A standing only bar that serves colorful, fizzy, and creative alcoholic beverages (that you can’t take with you outside of the bar), blue milk, and other fun mocktails! The menu boasts a lot of creative, out of the box drinks, but the top drinks include: the Bespin Fizz (rum, yuzu, pomegranate juice, white cranberry juice, and cloud swirl), the Fuzzy Tuantuan (peach vodka, peach schnapps, simply orange, topped withh tangerine, sugar, and special buzz buttons that make your mouth feel numb!), and the Yub Nub (A special $42 cocktail served in a souvenir porg cup that contains pineapple rum, spiced rum, citrus juice, and passion fruit)
• The Milk Stand: Where you can try the famous Blue and Green space milks that Luke enjoys! Both are plant based, fruit flavored frozen concoctions that are super refreshing and SUPER sweet and the blue milk has a tropical flavor while the green milk has a citrus floral flavor!

There have definitely been mixed reviews on the dining experiences at Galaxy’s Edge and the options are fairly limited. The kid’s menu is not actually very kid friendly at a couple of the quick services, and I’ve also heard that you either
LOVE the drinks at The Milk Stand, or you can’t stand them. However, there are some truly delicious snacks and food
options that can be found on Batuu! Batuu also offers exclusive novelty Coke products in the shapes of droids with Batuu’s native language printed on them!

Side note: the prices for food here are high, even for Disney standards (the space milk is $8), so be prepared when entering the park!

Special Easter Eggs (Insider Secrets):

One of the most amazing things about Galaxy’s Edge is the attention to detail throughout the park and the Imagineers went above and beyond to make sure that every twist and turn of the park had hidden, magical details that would keep the guests entranced and make them feel like they were truly at the galaxy’s edge. There are little surprises tucked away throughout the entire park, with nods to the original trilogy and the new generation! You just have to know
where to look!

• The water fountains near the Refreshers in the marketplace area has a familiar giant eye of the diagona
  lurking above it!
• If you look closely in Dok-Ondar’s Antiquities, you might be able to spot the ark of the covenant from Indiana Jones and The Lost Ark, a statue of Jar Jar Binks, a medal of bravery from the original trilogy, and a taxidermy Wampa!
• While walking, you can spot droid marks in the concrete that belong to non other than R2-D2
• Look up when you visit The Toydarian Toymaker, and you’ll be able to spot the marionettes of Obi-Wan and Darth Vader from the classic scene in A New Hope
• Look out for a hidden Mickey on the side of the building across from Ronto Roasters!

Galaxy’s Edge has been reported as being the most immersive Disney experience that guests have ever been apart of, and long time Star Wars fans have not been let down or disappointed with the hard work, authenticity, and the Disney magic that has been poured into Batuu. Guests leave and enter back into Walt’s classic kingdom thinking, “Did that really just happen? Did I really just leave the galaxy?”

May the force (and short wait times) be with you all!