Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Feb 15

Feb 15 Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Our first vacation of 2020 was to a galaxy far, far away. Our mission: to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and ride Rise of the Resistance, the most cutting edge, immersive thrill ride in Disney theme park history. Two plane tickets and a hyperspace jump later, we began our adventure.

This is the shuttle from the airport terminal to ground transportation. It’s okay to scream a little. I did.

Since we arrived in the evening, we stashed our bags at the hotel and meandered around Disney Springs. I bought sequined mouse ears and Mike made some fine purchases in the cigar shop for his new humidor. We had dinner and cocktails at the Boathouse, at one of the outdoor bars that overlook Lake Buena Vista. It’s a nice little spot that’s a bit removed from the main crowds and reserved mainly for adult dining.

By around 11:00pm, we were back to our hotel and prepping for our big day at Galaxy’s Edge. Our one and singular goal for tomorrow was to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the most incredible, immersive, and expansive ride ever built. It’s also the most difficult ride in the world to get onto as of this moment because the ticketing system is a lottery. Thankfully, a few hours of internet research armed us with a few tricks to improve our lottery chances:

Phase One

To even get a chance at winning the ride lottery, we have to be inside the park gates well in advance of it’s opening time. Hollywood Studios opens at 8:00am, so we begin our day at 6:30 a.m. to shower, dress, and pack our fanny packs full of granola bars and sunscreen.

Then we grab a Lyft to Hollywood Studios. Disney’s free shuttles are not yet operating this early. We need to be through security and in at the park well ahead of its opening, so we used ride share. I pre-booked our ride the night before because I’m that level of crazy preparedness.

Phase Two

So yeah, this is what Disneyworld looks like when the sun rises. We arrived at 7:00 a.m., just as the security checkpoints officially opened. Once through security, we then proceeded to the park entrance where there was a sizable crowd pooling.

We waited in line, tapped our wristbands, and got thumb-scanned (an anti-ticket fraud measure) to enter the park around 7:20 a.m. The park and its rides “officially” opened at 8:00 a.m., but until then you were free to mill about, browse the shops, or stand in the world’s longest line for Starbucks.

We ordered custom bands before our trip.

THIS is the entrance to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, inside Hollywood Studios. The tunnel is roped off and everyone sets up camp to wait for Official Park Opening, where upon the stroke of 8:00 a.m., we will all frantically punch the Disney mobile app in attempt to get a boarding pass for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance then storm the gates.

The face of a woman who has had zero coffee but is fueled solely by determination.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has TWO rides. Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance. Smuggler’s Run operates like any standard ride, you show up, get in line, wait for your turn, and ride the ride. Rise of the Resistance is currently using a lottery system. Yes, you read that correctly.

Rise of the Resistance Boarding Pass Lottery

To ride Rise of the Resistance, you must obtain a “boarding pass”. A boarding pass is a numerical spot in line, in a virtual queue for the ride. Here is how it works:

Boarding passes are limited to an extremely small quantity each day.
Boarding passes are only distributed through the Disney Experience app.
Boarding passes can only be requested during official park operating hours.
Boarding passes can only be requested by ticket holders physically inside the park.
Boarding passes will only be assigned to those ticket holders physically inside the park.
Boarding passes are numbered and numbers are distributed entirely at random.
Boarding passes do not guarantee entry onto Rise of the Resistance.

Boarding passes are not guaranteed because Rise of the Resistance breaks down a LOT. Sometimes for several hours at a time. This is because the ride is extremely complex, and actually consists of multiple ride systems linked together and synchronized to flow into one seamless experience.

As a result of the breakdowns thought, the amount of riders it can accommodate varies greatly depending on how well, and for how long, the ride is working that day. They might get 150 boarding groups through or they might get 50 through. There’s no predicting how the ride will operate on any given day. Unfortunate, yes. But all very typical for newly opened and tech-heavy thrill rides.

“All major theme parks have had delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked, nothing.” —John Hammond, Jurassic Park

And if all this wasn’t insane enough to deal with, boarding passes have historically been completely distributed for the entire day within the first minute of the park opening. So, you have exactly SIXTY SECONDS upon the stroke of 8:00 a.m. to get a boarding pass and hopefully a low enough number so that you get called to ride the ride before it starts breaking down and the queue backs up too far to allow any more riders on for the rest of the day.

Phase Three

7:59 a.m. on Grand Avenue. The crowds go quiet. Everyone is face down looking at the app. To increase our odds, we have closed out of all the apps on our phone, save the Disney Experience app which we have open. We turn off Wifi, so we’re not piling onto Disney’s wifi at the exact same time thousands of other people are trying to and making it slow down. We also turn off bluetooth so that the sole function of our phones is focused on the app. And we begin to refresh the screen. At exactly 8:00 a.m., the app activates and the button to request a boarding pass is live. I punch it, select the members of my party, hit submit, hold my breath and….

WE GET BOARDING PASSES!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE GOT BOARDING PASS GROUP 6. We will definitely ride the ride! I jump up and down and shout. Several other cheers go up from around the crowds. Then we begin our slow march into the tunnel that leads to Galaxy’s Edge.

Galaxy’s Edge

It's true. The Force, the Jedi — all of it. It's all true.

Galaxy’s Edge is built around a village called Black Spire Outpost, on a planet called Batuu, which is located in the “Outer Rim Territories” mentioned frequently throughout the Star Wars franchise. I’d describe it as a hybrid of Tatooine and Jakku, it feels very real and familiar without being specific.

Mike and I just sort of wandered around in a daze for a bit, still reeling from the adrenaline rush of securing boarding passes. I’m not certain we were fully awake yet.

I popped into one of the restaurants to inquire about coffee but the line was extremely long, so I abandoned it. When I exited the building, Mike was there, grabbing my arm and shaking me with excitement. “They’re calling our group! Our boarding group! We’re in!”

Rise of the Resistance

And just like that, we made a mad dash over to the entrance for Rise of the Resistance. Which, might I add, does not have any identifying signage. We had to ask for directions. Twice.

It was so early in the day, the queues were empty. We wound our way through the gates and pathways, through several switchbacks. Then suddenly, a tall man in resistance fatigues appeared and beckoned us into a series of underground tunnels “carved by resistance members.” He thanks us new recruits for joining the cause and guided us along through several twists and turns, describing the ongoing battle against the First Order. We passed stockpiles of weapons, x-wing fighter pilot uniforms, helmets, cargo, and computer terminals. All of it instantly recognizable from the films.

He then guided us into a room where BB-8 appeared to greet us. A real droid is very exciting! He played us a hologram message from Rey, who recruited us into a mission to help Finn. But first, we had to evacuate the planet of Batuu...

No spoilers from here, you simply have to experience it in person. But the ride is fully immersive. There are live actors. Full scale sets that will make your jaw drop. Interactive sequences. Hux! Kylo Ren! Full and complete sensory experiences. And unexpected thrills! I might have actually cried a bit at one point because it all felt so very real. Also the First Order officers are really intimidating. Good job on the hiring, Disney Human Resources.

So, was it worth the pre-dawn trek and hustle for boarding passes? ABSOLUTELY. There is nothing like this ride, anywhere. Not at Disney. Not at the Wizarding World in Universal. Or Six Flags. Anywhere. I actually don’t know how they pulled off something of this scale and complexity. It’s truly mind-blowing.

Side Note: On our visit, only boarding groups 1-67 made it through before park closed at 8:00 p.m. We were so lucky!

After the ride, I finally managed to grab coffee and we explored the park at a more leisurely pace. There are stormtroopers and Kylo Ren, and many First Order officers keeping guests in line.

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run

And the grand centerpiece of the park, the Milennium Falcon. It is very real and very detailed. We walked all around and underneath it many times taking in the sheer size of it all.

Seeing Chewbacca walk up to the Falcon was about as surreal as it gets.

HOLY SHIT I AM ON THE MILLENNIUM FALCON

The Falcon ride is also very impressive, as you are literally queuing through a docking bay and boarding the ship with all it’s familiar set pieces like the holochess table which you can sit at briefly. Then it’s on to assignments for our smuggling run! Mike and I were assigned as gunners. I really wish there were actual cockpits but it was still pretty exciting firing missiles at Tie Fighters. Our pilots were total shit though. We must go back and ride this again!

The Blue (and green) Milk

Murdering space nazis really makes you thirsty.

We disembarked the Falcon and sallied up to the milk bar to throw down our credits for two drinks. Milk is…not what you think it might be. It is somewhere between smoothie and daiquiri, with the “milk” being coconut and rice milk. Blue Milk is tropical sweet, with dragon fruit, pineapple, lime, watermelon, and Bacardi Rum. Green Milk is more citrusy with mandarin orange, passion fruit, grapefruit, orange blossom, and Corazon Blanco Tequila. You can order them virgin if that’s your style. We went full tilt. I preferred the Green, it’s tangy and weird. Mike preferred the Blue and said it was very easy drinking. I agree, I could easily put back a few of these.

Dining in Batuu

The food in Batuu is excellent. There are no hamburgers or hotdogs or theme park funnel cakes in sight. The meal options are sort of Mediterranean/Asian-inspired. We had lunch wraps from Ronto Roasters that featured roasted pork, sausage, peppercorn sauce, and a tangy slaw, wrapped in a warm pita. Super delicious. Later I had these vegetarian meatballs, hummus, relish, and pitas. Mike had some sort of chicken dish that came with roasted vegetables and pasta. All excellent.

Also there is beer! Gold Squadron Lager, to be specific. I think the smartest thing Disney did was place an ice cold beer stand mid-way through the line for Smuggler’s Run. Six Flags should be taking notes.

We also ate copious amounts of this colorful popcorn that tasted like Fruity Pebbles. You could order it by the bag or have it served up in a mouse droid. I miss the popcorn. I still think about it, it was that good.

Black Spire Shopping

There are lots of shops in Black Spire Outpost. There are local goods and shops, Resistance gear, and First Order suppliers. There are two very exclusive boutiques, one where you can craft a custom lightsaber and one where you can build your own working droid toy. Both require reservations and are on the pricier end of the spectrum, so we passed on them.

We did, however, pop into Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities. It’s a more high-endy collectors shop with lots of film replicas, including Princess Leia’s necklace from the finale of New Hope that I desperately wanted but could not imagine paying $2,000 for. There are also tons of relics from the films themselves scattered about, so if you can manage to stop looking at the merchandise you might spy a Wampa, a Gamorrean guard ax, or an Imperial Guard helmet.

No trip to Galaxy’s Edge would be complete without a stop at the Cantina. It was the second best thing we did at the park that day. Check out our full report and photo tour of Oga’s Cantina. Thanks for reading!