Everything You Need to Know About Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

I will say it plainly: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is the most impressive thing Disney has ever built. Even if you are not a huge Star Wars person (my mom is not, and she still loves it), walking under those rock spires for the first time does something to you. Here is everything I tell my friends before they visit. 🚀

The theming is the whole point

Galaxy's Edge is set on the planet Batuu, in a settlement called Black Spire Outpost. Disney did not design it as "the Star Wars area of Hollywood Studios." They designed it as a place, and everything supports that. There are no Star Wars logos on the trash cans. The soundtrack is not the movie score, it is original Batuu music. Cast members greet you with "bright suns" in the morning and "rising moons" at night, and the food packaging, the signage, and even the restrooms stay in the story.

My advice: give yourself twenty minutes to just walk around before you do anything. Look up at the spires, peek into the alleys, watch the droids rolling around. It rewards people who slow down.

The two rides

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is, in my opinion, the best attraction at Walt Disney World. It is a mix of walkthrough sets, a simulator, and a trackless dark ride, and it runs about eighteen minutes start to finish. You board a transport, get captured by a Star Destroyer, and escape. I will not spoil the moment when the doors open into the hangar bay, but I got emotional the first time. Get a Lightning Lane for this one if you are buying them, or ride it right at rope drop.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run puts six people in the cockpit of the Falcon. Two pilots, two gunners, two engineers. It is genuinely fun and the queue alone is worth it. A tip: if you want to fly, tell the cast member at the merge point. And if you crash a lot, do not worry, everyone does. Your performance affects the damage you see on the ship when you exit.

Food and drinks on Batuu

• Oga's Cantina is the star. It is a loud, crowded, wonderfully weird bar with DJ R-3X spinning music. Reservations open sixty days out and go fast. The Fuzzy Tauntaun is the famous one (it comes with a buzz button foam that makes your lips tingle), and the Jedi Mind Trick is my personal order. Kids are welcome and there are non-alcoholic options too.
• Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo is the sit-down-ish quick service. The Endorian Fried Chicken Tip-Yip is solid and filling.
• Ronto Roasters makes the Ronto Wrap, roasted pork and grilled sausage in pita with slaw and a peppercorn sauce. It is my favorite quick bite in the land.
• Milk Stand serves blue milk and green milk, both plant based and frozen. Blue is fruity and tropical, green is a little more citrus and floral. Blue is the crowd pleaser. You can get either with a splash of alcohol if you want.

More of my park food picks live over on the dining page.

The shops (they are half the experience)

Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities is worth visiting even if you buy nothing. Dok-Ondar himself is an animatronic behind the counter, and the shelves are full of holocrons, kyber crystals, and legacy lightsabers. Black Spire Outfitters has the robes and apparel, Creature Stall has the plush creatures, and Toydarian Toyshop has handmade-looking toys and games.

Build a droid or a lightsaber

Droid Depot lets you build a BB-series or R-series droid off a conveyor belt of parts. It is around 120 dollars, takes about twenty minutes, and your droid reacts to things around the land when you carry it. Reservations are recommended but walk ups happen.

Savi's Workshop is the lightsaber experience, around 250 dollars, and it is a real show. You pick from four themes, go through a short ceremony with music and lighting, and assemble your hilt. One builder plus a small group of guests can watch. Book this the day your window opens. It is a splurge, but people come out of there beaming.

If you are figuring out where this fits in your day, I have sample days mapped out on my itinerary page. Bright suns, friends. ✨