If your travel party includes Star Wars fans, you absolutely must experience Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This highly immersive land places you in the center of the Star Wars universe on the planet Batuu at the Black Spire Outpost. Prepare for a day of fun like you’ve never had (in this star system) before!
With so many sights, sounds, and tastes to explore, where should you begin? Here is an overview of your options and my top must-do experiences for any Star Wars fan for a day inside Galaxy’s Edge.
Characters
The immersive nature of this new park allows you to encounter Star Wars characters merely while exploring and enjoying the land – there are no formal meet & greets here. You may cross paths with Stormtroopers or even have a confrontation with Kylo Ren. Rey and Chewbacca are also regulars who can be spotted searching for new recruits. Allow yourself to get sucked into the action, as these characters are known to question directly where your loyalties lie: with the First Order or the Resistance.
Plan to spend some time just relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere of the park and see who you might meet along the way.
Rides
Have you ever wanted to pilot the Millennium Falcon, or board a real Star Destroyer? Of course you have! Now, you can do both when you ride the two feature attractions here at the park and both are must do’s for serious Star Wars fans.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run gives guests the opportunity to step on board the Falcon and into the pilot seat. Groups of six, each assigned different tasks, work together in an attempt to complete a successful mission for Hondo Ohnaka. No previous experience is required, but your reputation in Batuu is at stake! This attraction is worth doing multiple times to try out the various roles, but pilot will always be the most fun.
On Rise of the Resistance, join other Resistance recruits on a journey to a secret base. Then, enjoy the thrills as you are captured by the First Order, board a Star Destroyer and mount your escape from the ship and back to Batuu. This immersive experience is unlike any other in the parks, featuring various walk-through elements combined with ride experiences! *This attraction currently requires a special boarding group to ride; reach out to your Travel Ease agent for details and tips.
Shopping
There are lots of unique shopping experiences to be found throughout Galaxy’s Edge, and all maintain their immersive charm. The marketplace is a great location to browse authentic local offerings from clothing to fuzzy creatures. The plush Star Wars characters found at the Toydarian Toymaker are my favorite souvenirs here!
Don’t miss Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. This tiny shop is filled with unique and upscale items such as kyber crystals and holocrons. It’s worth seeing just to view the “collection” of items stored on his walls. This is the place for more serious Star Wars collectors and enthusiasts. Feeling the pull to the dark side? First Order Cargo has the supplies every future Stormtrooper needs. And of course, no visit is complete without building your own droid or lightsaber.
At Savi’s Workshop, experience the magic of crafting and powering your very own lightsaber- whether it leads you to the light or the dark side lies within you. The force is VERY strong with this experience. I highly recommend older Star Wars fans experience this at least once. Builders can bring in one guest in tow to observe, but not purchase, a saber. At the Droid Depot, kids love to select pieces, assemble and bring to life their very own BB or R2 units. Standing about 12 inches tall, these make the ultimate companion to continue your adventures when you return home. Although fun for all ages, this appeals strongly to the younglings in most parties. *Both Savi’s and Droid depot require advance reservations.
Food & Drinks
All of the food and drinks in Galaxy’s Edge will feature a Star Wars twist. To bring your taste buds in on the adventure, check out Kat Saka’s Kettle for some unique Batuu popcorn or the Milk Stand to quench that craving for blue Bantha milk. For additional options and a break from the heat, the featured indoor Quick Service location here is Docking Bay 7. Mobile order in advance to take a load off and enjoy a meal. The features here include tip yip (chicken) and mac n cheese, but there are plenty of more exotic offerings for those with more galactic taste buds.
Last but not least, my must-do dining experience here is none other than Oga’s Cantina. Soak in the atmosphere of this intensely themed bar and enjoy the menu of otherworldly concoctions while DJ REX spins the tunes: some new, and some quite familiar. Although this venue offers only beverages and one or two light snacks, reservations are required for this very popular location.
With so much to see and do, make sure you leave time to shop, eat, ride and just enjoy all that this amazing new land has to offer. Star Wars super fans who wish to hit every experience on this list may want to plan for a second day at Hollywood Studios to cover it all.
Working with an experienced Travel Ease advisor is the best way to ensure you build the Star Wars adventure of your dreams! You can get started by reaching out for more information here.
As a huge Star Wars fan myself (and with two youngling super fans of my own) we have made so many fun memories in this park since it opened. I’d love to help you design a magical Star Wars experience that is perfect for your family.