I can finally say it. I've been to Batuu! Both my husband, Jason, and I have long been awaiting the opening day of Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and today I am excited to share with you my overall experience from beginning to end. I will be reviewing the food we ate, the merchandise we purchased and more in several upcoming blog posts. With the massive amount of photos that were taken and everything I wish to cover, I felt it was necessary.
Prior to going to Galaxy's Edge we purchased a parking spot for $25 through the Parking Panda app. With the parking lots at Disneyland opening at midnight we didn't want to chance not being able to park and having to scramble to figure that out while driving in case they were full. This app gave us the comfort of knowing that we had a guaranteed parking spot on Harbor Blvd. which was just a four minute walk from Disneyland. It wasn't bad at all. We didn't even have to take a tram!
We arrived just after Disneyland opened at 8 am and walked straight through security as well as the entrance to the park. What a breeze! I picked up the new park map and let me tell you, it's my favorite map they've ever created! I'll be giving a couple away as an additional item on my Social Media accounts so be sure to keep an eye out for them.
I was extremely surprised at how empty Disneyland was but I figured that, with Grad Night also taking place that day, people probably planned to stay away from the parks with all that was going on. We got on several rides with ten to fifteen minute wait times before our Galaxy's Edge time slot of 2-6pm. It was nice to be able to keep busy to make the time go by faster!
Disneyland had some fun photo op props on Main St. and in front of the main entrance to Star Trader in Tomorrowland. Obviously, I had to have some fun with them! They also had an enormous amount of new items in multiple shops throughout the park in celebration of the opening day of Galaxy's Edge. I stood in a roughly-ten-minute line for Star Trader to see what I could get my hands on. I had no idea that there would be merchandise with the opening day's date on it or that there would be select items from Galaxy's Edge sold in Disneyland. Half of the shop was dedicated to the new land! I picked up two Annual Passholder Exclusive t-shirts and two Limited Edition pins (one for myself and one for an upcoming giveaway). I will be sharing photos and reviews of these items in a merchandise blog post!
If you have a reservation for Galaxy's Edge you must check in up to 2 hours before at Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland. The entire place has a different vibe and though it is still running as it normally does, with the character meet and greats and such, it is not as dark inside and there is a huge set-up with multiple cast members there to help you get checked in. After showing your reservation and ID you will receive a wristband and two pamphlets. One of them covers the activities, food and shopping located inside Galaxy's Edge and the other has information on the Disney Play App. Before leaving Launch Bay you will need to have your wrist band scanned by a Cast Member. We were not told this while checking in but luckily there were people near the exit to do this for us. I don't believe this had anything to do with activating it but they did mention something about being able to monitor the number of people entering Galaxy's Edge. Who knows!
When it was about an hour until our time to go to Batuu we headed to our entrance point which was right next to the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country. The cast members told us there was no need to line up, which we were well aware of, but we wanted to see what the crowds were like in that area. We decided to just hang out nearby. Soon after, even more people showed up all huddling together. Thirty minutes before entry time they directed us closer to the entrance of Galaxy's Edge to free up the walkway for the people who weren't going to the new land. As we walked through, everyone put their hands in the air to show the wristbands as proof of reservations which I personally think was done very poorly. There were SO many people walking through really fast and only a few people were looking to make sure each person had the correct wrist bands on. We stood almost shoulder-to-shoulder with all of the fans waiting to get inside. This was my least favorite part because it was making me feel anxious and claustrophobic.
Once 2:01 pm hit, everyone counted down from three together and were released in to the gorgeousness that is Batuu. Everything I saw was absolutely exquisite. It is truly the most beautiful and incredibly detailed land in the entire park! At one point when we sat down to eat we barely exchanged any words with each other because we were just in awe looking at everything that surrounded us. I literally felt like I was somewhere in a galaxy far, far away. I told Jason multiple times, "I don't even feel like I'm at Disneyland".
There were several First Order Stormtroopers roaming about and interacting with the guests and I saw them throughout the entire day. I thought this was such a cool feature considering that I'm always on the lookout for them in Tomorrowland. We also saw Rey, Kylo Ren and Chewbacca but it wasn't like seeing them outside of Galaxy's Edge. They were more interactive with the fans and often playing a part in a grand story.
The land definitely feels as big as we've been told it is (fourteen acres, in case you were unaware). Most of the space is utilized very well though I will say that there isn't a lot going on where the Resistance resides. Of course the new attraction, The Rise of the Resistance, will open later this year but it's definitely not as lively of an area as the rest of the land. I would say that there's currently a lot of blank space though it is honestly all lovely to look at.
Surprisingly I did not shed one tear while at Galaxy's Edge. I was so excited, emotional, overwhelmed and stressed that I don't think my body knew what to do! You can bet that I gasped and said "Oh my gosh!" and "This is amazing!" way too many times though. The proof is in my vlog of our day which you can watch here.
I think knowing that we only had four hours at Galaxy's Edge contributed to me feeling stressed at times. I never felt like I could take my time enjoying the sights, sounds, foods, shopping or activities. There is a lot to see and do but with the crowds that were there it was impossible to enjoy it the way I would've liked to for my first time there.
I had been told that four hours was quite enough time to see everything but for us it absolutely was not. We were sure to not spend too much time on any one thing but even then we actually missed out on several activities. Part of this is due to the overlapping time slots. The first and last hour are extra busy because there are double the amount of people inside the land. Because of this, Smuggler's Run went back and fourth from being anywhere from a thirty-five minute wait to an hour and a half wait while were there. Another reason might be due to the time slot we had (2-6pm) but I'm not entirely sure. I had to remind myself multiple times that it was opening day and that after June 23rd the crowds would probably be much worse than what we experienced.
I am extremely grateful for the time we had there and it was an incredible experience. In fact, we can't wait to go back! I just want to be honest with you because I think if this happened to us it's likely to happen to others as well.
We tried going to Savi's Workshop a couple of times to build a custom lightsaber but each time we went we were told they were all booked. Groups of fourteen can go in at a time and there were tons of people waiting their turn outside. We also tried going to Oga's Cantina twice. The first time the line was capped off and the second time it was going to be an hour and thirty minute wait. On top of that the cast member told us that it was a forty-five minute experience. This one activity would've taken up over half of our time there. We chose to think positive and we're excited to have new things to experience during our next trip there!
Going to the Cantina and building a lightsaber at Savi's seem to be the two most popular activities and fill up extremely fast so if any one of these is on your list I would head straight there as soon as you get in. On June 2nd Disney implemented a "text to return" system for the Cantina which will allow you to do other things rather than waiting in line for your turn to get in. It might be best to head there first and then dash on over to Savi's but if the experience of building your own lightsaber is more important to you, definitely make that a priority!
Seeing the life-sized Millennium Falcon was surreal! I don't even know how to put into words what it's like to be standing right next to it. The funny thing is, I knew exactly where it was in the land but while we were walking around and seeing everything for the first time I kind of just forgot where we were. Suddenly my eyes widened and I pointed it out to Jason and said "Oh my gosh! LOOK!". The Falcon was straight ahead of us and it was massive. They had the front of it blocked off so people could get the perfect photo taken by a Disneyland photographer with no one in the background which I really appreciated. While recording a video I noticed that the Falcon produced sound effects from the films. I had no idea that sounds would be incorporated and it made me so happy because it made it feel all the more real.
I didn't ride Smuggler's Run because it is similar to Star Tours and I get extreme motion sickness. However, I will talk about what is was like being in line and Jason will share his experience and review of the ride in an upcoming blog post!
As I previously stated, I'll talk about the food we ate in a separate post but just know that everything we did try was really good and I'm very excited to taste more Star Wars treats! The merchandise I'll also be covering later on but I'll tell you now that a lot of the products that are offered at Galaxy's Edge are very unique and that made shopping all the more thrilling. Even if some of the items seemed to be overpriced. Annual Passholders will be happy to know that discounts are accepted at Galaxy's Edge!
I was worried about not being able to converse or get a straight answer from the cast members that work there due to to the Batuuese language they speak but it actually wasn't that bad. I was able to understand them perfectly! At times it was fun and at other times when I felt rushed I just wanted to know "yes" or "no" without having to figure it out. Yes, I know that sounds horrible. Overall I think it's a wonderful way for them to portray a character and make us feel more immersed.
When it came time to leave Galaxy's Edge we were a few minutes past our appointed time slot as we walked towards the exit way. No Stormtroopers were forcing us out! As we neared the exit, we encountered a fun, random scenario between Chewbacca and a Resistance member trying to get the X-Wing to run. They included guests in their interactions (at one point he asked me if I knew anything about communications equipment). It was a pleasant conclusion of our trip to Batuu!
I hope this was an informative and exciting review for you. Please let me know if you have any questions in a comment below! Remember to be on the lookout for more coverage from my Galaxy's Edge visit.
No comments