Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Disney World
The much anticipated Star Wars Land; “Galaxy’s Edge” is officially opening in Walt Disney World. Here’s everything you need to know to plan a great visit! This new land opens August 29th, 2019 in Orlando Florida.
I specify Disney World in Orlando because there is also a Galaxy’s Edge that opened in California’s Disneyland and since they look basically identical it can super confusing. But in this article, we are only talking about the East Coast location in Disney World Florida. ?
Updated: August 8th, 2019
Your Guide to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge
In this article:
- Overview
- Attractions
- Experiences
- Food & Drink
- Shopping
- Reservations
- Planning Strategies & Virtual Queues
- Extra Extra Magic Hours
- Staying Off-Site
Overview of Galaxy’s Edge
- Galaxy’s Edge is located inside Hollywood Studios (one of the four parks of Disney World). An immersive 14-acre land, the largest single-themed land ever created in a Disney park
- Two attractions – Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (opens Dec. 5, 2019)
- Five food & beverage locations (Oga’s Cantina, Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo, Ronto Roasters, the Milk Stand, and Kat Saka’s Kettle)
- Nine merchandise locations (Droid Depot, Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt lightsabers, Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, Creature Stall, Toydarian Toymaker, Resistance Supply, First Order Cargo, Jewels of Bith, and Black Spire Outfitters)
- Two of the merchandise locations include an interactive experience: Savi’s Workshop and Droid Depot each allow you to custom build your own item to bring home.
- Use the Play Disney Parks App to interact with areas inside the park and discover hidden secrets
- Original music created especially for the land was created by Academy Award®-winning composer John Williams. Along with a collection of original cantina songs.
Attractions
Like most of the more recent lands that have been built at Disney World, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge has two attractions or rides.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Height requirement 38”
Backstory: Hondo Ohnaka is a pirate turned “legitimate” businessman and he’s looking for a few new recruits. Your mission will be to deliver hard-to-find items in the famous Millennium Falcon.
In Smugglers Run you’ll get to enter the famous ship and actually take her for a ride. The cockpit seats 6 people and everyone has a role to play. The things you do during the flight actually affect the experience and the outcome of the ride. For example, if you’re the pilot and you steer into another ship you will all feel the impact from the hit.
After the initial queue area, you’ll enter a room where you’ll get to see Hondo Ohnaka ( he’s an incredibly realistic and advanced animatronic). He’ll explain your mission and send you on your way to the next area where they will form you into groups of six people who will all be needed to fly the ship.
Each person is assigned one of three critical roles to complete their mission:
- Pilots work together to steer the ship, avoiding obstacles that could cause damage (front row)
- Gunners use triggers in the cockpit to blast enemy targets as they surround the Falcon (middle row)
- Engineers repair the ship as necessary while performing other tasks crucial to the mission’s success (third row)
Once you have your assignments your group is given a color card and you enter the Falcon. During this time you can roam and take some pictures in the famous ship while you wait for your color to be called.
Smugglers Run Review:
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is a simulator ride. Your “cockpit” does move and react along with the flight view you’re seeing so as a result, each ride can feel a little different. If you’re concerned about motion sickness I would compare it to Star Tours in terms of that aspect of the ride. But in only in that aspect, as it’s much more high tech than Star Tours, more realistic, and doesn’t require 3-D glasses which makes it more seamless to the eye and might make it less headache-inducing for some. Overall, I’d say if all simulators tend to make you sick, then it’s probably safer to skip this one.
While it’s not groundbreaking, its a super fun experience, and Star Wars fans will thoroughly geek out at feeling like they are on board Han’s ship and getting to actually fly it.
Since the role you’re assigned and how well you do your job will change the experience, this gives Smugglers Run a lot of repeat ride value. Many people who are most excited about flying the Falcon will find they prefer to be the Pilot as this seems to be the most critical role and also has the front seats with the best view. However,if you aren’t as excited about having to have a “job” and just prefer to enjoy the attraction more, then you may prefer the gunner or engineer role.
At this time Smugglers Run does not have a Fast Pass option for it, all though the second queue area is built, so will likely be added at some point in the future.
The downside to that is standby is the only option for riding. The upside is that the standby line will move much quicker without a Fastpass line getting constant priority, and wait times may not get as long as say, Flight of Passage when it first opened.
But you can still expect long wait times for this brand new attraction. To see ways to reduce wait times check out the planning strategies section.
Rise of the Resistance:
Opening Dec. 5, 2019: This will be the headliner attraction in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. You’ll join up with the Resistance on a secret mission that may find you trapped deep inside the belly of an imposing First Order Star Destroyer where you’ll encounter Storm Troopers and Kylo Ren.
Experiences:
Two of the merchant locations offer far more than just shopping and give you a way to custom build your own creation to bring home with you.
Savi’s Workshop: Handcrafted Lightsabers
In this mystical experience, you have the opportunity to customize and craft your very own lightsabers. $200 includes the building experience, and you get your own high-quality lightsaber along with a carrying case that straps it to your back. Builders are also allowed to bring one guest with them to observe.
You’re guided through the experience by The Gatherers, a hidden group of people dedicated to restoring balance to the galaxy and passing on their knowledge of the Force.
After you pay, you’ll get to choose one of four hilt themes – Peace and Justice, Power and Control, Elemental Nature, or Protection and Defense.
You’ll be given a special pin that reflects which of those four themes you chose, you pin it over your heart and then enter the secret room to build your saber.
The Gatherers then assist in selecting the heart of the Guest’s lightsaber – the Kyber crystal. You’ll learn about the lore of the Lightsabers and the importance of their role to the Jedi Order.
Once everyone has assembled their Sabers they are all activated at once in a moment that will literally give you chills. (Video here)
As you leave you’ll be given a padded carrying case for your saber that will sling across your back and allow you to carry it easier.
Note that once you’ve got your lightsaber built at Savi’s Workshop you can get additional parts or add one over at Dok Ondars shop including other Kyber crystals that will change the color of your saber giving you more options to switch them out.
Savi’s Workshop Review:
This is hands down my favorite experience in all of Galaxy’s Edge. Yes, it’s $200 which is pricey. BUT. They’ve always had high-end Lightsabers you could buy at Launch Bay and those cost around $170 and don’t include any customization, no case, and no type of experience with them. So when you consider all that, $200 isn’t a terrible price to come away with a custom made high-quality saber plus a magical moment that will have every Star Wars fan just about in tears by the end as they are reminded that they could be the “spark that lights the fire” in the galaxy. ???
Savi’s can be reserved in advance and is recommended to avoid long waits. See the Reservations section for details. Once you enter the workshop area the experience lasts about 20-30 minutes long.
Droid Depot
While this is a merchandise location, there is also an upgraded experience available inside the shop allowing you to build your own custom droid.
Think of this like Build-a-Bear but droids. You’ll choose between two styles of droids, the BB units (round ones like BB-8) or the R2 units (shaped like R2-D2). There’s a large variety of parts and colors to choose from to craft your own unique combination. Then you’ll your droid a name and can also choose to upgrade them by adding a personality chip. Then you get to officially activate your droid.
The experience costs $100 but the personality chip is another $12.99 and you will probably want to add that on. There are many other upgrades you can do of course, but that’s the basic level that most will want to do. Once you begin the building experience it lasts around 20-30 minutes long.
Reservations are recommended for the build your own droid experience. Click here to skip to the reservations section for more details on that.
Galaxy’s Edge Food and Drink
There isn’t a table service (sit down) restaurant inside Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, but there is a large counter-service spot (Docking Bay 7) plus lots of smaller food and drink carts, and one bar/lounge (Cantina).
OGA’S CANTINA
If you’re any kind of Star Wars fan the Cantina need no real introduction as it’s a classic part of the original Star Wars movies.
Oga’s is a lounge/ bar and not a restaurant. It’s all about drinks- both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. But what it’s really about is the amazing atmosphere that puts you inside the Star Wars universe. Here in Galaxy’s Edge visiting Oga’s Cantina feels like you stepped inside a Star Wars movie with Luke and Obi-wan headed to meet Han and Chewie.
The musical entertainment is provided by DJ R-3X. otherwise known as Rex, the former Starspeeder 3000 pilot droid from the original Star Tours ride.
We had the Outer Rim (pictured above) and the Blue Bantha which comes with a fun cookie seen below right.
It’s a good idea to get a reservation for the Cantina as it is really popular. See the reservations section for details.
DOCKING BAY 7
The largest of the food options inside Galaxy’s Edge, Docking Bay 7 is a counter service restaurant with plenty of inside and outside seating. Centrally located in the land, you will have the option to mobile order from here on the My Disney Experience app to cut down on potential wait times.
Menu offerings include:
- Braised Shaak Roast
- Yobshrimp Noodle Salad
- Smoked Kaadu Ribs
- Fried Endorian Tip-Yip
- Non-alcoholic specialty beverages such as the Moof Juice and Batuubucha Tea
RONTO ROASTERS
In the Black Spire Outpost market, Ronto Roasters has a large podracing engine firing up a barbecue pit for the mouth-watering Ronto Wrap. When hungry customers queue up to order, they encounter a former smelter droid, carefully turning the spit of meats. Guests are able to choose from a variety of exotic non-alcoholic drinks like the Sour Sarlacc or Tatooine Sunset. Who doesn’t want meat roasted on a pod racing engine, amiright? Many people agree that Ronto Roasters has tastier food options than Docking Bay 7, but since it’s a food stand it doesn’t have any seating area.
MiLK STAND
No visit to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is complete without a frosty confection from the Milk Stand. This stand offers a refreshing drink that’s a favorite among the locals– blue and green milk. Beverages are plant-based and dairy-free. They taste more like a smoothie with a slightly fruity taste. They also offer specialty collectors milk jugs as well as alcoholic versions of their milks.
KAT SAKA’S KETTLE
Venture into the market to find this colorful snack shop, offering flavored popcorn mixes for snacking. Order a generous, piping-hot helping of this popular and flavorful local specialty popcorn with a mix of sweet, spicy and savory flavors. But what was really popular here was the super cute Star Wars themed soda bottles. With the names written in Aurebesh, you can choose from Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite.
Galaxy’s Edge Shopping
In addition to the two experiences at Savi’s Workshop and Droid Depot mentioned earlier, there are several more places to pick up unique souvenirs from Batuu.
Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities
My favorite shop by far, you won’t want to miss stopping by this store during your trip to Galaxy’s Edge. Offering a selection of rare and mysterious items for sale representing different eras of the Star Wars galaxy, including holocrons, ancient Jedi and Sith artifacts, lightsabers and more. You can also see Dok at his desk as he checks his inventory, takes incoming calls and barks the occasional order at his assistants.
Merchandise Locations in Galaxy’s Edge
- You’ll find lots of fun items over at the Market in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge as well as a few other locations in the land. Shops include:
- Creature Stall- lots of fun Star Wars creatures you can bring home as new pets
- Toydarian Toymaker- toys and kids gear
- Resistance Supply- Jedi gear
- First Order Cargo- show support of the Dark side here
- Jewels of Bith- jewelry and other collectibles
- Black Spire Outfitters- general clothing and gear from Batuu
Reservations for Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge
Typically at Disney World, you make reservations for sit-down dining and Fastpasses ahead of time. But Galaxy’s Edge is going to be so popular at first that they’re having people get reservations for two of the experiences and to visit the Cantina.
As of now, you can reserve in advance:
- Oga’s Cantina – visiting the bar/lounge
- Savi’s Workshop – make your own lightsaber
- Droid Depot – make your own droid
Reservations for Oga’s Cantina: Oga’s is a lounge and basically just serves drinks. So this reservation is not for a meal, but just to guarantee you entry into the Cantina. It may be confusing because when you make your reservation it will ask you Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. This is because typically you only reserve table service restaurants at Disney World and this is an unusual situation. Oga’s is mostly a stand-up bar area, there are some actual seats but they are limited.
- Reservations can be made 180 days in advance of your visit.
- A credit card hold is used to make the reservation.
- You must cancel within 24 hours or you will be charged $10/person cancelation fee
- Once inside you’ll have a two-drink max and a 45-minute time limit.
- If you don’t have a reservation, they will still let people in on stand-by as long as space is available.
Click here to visit Disney World’s website to make your reservation. You can also make them on your My Disney Experience app. If you aren’t able to get a reservation they will still take walk-ins each day if space is available.
Reservations for Savi’s Workshop: Since the build your own lightsaber experience is very popular and only holds a small group at one time, this can get a long wait. So they now are letting you book your time slot in advance. When booking Savi’s Workshop remember:
- Savi’s Workshop experience includes one custom made lightsaber and carrying case for $199.99.
- You get one lightsaber and carrying case per builder.
- The builder is allowed to bring one guest with them who can watch but not build.
- You can only enter the Workshop if you are buying the lightsaber or you’re a guest of a builder.
- Only the builder needs a reservation.
- At least one of the people, either the builder or their guest, has to be 14 or older.
- You must cancel your reservation at least one day prior. If you don’t you will be charged the $199.99 per builder fee.
- Reservations that are canceled before the 24-hour time limit will not be charged any fees.
- Late arrivals may not be accommodated.
- Reservations are non-transferable.
- There are no eligible discounts available at this time and once purchased there are no refunds.
- Savi’s Workshop can be reserved 180 days in advance.
Click here to visit Disney World’s website to make your reservation. You can also make them on your My Disney Experience app. If you aren’t able to get a reservation they will still take walk-ins each day if space is available.
Reservations for Droid Depot: You can now reserve your spot to build your own custom droid at the Droid Depot in Galaxy’s Edge. This experience varies in price depending on the build and features you choose, but most start at $100 for the basic experience.
- Build-Your-Own-Droid experience includes one custom made droid with carrying box for $99 plus optional add-ons.
- You get one droid per builder.
- The builder is allowed to bring one guest with them who can watch.
- The building takes place inside the Droid Depot store and can be watched by others inside the store.
- Only the builder needs a reservation.
- At least one of the people, either the builder or their guest, has to be 14 or older.
- You must cancel your reservation at least one day prior. If you don’t you will be charged the $99.99 per builder fee.
- Reservations that are canceled before the 24-hour time limit will not be charged any fees.
- Late arrivals may not be accommodated.
- Reservations are non-transferable.
- There are no eligible discounts available at this time and once purchased there are no refunds.
- Droid Depot can be reserved 180 days in advance.
Click here to visit Disney World’s website to make your reservation. You can also make them on your My Disney Experience app. If you aren’t able to get a reservation they will still take walk-ins each day if space is available.
Planning Your Visit to Galaxy’s Edge
As we get past the official opening this section will be updated with the latest tips and strategies to avoid crowds and minimize wait times Galaxy’s Edge. As of now here’s what we know so far:
If the Cantina, Savi’s Workshop or Droid Depot is a must-do for you, try to grab a reservation for them ahead of time. You can still do them without one, but this way you will be sure to get in and avoid long wait times. In Disneyland Savi’s was getting three hour wait times before they started reservations for it, so planning ahead can be a huge time saver.
- Reservations for Oga’s Cantina
- Reservations for Savi’s Workshop (build own lightsaber)
- Reservations for Droid Depot (build custom droid)
While Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios is so new, there may be times when the land itself will reach capacity. When this happens, they will start what’s called a virtual queue. This will allow you to join a virtual “line” to get in, without having to actually stand in line. You can go enjoy the rest of the park and come back when your time is called. Here’s how it works.
When you enter the park, pull up the My Disney Experience app, (or you can check the time boards located around the park). They keep it right on the home screen and you’ll see Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge: Status and Access.
Once you tap on that it’ll show you the current status of the land. if you see the status as OPEN then you’re fine and can just proceed straight to the land as normal.
If you see ACCESS BY BOARDING GROUP ONLY then that means it’s full and you’ll need to join a group to get a return time. Before doing that you’ll see the estimated wait which will be the time period that you’ll be allowed to enter if you join now. That way you’ll know approximately when you’ll be called to enter and can plan accordingly. In the example below, it was late morning and joining the virtual queue would mean you’d enter that afternoon.
Once you join the queue or boarding group, you can go explore other places in Hollywood Studios. If you turn your notifications on for the My Disney Experience app, then it will pop up a notification when you can enter.
Once you get the notice that your group can enter, you’ll have two hours from that point to do so. So if you’re in a show, or eating you don’t have to worry. You can wrap up what you’re doing and then head over. As long as it’s within that two-hour window you can enter. If you miss it, you’ll need to join another boarding group to get a new return time.
Now, if the land is full but you have a reservation for anything, Oga’s, Savi’s or Droid Depot, you’ll be allowed to enter without a boarding group. You won’t need to worry about joining that virtual queue, as your reservation will get you inside. You’ll just show the reservation to the Castmember as you enter the land.
As of now, we don’t typically need the virtual queue unless it’s a very busy park time and usually, it’s just for a limited time and then it goes back to open status. The land can actually handle a large volume of people because it’s so roomy, so it won’t be an issue every day you visit. This is just in case it’s extra busy when you visit.
In order to make using this virtual queue for Galaxy’s Edge as easy as possible, there are a few things you can set up in advance. These are things you’d want to do anyway if you plan on using Fastpasses for your group.
- Download the My Disney Experience app and sign in to your Disney account.
- Make sure your park ticket is linked to that account.
- Then link up everyone in your group so you can add everyone to the same boarding group. (If you can already make Fastpasses for them, then you are linked correctly.)
- Turn on notifications for the app on your phone.
Extra Extra Magic Hours for Disney Resort Guests
Yep, that’s not a typo- its extra EXTRA magic hours. And it’s going to be the best way to experience minimal wait times at Galaxy’s Edge. This is a GAME CHANGER so read thru for why this is important.
They know more people than ever will be visiting WDW this fall with the opening of Galaxy’s Edge. So they’re incentivizing you to stay at a Disney resort by giving early morning access to the most popular lands and attractions.
Here’s what you’ll get:
- Hollywood Studios – Sept. 1-Nov. 2: the park will have Extra, Extra Magic Hours DAILY from 6-9 a.m. During this time you’ll get access to both Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land plus other popular attractions. ***(Please note that on August 29 to 31, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will open at 6 a.m. for all Guests. There will not be extra, Extra Magic Hours on those days.)
- Animal Kingdom- Aug. 29-Nov. 2: Daily EEMH from 7-8am with access to popular attractions including Pandora.
- Magic Kingdom – Aug. 29-Nov. 2: Daily EEMH from 7-8am with access to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
- Epcot’s EMH won’t change and will still be select days but not daily.
What this means: for those visiting Disney in Sept and Oct, staying at a Disney resort will really give you an advantage in being able to get on those super popular new attractions early mornings especially the new one opening in SWGE.
The way it is now, regular Magic Hours can sometimes still end up crowded since there’s a lot of Disney resorts and that means there’s still a lot of people that have access to them.
But this will change that.
Before, everyone was going to one specific park in the morning for a one hour time window. Now those same people will be spread out over at least three parks every morning (four on the mornings Epcot will have EMH). Plus you’ll get a three-hour window at Studios giving you more time. This should really thin out the crowds making these new EEMH a bigger advantage.
This, of course, means that those staying off-site will be at a distinct disadvantage now. We used to be able to compensate by using Rope Drop strategies to get attractions done at park opening. But now 3/4 parks will be opening early for resort guests every day so there will be no real rope drop. By the time off-site guests can enter lines will already be formed.
Now keep in mind this is ONLY for the opening months of SWGE. Just until November 2nd. With Disneyland doing their reservation system resort guests had an advantage there. This is just WDW’s version of this. Helping to control crowd levels. Giving those resort guests early access may mean they clear out of these popular new areas leaving more space for off-site guests to then come in and hopefully controlling crowds better.
So, if you’re planning to visit SWGE in the first two months of opening: consider staying at a Disney resort and getting this new EEMH. Even if you break up your stay and just book a couple of days at a Value level resort to get and use those early access perks (including FP booking at 60 days) and then move to another place off-site for the rest of your stay. Even booking one night will give you one morning of these early morning hours. Those coming later in the year should be fine.
Note that during any type of Extra Magic Hours (whether it’s the regular ones of these new Extra ones) there are no Fastpasses. The idea is that you don’t need them with the lower crowds. But you can book them for as soon as the park officially opens.
Also, if you’re staying at a Disney partner resort that isn’t Disney owned but gets the same perks like Swan, Dolphin, or the Disney Springs resorts then you should still be able to use these new Extra Extra Magic Hours just like you’d be able to use the regular ones but I would confirm with your resort to be sure.
Staying Off-site and Visiting Galaxy’s Edge
Now, If you are visiting during September and October and you’re staying off-site and you can’t change any of your days to a Disney resort what should you do? Well at this point we don’t know how the opening procedures will be handled. Disney will be learning as they go, to find the best ways to deal with crowd flow. Even if Rope Drop won’t be as big of an advantage, it may still save you some waiting.
But remember you can still make use of staying late, right before closing everything has a lower wait time. Lots of people who use these new early hours may not be up for staying very late as well, and there’s always a drop in lines at night when everyone goes to see Fireworks or Fantasmic.
My suggestion would be to plan one early morning, and one late night at Studios into your schedule for now, and then you can tweak it as we observe how the opening days and weeks go.
I hope you have an amazing time visiting Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World! If you haven’t connected with me before Disney World is my jam. I live right behind the castle in Orlando and have made it my job to help people know everything they need to have an amazing Disney World vacation.
The best place to find me is here and on Instagram where I use my stories to take you with me when I’m in the parks. And if you’re trying to keep up with Disney World there’s no better way to do that than this.
Thanks for reading!