Test 2

If you don't follow me on the Twitter Machine, then you might not have known that about a week ago I spent the last few days in sunny Orlando at the Happiest Place On Earth with the person who makes me the most happy.

Or, at least, spending many hours at the new Galaxy's Edge land in Disney's Hollywood Studios was certainly my Happiest Place On Earth!

The rest of this post will contain spoilers/images/videos of Galaxy's Edge - so if you haven't been there yet and want a "fresh" experience not knowing what to expect, get out now.

Good? Good. My highlights...

Firstly, the weather in central Florida in January is EXCELLENT for theme-parking. The high temperatures were in the low-to-mid-70s each day, and the lows got down to the mid-40s in the evenings. A bit chilly, but nothing that a sweatshirt and beanie hat couldn't take care of for us.

Lots of great opportunities to celebrate our 18 years of marriage (so far).






...and that's the most important part, right? This beautiful person chose me out of all of the other nerds and fanboys that are out there. And I'm mighty glad that she did.

Okay, the good stuff. Galaxy's Edge is awesome, on so many levels (both figuratively and literally). I'm not even sure where to start...

The land -----


Whether we were in the "docking bay" area (where the Millenium Falcon is located), or elsewhere within Galaxy's Edge, the painstaking detail was obvious. From the spires, to the cast members (Disney employees), everything felt like you were in a remote outpost in the Outer Rim.

Yours Truly with a Kuat Systems RZ-2 A-wing Interceptor.

The Happy Couple in front of an Incom T-70 X-wing starfighter.

Standing in front of a Sienar-Jaemus Fleet Systems TIE Echelon assault shuttle.

Cool starships aside, the other details are fantastic. The staff that work in the park are not dressed in a uniform way (see what I did there?). Rather, they are all dressed as if they live and work there, and are wearing things are normal for day-to-day life in a remote smuggler's stopover. Seriously, it was like being a Star Wars cosplay convention. The only way to differentiate between employees and costumed theme-park-goers was that the Disney cast members wear nametags.

Other little details were all of the place. Unfortunately, I didn't get any really good pictures of signage throughout Galaxy's Edge, but this shot of my light saber card (more on that later) gives you an idea:


While at the bottom it says, "green" in our alphabet, the top and center of the card have Aruebesh characters. According to Wookiepedia, "Aruebesh was a writing system used to transcribe Galactic Basic, one of the most used languages in the galaxy."

So, if you use the the translator at that link, you'll see that my card says "group" at the top, and "B" in the center. Restrooms (called "refereshers" in Batuu) are marked with Aruebesh instead of our alphabet. Other shops and restaurants are the same.

Very cool.

Food and drink ------

Some of the coolest experiences in Galaxy's Edge were not the rides, but rather the opportunities to eat or drink things that are a part of the Star Wars universe. Case in point: "blue milk".



Cool, right?

And there was so much more to see and do with regard to stuffing things in your face. A sweet/spicy popcorn stand and Ronto Roasters (a quick-service dining option where a droid is cooking the meat) are available for snacks and protein. BUT, if you're looking for something that is truly excellent - and I would argue THE highlight of our trip - look no further than Oga's Cantina.

Oga's replicates the vibe that was made famous in A New Hope at the Mos Eisely Cantina scene. From the music to the decor, you really feel like you're in a pub in the Outer Rim territories.



And I think that my favorite part is when the bar breaks into a song/chant that goes along with the music that DJ Rex is playing... "Kra Mer 5 - Una Duey Dee".



(The song usually goes on for another minute or so, but I accidentally cut it off - sorry!)

A couple of things to keep in mind:

• You need a reservation. We got two, one for each day that we had planned on being at Galaxy's Edge. However, we made some last-minute changes to our plan and spent an additional evening in Hollywood Studios, and we were able to procure a third reservation at Oga's. While waiting in the queue outside, we witnessed a very rude couple verbally accosting one of the cast members in charge of reservations outside of the cantina. 
• It's expensive. Drinks with alcohol range from 16 credits (aka, dollars) to 85 credits (for the beer flight served in a commemorative set of Rancor teeth). But you're not just paying for your drinks - it's the experience that I found the most valuable.
• You only have 45 minutes inside. Soak in the vibe and get some pics with DJ Rex. They will kick you out so that others can come in - hence the requirement for a reservation.

You get the idea; a total party atmosphere. But, while folks are swinging their drinks to-and-fro, Oga's is not just a bar that serves alcohol. There is a whole section of the menu where you can get non-alcoholic drinks as well. On our third visit we were sat at a table with a family of five (two adults, and three children aged 2-9). Everyone had a great time.

The rides -----

If Star Tours and Mission Space had a baby, it would be Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run. A great ride that requires you to press buttons and activate stuff mid-flight. You can be a pilot, a gunner, or an engineer. But the best part is that you really feel like you're riding in The Falcon. Heck the queue leading up to the ride has a Dejarik Chess table for your pose with:

Let the Wookiee win.

I don't want to go into much detail so that you can experience things for yourself. What I will say is that if you want to see Rise of The Resistance, there are no fast passes and no "regular" queue that you get into. Rather, you have to get a "boarding group".

To get in what Disney calls a "virtual queue" (aka, your boarding group), you have to be in Disney's Hollywood Studios park, through security, as the park opens. When we were there, park opening was 7:00 a.m. You can get in line to enter the park prior to the actual park opening, so we were through security and on Hollywood Boulevard prior to 7:00. At 7:00 on the dot, you can reserve your boarding group through the Disney Parks mobile app. When I tried it for the first time, I got us into boarding group 93 and I was doing it as soon as I was able. You need to move quickly.

For context, they boarded groups up until about number 120 that day. So I felt like we barely made it into the ride. And they didn't call our boarding group to actually experience the ride until late in the afternoon that day. Even when we arrived for our boarding group, we still waited in a queue for a good 35 minutes prior to getting to the experience.

BUT, what an experience it is!

In most theme park rides you wait through a queue, get on the ride, and have anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes of fun. With Rise of The Resistance, the experience is MUCH longer and more involved. It's not just a ride. It is absolutely worth the trouble of getting a boarding group and waiting in line.

Some highlights...






Is your interest piqued yet? I know!

All in all it was a great trip, especially for a fanboy like me. However, you don't have to be a life-long Star Wars nerd to enjoy all that there is to be had at Galaxy's Edge. I highly recommend at least one full day in Disney's Hollywood Studios so that you can experience everything!


Until next time, may the spires keep you!