Hold on to your lightsabers we have news about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. If you’re like me for some time now you have been tormented by the super far off idea that one day Disney would actually open the much talked about and over speculated Star Wars Land. Without a hard date on the project, it always seemed like waiting for Christmas….in February. Yeah sure it’s a nice dream but it is NEVER going to get here. Well, today the fine folks at Disney did us a solid and turned “one day” into a reality.
In an announcement earlier today, we learned Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with be opening it’s bay doors on May 31st in Disneyland Resort in Southern California and on August 29th in Walt Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida this year. Now before I go too far and really get your lightsabers going I do have to point out this is only phase one of the project. Phase two will be coming at a later date this year with the addition of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance which stands to break new grounds as to what we have come to expect from Disney. In a statement from Disney, “we are pushing the boundaries of innovation and technology with these signature attractions and will not open an attraction until it exceeds our expectations”. So while the delay is not exactly what I wanted to here in the press release I do understand and realize that Disney is not going to realize this thing until it totally exceeds any and everything we thought was possible. So now that I have gotten that part out of the way lets move on to what we can expect from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Phase one.
Now from everything I can tell the main attraction of the first phase is going to be Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run which is just about everything it sounds like. Who can honestly say as a kid that they didn’t want to fly the Millennium Falcon? Now Disney is giving us the chance to fly a thrilling and interactive smugglers mission aboard the coolest ship to ever fly the galaxy (do not debate me on this). This alone would be enough to get me going but let’s face it this is Disney and you know they are going to give you way more than a thrill ride of an attraction. This is going to be a fully immersive experience from front to back. Just seeing what they did with Pandora, and Toy Story Land is enough to know we are going to be blown away with what they going to unveil with Galaxy’s Edge. Among the other details that we know include Oga’s Cantina where you will be able to experience and multiple local beverages and “curious concoctions”. Additionally Galaxy’s Edge will have a milk stand which sounds weird enough on it’s own until you learn that now you will be able to try that nasty looking green and blue milk Luke Skywalker was always raving about (I know he really didn’t rave about it but as of Force Awakens he was still drinking it so…). In addition to that we know we will have Docking Bay & far more food and Drink, and the Black Spire Outpost shops. Here you will have one of a kind shopping experiences such as Toydarian Toymaker, Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, Creature Stall, and Black Spire Outfitters. From handmade toys from local artists, unique artifacts, authentic apparel, exotic creatures from all over the galaxy, custom merchandise, and much more the Spire Outpost seems primed to exceed our expectations in every way. According to the press release, guests will be transported “to live their own Star Wars adventures in Black Spire Outpost, a village on the remote planet of Batuu.” And to me, this is really what Disney does better than anyone else. Yes, the attractions and service are awesome but the thing that sets Disney apart from anyone else in the world is their ability to give you a fully immersive experience where you can truly feel like you are a part of the story. They do this so well and I think they have only been setting the stage for what we can expect from Galaxy’s Edge in both phases of this massive project. I fully expect this new land to not only push the envelope but explode it like the Death Star in terms of what we know Disney can do and I for one am excited and I know I am not alone in this. And because of this fact, this is a situation I would highly advise you to use a travel professional for your trip. This is going to be something on the level that we have not seen yet and I for one would want as much help as possible to ensure that my experience is as enjoyable as possible. In fact, I will leave you with one more fact to prove that point. From the dates of May 31st – June 23rd in Disneyland Resort an additional no-cost reservation will have to be made for access to the park. So just because you have tickets to the park doesn’t mean you will have access to Galaxy’s Edge on these dates. No such statement has been made about the opening Disney’s Hollywood Studios in August but please say tuned as we will release more information as it becomes available later. So travel well, and we hope to see you this year at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. (Don’t lie. You thought I was going to end this with “May the Force be with You” didn’t you?)
When you are ready to book your vacation to check out Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge contact one of the agents at Wish Upon Afar and they will set you up. Let us know over on facebook what you are most excited about.
Avid Disney fan, husband to Tiffany, father of three, Brock, Bailey, and Brennan. Lover of travel and blogger for the Wish Upon Afar travel blog, The Travelers Journal.
