A Galaxy Far, Far Away…or Just Down the Street

, 6 Comments on A Galaxy Far, Far Away…or Just Down the Street

In the summer of 2015, The Walt Disney Company’s CEO, Bob Iger, announced something people have been dreaming about for decades, Guests of Disneyland and Walt Disney World would be able to finally step into the world of Star Wars, as both parks would be opening up a brand new Star Wars themed land.

As construction began, the Company shared stunning concept art, a model of the land itself, and announced the land is to represent the Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batuu, on the outer rim of the galaxy, giving the land the name, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and an opening date of May 31.

Last week, Patrick and I, along with some friends finally visited Batuu for the first time, exploring its nooks and crannies, eclectic shops, and even piloting the Millennium Falcon.

For our first visit, I chose to Disneybound as Princess Leia, and was inspired by her look upon arriving at Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back (take a peek here if you don’t remember it). I have to give major kudos to Patrick for doing my hair in less than 15 minutes and with no practice run earlier!

Myself standing in front of one of the doorways of Batuu, wearing a grey, lace duster, over a dark read dress, my hair in braids and pinned in the back.

Myself leaning against one of the doorways of Batuu, wearing a grey, lace duster, over a dark read dress, my hair in braids and pinned in the back.

The round sided buildings of Batuu stand next to the craggy tall rocks in the background.

Myself leaning against one of the doorways of Batuu, wearing a grey, lace duster, over a dark read dress, my hair in braids and pinned in the back.

Here on Batuu Guests of all ages can build a remote control droid, become a true Jedi by constructing their own lightsaber, sip the famous blue milk (or the green milk from the recent films if you prefer), enjoy unique libations at the Cantina, come face to face with Rey, Chewie, Kylo Ren, and of course Stormtroopers, along with a new inhabitant, Vi, a spy for the Resistance.

If you ever were a Gust aboard the original Star Tours attraction, then you’ll spy a familiar face inside the Cantina, as Rex, the original pilot, is now a DJ, playing delightful tunes for the patrons.

A statue of a woman holding a book and small ball stands guard next to a curved entry to a shop, near by cargo crates await to be unpacked.

An image of a droid is painted on a wall with characters of Aurebesh, the writing system of the Star Wars universe, painted on a wall.

The Millennium Falcon sits docked outside a round sided building built into the rocks.

Myself standing in front of the Millennium Falcon, wearing a grey, lace duster, over a dark read dress, my hair in braids and pinned in the back.

Close-up of one of my pins, a profile image of Leia with a speech bubble reading "I love you."

Close-up of one of my pins, a profile image of Han with a speech bubble reading "I Know."

Myself standing in the curved hallways of the Millennium Falcon.

Inside the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.

Inside the Droid Depot. A long conveyer belt holds droid parts for Guests to build their own.

Myself sitting on a yellow cargo crate, wearing a grey, lace duster, over a dark read dress, my hair in braids and pinned in the back.

Full size droids outside the Droid Depot. One orange and white, another blue and white.

Myself standing in front of one of the doorways of Batuu, wearing a grey, lace duster, over a dark read dress, my hair in braids and pinned in the back.

Inside of the Cantina, which features unique dispensers of various metals, some of which appear to be droid heads.

RX-24, nicknamed Rex, formerly the pilot of the Star Tours attraction, now serves as a DJ for the Cantina.

Inside of the Cantina, which features unique dispensers of various metals, some of which appear to be droid heads. Above an odd creature sits in a tank.

Myself leaning against one of the doorways of Batuu, wearing a grey, lace duster, over a dark read dress, my hair in braids and pinned in the back.

A red and black First Order banner hangs from a building, a tall look out tower stands behind it.

The Imperial Probe Droid as seen in Empire Strikes Back sits in a net outside a shop.

A nighttime shot. A ship prepares to take off atop one of the buildings in Batuu.

Kylo Ren's TIE Fighter glows in the darkness of Batuu.

Myself standing in front of one of the doorways of Batuu, wearing a grey, lace duster, over a dark read dress, my hair in braids and pinned in the back.

Myself leaning against one of the doorways of Batuu, wearing a grey, lace duster, over a dark read dress, my hair in braids and pinned in the back.

Patrick and I stand in front of the massive Millennium Falcon.

The land is absolutely stunning, and I love the amount of detail, especially inside some of the shops. There is one shop in particular I could spend forever in just looking at the decor. The immersion from a visual perspective is fantastic. PhotoPass photographers and Custodial Cast Members wear unique costumes, and Coca-Cola products are packaged in unique bottles and the names are spelled in Aurebesh, the written language of the world of Star Wars. The Millennium Falcon ride, Smuggler’s Run, is so well done, and I love the interactivity in it – no one is a spectator! I will also fully admit I almost cried when we entered the hallways of the Falcon leading into the room with the holochess table.

Currently only one attraction, Smuggler’s Run is open, the second attraction, Rise of the Resistance, is planned to open “later this year” with no exact date. Additionally, from now through June 23, the land is reservations only, which filled up within two hours of them becoming available.

Beginning on June 24, Disneyland will implement a new reservation system, and Guests will make reservations one of two ways. The first is using the Disneyland app, where once within the park, you create a “boarding group” and will receive a push notification when they can enter the land. The second is for those without the Disneyland app, where Guests can visit specific locations within the park to acquire a reservation. Within the foreseeable future it is vital to pay attention to the Disneyland website for all information. I’ll be creating a Disneyland guide later this year and will hopefully include this new system, as my current guide is now horrifically out of date, but I was waiting for Galaxy’s Edge to open up before doing a new one!

Meanwhile those in Florida will have to wait until August 29 visit the alluring planet of Batuu.

Stay tuned for another visit to Batuu!

Outfit
Duster & Dress: TJ Maxx
Han & Leia Pins: Disneyland
Purse: Sidecca via the Dapper Day Expo
Shoes: Re-Mix

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6 comments on “A Galaxy Far, Far Away…or Just Down the Street”

  1. I love this outfit, I saw sneaks of it on instagram and couldn’t wait to see the rest. Let me know if you want to go after June 24th. I’d still like to go and take pics in my Leia dress.

    Reply

    • Thank you! And I am quite proud of him! His dad used to be a hair dresser, so I think he got a little bit of talent from him!

      Reply