Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Is Open!

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge officially opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Thursday, August 29. You might have seen pictures of the crowd to get in and think that it was impossible to enjoy all that the new land has to offer. I was there with my daughter on opening day, and by the time we arrived in the afternoon the crowd was manageable. Here are a few things that I noticed.

The line for Smugglers Run could have been worse

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is the only ride open in the new land at this time. (The second ride, Rise of the Resistance, is scheduled to open on December 5.) The line has not been as bad as expected. When we were there the posted time was 120 minutes, and as I write this it’s 95. Yes, that’s a long time to wait, but it’s not as bad as many people feared. The line moves fast, and the queue is filled with atmosphere. There is a single rider line if you’d prefer to not see it all. That was closed when we arrived yesterday, but it was open by the time we left.

It was busy, but they didn’t need the Virtual Queue

Disney has a Virtual Queue that can be used to keep the crowds down. It wasn’t needed when we were there. With the VQ, you will use the My Disney Experience App to get a place in line. When it is time for you and your party to enter the land, you will receive a notification. If you don’t have the app, you are not out of luck. There are stops where you can reserve a spot with a Cast Member. It’s nice that the Virtual Queue is there, but yesterday they only used it for part of the day. I’m sure that it will get some use on and close to the holidays. It’s good to know that it’s in place if it’s needed.

There was a lot of panic to grab reservations for Oga’s Cantina, Droid Depot, and Savi’s Workshop when they first became available. People feared that they would not be able to enjoy these experiences without a reservation. That has not been the case. I’m not 100 percent sure about Savi’s, but both Oga’s and Droid Depot had standby lines on opening day. (There was a line at Savi’s, I just didn’t ask if it was for standby.) The reservation meant that you didn’t have to wait in line, but hope was not lost if you didn’t have one.

There was a line to get inside Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. The store is small, but it’s worth a look. This is where you will find legacy lightsabers, as well as holocrons and kyber crystals. These devices will allow you to learn the secrets of the Jedi or the Sith. My favorite part of Dok-Ondar’s is the things that aren’t for sale. The walls are lined with treasures.

Galaxy’s Edge is another land with little shade. There were some umbrellas out to help, and there were several stations with cold water. If you have a water bottle, there are places to fill them. Just look for a water fountain.

One thing that I would like to recommend is seeing Galaxy’s Edge at night. The new land takes on a whole new feel, and you no longer need to worry about the sun; or should I say suns. Batuu has three of them.

I would like to take a moment and thank all of the hard working Cast Members yesterday. There was a level of excitement in the air, and they seemed to know that they were part of something special.

I’m glad that we decided to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on opening day, instead of running in the other direction. The new land is beautiful, and after watching it being built for so long it’s nice to see so many happy guests there!