Disney's Theme Parks' Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Explained

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is the largest modernization of Disney Theme Park in years. The twin venues will open later this year at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, and the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. But since their unveiling in the summer of 2015, detailed information is lacking.

After the grand unveiling of the park this week, here's what we know about Galaxy's Edge, including the latest rides, restaurants and an unusual Star Wars themed hotel. In the end, a Disney certified travel agent also provides us with useful information about planning your own visit to a galaxy far away.

The basics

According to the official Disney Parks blog, the first of two Galaxy's Edge parks will open this summer in California this summer. Thanks to a comment from its director general, Bob Iger, in January, we know it could be as early as June. Some of the most knowledgeable amusement park fans have taken a step closer to the opening weekend of June 22-23, but Disney has not confirmed it.

As for Disney World's Galaxy, all we know is that it's due to open this fall.

With an area of ​​14 acres each, the two versions of Galaxy's Edge represent the largest addition to a single Disney theme parks. Toy Story Land, which opened in Florida in 2018, was much smaller, with only 11 acres. This massive footprint presented interesting logistical challenges.

In California, access roads and highways border Disneyland on all sides. For example, Disney built Galaxy's Edge into a thin strip of real estate northwest of the park, stuck to Disneyland Drive on one side and the famous Tom Sawyer Island on the other. To reduce sightlines, the engineers dug to place the main level slightly below that of the rest of the park.

In Florida, where Disney has several postcode swamps, finding space for Galaxy's Edge was much less of a problem. The new area is connected to the vast Hollywood Studios amusement park, formerly known as Disney-MGM Studios, with an area of ​​135 acres, located in the southwest corner of the park. It occupies part of the space that was previously dedicated to the Studio Backlot Tour, which closed in 2014.

Millenium Falcon: The smuggler's race

The biggest draw for fans of Star Wars will be a brand new circuit called Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run. The first trailer itself shows a simulated cockpit seating six people, including four captain's chairs and two of the largest high-backed armchairs with aggressively curved headrests seen at the movies. The action appears outside the canopy of the cockpit. Expect a kind of elaborate projection on a conical area just in front of the cockpit, similar to that used to shoot modern movies.

The experience is extremely interactive. The participants each have a role, including pilot, gunner and flight engineer. As the journey progresses, the individual controls all around the cockpit dashboards turn on. First reports compare it to the mobile hit Spaceteam, a kind of electronic board game that benefits from good communication.

Curiously, one of the most exciting aspects of Smuggler's Run is perhaps the queue. First, fans will have a close encounter with an animatronic pirate named Hondo Ohnaka, made popular by the Star Wars: The clone war and Star Wars Rebels. The costume will house one of the most sophisticated robots ever imagined by Disney Imagineers.

Then, just before the guests have access to the cockpit, they will have time to linger in the crew cabin of the Millennium Falcon itself, with its iconic holographic game table.

Star Wars: rising resistance

The second new attraction of Galaxy's Edge is actually the centerpiece of the theme park. Star Wars: Rising Resistance puts guests between resistance and first-rate in an experience that Disney calls "one of the most epic attraction experiences we've ever built."

Initially, we thought Rise of the Resistance would be more like a long tram ride, like a little world. New details show that it is much more than that.

The trip involves participants as resistance recruits. The journey begins when they embark on a transport shuttle similar to that seen with General Leia Organa in the Battle of Takodana in Star Wars: The awakening of the force. As the ride progresses, the First Order captures the guests and takes them aboard a Star Destroyer. At this point, they face a space battle raging outside a large hangar, with at least one life-size TIE fighter in the foreground.

From there, the journey itself remains a mystery. Travel + Leisure describes it as four rides in one, the guests passing from the control of the resistance to the guard of the First Order. It will mean getting on board multiple vehicles, meeting various enemies, and going through "the halls of a Star Destroyer as if they were truly a Resistance fighter being captured". At one point, a small tram will transport guests between two huge AT-style walkers featured in the Battle of Hoth. According to the Los Angeles Times, the experiment will include special effects "such as laser shots that cause genuine explosions".

Taken as a whole, Rise of the Resistance looks like an attempt to exploit the best real-life experiences that Disney can offer – the iconic Jungle Cruise, the legendary Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and more traditional rides – and crush them together. in something unique.

An immersive experience

According to Disney marketing, Galaxy's Edge will be characterized by interactivity. Expect the park to be littered with Disney staff in costumes, including First Order Storm soldiers on patrol and Resistance members in an isolated woods nearby. Chewbacca's imagination, C-3PO, and the rest of the costume distribution will give you the exact impression of this immersion along the lines of characters.

There will be plenty of shopping opportunities, of course. The aerial photos show several new facilities under construction in both parks. You can expect to find many items on sale at Galaxy's Edge that can not be found anywhere else.

One of the most special stores is the Droid Depot, where customers build their own custom BB or R2 units from parts traveling on a treadmill. Once assembled, the droid will be able to interact with electronic hot spots around the park.

Another store, Savi's Workshop, welcomes guests who design and build their own lightsabers under the tutelage of a Resistance supporter and Jedi historian. It's not the big plastic stuffs that were sold in parks before, but a brand new design that looks surprisingly compact and authentic.

Other new stores include Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities, chaired by a long-necked Ithorian animatronic. The Toydarian Toymaker sells soft toys and musical instruments, while the Creature booth offers everything from stuffed porgs to miniatures. There are also several shops selling high-end Star Wars outfits for the whole family, themed by members of the Resistance and First Order followers.

Finally, Disney will offer a customized version of its free mobile app in the park, with features such as "hack," "scan," "translation," and "tuning," which will allow guests to connect to droids and d & rsquo; Other features all around. the park. Although this will serve as a vehicle for the background, it will also be taken into account in a slight alternative reality game played throughout the park. According to Entertainment Weekly, guests will be able to tinker with certain locations via the app, tipping them between control of the Resistance and that of the First Order for some time before a winner is declared and the game begins again.

To eat

Any visit to a Disney theme park, regardless of the length of your stay, requires a lot of provisions. The Galaxy's Edge restoration options have been kept secret until very recently. You can read more about the different dishes on offer, including the details of an iced riff on Luke Skywalker's blue milk. New hope and The last Jedi, on our sister site Eater.

Here's what we know about Star Wars themed installations.

Docking Bay 7 Food and freight

Near the heart of Galaxy's Edge is a fast food restaurant called Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo. Expect it to be somewhere in the spectrum of traditional restaurants and cafeterias. Reservations will probably be available, if not required.

In Galaxy's Edge fiction, Docking Bay 7 is a hotspot for many food vendors. But the big man on campus is Strono Tuggs, aka Cookie. He is best known as the head of Maz Kanata Castle before his leveling during the force awakens. His ship Sienar-Chall Utilipede-Transport – essentially an intergalactic food truck with a giant triangular rudder – is parked on the roof and easily visible throughout the park. It will serve themed meals with ingredients from across the Star Wars galaxy.

The bottom line, though, is that if you need to rest after a long walk from your hotel or a close conversation with First Order, a meal at Docking Bay 7 should be considered in your travel plans. It is the only seated restaurant we know in the park.

Disney Parks

Ronto Roasters

An outdoor stand near Galaxy's Edge Market is called Ronto Roasters. The owner, Bakkar, is a great sports fan. All his roast meats on the spit are cooked under a giant walkman engine. Conceptual art gives the impression of falling from young Anakin The ghost threat.

Disney Parks

Cantina of Oga

While you can easily find an adult drink at Hollywood Studios in Florida, Disneyland California remains a dry establishment. The Cantina d'Oga, which will serve alcoholic beverages in both hotels, is a bit strange. Fans can offer a thematic drink at any time of the day, but drinks must be consumed within the friendly confines of Galaxy's Edge.

The decor would be inspired by the Mos Eisley cantina of New hope, complete with a long bar with various bubbling baths in the background. The number of seats at the edge of the space is limited, with most guests being served inside the walk-in rooms.

Galaxy's Edge Hotel

As noted in July 2017, the Galaxy's Edge in Orlando will also feature a fully immersive hotel on the theme of Star Wars. Although not actually inside the park, it's still incredibly close, right across the highway from the south side of Hollywood Studios.

Disney says the installation will be the first of its kind, offering fans Westworld-some levels of immersion. Upon arrival, guests can take part in the battle between the First Order and the Resistance, then dress up and live their fantasies of space. The fans of Coaster Kings have even discovered plans on the first floor of the hotel, which includes areas called "Brig", "Engineering" and "Dojo". These places should be part of the elaborate role play that takes place indoors.

Disney Parks

Unlike other newer and more massive additions to the Disney Resort inventory in Orlando, the Galaxy's Edge facilities should be much smaller, with a height of just two floors. The same set of plans shows only 32 standard "cabins" and two larger first-class rooms on the first floor. This means that the hotel could have less than 70 rooms.

Plan your trip

When it opens this summer, the Galaxy's Edge in Anaheim should be the most popular destination of all Disney parks. When his twin starts production in Orlando later this year, the situation should not improve. Geography ensures that the customers of both parks remain quite exclusive. Both will be packed for a long time to come.

"We can make our best guess as to the demand," said Scott Trowbridge, of Disney, at the Hollywood Reporter, "but these are just suppositions until we get there. […] We have many different contingencies that are being evaluated and planned. "

Rumors are currently circulating about what these contingencies could mean for access to the parks, its two new rides and its restaurants. Judging by the communications surrounding Toy Story Land, which opened in Orlando last summer, we hope to learn more about 100 days after opening day.

If you believe Bob Iger, it means you have to mark your calendars for an official update in May.

To get an idea of ​​the opening day, Polygon contacted Laura Moll, Senior Travel Agent for Moments of Magic Travel. Not only is she fully certified by Disney for viewing and booking packages for Disney guests, but she is also a fan of parks.

"I was there for the opening day of Pandora," said Moll to Polygon, referring to the avatar-themed park open at Disney World's Animal Kingdom in May 2017. "I can tell you that lines have been set to line the actual earth. If I remember correctly, we waited about three and a half hours, even though we were at the opening of the park to enter this line. "

Moll points out that no date or project related to the opening of Galaxy's Edge has yet been communicated to his organization. But, according to his experience, the key to entering a new park on the opening day – and over the next few weeks or months – will arrive as soon as possible.

For those planning a trip to Disneyland California, this means that you should consider booking a hotel room right now.

"For Disneyland, you want to make sure you plan 60 days in advance, usually," said Moll. "If you have a particular [hotel] in the lead, so I will not delay. We want to make sure that this is resolved as quickly as possible, because I anticipate, during the summer, that availability will be limited. One, because it's typical high season, and two, because of the rumors of Galaxy's Edge opening [date]. "

When traveling to Anaheim, you must book a hotel as close as possible to Disneyland. Unlike Disney World, which operates on a sophisticated RFID-based system, Disneyland is a slightly more traditional establishment, operating on a first-come, first-served basis, with a few exceptions.

For those planning a vacation to Orlando, the opening of Galaxy's Edge is a moving target for the moment. With the opening of a window in the fall, it may be wiser to plan your winter vacation so you do not arrive too early. According to Moll, every time you plan your trip, it is recommended to try staying at a Disney – or "on the spot", as it is called, if you can use it.

Not only do Disney hotels offer more convenient transportation to the parks, but those staying in the area have access to something called "Magic Hours". My family and I have stayed at the property several times. each of our trips.

During magical hours, guests have additional access to the parks before or after they open. Know that magic hours are usually announced a few days in advance. They also seem to happen randomly, or at least through some kind of arcane planning known only to people behind the scenes at Disney. Even if you stay there, there is no guarantee that you will have Magic Hours access to Galaxy's Edge during your stay.

Speaking from experience, understand that booking a vacation to Disney can be extremely intimidating. Miss the dining room reservation window, for example, and you could be stuck eating Mickey Mouse ice cream bars for dinner to get to your last day trip. There are tons of Disney fan sites and communities ready to help beginners to explain the complexities of online reservation systems. Or you can call Disney on the phone and book your vacation with an agent wearing the Disney badge. There are also travel agents like Moll, many of whom do not charge a premium for their services.

"We established a relationship with Disney, which gave us permission to plan trips on behalf of the customers who contacted us," said Moll. "We are able to access a similar inventory – the same things you would be able to see if you were watching online. We only do it on your behalf. "

Expect more updates from our explainer throughout the summer and beyond.