With the various lock downs, my gaming has taken quite a hit. As such, I thought I would expand into other areas on the blog. Along with being a history buff, I am a Scy Fy fan. This all started when I was a wee little lad and watched Star Trek (the original series) on TV and being amazed by the first moon landing (yes, I’m old). My interest in Star Wars is much more recent… With that said, when I saw that Disney was opening a new park dedicated to Star Wars. Being a fan of Disney parks, I know I would have to add it to the bucket list! Recent reporting on low attendance got me a little worried that it will not be around too long. That being the case, I needed to check it out! With the release of Disney plus and the new Star Wars series, I think any fear was probably unfounded. However, any excuse to get me motivated to do something!
Galaxy’s edge is actually part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As such, it is part of a larger park. While you have probably read a little about Galaxy’s Edge, it is not clear that it is somewhat a small park, but only part of the Star Wars experience at Hollywood Studios, so don’t make a bee line or you will miss a lot!
The Galaxy’s Edge portion of the park is laid out in the unbelievable detail as any other Disney experience. If it was not for all the tourists, you probably could easily believe you were in a galaxy far far away. Every street way, wall, door way and view is seething with the Star Wars experience. The park is full of shops selling all kinds Star Wars merch, eating stops with unique named offerings (including that blue milk). As one would expect from Disney, there is a total immersion effect.
The actual rides were limited when I went in December (a new ride has just opened, with another coming). The first is the Millennium Falcon ride. This ride is partially interactive. The visuals and graphics are simply amazing. You feel like you are sitting in a cockpit and the views look quite real. When you line up, you are separated into pilot, gunner or navigator seats. Each of these roles has tasks that you perform while the ride is in motion that effects the experience to some degree. Personally, while interesting, I found this to be a distraction to the ride. However, the ride was top notch, none the less.
I surprise for me was coming across the Star Tours ride. It is not in the Galaxy Edge park and could easily be missed if you walked the wrong way. It starts with an AT-AT mock up sitting out front! You go in like any other ride and get the immersion experience as you go. This is not the old Star Tours of old! They have upgraded the gimble and interior screens and fully incorporated the Star Wars experience (with some R2D2 and C3PO effects to boot). I have to say, this ride competes directly with the other and may even be better, as you can just sit back and enjoy.
Somewhat unexpected, was the number of displays, shows and events that were Star Wars related, but in other parts of the park. There was a live action stage show in the main street area, a Jedi Padawan event for kids close to the Incredibles section, with the Star Tours ride close by. In addition, there was a meet and greet and artifact display off the main street area. All together, this almost equals the Galaxy’s Edge park. Needless to say, there is a lot to see for the Star Wars fan.
With that said, most (not all) is dedicated to the most recent trilogy. So, if your not a big fan of the new films, you might want more. I suspect this will all depend on the next film, if it does well, the park will stay stable as is. However, if it does not, then look to Disney to make changes to link the park to the newer shows that have current fan support (the Mandalorian, Clone Wars, etc.). Let’s see what the future holds. Even with the caveat, if you like Star Wars, you will be hard pressed not to by happy with what Disney has done at Hollywood Studios!
- Manteuffel