A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but also not too far away, you can find yourself in Batuu. Throughout the years I’ve been a race car through Cars Land, a Toy in Toy Story Land, an Avatar in Pandora, and last week I was able to roam around a galaxy far, far away. In Batuu I was less of a tourist and more of a traveler passing through on my own journey, fully immersed in an intergalactic outpost planet.
Everything in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, also known as the planet Batuu, is authentic. From the scenery to the soda. This means the market is full of intergalactic creatures that you could adopt from the Creature Stall and bring home, artisanal play things and the sweetest plush dolls at the Toydarian Toymaker (Kate’s Leia plush is from here), authentic retro looking Star Wars gear or locally tailored clothing at Black Spire Outfitters, and Kat Saka’s Kettle corn stand, with the type of kettle corn that makes you hope that it doesn’t take Earth light years to discover it because it was ADDICTIVE. If the Force is not with you, I do also have to represent that you can find what you’re looking for at First Order Cargo.
The kettle corn could have held me over all day but we couldn’t pass up the chance to try at least one of the food spots in Batuu. Surprisingly, the alien fish (or whatever we’re going to call these hanging things) wasn’t on the menu at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo so we ordered smoked kaadu ribs and fried endorian tip-yip. The sticky pork ribs had a slight (tiny) kick to it but it was one of the better quick-serve meals I’ve had in Disney Parks. The kids meal endorian tip-yip (fried chicken) came with mac and cheese which meant Kate was a happy camper.
Ronto Roasters is a quick serve restaurant with outdoor seating where you can have juicy wraps and my new favorite popcorn snack. There is also the Milk Stand where you can grab some legendary blue or green frozen milk (it looked better than it sounds and people seemed to like it a lot better than it even looked). If you’re not hungry but you still want to do as the locals do, check out Oga’s Cantina for some drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options). Oga’s can accommodate young ones but this early on, impromptu planning might not be accommodated as well so I HIGHLY advise that you plan FAR, FAR in advance. Disney allows reservations up to 180 days out, so if you’re a planner, take advantage of it and book your reservation THAT far out.
Exploring was one of my absolute favorite things to do because the architecture, design, and engineering were so methodically executed that you didn’t even realize that any of that went into the making of Batuu at all. You also don’t realize just how much there is to look at. I’m really impressed by how big Galaxy’s Edge is but I guess I shouldn’t be because galaxy’s are usually massive.
With all the exploring we made sure we took a couple of spins on Smuggler’s Run, one of the new rides at Galaxy’s Edge, which puts you in the cockpit of THE Millennium Falcon. When you walk onto the MF, you’re given an assignment as a pilot, engineer, or gunner. I am proud to say that after two days of first grade, Isabella had just enough training to qualify as an engineer and keep the ship running despite the severe damages it sustained. Her quick skills and repairs helped us retrieve the cargo and complete our assignment. Also yes, Isabella skipped some school the week it started because, Disney. Also because, Star Wars.
Star Wars:Rise of the Resistance, the second ride at Galaxy’s Edge, is due to open on December 5th. Guests will wait in lines HOURS long to be CAPTURED, taken aboard the Star Destroyer, then rumor has it that it’ll take more than the average few minutes for them to ESCAPE. I can’t even explain how pumped I am for this one. We attempted to sneak a peak at the entrance but all we could get was a view of what will eventually be a line, galaxies long.
Our roaming took us through Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities where we admired all of the Star Wars collectibles and artifacts (also referred to as “”the museum”). Then we went over to the Droid Depot where Isabella and Kate were able to custom build their own BB series droid (there’s also the option to build a customizable R2D2) and you’ll just have to watch the Instagram Highlights to see how awesome that was. I’m making an R2D2 next visit. It’s happening. If you want a customizable lightsaber, Savi’s Workshop is a must, and word around the galaxy is that TSA on Earth is already TOTALLY used to seeing them around the airport.
This BB series droid isn’t one of ours but I needed to take a moment to appreciate the dedication of the photographers at the edge of this galaxy, they really did what it took to get the shot. We were warned that we probably shouldn’t walk around with our rebel BB series droids because the First Order would confiscate them if we were caught, and ours quite literally kept trying to escape its box. So we sent ours back to the front of our galaxy (a.k.a. the park entrance) to pick them up on our way home, and went on to explore more. We weren’t the only ones observing our surroundings. We were being observed too. Storm Troopers were walking around CONSTANTLY, requesting identification from those whom seemed suspicious, talking to guests that appeared to have pledged their alliance to the First Order, and chasing down rebel characters to arrest them. First Order Officers were also carefully monitoring the area and conversing with people.
If you were very observant, you could see Rey and other rebels sneaking past Storm Troopers, which is what made it all feel more real than any other detail. We also saw her with her toolbox working on her engine. Kate walked right up to her and they had quite a long chat about the force and their commitment to the Rebel Alliance, they got along so great, we even got some pictures. Which was my absolute FAVORITE part of Galaxy’s Edge -no character lines- because in Batuu they aren’t characters. This is their life. We’re not observing them in Batuu, we’re just living our story alongside them. They have places to go, things to do, missions to accomplish, but they’re always happy to mingle and take photos. It’s very much an immersive and interactive experience at a level unlike any I’ve ever seen before.
BUT THE DETAILS. I cannot get over the details. I was IN BATUU and you can be too, starting TODAY it is officially open to the public. Until you can make it there, here are just a few more of my favorite details to hold you over. Head over to my Instagram Highlights for more!
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