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Star Tours, Hollywood Studios 

Ever since Star Tours opened in Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida in the late 80s, the obsession to experience Star Wars has been on! Those of us who saw “A New Hope” in the theater in the 70s never dreamed we would get to watch the movie anytime we wanted, much less experience it live! Of course, we just called it “Star Wars,” and though we loved it we had no idea of the massive empire (see what I did there?) there was to come!

…and then there was a land! But first…


Construction began on the highly anticipated Galaxy’s Edge in 2016.In order to build it, Disney had to close down some major attractions to make room. During this time, you could say there wasn’t much to do. One thing Disney did to try to provide more guest experiences was the Star Wars Launch Bay. It had props, and a fabricated Cantina area complete with Jawas that would interact with you. There were also Character Meet and Greets that had not been available before with Chewbacca and Darth Vader. The Storm Troupers were on patrol outside. If you tried to get a picture, you may remember their handler getting flustered and announcing they were on patrol! 

Finally, Galaxy’s Edge! 

In 2019, Galaxy’s Edge finally opened! Well, most of it opened. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run was the only new attraction when it opened. Nevertheless, a chance to pilot the Millennium Falcon was a dream come true for Star Wars fans both young and old! Disney keenly anticipated the popularity and opened not the attraction, but the whole land with a Virtual Queue! In order to enter, guests had to join a boarding group to be able to enter the land, unless the status on the My Disney Experience app said “open.” Why? Previous experience when Pandora opened at Animal Kingdom to massive lines just to enter Pandora itself. Guests complained that they waited all day just to be allowed into Pandora. So, when Galaxy’s Edge opened, the first Virtual Queue was utilized to make a better experience for guests. Then when Rise of the Resistance opened, the Virtual Queue was used for it instead. Today, there is no Virtual Queue for anything in Galaxy’s Edge, but it still remains as popular as ever! You might want to consider purchasing Genie+ and/or Individual Lightning Lanes for your Galaxy’s Edge visit!

What else is there?

In 2 words, total immersion! While visiting Galaxy’s Edge, you are a visitor of  The Black Spire Outpost on Batuu. Cast Members are citizens of Batuu and all interactions with them are very different from anywhere else! They have no knowledge of Hollywood Studios or anything else Disney. In fact, if you ask them about many of the iconic things about Star Wars, they might not know those things either since they live on Batuu!

All food, drinks, and shopping are decidedly Batuu oriented! Ronto Roasters and Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo offer Quick Service Dining that you’ve likely not seen before! Then there’s The Milk Stand where you can purchase either Green or Blue Milk, just like Luke had as a boy! Well…almost! If you have a dairy allergy, no worries! There’s no cow’s milk in there! Quite refreshing under those bright suns!

Souvenirs from Batuu can be purchased at the market. If you’re looking for something extra special, you might want to book a reservation to build a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop! Or maybe you’d rather build a droid at the Droid Depot? Either way, these are experiences you won’t have anywhere else!

Always wished you could have a drink at a Cantina? Make a reservation for Oga’s Cantina! Here you can enjoy libations and snacks that are out of this world! No worries! Your younglings can enjoy specialty nonalcoholic beverages too! And if you’re an original fan of Star Tours, you just might recognize the DJ! 

More?


How about a 2 night, immersive adventure on the Galactic Starcruiser? This completely immersive experience is like no other! Here you will take place in a mission as you eat, sleep, and make all of your Star Wars dreams come true! Want to know more? Head on over to Walt Disney World’s website, click on places to stay, and scroll down to Galactic Starcruiser! And...may the force be with you!


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