Want to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland? It’s the first new land at Disneyland Park in over 25 years so it’s bound to be extremely popular for its first few years of operation. Luckily I have all the insider tips you need to know to make the most of your visit to Star Wars Land and still have plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the Park!
8 Insider Tips to Know Before Visiting STAR WARS: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland
-
- If you want to go straight into Galaxy’s Edge first thing, here’s what you do. Arrive to the front gate an hour before park opening. (So if Disneyland is scheduled to open at 8am, be in line at the gate by 7am.) Disneyland will start letting guests inside at the one hour mark. Guests wanting to visit Galaxy’s Edge first will be directed to line up at the entrance to Frontierland. Guests wanting to go to Fantasyland or Tomorrowland will be directed to the entrance to Tomorrowland. If you want to visit Adventureland, Frontierland, or New Orleans Square, just sit tight on Main Street until the Star Wars Land crowd is led through.Around half an hour before the park opens, the Frontierland rope will drop and guests will be led to Star Wars Land via the Critter Country entrance. This entrance accommodates the largest amount of guests which is why the crowd will be directed there. From there you’ll be led straight into Galaxy’s Edge, likely before the official park open time. Or the crowd will be held at the Critter Country entrance until the park officially opens. Either way, there is no virtual boarding system when the park first opens so you can go right in.
- Know about the virtual boarding system. In order to control crowd size inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disneyland has implemented a virtual boarding system to access the land. Think of the boarding system as a FastPass which allows you to access Galaxy’s Edge at a certain time. Disneyland will use the virtual boarding system only when crowds are high, so there’s a chance it will never be activated during your visit! But it’s good to know how it works, just in case.There are two ways to find out if Disneyland has activated the virtual boarding system. The first way is to check the Disneyland app. The front page of the app will have a Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge “find out more” button. Click that to find out if Star Wars Land is open without restrictions, or if you’ll need to join a boarding group. If access to the land is being limited, you can join a boarding group. When your boarding group is ready to enter, you will get a push notification on your phone (be sure notifications are enabled for the Disneyland app). You will have up to two hours after receiving the notification to enter the land. If you don’t enter the land within your two hour window, your boarding pass will expire and you’ll be able to join a new group (subject to availability and capacity).
If you do not want to use the app or don’t have a mobile device, you can obtain a paper boarding pass at the following Fast Pass locations: Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, and Splash Mountain.
The second way is via large screens placed throughout Disneyland, which will show the current status of the land and which boarding groups can currently access the land, if implemented. These screens are located near guest relation kiosks at Plaza Inn, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Haunted Mansion.
- If you want to ride Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, DO NOT go there first thing in the morning. The bulk of the guests will go straight for this attraction and the lines will be a their longest first thing in the morning. The queue will settle down in an hour or two, so enjoy the land first. Walk around, get some breakfast at Docking Bay 7, drink some blue milk, and visit with Chewie and Rey. Keep an eye on the wait time for Smuggler’s Run and jump in the line if it gets to 60 minutes or less (or 90 minutes or less on very busy days, like holidays).
- If you want to visit Oga’s Cantina, you must make a separate reservation. Reservations for Oga’s can only be made via the Disneyland website, and can only be made for the current day. Reservations will open for the day at 7am. You do not need to be inside the Park to make your Oga’s Cantina reservation. Space for Oga’s is limited, and reservation availability will depend on demand for the day. If visiting Oga’s is very important to you, I recommend logging on at 7am. Otherwise you can check throughout the day, as sometimes reservations open up. A credit card guarantee of $10 per person is required, and will be charged if you miss your reservation. The only way to cancel a reservation for Oga’s is in person. Speak to any Cast Member in front of Oga’s for cancellation assistance.
To make a same-day reservation for Oga’s Cantina, visit this link: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ogas-cantina-reservations/ and click on “Reserve Activity.” Or via the Disneyland app, visit the map and navigate to the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge area. Select “Dining” from the top menu drop down, and tap on the Oga’s Cantina food icon. Scroll down until you see “Make same-day reservations for Oga’s Cantina.” Tap that link, and you’ll be redirected to the Disneyland website where you will need to enter your user name and password.
Please note that when making a reservation for Oga’s, you may need to enter some credit card information even if your card info is already stored. So be ready.
- If you want to build a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop, you must make a pre-paid reservation. The $200 handbuilt lightsaber experience is one of the most sought after merchandise items at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. And for good reason … it’s a pretty cool experience! Click here to see photos of Savi’s Workshop and building a lightsaber on my Facebook Page.The experience is also very limited. Therefore, a pre-paid reservation is required. Similar to Oga’s, only same-day reservations are available and they can be made online starting at 7am. If this experience is very important to you, I recommend making your reservation at 7am. Otherwise you can check throughout the day as spots may open up. Keep in mind you must pre-pay the $200 fee when you make your reservation and it is non-refundable.
To make a same-day reservation for Savi’s Workshop, visit this link: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/savis-workshop-reservations/ and click on “Reserve Activity.” Or via the Disneyland app, visit the map and navigate to the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge area. Select “Shops” from the top menu drop down, and tap on the Savi’s Workshop shopping bag icon. Tap on “Book Experience” and you’ll be redirected to the Disneyland website where you will need to enter your user name and password.
Please note that when making a reservation for Savi’s, you may need to enter some credit card information even if your card info is already stored.
*NOTE* If you have a reservation for Oga’s or Savi’s, you do not need a separate boarding pass, if boarding passes are being utilized. You may enter the land up to one hour before your reservation time. If the land is “open” (no boarding system), you can go in at any time. People with reservations should use the Fantasyland entrance.
- Utilize mobile ordering. Mobile ordering food and snacks through the Disneyland app is one of the best ways to maximize your time! There are three places you can mobile order from at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Docking Bay 7, Ronto Roasters, and Milk Stand.
- Know the lingo. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is very immersive, and the more you know about the land the more fun you’ll have when interacting with Cast Members! Click here to learn about the planet of Batuu and their special language.
- Run missions and earn credits on the Play Disney Parks app. If you’re not familiar with the Play Disney Parks app, check out this tutorial I wrote. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has the best interactive game I’ve seen on the app! Open the app and navigate to the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge area and open the Datapad. A tutorial will pop up which teaches you all about the games you can play. I really love the games and it’s a great way to kill some time while waiting in line for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run.
Have you visited Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge yet? What did you think of Batuu?
[mv_create key=”6″ layout=”hero” title=”You may also like:” type=”list”]
