15 MAR 2019: Wookie wannabees rejoice. Disney’s much-anticipated and long-awaited Star Wars attraction is set to open ahead of schedule in Hollywood and later in the year in Orlando. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will welcome guests at Disneyland beginning May 31 and at Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort on Aug. 29.
So popular is the attraction expected to be that guests planning to be among the first to attend at Disneyland will be required to make a no-cost reservation to access the land between May 31 and June 23 (subject to availability and in addition to regular park admission). However, guests staying at one of the three Disneyland Resort hotels during these dates will receive a guaranteed reservation during their stay.
Set to open in two phases, the Star Wars attraction will be comprised of two 5.6-hectare lands, marking the largest and most technologically advanced single-themed land expansions ever in a Disney park. The new lands build off decades of collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilm Ltd., producers of the Star Wars franchise, which dates to 1987 when the Star Tours attraction opened at Disneyland.
Phase one – Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, will take guests into the cockpit of “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy” where they will take the controls of the Falcon in one of three unique and critical roles as the ship hurtles through space. Some will be pilots, some gunners and some flight engineers, creating multiple ways for guests to experience the attraction.
Phase 2 – Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance places guests right in the middle of the Rebellion and gives them an active role in the fight against the First Order, including a faceoff with Kylo Ren. Their journey takes them inside a full-size starship and aboard a nearby Star Destroyer.
Park guests will also be able to discover what Blue Milk actually tastes like and try other “local” delicacies at the new land’s array of food and beverages outlets, such as Kat Saka’s Kettle, Ronto Roasters and Oga’s Cantina. And a collection of merchant shops and stalls will be filled with authentic and unique Star Wars creations, while guests will also have an opportunity to construct their own astromech droids at The Droid Depot or customize their own lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop.
With a nod to the future, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will also be the first land within a Disney park designed to integrate with the Play Disney Parks mobile app, which debuted last year and offers interactive experiences that bring surrounding environments to life at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. When guests use the app, it will provide new opportunities for them to engage with the land, such as translating a galactic language, learning what’s hidden inside crates and containers, or accomplishing certain tasks by participating in missions.
Guests also can use the Play Disney Parks app to interact with droids, ships, media screens, door panels and antenna arrays.
More details about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be released in the coming months.