Greetings from Batuu!
If you haven’t heard, the newest land is open at Disneyland. As hard as it was watching all of my friends and favorite IG influencers visit Galaxy’s Edge this summer, I was so excited when my the holiday black out dates on my annual pass lifted a couple weeks ago and I could finally visit Batuu. The good news? It was totally worth the wait!
I was so excited to finally check out the new land, I was up before my 5:30am wake up call. Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t get up before sunrise. Terrified of potential crowds, my mom and I wanted to be there as soon as the park opened. We get excited about Disney things, if you can’t tell.
I had three goals for my first visit to Galaxy’s Edge (remember, I had a lot of time to think about this): Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, Oga’s Cantina, and Droid Depot. By some stroke of luck, the crowds were light and we were able to do everything we wanted in Batuu and snag fastpasses for Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, and a few other Disneyland classics.
Oga’s Cantina 
Snaps from the Marketplace
Our first order of business was a stop by Oga’s Cantina. It’s still stand-by only unless you have reservations, and even a few days out, we still only managed to snag a reservation for 10:00 which is a bit early to start drinking. My mom and I both stuck to non-alcoholic drinks and they were both delicious. I had the Jabba Juice with orange, cantaloupe, kiwi and pineapple juices and blueberry popping pearls, and it was the perfect mid-morning refreshment. I seriously loved it and now I’m afraid I’ll never order anything else.
The decor of the Cantina was perfect- a little gritty just like the best outter-rim Star Wars dive bars- and the music really set the scene. Plus, the music was all provided by DJ-R3X, the most lovable little droid in the galaxy.
Cheesin’ inside Oga’s 
DJ-R3X
After Oga’s we considered standing in line for Smuggler’s Run, but opted to explore the land a bit more in hopes the wait time for the ride would be shorter later. We stopped by Docking Bay 7 for a bite to eat. I haven’t heard many reviews about the rest of the food but I had the Felucian Garden Spread, the only vegan option. The plant-based “kefta” meatballs, hummus, and pita made a nice snack, but the portion sizes were a bit on the small side. However, the Batuubucha is another top-notch drink option.
Cutest seating options inside cargo boxes at Docking Bay 7 
Felucian Garden Spread and Batuubucha
One of the best parts of Galaxy’s Edge is definitely the shopping. For a Star Wars nerd like me, the seemingly endless supply of high-quality merch from a galaxy far, far away is a dream come true. Naturally, I stopped by every shop more than once, just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. The only purchase I made was an adorable DUM-series droid keychain from the Droid Depot (I was saving up for something bigger). I have a feeling I’ll be dropping a few credits at the Creature Stall and the Den of Antiquities. Look at those super cute Loth cats!
Sleeping Loth-Cat 
Cute Creatures 
Den of Antiquities 
Help! I can’t decide between a porg and an ewok 
Piolt’s gear from the Resistance Supply
Our patience paid off, and we waited less than thirty minutes to ride Smuggler’s Run. Walking through the Millennium Falcon was basically a dream come true. For those who don’t know, Smuggler’s Run is a unique ride; it’s an interactive mission aboard the Falcon thanks to some fancy simulator technology. Each ride consists of a crew of six people, a pair of pilots, a couple of engineers, and two gunners flying the falcon on an epic mission. It was an exhilarating ride, even when we went for the third time! By the end of the day, I’d gotten to perform all three roles, but I think being the pilot was the most fun- and challenging. It’s such a unique ride and I can’t wait to see what the second ride is like when it opens next year.
Playing a quick game of dejarik 
Inside the Millennium Falcon!
Something that sets Galaxy’s Edge apart from a lot of other theme park experiences is how immersive it is. There’s a story to Batuu and when you visit, you’re an intergalactic traveler who becomes part of the narrative. Cast members say “bright suns” and “til the Spire” when greeting you and Stormtroopers patrol the First Order’s territory. If you head over to the Resistance side of Batuu, you might spot Rey or Chewie working on their ship. I tried to make friends with a couple of Stormtroopers myself, but I think they were still a bit suspicious of me. Despite my shirt, I’m definitely on the Resistance side of that galactic battle.
After all our exploring as much as we could in 90 degree temps and riding the Falcon three times (single rider is where its at- no wait time!), we were just about ready to head home, but there was one last stop I had to make. If you guessed building a custom BB unit at the Droid Depot, you’d be right. I waited until the very end of our trip to build a droid for two reasons: 1. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to drop the cash to build a custom droid since they’re a bit pricey and 2. droids are kind of heavy. In the end I caved and happily brought home my own little BB unit!
For $99 units, you get to build your own custom, remote controlled droid. I chose a BB unit, but you can also create an R2 unit. There are plenty of different colors and designs to pick from when selecting your parts from the never ending river of R2 and BB pieces. I debated colors and patterns for way longer than anyone else did, but in the end I decided the original orange BB-8 is just so cute I had to replicate it. I call mine BB-4 because he’s about half the size. And that’s the extent of my math skills.
Unfortunately, you can’t play with the droids in the parks (although it might be fun to see a few dozen droids all racing around Batuu). Watching my dogs reaction to little BB-4 zooming around the living room was totally worth it. If you’re into customized merch, you can also build your very own lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop. Just keep in mind the pricetag is about double that of the little droids.
My first trip to Galaxy’s Edge was definitely a success and I can’t wait to go back! I heard the Florida version is almost identical to the one here in California, so a lot of this is also applicable for anyone planning a trip to Disney World. For anyone interested, I included the details for my nerd chic yet super cool and casual outfit below. I made the earrings myself and they were perfect for the occasion (even survived a ride on Space Mountain).
Solar system earrings from Luce + Luck Design 
Bag: Longchamp, Shoes: Birkenstock 
Tee: Kohls, Shorts: Target Pins: Disney and Vegan Stardust
I hope you enjoyed my Galaxy’s Edge recap. It was a lot of fun to write and I promise to post more often.
Lots of love,
Tiff
Let’s be friends!
Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest
TIFF DAWG TRAVELS 
This land really was like no other. When we walked out it was like oh yeah we are at Disneyland. Your post captures all the highlights but seeing it in person is worth it, even for those of us less aquatinted with Star Wars.
LikeLiked by 1 person