It’s finally here! Yesterday, Disneyland officially celebrated the grand opening of Batuu, the mysterious planet on the edge of the galaxy.
Source: Disneyland Panda
To back up a little bit, Galaxy’s Edge officially held its opening ceremony Wednesday evening. Media and a few lucky guests had the chance to watch the ceremony inside the land, while fans at home followed along on the live stream, now available on demand.
Then Friday, the land formally opened to guests with free reservations. Visitors had access to all shops and restaurants, as well as the highly anticipated Millennium Falcon attraction: Smuggler’s Run. Those with reservations queued up for wrist bands in Tomorrowland, and though crowds were huge, thus far it sounds like the process has been running pretty smoothly.
Source: Mouse-ka-Magic
In addition to the Falcon, the other big draw is Oga’s Cantina, marking the first place where guests can drink alcohol inside Disneyland’s gates (outside of the private Club 33).
Source: WDW News Today
Keep your eyes out for characters wandering the land. Guests so far have seen tons of Stormtroopers, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, and Rey.
Source: Touring Plans
Reviews on social media thus far seem largely positive. Here are the overall pros/cons I’ve seen:
Pros:
- Reservation system is working really well! Not too overwhelming inside the land.
- Docking Bay 7 is a great restaurant – unexpected highlight for many visitors.
- Total immersion – land feels completely different to the rest of Disneyland, in a good way!
- Very mixed reviews of Smuggler’s Run. Split seems about 50/50 between boring/basic attraction and amazing Star Wars experience. Many guests complaining that the pilot seat is way more fun than any other job on the ship.
- Steep prices of custom lightsabers.
Guests need reservations to visit Galaxy’s Edge until June 23, and after that, it’s open to general park visitors. I for one am most curious to dine in Docking Bay 7 and just explore all the little alleyways.
Source: OC Register