ORLANDO, Fla. —
Ready to go off world? Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge finally opens this week at Walt Disney World.
The 14-acre area at Hollywood Studios park is Disney World’s biggest expansion yet. It includes two rides (one opening this week, the other in December), lightsaber and droid building experiences and numerous shops and restaurants -- all themed after Star Wars.
The land aims to make guests feel as if they’ve left Earth and traveled to Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu in the Star Wars universe. The planet is an outpost planet in the galaxy’s outer rim and was created to look like a last pit stop before entering wild space.
But, before you head to Batuu, there are some things travelers need to know:
Learn the lingo
The official written language on Batuu (and most of the Star Wars galaxy) is Aurebesh. The glyph-type language is seen on signs throughout Black Spire Outpost, and guests can even get their name in Aurebesh engraved on various name tags at the park’s Star Wars Launch Bay.
New to Galaxy’s Edge, however, are phrases unique to the new land. You’re likely to hear a lot of cast members saying “bright suns!” and “May the Spires keep you” to welcome you and wish you well.
When Galaxy’s Edge opened in May at Disneyland, the park gave out guides to some of the words and phrases you’ll hear on Batuu.
Fly the Millennium Falcon
Get your crew together and brush up on your flying skills to take control of the iconic spaceship Millennium Falcon. Groups of six will take control of the Falcon as pilots, gunners and flight engineers alongside smuggler Hondo Ohnaka. Riders will queue up in Hondo’s hangar bay full of spaceship parts before meeting the smuggler himself and getting a mission for the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.
Learn lightsaber lore
Feeling the Force? Head to Savi’s Workshop to learn the ancient ways of the Jedi and build your own custom lightsaber. Fourteen builders at a time can gather around Savi’s Builder’s Table to choose their kyber crystal and theme, including Peace and Justice, Power and Control, Elemental Nature and Protection and Defense.
Savi’s Workshop is available with a reservation and includes one lightsaber per builder and a carrying case. $199.99 per lightsaber.
Find your droid buddy
Travelers to Batuu can also build their own custom Astromech unit from the BB-series or the R-series. You can make one look exactly like BB-8 or R2-D2, or you can make a completely new droid with a name and colors of your choice. The $99.99 reservation fee includes droid parts and remote control.
Galactic grub
Oga’s Cantina is the spot for adult travelers to imbibe on specialty drinks while DJ R-3X spins tunes. Morning beverages include Star Wars spins on drinks like the Bloody Rancor with vodka, chile liqueur, a spicy Bloody Mary mix and a rancor bone cookie. Afternoon drinks include the Outer Rim with tequila, black salt and exotic fruit puree, and the Fuzzy Tauntaun, which has citrus flavors, peach and “tingling” foam.
If you’re looking for the iconic blue milk or green milk made famous in the films, you can get them at Oga’s Cantina and the Milk Stand.
Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo is the main sit-down quick service restaurant inside Galaxy’s Edge, and Ronto Roasters serves up Ronto Wraps with pork, grilled sausage, peppercorn sauce and tangy slaw in a pita.
Take home a creature or Toydarian toys
You first saw a Toydarian in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Now, you’ll get to shop for toys, games, and cute plushes crafted by the flying alien species at Toydarian Toymakers. Black Spire Outpost also has a Creature Stall, where you can adopt your own Kowakian monkey-lizard, porg, bantha or a dewback.
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