While walking by Star Tours and Muppet Vision 3D in Grand Avenue of Hollywood Studios, you see a large towering concrete wall. As you continue walking up to this wall and through it's tunnel, you are slowly removed from the hot, humid weather of Florida and transplanted into the Black Spire Outpost on the other side of the wall. Once you enter Galaxy's Edge, the rest of the park has been removed from your view. All that can be seen from anywhere in this outpost is the Star Wars land you have immersed yourself into.
Throughout the land there are life-sized ships to see and experience firsthand. These ships will make various sounds, making them feel real. If you take your time looking at these ships throughout Galaxy's Edge, you may see a member of the Resistance sneaking around and trying not to be caught by the First Order. These members of the Resistance will try to fit in with the crowd to lay low and not draw attention from the First Order. There are even instances where you will see Chewbacca or Rey walking throughout the land.
As you make your way past all of the ships, you will enter the Black Spire Outpost. This outpost on the planet of Batuu has shops, interactions with the characters living on this galactic planet, and places to eat and drink. They did a wonderful job creating this area and making guests feel like they are entering a small outpost with characters actually living on this planet. Take your time walking through the outpost to take in the full immersion of the land. Go into the shops, have the food and drinks, and talk with the characters. The more time you put into experiencing this land, the more you will feel like you are living out your own Star Wars story.The Black Spire Outpost also includes Oga's Cantina, Savi's Workshop where you can build your own lightsaber and the Droid Workshop where you create a droid. While we did not have time to visit Oga's Cantina due to timing, you can hear the music being played inside. It made you feel like you were walking by the Cantina from Star Wars. From what has been said about Oga's Cantina, there are galactic drink and food options specific to Star Wars and the whole experience is immersive. The characters interact with the guests and one another, and members of the First Order will sometimes come through.
If you do not have a reservation for Oga's Cantina, you can still taste the blue or green milk from Star Wars. Right past the cantina is the Milk Stand where you can purchase the legendary blue or green milk that Luke Skywalker has himself. You have the option to get this with or without alcohol, so they are great for the entire family to share.
After making your way through the Black Spire Outpost and enjoying your blue milk, you have finally made it. It is time to set your eyes on the Millennium Falcon! It is truly amazing - the Millennium Falcon is right in front of you. Being able to see the size of the ship with the mountains surrounding it, is everything a Star Wars fan has dreamed of experiencing. When you walk around the ship, every angle is a visual masterpiece created by Disney's Imagineers.
The queue line for the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run provides you with more close up views of the ship. In the line, you will see unique views of the back and top of the ship. Everything in the queue, from the crates to galactic parts being worked on to the Millennium Falcon, makes the time waiting go by extremely fast. As you approach the end of the line, you enter a room where Hondo Ohnaka tells you what is in store next.
It is time to step on board the Millennium Falcon. You are able to walk around the ship while you wait for your turn to complete your mission. When it is your group's turn, everyone will be given a one of three functions: pilot, gunner or engineer. Each of these jobs has a different function to complete while on the ride.The Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run was a fun, interactive experience as a whole. The queue was spectacular and boarding the ship was breathtaking. However, the ride itself left more to be desired. While it was a lot of fun, the buttons for the gunners and engineers are on the side of the Millennium Falcon. For first time riders, you are constantly looking back and forth between the buttons and what is happening in front of you. It took a little away from the experience. There is a lot of potential that can come from this ride with updates to the scenes and various endings. At this point in time, I may prefer to go on Star Tours because they have multiple ride sequences, that make every ride different. I am not taking anything away from Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run, as it is a great ride, but my expectations going into it were just a little to high.
After completing the ride and experiencing all there is to do in Galaxy's Edge, you can exit the land through it's other entrance into Toy Story Land. But before you go, make sure you walk by the entrance for the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride. At this time the queue has been created and the area looks massive. From everything that has been rumored and said, this is going to be the ride of rides. When this ride opens to the public on December 5th, Disney will have changed the bar for amusement parks rides in not only their parks, but every other park as well.
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Go experience the galactic outpost on Batuu. Take your time walking around the Black Spire Outpost, take in all the sights, sounds and characters. Visit Oga's Cantina and the Millennium Falcon and take a ride on Smuggler's Run. Enjoy the land and immerse yourself in your own Star Wars story. And buckle up because the Rise of the Resistance ride is coming and it will forever change the landscape of rides of Disney Parks.
Trivia
Q: When did Star Tours first open in Disney's Hollywood Studios, formerly Disney-MGM Studios?
A: December 15, 1989
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