Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened with a bang at Disneyland Park on May 31, and the Disney World version blasted off a few weeks later on August 29.

And with so much to experience in this immersive new land, we’re taking a look at seven things — big and small! — that you CAN’T miss when you visit Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu!

Click here to visit our Galaxy’s Edge main page where
we’ve collected details and pics from Galaxy’s Edge!

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

For the Galaxy’s Edge grand openings, only one of the two major rides was ready to roll at first: Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. (Rise of the Resistance opened in phase two — more on that below!) But Millennium Falcon is a blast, and you’ll want to be sure to take your turn at the controls!

That’s because Smugglers Run puts guests inside the Millennium Falcon to pilot the iconic ship through a variety of obstacles. But Smugglers Run isn’t over when it’s over, because the interactive technology in all of Galaxy’s Edge is supposed to recognize each guest’s performance on the ride as they continue to explore the Outpost and provide personalized experiences that reflect that performance. (We didn’t find this technology to be particularly effective in the early days of Galaxy’s Edge, but we may still see improvements!)

See our Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Review and TIPS here!

On top of this technology, Disney has imagineered a next-level audio-animatronic to interact with guests before the ride. It’s Hondo Ohnaka, and he looks amazing!

Yeah, all in all, you can’t miss Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Resistance to this fact is futile. 😉

New Eats

You might be traveling to the planet Batuu, but you’ll still need to fuel up like a basic Traveler. And lucky for us, there are several new food and beverage experiences in Black Spire Outpost! We were surprised and intrigued by Oga’s Cantina, where loads of creative drinks (alcoholic and non!) are a supernova of cool. Click here for our full review of Disneyland’s Oga’s Cantina!

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo is the place to go for quick service eats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu here includes carnivorous and vegetarian options. The Felucian Garden Spread and Ithorian Garden Loaf  (currently not listed for Walt Disney World) are entirely plant-based, and they are some of the more memorable (for a good reason!) dishes here.

Of the meat options, we enjoyed the Fried Endorian Tip Yip and the Braised Shaak Roast was a little too vinegary for us. Overall, we were a little disappointed by some of the components of the dishes at Docking Bay, but we had a good time trying all of the dishes — and there are some winners that make it a must-do! Click here to see our full review!

If you need to eat on the go, Ronto Roasters might be more your speed. The Ronto Wrap is the signature here (see what we liked about it here!), and the menu includes a few other quick service eats and specialty non-alcoholic drinks. You CAN NOT MISS the Ronto Breakfast Wrap here, though — probably our favorite thing to eat on Batuu!

If you’re just in the mood for a portable snack, Kat Saka’s Kettle serves up flavored popcorn in a sweet/salty/spicy combo called Outpost Mix. And of course, you need to try Blue Milk (or Green!). The Milk Stand serves up both in non-dairy concoctions that we found to be a little…unappetizing. But if you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ve just gotta try them anyway.

Check out our Blue and Green Milk Hack here…it helps!

Exciting New Interactive Technology

Galaxy’s Edge promised to be a brand new frontier for interactive technology at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Much of this revolves around the Play Disney Parks app, which connects guests to the world of Star Wars in ways never before experienced.

The app transforms your smartphone into a Data Pad that translates writing on signs and buildings throughout the land and lets you intercept and decode communications that are part of the atmosphere of the land (including transmissions you hear around you!).

My favorite part was hacking the Millennium Falcon!!!

See how Play Disney Parks takes technology to the next level in Galaxy’s Edge here!

All. Those. Details.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’s design was described by Disney as “mak[ing] the land itself a featured attraction,” and that means details, details, details!

Before Batuu, we already knew that Disney could take the worlds of film and transform them into real places where we can walk, talk, and enjoy the magic. (Toy Story Land, Cars Land, and Pandora all pop to mind!) But Galaxy’s Edge is an entirely new level of immersion where everything from the hues of the buildings to the droid tracks in the pathways, from seemingly handmade toys to duel-ready lightsabers, from bullet holes in walls to the massive Millennium Falcon blend seamlessly to transport guests to another planet.

So while you’re sipping on Blue Milk, don’t forget to drink in the details around you — including the multi-sensory ones! Galaxy’s Edge was created to appeal to all the senses with intergalactic communications, the sound of starfighters in the air, and a twist on the familiar everywhere you look!

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

When phase two of Galaxy’s Edge opened, Rise of the Resistance became THE hot attraction on both coasts. This ride is described as combining multiple ride experiences into one epic experience.

Don’t miss it! Click here to read all about why Rise of the Resistance blew.our.minds! But just to whet your appetite, we’ll say this: there are Storm Troopers, jail cells, Kylo Ren, and dramatic escapes!

New Toys and Souvenirs

It’s nearly impossible to return home from a Disney Parks vacation without a few souvenirs in tow, and Galaxy’s Edge brings a brand new, extensive array of goodies to the shelves! Creature Stall offers intergalactic pets for you to take home, and you can build your own astromech droid at Droid Depot.

Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities is packed with collectibles and relics (including legacy lightsaber hilts and holocrons!), while Black Spire Outfitters helps you look the part.

And of course: there are toys — and not the shiny and glittery toys you might expect in a theme park. These ones appear handmade and a little more Batuuan. The Toydarian Toyshop is a guest favorite!

So in between alllll those new attractions, details, drinks, and eats, make some time to browse the creative wares (and the stores in which you find them, which are creative and full of fun film franchise details!).

Character Meet and Greets

Characters are an integral part of the Disney Parks experiences, but Galaxy’s Edge takes this a step further. Rather than populating static meet-and-greet locations, characters in Black Spire Outpost are part of the atmosphere. Guests see characters like Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, Rey, and Stormtroopers out and about in the land.

This means that meeting characters is a more organic part of this immersive land. Keep your eyes peeled for characters who are part of the ‘everyday’ life of Black Spire Outpost — like Chewie ‘repairing’ strollers!

Are you planning a trip to Batuu this year? What are you most looking forward to exploring? Share with us in the comments!