Share your story from visiting DHS’ SWGE!

[EmJ]

My only thoughts are
#1, no requests. ever. Period. Not hard to say no. I do it all the time, LOL You get what is handed to you. That won't stop guests from exchanging cards but CM can't control everything.
Next is maybe a minimum age for Pilots? It will be hard to police without a doubt and do something I'm sure they don't want to do, slow things down a touch. But for each group of 6 (that's the number per ride, right?) the CM could scan the guests and pick 2 pilots that give the best shot of making it work. 4, 5 yo (in the vast majority of cases) won't be that choice. Does that punish a young child who is capable? Yeah, I suppose it does. And it can give you pilots (like DH and myself) who can't do a darn thing well. But at least we give it a shot

We told our son that you have to be 16 and have a drivers license to pilot the Falcon This is obviously not true, but he doesn’t know the difference and will be happy to shoot the gun. I don’t think an age cut off would be that hard. Legoland has some rides restricted to ages 3, 4, and 6. The ride attendants just ask the kids—little kids KNOW how old they are (four and three-quarters!) and will tell you. There might be some parents who coach their kids to say they are older, but probably equally as many or more who would be happy to have a reason not to fight with their preschooler about who gets to be pilot.

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

My apologies for the multiple posts! I just wondered what you all thought could be a solution for the situations I outlined above? Are adults not permitted to ask to be pilots? I don't think that's fair, when I saw parents asking for their children to be pilots and being permitted to do so. I'd love to hear your thoughts. TIA!

I don't know how what the ride capacity is in terms of splitting groups up. However, the only "fair" thing they could really do is make a similar green/orange system we see in Mission Space. Green would be for those who don't care about/can't reach the buttons on the ride while orange would be the ones who want to be more active and contribute. But like I said, I don't know how well they divided up the seating to do something like this.

 

[DirectGirl]

We told our son that you have to be 16 and have a drivers license to pilot the Falcon

Love this. Good job mom and dad!

 

[yulilin3]

I think the only thing that would make a difference is provide videos of the positions and how to do each job through out the queue. The language barrier is a real problem that Disney did not think of addressing. The cards given at job assignment are in english and most people won't even bother to read them anyways. So a visual explanation would be helpful. My DD is one of very few CM that speaks Spanish and she is called constantly to try and explain positions
As far as kids not reaching the buttons this was just a design flaw for sure, either up the height requirement or they should've made the pilot seat adjustable to come closer to the panel.

 

[Jennasis]

We requested to be pilots (2 adults) and were granted with no hesitation. We walked up and I said "Hi! This is our third ride and is there..." and she piped up and finished "You wanna pilot." "YES! Yes I do." And she smiled and handed us pilots cards.

 

[kbelle8995]

I went twice this last week. Batuu was fun. The interaction with characters like Vi, Chewbacca and First Order were first rate. I want to go back and just hang out. Loved it. Can't wait for Rise of the Resistance opens.

 

[BabybetterDisney]

1. The morning of August 29th, GE's opening day, I peeled out of bed at 5:30 a.m. at the Poly, ran to the bus stop to see how many people would be waiting for the bus to get to DHS. I counted around 15, a decent number. I wasn't going myself, but it was fun doing that.

2. There is a water dispenser at the market place where you put down the bottle and water shoots straight down into it. Awesome! Why doesn't Disney World have that anywhere else?

3. I bought 3 red thermal detonator cokes. They are sitting on my kitchen window sill now, looking awesome. (DS20 stayed home. After we got back, I showed him the bottle, and he said "this is stupid" and then tossed it across the room. So I kicked him.)

4. When we left GE one evening, there were about 10 CMs with light sabers standing in two lines, their light sabers forming a cover in between. People walked under it and the CMs would scream cheers!

That's it. Everything else about the place sucked. It's like a Star Wars graveyard where Leia is dead, Han is dead, Luke is dead, even Mos Eisley is gone. There's nothing but Chewy walking around aimlessly without Han, and the Falcon permanently embedded in a hillside with ugly dead trees called spires that doesn't appear in any Star Wars movies.

I wish they sell roasted Porgs there. (Can be cornish game hens.)

As a Star Wars fan, I hate that place. As a Disney World fan, that's the first area in Disney World that I hate.

 

[yulilin3]

1. The morning of August 29th, GE's opening day, I peeled out of bed at 5:30 a.m. at the Poly, ran to the bus stop to see how many people would be waiting for the bus to get to DHS. I counted around 15, a decent number. I wasn't going myself, but it was fun doing that.

2. There is a water dispenser at the market place where you put down the bottle and water shoots straight down into it. Awesome! Why doesn't Disney World have that anywhere else?

3. I bought 3 red thermal detonator cokes. They are sitting on my kitchen window sill now, looking awesome. (DS20 stayed home. After we got back, I showed him the bottle, and he said "this is stupid" and then tossed it across the room. So I kicked him.)

4. When we left GE one evening, there were about 10 CMs with light sabers standing in two lines, their light sabers forming a cover in between. People walked under it and the CMs would scream cheers!

That's it. Everything else about the place sucked. It's like a Star Wars graveyard where Leia is dead, Han is dead, Luke is dead, even Mos Eisley is gone. There's nothing but Chewy walking around aimlessly without Han, and the Falcon permanently embedded in a hillside with ugly dead trees called spires that doesn't appear in any Star Wars movies.

I wish they sell roasted Porgs there. (Can be cornish game hens.)

As a Star Wars fan, I hate that place. As a Disney World fan, that's the first area in Disney World that I hate.

wow, hate, strong word.
2, there is another one of these at the Pandora queue and they are planning on installing more
It's not Tattooine so you wouldn't find Mos Eisley there. Also Han and Luke are dead
Chewy walks around on it's own or with Rey, not aimlessly, he works on the ships and meets with visitors
As for the spires, that's the landscape, just like the Grand Canyon or Joshua Tree. Batuu and BSO appear on multiple comic books and books and is mentioned in some of the movies
So you're saying you're never stepping foot in BSO again?

 

[rteetz]

2, there is another one of these at the Pandora queue and they are planning on installing more

They have them in other areas too like the DHS bus stop bathrooms.

 

[rteetz]

Leia is dead,

Leia isn't dead yet. This land is set after 8 which she is still alive.

 

[rteetz]

Falcon permanently embedded in a hillside with ugly dead trees called spires that doesn't appear in any Star Wars movies.

It may not appear but its referenced in Solo.

 

[hiroMYhero]

@BabybetterDisney ~ Moved you to the Trip Report thread because I knew you had already posted a review of your SWGE visit.

When we got there at 9 p.m., the wait time was 20 minutes, even though the land itself seemed fairly crowded. DS20 and DS30 joined the line immediately

(DS20 stayed home. After we got back, I showed him the bottle, and he said "this is stupid" and then tossed it across the room. So I kicked him.)

You are the first to report the ‘saber walk.’ If you or your son/s snapped a photo, please share when you have time!

 

[Jennasis]

Speaking for no one but myself, and DH, we loved everything about SWGE. It's not for everyone, just like any other land/ride etc Disney has built. But let me tell you why it was for me (if anyone cares).

I'm a 43 year old woman. I am an original trilogy lover of the highest order. I had ALL the Kenner action figures (Boba Fett being the most valuable to me). We had all the ships, the Rancor, Jabba's little palace thing, Hoth, the trash compactor etc...My cousins and I would spend HOURS choosing guys and ships and which part of the house would be our "base" (the living room couch was the most coveted, followed by the kitchen island). We live role played Star Wars every day after school...on lucky days I got to be Leia...on most days I was relegated to playing R2. I NEVER got to be Han or Chewie and certainly never got to pilot the Falcon (that was my oldest cousins gig). Our swingset was the Millenium Falcon, and my Huffy was a speeder bike. I had a stuffed Chewie that I treasured and the old school Star Wars bed sheets.

We lived, breathed, and bled Star Wars (every time I got whacked by a "lightsaber"...wrapping paper tubes we had taken markers to).

The movies that comprised episodes 1-3 were not my favorites. Were they anyone's? But I accepted them as canon, grudgingly. I really like Rogue One and Solo and I have enjoyed episodes 7 and 8...though they ain't Empire. My taste as a SW fan has always been called into question because I loved the Ewoks in Jedi and thought the battle was awesome.

So Disney claims they're building a STAR WARS land? Of course I'm excited...but where the heck is Batuu? When has this Black Spire Outpost ever been seen or even mentioned? The hackles on the back of my neck are already up. Disney is going to screw this up...I can already sense the disturbance in the force. However, I gave Pandora a shot even though Avatar was a meh movie, so I'm willing to give this Batuu a shot as well, but I am skeptical.


So we went to Batuu. September 10th.

It. Was. EVERYTHING.

Everything I didn't even know I wanted! I knew going in, that my beloved original trilogy wasn't what I was about to see. Instead I got to visit the universe in which it had taken place, and join in the story as we are currently seeing it unfold. As DH and I walked through the rock tunnel to go into the land and emerged on the other side, I began to tear up. We HAD stepped foot into the Star Wars UNIVERSE. Everything looked exactly as I imagined it would when my Kenner action figures had their own "base" on the couch in the living room (heavily fortified by the coffee table). In my minds eye, when 10 year old me was playing R2 and my bff was Threepio and we were smuggling plans to the Millenium Falcon through the backyards of our street on Long Island...it looked just like Batuu.

And the CM's were all in playing their roles. Stormtroopers were harassing guests. A lone CM standing near the doorway to a shop dove behind the door to hide from passing Stormtroopers even though nobody (but me) seemed to notice her do it. Chewie was outside just working on the Falcon at one point, and then another time he had grabbed a passing tourist and was having the guy help hide him as he made his way to his ship. We watched a CM in Resistance garb run up to a random couple and exclaim "we need you help for a mission...follow me!" and away they ran together.

DH and I spent hours...not enough hours...exploring, translating Aurabesh, hacking door panels and droids, helping Resistance fighters and harassing the Stormtroopers right back. We soaked in the details...things we recognized from years of watching, and rewatching, and rewatching and rewatching the original trilogy. I mean how else would you know the water fountain monster was the same type of creature Luke met in the trash compactor?? We people watched (mostly the CM's). And loved every second of it. We interacted...the more we played, the more the CM's did. It was a hoot! I can only imagine what Rise of The Resistance will bring to the table.

We rode the Falcon THREE times and I got to hang out in the ship! It looked just like my swingset did in my mind.

And yeah...I finally got to pilot the Falcon. It was everything.

 

[GrumpyGal43]

Speaking for no one but myself, and DH, we loved everything about SWGE. It's not for everyone, just like any other land/ride etc Disney has built. But let me tell you why it was for me (if anyone cares).

I'm a 43 year old woman. I am an original trilogy lover of the highest order. I had ALL the Kenner action figures (Boba Fett being the most valuable to me). We had all the ships, the Rancor, Jabba's little palace thing, Hoth, the trash compactor etc...My cousins and I would spend HOURS choosing guys and ships and which part of the house would be our "base" (the living room couch was the most coveted, followed by the kitchen island). We live role played Star Wars every day after school...on lucky days I got to be Leia...on most days I was relegated to playing R2. I NEVER got to be Han or Chewie and certainly never got to pilot the Falcon (that was my oldest cousins gig). Our swingset was the Millenium Falcon, and my Huffy was a speeder bike. I had a stuffed Chewie that I treasured and the old school Star Wars bed sheets.

We lived, breathed, and bled Star Wars (every time I got whacked by a "lightsaber"...wrapping paper tubes we had taken markers to).

The movies that comprised episodes 1-3 were not my favorites. Were they anyone's? But I accepted them as canon, grudgingly. I really like Rogue One and Solo and I have enjoyed episodes 7 and 8...though they ain't Empire. My taste as a SW fan has always been called into question because I loved the Ewoks in Jedi and thought the battle was awesome.

So Disney claims they're building a STAR WARS land? Of course I'm excited...but where the heck is Batuu? When has this Black Spire Outpost ever been seen or even mentioned? The hackles on the back of my neck are already up. Disney is going to screw this up...I can already sense the disturbance in the force. However, I gave Pandora a shot even though Avatar was a meh movie, so I'm willing to give this Batuu a shot as well, but I am skeptical.


So we went to Batuu. September 10th.

It. Was. EVERYTHING.

Everything I didn't even know I wanted! I knew going in, that my beloved original trilogy wasn't what I was about to see. Instead I got to visit the universe in which it had taken place, and join in the story as we are currently seeing it unfold. As DH and I walked through the rock tunnel to go into the land and emerged on the other side, I began to tear up. We HAD stepped foot into the Star Wars UNIVERSE. Everything looked exactly as I imagined it would when my Kenner action figures had their own "base" on the couch in the living room (heavily fortified by the coffee table). In my minds eye, when 10 year old me was playing R2 and my bff was Threepio and we were smuggling plans to the Millenium Falcon through the backyards of our street on Long Island...it looked just like Batuu.

And the CM's were all in playing their roles. Stormtroopers were harassing guests. A lone CM standing near the doorway to a shop dove behind the door to hide from passing Stormtroopers even though nobody (but me) seemed to notice her do it. Chewie was outside just working on the Falcon at one point, and then another time he had grabbed a passing tourist and was having the guy help hide him as he made his way to his ship. We watched a CM in Resistance garb run up to a random couple and exclaim "we need you help for a mission...follow me!" and away they ran together.

DH and I spent hours...not enough hours...exploring, translating Aurabesh, hacking door panels and droids, helping Resistance fighters and harassing the Stormtroopers right back. We soaked in the details...things we recognized from years of watching, and rewatching, and rewatching and rewatching the original trilogy. I mean how else would you know the water fountain monster was the same type of creature Luke met in the trash compactor?? We people watched (mostly the CM's). And loved every second of it. We interacted...the more we played, the more the CM's did. It was a hoot! I can only imagine what Rise of The Resistance will bring to the table.

We rode the Falcon THREE times and I got to hang out in the ship! It looked just like my swingset did in my mind.

And yeah...I finally got to pilot the Falcon. It was everything.

I wish there was a LOVE button for your post! I am just a few years older than you and am an original trilogy lover as well...I am going end of October and definitely want to see SWGE...I was leary also on how I'll feel about it but from your post I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT! (Ps...I loved the EWOKS too )... I'm hoping to see Chewy while there as he's my favorite!

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Speaking for no one but myself, and DH, we loved everything about SWGE. It's not for everyone, just like any other land/ride etc Disney has built. But let me tell you why it was for me (if anyone cares).

I'm a 43 year old woman. I am an original trilogy lover of the highest order. I had ALL the Kenner action figures (Boba Fett being the most valuable to me). We had all the ships, the Rancor, Jabba's little palace thing, Hoth, the trash compactor etc...My cousins and I would spend HOURS choosing guys and ships and which part of the house would be our "base" (the living room couch was the most coveted, followed by the kitchen island). We live role played Star Wars every day after school...on lucky days I got to be Leia...on most days I was relegated to playing R2. I NEVER got to be Han or Chewie and certainly never got to pilot the Falcon (that was my oldest cousins gig). Our swingset was the Millenium Falcon, and my Huffy was a speeder bike. I had a stuffed Chewie that I treasured and the old school Star Wars bed sheets.

We lived, breathed, and bled Star Wars (every time I got whacked by a "lightsaber"...wrapping paper tubes we had taken markers to).

The movies that comprised episodes 1-3 were not my favorites. Were they anyone's? But I accepted them as canon, grudgingly. I really like Rogue One and Solo and I have enjoyed episodes 7 and 8...though they ain't Empire. My taste as a SW fan has always been called into question because I loved the Ewoks in Jedi and thought the battle was awesome.

So Disney claims they're building a STAR WARS land? Of course I'm excited...but where the heck is Batuu? When has this Black Spire Outpost ever been seen or even mentioned? The hackles on the back of my neck are already up. Disney is going to screw this up...I can already sense the disturbance in the force. However, I gave Pandora a shot even though Avatar was a meh movie, so I'm willing to give this Batuu a shot as well, but I am skeptical.


So we went to Batuu. September 10th.

It. Was. EVERYTHING.

Everything I didn't even know I wanted! I knew going in, that my beloved original trilogy wasn't what I was about to see. Instead I got to visit the universe in which it had taken place, and join in the story as we are currently seeing it unfold. As DH and I walked through the rock tunnel to go into the land and emerged on the other side, I began to tear up. We HAD stepped foot into the Star Wars UNIVERSE. Everything looked exactly as I imagined it would when my Kenner action figures had their own "base" on the couch in the living room (heavily fortified by the coffee table). In my minds eye, when 10 year old me was playing R2 and my bff was Threepio and we were smuggling plans to the Millenium Falcon through the backyards of our street on Long Island...it looked just like Batuu.

And the CM's were all in playing their roles. Stormtroopers were harassing guests. A lone CM standing near the doorway to a shop dove behind the door to hide from passing Stormtroopers even though nobody (but me) seemed to notice her do it. Chewie was outside just working on the Falcon at one point, and then another time he had grabbed a passing tourist and was having the guy help hide him as he made his way to his ship. We watched a CM in Resistance garb run up to a random couple and exclaim "we need you help for a mission...follow me!" and away they ran together.

DH and I spent hours...not enough hours...exploring, translating Aurabesh, hacking door panels and droids, helping Resistance fighters and harassing the Stormtroopers right back. We soaked in the details...things we recognized from years of watching, and rewatching, and rewatching and rewatching the original trilogy. I mean how else would you know the water fountain monster was the same type of creature Luke met in the trash compactor?? We people watched (mostly the CM's). And loved every second of it. We interacted...the more we played, the more the CM's did. It was a hoot! I can only imagine what Rise of The Resistance will bring to the table.

We rode the Falcon THREE times and I got to hang out in the ship! It looked just like my swingset did in my mind.

And yeah...I finally got to pilot the Falcon. It was everything.

And this is the kind of story I like to see. People deem it a glorified shopping mall but clearly you didn't need to buy anything to get all you could out of the experience. I'm going the first week of December (very mixed feelings about RotR opening during my trip XD). I decided to make my arrival a none-or-one-ride day to pop into DHS and just explore Galaxy's Edge. I have all three reservations across three days (Savi's, Oga's, Droid) and want a chance to just take in the land. Depending on the wait time I may try for MSFR. I also hope to swear my allegiance to the First Order (I'm sure there's too many loyal to the Resistance so need to fix that). I really want to try out those data pad functions too.

 

[LanceQ]

It was everything.

This was a delightful read. So glad you enjoyed yourself. My experience was similar, but it seems like you had even MORE fun!

Thanks for sharing!

And this is the kind of story I like to see. People deem it a glorified shopping mall but clearly you didn't need to buy anything to get all you could out of the experience.

I bought exactly one bit of merch, a postcard booklet. Didn't even do Savi's or Droid Depot. I was still in the land for ten hours and had a ball. (that said, I did make 3 visits to Oga's, so they wrung some extra dough out of me after all...)

 

[nancipants]

I will eat my hat if Batuu doesn't show up or is at least referenced in The Rise of Skywalker.

 

[yulilin3]

I will eat my hat if Batuu doesn't show up or is at least referenced in The Rise of Skywalker.

I won't eat my hat but I agree. Either in mention of Batuu, BSO, Vi Moradi

 

[LanceQ]

I won't eat my hat but I agree. Either in mention of Batuu, BSO, Vi Moradi

I hope it's just a verbal reference to BSO and we don't actually see it. I can't imagine they'd loop in Vi Moradi.

 

[lowepg]

First, huge 50 yr old SW fanboy here.

I was VERY impressed with the theming at Galaxies Edge. I had hoped Disney would take a page from Universals treatment of Harry Potter- and they did. It was VERY immersive.
The ships were amazing, full size tie fighters, xwings and, of course, the falcon.
I thought the light saber event would be cheesy- it wasn't- it was awesome.

But, SR? I hate to say this- but I was disappointed. Honestly, I felt like "been here, done this." I rode it a few times to make sure.
One issue, if you are assigned a backseat role (gunner, engineer) your focus is to the side- away from the action on screen.... seemed like a poor choice.
Anyways, I don't regret getting up at 6am to tour the park last week- but SR was less than I had hoped for.