Welcome back to the Disneyland Resort! It’s been a really busy week with tons of Galaxy’s Edge news, Food and Wine Festival’s big return to California Adventure, an opening window for Jessie’s Critter Carousel, walls coming down around Main Street USA, a preview for Dumbo, and a whole bunch of little things. We’ve been busy trying to keep track of it all for you. We’ve highlighted most of the action for you here, but make sure to keep your eyes open for links in this update to detailed articles on some of the biggest topics.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Reveals
This past week a massive amount of information was confirmed about the attractions, shops, and restaurants of Galaxy’s Edge. We’ve compiled some highlights, but if you want the full details, check out both our post on the attractions and Play app integration and our post on shops and restaurants.
Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
Smuggler’s Run is more than a fancy simulator, it’s meant to be a full-on Millennium Falcon experience. Guests will be able to roam the iconic ship’s lounge prior to launch with many surprises to be found like porgs (the land is set after The Last Jedi) and something alive under the floorboards.
The pre-show will be a sight to see with a new Hondo Ohnaka animatronic, which is said to be the second most complex animatronic Disney has ever made (the first being the Shaman on the Na’vi River Journey at Animal Kingdom).
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
This ride sounds like it’s going to be intense. There are essentially six distinct areas before you even board the ride vehicles. Here’s the process:
- Resistance base queue
- Pre-show with Rey, BB-8, and Poe
- Outside into a loading area for the shuttle to take you onto a mission (pictured in concept art below)
- A sort of “Star Tours Lite” experience on the shuttle with Nien-Numb where you’re captured
- Emerge onto a full-sized Star Destroyer’s hangar bay
- Shuffled along to detention cell for an encounter with Kylo Ren
- Finally being loaded into prison transports for a daring escape.
Whew, get all that? It’s a lot to take in, and I imagine it will be a similar feeling when we finally experience it in person this summer.
Disney Play App
We’ve now gotten a better picture of how the Play app will integrate with the land (spoiler alert: almost everywhere). Here are some basic functions of the app inside Galaxy’s Edge:
- Hack: interact with First Order surveillance systems and either shut them off or turn them on
- Scan and Translate: Learn more about Batuu and its inhabitants through translations and scanning of objects
- Eavesdropping: Tap into broadcasts from the Resistance, First Order, and other inhabitants of Black Spire Outpost
- Jobs: Pick up a job from one of the characters and run an errand for them.
Want to learn more? Head over to our Galaxy’s Edge Attractions and Play app post.
Shopping on Batuu
Disney has finally figured out how to make the shopping experience an attraction in itself. That’s particularly true for the 20-minute guided tour experience at Savi’s Workshop, where guests can build their own lightsabers. This sounds much more in-depth than any personal lightsaber experience so far, and it must be at $109 a pop (another $50 for the blade).
The other large store will be Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. One of the main features of this shop is that Dok-Ondar is a huge animatronic that will sit behind a desk and interact with guests and cast members (or well, his employees technically). He has a host of Jedi and Sith treasures as well as a ton of antiques on display (that are unfortunately not for sale).
Other shops include the Toydarian Toymaker which sells artisan-style plush characters, toys, and instruments, the Creature Stall where you can “adopt” your favorite Star Wars creature (as a toy or plushie), Resistance Supply which offers Resistance gear, First Order Cargo which offers First Order gear, and The Jewels of Bith which offers accessories.
One of the things that will make shopping in Galaxy’s Edge extra special is that everything is being produced specially for the land, you won’t find products that are offered at Target or Walmart, or anywhere else in the real world. Everything is meant to look like it’s handmade or collected by the shop owners in Galaxy’s Edge.
Eating Around the Outpost
There will also be plenty of places to grab a bite of your favorite Star Wars themed foods. I make a point of “theme” because all of the food around Black Spire Outpost is themed to food items you can find in-universe. There are no chickens in space, instead there are Tip-Yips. No cows, instead there are Ronto. At “Ronto Roasters,” you can pick up a Ronto Wrap (sausage and pork) that’s been cooked under an old podracer engine.
The main food outlet runs out of the kitchen of a modified transport ship high above the streets of the marketplace at an establishment called “Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo.” Chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs will be serving up a creative menu full of Star Wars themed creature dishes like Kaadu ribs (pork ribs), Braised Shaak Roast (pot roast), and Fried Endorian Tip-Yip (fried chicken). That transport ship (pictured above) is important as well, it’s in a place where it can be used to orient yourself when you’re walking around the outpost.
If you’re looking for an adult drink, Oga’s Cantina will be the only spot in Disneyland to pick one up (outside of Club 33). You can’t leave the cantina with one, though, all of the exotic colors, shapes, and garnishes worthy of a galaxy far, far away must be consumed inside the establishment.
Other dining locations will include Kata Saka’s Kettle, a quick snack location where you can get alien looking popcorn, and a Milk stand where they’ll be serving up (non-dairy) bantha blue and thala-siren green milk. The notion of non-dairy is pretty clever considering how hot it can be in both California and Florida during the summer. The drinks will be similar in texture to a smoothie.
Galaxy’s Edge Progress at Disneyland
To start off this look at the current progress of Galaxy’s Edge, I’d like to take a look at the locations of some of the newly announced shops and restaurants. Below is a map we put together to help you orient yourself (note the photo is from a November shot by Nearmap). We don’t have everything on here, but this will give you an overall feeling for the layout of the new land.
Here are the locations we can confirm for you:
And here it is again with some guesses as to where all the other places are (highlighted in red):
If you look under where I labeled “First Order HQ,” you’ll notice that there’s a little landing area. That’s where the First Order 709th Legion’s TIE Echelon will be. Fortunately for us, someone on Reddit leaked a photo of it being installed. It looks pretty intimidating, like a mixture of Kylo Ren’s command shuttle mixed with Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced.
The only thing I catch them bringing in is trees…
As for the facades, it looks like the backside of the rocks just needs a paint job. The structure sticking up that I mentioned last week now has mesh wiring for more rocks to be molded on.
The backside of these rocks are now starting to be enclosed too.
Inside the park, there’s a good amount to see from the Rivers of America. Unfortunately, I seem to have the worst of luck, I haven’t been able to shoot from the third deck of the Mark Twain for quite some time. I asked a cast member and he said it was related to staffing. If you are hoping to ride on the top deck, be sure to ask at the dock if the deck will be open before you board.
This spire has a bunch of steel beams sticking out of the top.
I did mean it when I said that you’re likely going to use Docking Bay 7’s transport ship as a location reference a lot. It seems like you can see it from multiple places in the village, which should really help you orient yourself in this alien land.
Wondering what the Critter Country entrance will look like? It’ll look like…Critter Country, at least for part of the walk just beyond the Hungry Bear Restaurant.
Getting geeky . . . Inside Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland, they’ve placed a little model of the marketplace in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. I thought it would be useful to point out where the model in Launch Bay is in relation to the actual land. It’s surrounded by important stuff.
Of course, there’s Mubo’s Droid Depot.
This should be near where the Milk Stand will be. Across from it is where the TIE Echelon will be parked.
The name of the village, Black Spire Outpost, comes from an onyx-black spire in the middle of town and I believe that formation is in the model here. Across from this is where Ronto Roasters will be.
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
Exhausted from our trip to Galaxy’s Edge, it’s time for a little refreshment and entertainment at Disney California Adventure, where the popular Food & Wine Festival has returned.
We spent most of the weekend trying as many of the new things as we could. 60% of the food this year is new and there are 21 venues to pick up food! Our big tip for the year is that you can order any item you want from ANY booth and pick it up with that receipt at the booth that makes the item.
New banners line the parade route:
AP Corner has moved to the Blue Sky Cellar, which is still hosting the Pixar Pier model.
Inside you can take a picture with this photo op, and pick up an AP button on your way out.
They’ve also got some AP-exclusive merchandise on display.
Below we’ve compiled our top five items from the festival, but we’ve got a post of the entire menu and all the items we tried (a lot).
#1 Pepperoni Pizza Egg Rolls with Marinara and Pesto Sauce
Don’t wait to devour this snack. It’s like an amplified hot pocket but will go soggy if you take your time because it’s served atop a duo of sauces. If you are debating on getting this one, we say do it!
#2 Strawberry Float with Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, and Crunchy Cereal Garnish (non-alcoholic)
This float was so good that we gave it a photo shoot. It’s another one of those not-too-sweet treats which were refreshing and unexpected. The Captain Crunch cereal on the top really sealed the deal, making it our favorite beverage of the festival so far.
#3 Ham and Vella Jack Cheese Pinwheel with Smoked Pistachios
This was absolutely delicious. We did not expect this to be so good. The center is soft and cheesy and the outside is perfectly crisp. The pinwheel is the ideal treat to start your day.
#4 Chocolate-Peanut-Caramel Parfait (GF)
This tastes like a deconstructed Snickers bar with sea salt sprinkled on top. We are definitely going to get this one again.
#5 Harris Ranch Grilled Beef Tenderloin Slider with Chimichurri Sauce
We managed to get the first sliders from a freshly made batch and were delighted by how tender the meat was. The flavors work well together. It’s savory and is sure to be a festival favorite.
Honorable Mention: Chocolate Peanut Butter Churro (found at the new churro cart in the Hollywoodland Backlot)
This tasted like a Butterfinger brownie mashup. This churro might just be the best one on property. The peanut butter cream drizzled on top doesn’t make your mouth sticky and the peanut crumbles are a great finishing touch.
Want to see the rest of the items? Check out our full review of the festival – HERE
Jessie’s Critter Carousel
This week it was announced that the long-delayed opening of Jessie’s Critter Carousel will happen sometime in April. Jessie herself is already in place. You can see her peeking out over the construction walls.
They weren’t kidding when they said Jessie would be “larger than life,” she’s huge.
Jessie’s critters are popping up in details all around the carousel as well.
They’re even on the adorable cartoon mural along the back side of the attraction.
If you get a better vantage point, you might notice some of Jessie’s critters are already being installed on the carousel (the are covered in plastic wrap).
The rest of the critters are sitting backstage waiting to be installed.
Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind
There’s a lot of work being conducted on the other side of the pier as well, where Flik’s Flyers will become Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind. A good portion of the concrete for the platform has now been laid; notice the pattern:
It looks like the original Maliboomer pad is remaining, with the old queue reused for the new attraction.
You can see that new lighting for the attraction has already installed on the Incredicoaster.
Marvel Land Update
Phase One for Marvel Land continues. The former area for Flik’s Flyers and the other flat rides is still just a big dirt lot.
For whatever reason, there’s a very small piece of a wall still standing.
The Bug’s Land wrap on the restrooms hasn’t been removed either.
Out at the new entrance to the Spider-Man attraction (old Bug’s Life Theater), walls are being constructed.
The extension of the building is taking shape as well.
Project Stardust
Sleeping Beauty Castle
Back over at Disneyland, work is ongoing at Sleeping Beauty Castle.
A big crane was in the forecourt, covered in a green tarp.
Looks like they’re finally going to start on the roof repair.
Main Street USA
Over in Town Square, the sidewalk projects are starting to wrap up. The sidewalk near the Disney Showcase has been cut significantly to add more ADA accessibility to this area and eliminate part of the gridlock that would happen near the curb. As with the curb across the street, the brick colors and pattern have been changed to give guests a visual clue that the ground under them is sloped.
This sidewalk is now essentially the same as the one across from it.
I was walking through the area as operations were setting up for the parade. The tape lines near the Emporium were interesting, specifically the triangle right in the middle of the new ramp.
I’m not really sure what to make of this. It’s a little small for guests to sit and watch the parade.
Outside of City Hall, the walls are still up around the planter.
Dumbo Preview
The Opera House is currently hosting a sneak preview of Dumbo, which premieres in three weeks.
Depending on the angle you view him from, Dumbo can either look sweet or terrifying.
There are also some costumes and concept art on display.
A Dumbo film preview takes over the Lincoln theater as well.
Refurbishments
Mark Twain/Sailing Ship Columbia
The walls are still up around the dock in Frontierland. Hopefully, work finishes soon considering Fantasmic returns this Thursday.
The refurbishment on the Columbia seems to be done. We’ll be seeing it in Fantasmic starting Thursday.
French Market
Exterior work continues on the French Market, but the Mint Julep Bar should be returning this week.
Critter Country
There’s ongoing construction outside of the Hungry Bear Restaurant.
It looks like maybe some maintenance on pipes.
The exterior of the shops near the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh are getting some work done as well.
Space Mountain
Flights are canceled for the time being as Space Mountain is refurbished. The attraction will return on March 14th.
Currently, there are some tarps up around the Space Mountain FastPass machines.
Astro Orbitor
After a major refurbishment, the tower for the Astro Orbitor has returned. Right now it kind of looks like a big Coca-Cola bottle.
Path of the Jedi
After nearly five months of playing a preview for Ralph Breaks the Internet, the Star Wars Path of the Jedi clip show returned this week. For those of you who don’t feel up to speed on the Star Wars storyline, this is your cheatsheet.
While we’re not necessarily big fans of how old and outdated this show is (it’s still showing pre-Last Jedi clips), it’s still significantly more appropriate for the land than the Wreck-It Ralph preview. Still, if I had my choice, I’d much rather Captain EO be playing here until they can Imagineer a new attraction.
Here’s the full refurbishment list:
No End Date:
- Sleeping Beauty Castle Exterior: January 7th-Spring 2019
- Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough: January 17-Spring 2019
- Enchanted Chamber Gift Shop: January 17th-Spring 2019
- Silly Symphony Swings: starts March 4th
- Red Car Trolley starts April 1st
With End Date:
- Sailing Ship Columbia: January 21st-March 8th
- Fantasmic: January 21st-March 8th
- Space Mountain: February 25th-March 14th
- Indiana Jones Adventure: March 19th-21st
- Grizzly River Run: January 7th-March 28th
- Lube 0 Rama Gift Shop: February 25th-April 4th
- Astro Orbitor: January 7th-April 4th
This and That
While shooting photos of Star Wars land for you, I was able to pick up a few additional details in the area. Won’t if the residents of the Indian Village realize just how close they are to a galaxy far, far away?
The moose near Pirate’s Lair is now eating some plants, and the mouth moves again.
If you’re looking for Guest Relations in Fantasyland, they’ve permanently moved from the entrance of Dumbo to the other side, closer to Casey Jr.
Yesterday was unofficial Adventureland Day. Many guests were walking around in their best adventurer attire.
The Air Force flew over California Adventure yesterday to celebrate the upcoming release of Captain Marvel. The Air Force were major collaborators for the film, as Carol Danvers is a pilot and many scenes will be authentic.
Speaking of Captain Marvel, she’ll be appearing in the park starting this Friday, March 8th.
Across from Soarin’, the walls around the refreshment area came down this week. They added a nice tarp covering to create some shade along with some cool string lights. The shade will be much appreciated during the summer, especially in a spot meant to purchase cold refreshments!
Mickey and Friends is being set up with sensors to tell guests how many parking spots are available and where to find them. If you’ve seen them at Disney Springs or other malls, it’s really handy. It’ll also help the cast members be more accurate in where to send guests to find a spot. They may also reduce the staffing need for the structure.
And that’s it from the Disneyland Resort for today! There’s so much going on right now, are you overwhelmed? Let us know your thoughts on Galaxy’s Edge, Food and Wine, or any of the projects going on right now at the Happiest Place on Earth!
Today’s update was brought to you by:
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