At long last, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has opened to guests at Disneyland (June 24th). For most of June, you could see the land if you were lucky enough to get a reservation, but beginning today, anyone with a ticket to Disneyland can make a mad dash to the land.
We are live on the scene and will be covering opening day for you. The information below contains suggestions on accessing Galaxy’s Edge, the Cantina, the Lightsaber workshop, Droid Depot, and tips on experiencing the Millennium Falcon ride. We’ll also be updating this article with conditions from the park throughout the day. So be sure to check back to see how busy the park is, if Galaxy’s Edge reaches capacity, and if the resort has enough parking.
And don’t miss today’s regular Disneyland Update HERE. We have a lot of amazing photos and news for you from Beyond the edge of the galaxy!
Opening Day Updates
And keep reading below the opening day updates for info and tips on accessing Galaxy’s Edge.
- 6 am – There’s just a handful of guests waiting at the front gate.
- 6:45am – Guest Relations walking the lines to answer questions about how to access Galaxy’s Edge and get Lightsaber and Cantina reservations.
- 7 am -Lines still short. Only stretch to Monorail beam. Front gates about to open for Main Street holding.
- 7am – Oga and Savi’s Workshop reservations now open.
- 8:15 – 290 minute wait for Falcon.
- 8:30 – Boarding Groups now required for Galaxy’s Edge. You must be in the park to schedule yourself in a Boarding Group (see below for details)
- 8:30 – 190 Minute wait for Falcon (don’t worry, it gets better)
- 8:30 – Meanwhile, the longest wait for all other attractions in the park is 15 minutes.
- 8:45am – Enjoyable conditions at Disneyland. Most rides under 10 minutes.
- The first boarding group hasn’t entered yet. However, here is what the signs look like in the park.
- Dusty Sage made it to Oga’s with no wasted time. The reservation system is working well.
- 9:20 am –One of our readers reports that the Boarding Group process was buggy. It crashed before confirming his earlier reservation. When returning, he gets this analysis screen:
9:27 am – The new boarding process seems to work pretty well. They can fine tune the number of people in the land. Unfortunately, all Cantina and Savi reservations are booked for the day (they opened additional spots later), leaving just shopping, eating and the Falcon for later visitors.
- 9:35 am – Random times for Oga’s are becoming available. Some are for as early as 5 PM (albeit for small parties of 1-2). If you keep checking you might be able to get a reservation for tonight for a small group.
- 10:00 am – Falcon waits have been erratic. Just moments ago it was 30 minutes. Now it’s at 40. We don’t expect a super long line again today.
- 10:25 am – For those who were afraid they couldn’t get into Galaxy’s Edge on opening day, there is a new hope. It’s nearly 10:30, and there are still boarding groups available for early afternoon.
- 10:35 am – Those visiting Galaxy’s Edge at park opening were sent to the Critter Country entrance. All other groups are entering now from the Big Thunder Trail entrance.
There are new sign boards in locations throughout the park to let guests know what groups can now enter the land and the approximate time of day new boarding requests will likely be called.
- 10:50 am – The park is empty.
- 10:59 am – Opening day (5/31) merchandise is still available. Houston, do we have a problem?
5pm – The land is now in “OPEN” status, meaning you no longer need a boarding group.
We’ll end our opening day coverage there. The entire Resort area was shockingly uncrowded today, and not just because Galaxy’s Edge was pulling people away. The parking lots weren’t close to full, area hotels are suffering low occupancy, restaurants in Downtown Disney sat mostly empty, and you could fire a cannon in DCA and not hit anyone. If you’ve been afraid to visit during the opening weeks of Galaxy’s Edge, it might actually be your golden opportunity.
Give our partners at Get Away Today a look, they can help you with Discount hotel rooms and park tickets.
How to Visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Our tips below assume a certain level of Resort crowding which did not materialize on opening day. Your experience should be easier than indicated, but always good to be prepared for the worst.
Resort Parking
Be prepared for delays and possible rerouting. Disneyland Resort has two main parking lots: Mickey and Friends on the North/West side of the resort, and Toy Story to the South of the resort across from the Anaheim Convention Center. While the new Pixar Pals Parking structure is VERY close to completion, it is not expected to be ready in time for Monday the 24th. However, it will likely be added to the resort parking network VERY soon.
Lining Up
Check the Disneyland App or Disneyland.com for park hours. We suggest allowing 90 minutes for parking and getting to the front gate. Try to arrive by the time the park opens. There is no “line” for Galaxy’s Edge, you simply line up at any open entry turnstile as you would on any day.
Getting into Galaxy’s Edge
When the park opens, Galaxy’s Edge will be treated like any other land at Disneyland. However, when conditions in the land become too crowded, the pathway to Galaxy’s Edge will be closed and Disneyland will implement virtual queuing, called “Boarding Groups” in the App and on park signage.
You’ll quickly be able to determine if the land is open or if it is utilizing Boarding Groups by checking the Disneyland App or digital signage placed throughout the park.
It’s our suggestion to arrive at opening if you wish to ensure entry to Galaxy’s Edge.
Use The Disneyland App
The simplest way to determine access and availability of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is to use the Disneyland App.
A Star Wars section in the app will quickly show you if the land is open for visits or requiring a Boarding Group. You can enter a Boarding Group via the app once you have scanned your admission media at the front gate.
How to get a Boarding Group via the app:
Simply open the app, tap on the Boarding Group section, add the members of your party and you are good to go. If you have notifications enabled, you’ll get a text message when it is time to head to Galaxy’s Edge. You’ll have 2 hours to make your way to the new land.
How to obtain a Boarding Group without the app:
You also have the option of obtaining a boarding group at several Fastpass locations throughout the park. At this time, those locations are planned to be the current Fastpass distribution for Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Indy, Splash Mountain, and Matterhorn/Small World (near the old Motorboat Cruise Dock)
Digital signage throughout the park will show which boarding groups can now enter Galaxy’s Edge. You can also ask Guest Relations cast members.
Set up your Disneyland App
To avoid any stress, it’s a good idea for you to set up your Disneyland App BEFORE you visit Disneyland. Make sure that your ticket is linked to your account, and familiarize yourself with logging in.
Getting a Reservation for Oga’s Cantina and Savi’s Workshop (Lightsaber building)
These two popular attractions in Galaxy’s Edge will require advance reservations! You’ll be able to make those reservations via the Disneyland website or the Disneyland App beginning at 7am each day (from June 24th, until further notice). There’s one other BIG perk to making a reservation . . .
If you do obtain a reservation, it also serves as your boarding group and guarantees that you and your party will have access to Galaxy’s Edge beginning one hour before your scheduled reservation! Oga’s Cantina allows you to have a party of any size (yes, you can have a party of more than 6), but you will need to add their names and will be charged $10 per person that doesn’t show.
Savi’s Workshop allows the builder and 2 guests to enter the facility (but you can bring a total party size of up to 6 into the land). You will be charged the $200 builder fee in advance and it is nonrefundable if you don’t show up to your reservation!
No reservations are expected to be required for the Droid Depot at this time. A regular queue will be available just outside the front door.
Ride the Falcon
With only one ride open in the land, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is very likely to have long waits from the moment the land opens until the park closes at night. FastPass is NOT expected to be used on this attraction during the early months of operation. If the posted wait is too long, consider Single Rider. You’ll miss out on some of the beautiful queue details, but you’ll get on the ride much quicker.
If you are disabled and know that it will take you longer than the average guest to load into the Falcon, please let a cast member know when you arrive in the Crew Hold area (that’s the Holo-Chess room just before you board). There are special pods for Disabled guests which offer the same experience but without the stress of having to load quickly.
How Busy Will It Be?
Disneyland is preparing for the worst. But there are signs that it may not be too crowded (at least after the 24th). Hotel bookings in the Anaheim area are significantly down from last year. And with many annual passes blocked from Disneyland through the summer, it’s quite possible that the swarm of tourists won’t show up at all (at least not until the next disturbance in the Force when the Rise of the Resistance attraction opens later this year).
We posted a MiceChat Podcast about this very issue (among others).
Direct Download | Listen on iTunes
We’d like to hear your thoughts on that. Have you visited Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? What are your tips? What did you like most and least? Is it worth buying a glass of Blue Milk? Help your fellow guests know how best to allocate their time and money in Disney’s newest land.
There’s more than Star Wars today folks, don’t miss our Disneyland Update:
Good luck out there, and may the Force be with you!
Discount Theme Park Tickets and Travel
MiceChat’s partners at Get Away Today offer you amazing savings on Disney tickets and travel.
Discount Tickets and travel – HERE
ALL of our Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge news, photos and reviews HERE:
