Tha Realest
Well-Known Member
Dad inner-monologue: “I have waited my whole life for this moment.”
Mom inner-monologue: “I cant believe I married a man-child. Also, where are the other rides?”
Child inner-monologue: “I better get to be a pilot”
-
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News Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Disneyland opening reports/reviews
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Dad inner-monologue: “I have waited my whole life for this moment.”
Mom inner-monologue: “I cant believe I married a man-child. Also, where are the other rides?”
Child inner-monologue: “I better get to be a pilot”
Mac Tonight
Well-Known Member
Before I start: a disclaimer. This mini-review is based strictly off 2 walk-thrus (afternoon and evening).
I did NOT: ride Smuggler's Run, eat anywhere, or even attempt to go into the Cantina, build a lightsaber or droid.
First, the positives:
-Overall, GE is an impressive feat of Imagineering. The scale is huge in the right parts. You can really tell that they wanted you to feel isolated and cut off from the rest of the park (whether that's smart or not is for another thread...).
-The Marketplace was really nice and as weird as it sounds, walking in from Frontierland was hugely impressive and probably my favorite part overall.
-The lights on the mountains at night are cool and give it a fun atmosphere.
But... now the rest.
-The land is confusing without a map. Walking in, literally nothing jumps out to let you know what anything is. After further investigation there are some vague signs that point you in general directions, but it was mostly us just trying to decipher hieroglyphics on walls. We walked into several shops simply because we didn't know what things were (We eventually found the Cantina on our second walk through). We found the droid depot too, but... I never found Savi's. And I thought I looked in every room. Oh well.
-In conjunction with that, apart from the ships, they really didn't seem to make much of an effort to connect the land to anything recognizably "Star Wars". It seemed fairly generic "intergalactic" in parts, and middle-eastern marketplace in another.
-The sound effects of ships taking off and landing was kind of cool, but I kept looking up expecting to see something. Nah. Nothing.
-The area around the Falcon is so densely packed in, and then you go out towards the outpost for ROTR and its like... where did SWL go? I don't know if they were intentionally trying to make it feel like two separate areas, but its like you left Star Wars Land for another place entirely.
-Another thing that struck me too was just how little of the mountains you really see on the ground apart from surrounding the Falcon. There was one part walking towards ROTR where I looked back and saw maybe one peak?
-As impressive as the Falcon is to see, its really hard to get a good picture with all of it in it. You have to settle for almost a side angle. It's not like the castle which looks impressive behind you. A big, wide, flat ship on the ground doesn't really make for a great photo op IMO.
-Speaking of photo ops... none. I saw only 2 Stormtroopers on both visits.
-Also, this is mostly on me, but I'm kinda annoyed I broke down and paid $5.50 for a grenade-shaped Diet Coke. Good job Disney, you got me.
I did NOT: ride Smuggler's Run, eat anywhere, or even attempt to go into the Cantina, build a lightsaber or droid.
First, the positives:
-Overall, GE is an impressive feat of Imagineering. The scale is huge in the right parts. You can really tell that they wanted you to feel isolated and cut off from the rest of the park (whether that's smart or not is for another thread...).
-The Marketplace was really nice and as weird as it sounds, walking in from Frontierland was hugely impressive and probably my favorite part overall.
-The lights on the mountains at night are cool and give it a fun atmosphere.
But... now the rest.
-The land is confusing without a map. Walking in, literally nothing jumps out to let you know what anything is. After further investigation there are some vague signs that point you in general directions, but it was mostly us just trying to decipher hieroglyphics on walls. We walked into several shops simply because we didn't know what things were (We eventually found the Cantina on our second walk through). We found the droid depot too, but... I never found Savi's. And I thought I looked in every room. Oh well.
-In conjunction with that, apart from the ships, they really didn't seem to make much of an effort to connect the land to anything recognizably "Star Wars". It seemed fairly generic "intergalactic" in parts, and middle-eastern marketplace in another.
-The sound effects of ships taking off and landing was kind of cool, but I kept looking up expecting to see something. Nah. Nothing.
-The area around the Falcon is so densely packed in, and then you go out towards the outpost for ROTR and its like... where did SWL go? I don't know if they were intentionally trying to make it feel like two separate areas, but its like you left Star Wars Land for another place entirely.
-Another thing that struck me too was just how little of the mountains you really see on the ground apart from surrounding the Falcon. There was one part walking towards ROTR where I looked back and saw maybe one peak?
-As impressive as the Falcon is to see, its really hard to get a good picture with all of it in it. You have to settle for almost a side angle. It's not like the castle which looks impressive behind you. A big, wide, flat ship on the ground doesn't really make for a great photo op IMO.
-Speaking of photo ops... none. I saw only 2 Stormtroopers on both visits.
-Also, this is mostly on me, but I'm kinda annoyed I broke down and paid $5.50 for a grenade-shaped Diet Coke. Good job Disney, you got me.
Last edited:
Monorail_Orange
Well-Known Member
Just got back from a week at DLR, and went to GE several times. Here's my thoughts after seeing some things first-hand:
The "land" overall:
Has an intriguing feel. After walking through, I got the idea that Batuu may have been designed with the concept of being something of a set-up for Ep. 9 - as in this war torn, but functional, planet is the new norm for the galaxy far, far, away under Kylo Ren's "loving" First Order dictatorship. Meanwhile, the Resistance is out there, hidden, but pulling itself together for the right moment. The ships are convincing as props, if WDI had found a way to make them actually move or "fly," I think people would be absolutely stunned into suspension of disbelief. I don't know how such an effect would be practical, either physically or financially, but it would have been a "Potter-swatter" moment had it been accomplished.
Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run:
First off, has anyone else noticed that the cockpit on the prop Falcon out front has the same 6-seat cockpit that is in the ride?
The queue is visually stunning, but I agree with those of you who point out the garage lacks kinetics. It feels like there should be some kind of workers present, be it droids or mechanics (animatronic or live actors). I also agree that the opaque window in the corner feels like there should have been something you can see behind it. I disagree with those that say the comm voices are pointless; first off, they're pretty funny, but they also serve to convey who Hondo is. This is especially useful for those who didn't watch Star Wars: Rebels, and don't know anything about him. The Hondo AA and projection window (screen!) behind him is incredible. The use of the Hondo character works well in this application, and everything feels right there. (I was/am a huge fan of the Rebels series, and liked the character from there, so I admit I have some bias.) The "jetbridge" hallway clearly connects to the docking port on the side of the Falcon, you can actually see the some of the hull/docking port as you go from the "role assignment circle" into the chess room. While it's not our beloved ramp from underneath, it works, and is canon-correct. The interior of the Falcon is well done at every turn beyond this, including the cockpit. I was able to experience every position, and while the pilots are best, gunner and engineer were fun, but could be improved (i.e. engineer performance affects how damaged the Falcon was by the pilots. The ride is fun and convincing. The visuals are good, the "gameplay" is adequate, and the motion feels about right so that everyone can ride. I actually liked the mission. I think overall, this ride is being underrated on this board. Now, that having been said, it is not an E+ headliner that is meant to carry the land, that should be ROTR. But Falcon is a solid E, just like Star Tours, Soarin', or (gasp!) FoP.
The rest of my story:
Walking through the various shops, I don't have anything to add beyond what's already been said. I did not have the opportunity to check out the cantina. My oldest daughter and I both tried the blue and green milk, and neither one of us was impressed. Neither was bad, but neither was good. I can assure you we won't be getting any more unless and until there's a significant change. I guess I was wanting, or expecting something like a milkshake with flavor and coloring, and it's not that AT ALL. It has very little flavor, and what flavor it has has a taste that reminds me of the smell of freshly cut grass. (Strange way to explain it, I know, but taste and smell go hand-in-hand, taste especially the green, and I think you'll catch my drift.)
The "land" overall:
Has an intriguing feel. After walking through, I got the idea that Batuu may have been designed with the concept of being something of a set-up for Ep. 9 - as in this war torn, but functional, planet is the new norm for the galaxy far, far, away under Kylo Ren's "loving" First Order dictatorship. Meanwhile, the Resistance is out there, hidden, but pulling itself together for the right moment. The ships are convincing as props, if WDI had found a way to make them actually move or "fly," I think people would be absolutely stunned into suspension of disbelief. I don't know how such an effect would be practical, either physically or financially, but it would have been a "Potter-swatter" moment had it been accomplished.
Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run:
First off, has anyone else noticed that the cockpit on the prop Falcon out front has the same 6-seat cockpit that is in the ride?
The queue is visually stunning, but I agree with those of you who point out the garage lacks kinetics. It feels like there should be some kind of workers present, be it droids or mechanics (animatronic or live actors). I also agree that the opaque window in the corner feels like there should have been something you can see behind it. I disagree with those that say the comm voices are pointless; first off, they're pretty funny, but they also serve to convey who Hondo is. This is especially useful for those who didn't watch Star Wars: Rebels, and don't know anything about him. The Hondo AA and projection window (screen!) behind him is incredible. The use of the Hondo character works well in this application, and everything feels right there. (I was/am a huge fan of the Rebels series, and liked the character from there, so I admit I have some bias.) The "jetbridge" hallway clearly connects to the docking port on the side of the Falcon, you can actually see the some of the hull/docking port as you go from the "role assignment circle" into the chess room. While it's not our beloved ramp from underneath, it works, and is canon-correct. The interior of the Falcon is well done at every turn beyond this, including the cockpit. I was able to experience every position, and while the pilots are best, gunner and engineer were fun, but could be improved (i.e. engineer performance affects how damaged the Falcon was by the pilots. The ride is fun and convincing. The visuals are good, the "gameplay" is adequate, and the motion feels about right so that everyone can ride. I actually liked the mission. I think overall, this ride is being underrated on this board. Now, that having been said, it is not an E+ headliner that is meant to carry the land, that should be ROTR. But Falcon is a solid E, just like Star Tours, Soarin', or (gasp!) FoP.
The rest of my story:
Walking through the various shops, I don't have anything to add beyond what's already been said. I did not have the opportunity to check out the cantina. My oldest daughter and I both tried the blue and green milk, and neither one of us was impressed. Neither was bad, but neither was good. I can assure you we won't be getting any more unless and until there's a significant change. I guess I was wanting, or expecting something like a milkshake with flavor and coloring, and it's not that AT ALL. It has very little flavor, and what flavor it has has a taste that reminds me of the smell of freshly cut grass. (Strange way to explain it, I know, but taste and smell go hand-in-hand, taste especially the green, and I think you'll catch my drift.)
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Agree mostly but I’ll just say it’s an E ticket experience for Pilots and a D or C ticket experience for everyone else. Also I think that Hondos room to the Chess room is the weak link in the progression of boarding the Falcon. My take is you re kind of meandering around this garage and end up in Hondos room. Which I’m not sure what that room is even supposed to be. Then you all of a sudden you kind of feel like you re at the airport and then you re In the chess room. The chess room To the cockpit is solid enough for me to where I forget about the weaker transition that came before and it’s easier to suspend disbelief again. I would imagine this is kind of how the average Joe experiences this as well. I’m thinking if you re a super fan paying careful attention to every cue on the intercom and every detail in the pre show it could be different. I’m not sure what it is about that pre show but I tune the hell out. It just doesn’t grab my attention for whatever reason.
britain
Well-Known Member
Enough reviewing from afar. I have now been to Batuu myself! The time has come for...
The Definitive Review of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge
First off, look at these faces!
My party of 9 loved the queue, the bouncy jet-way floor, and of course the chess area. (One daughter now chooses to sound like Hondo whenever she facetiously acts like "What, I don't know what you're talking about?")
In our cockpit, I looked around to make sure there was no martini-downing @TP2000 with us as my moppets took the controls. Since he wasn't to be found, we took off!
The ride is a blast! I got to experience piloting and gunning. After all the online discussion about controls, and after being lulled into a sense of security by the YouTube videos, I was caught unawares by the movement of the motion base. The jump to lightspeed, the yank-fall down the pit, all thrilling and fun. I especially liked the finale with Chewie taking over remotely for some really dramatic movements around some of the spires. It felt just as thrilling as Star Tours, but better in that it didn't feel quite like 'watching a movie'.
The kids loved it too, and they closed out the park riding it a few times over and over again. My 14 year old son said he's now had his fill of the Falcon until they start adding additional missions to mix it up. The younger haven't had their fill. One of them really got into the app while in line, 'texting' Hondo. The app wasn't compelling/quick enough for this old man, but if the kids like it they must be doing something right.
None of us drink, so we passed on the Cantina. We can't afford Savi's or Build-a-Droid, so we passed on that too. But no matter. We loved soaking up the atmosphere, browsing through the cool items for sale, watching the sun set on the spires, trying to place where we've seen details in the shops before, etc.
The beigeness and the dryness? - eh, it feels like a sci-fi extension of Frontierland, so no problem, and the occassional saturated red or blue lights on ships and machines punctuate all the more this way.
The food was... fine. It better get better if there's going to be a sit-down restaurant. I did really enjoy my hot dog in pita bread.
The lack of the Star Wars music doesn't ruin the experience but I do think it's a miss. I get it, I'm supposed to 'be there' so I should be hearing ambient sounds. Sure sure - but I do think they could compromise and include classic Star Wars music at the tunnel entrances. Grizzly Peak Airstrip (by Soarin') benefits so much from "The Right Stuff" "Always" and "The American President" playing in the background. So would Galaxy's Edge.
It couldn't stand up on its own, but it doesn't have to. It's a land not a park. It doesn't NEED live entertainment, because New Orleans Square is nearby. It doesn't NEED a bunch of rides for little kids because Fantasyland is nearby.
It's a great addition which will just keep on getting better.
Other non-Star Wars trip observation: Broken AA's here and there in Splash, Pirates, etc. Pinocchio had a whole scene (Stromboli and the cage) with its light, sound, and animation turned off! C'mon!
The Definitive Review of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge
First off, look at these faces!
My party of 9 loved the queue, the bouncy jet-way floor, and of course the chess area. (One daughter now chooses to sound like Hondo whenever she facetiously acts like "What, I don't know what you're talking about?")
In our cockpit, I looked around to make sure there was no martini-downing @TP2000 with us as my moppets took the controls. Since he wasn't to be found, we took off!
The ride is a blast! I got to experience piloting and gunning. After all the online discussion about controls, and after being lulled into a sense of security by the YouTube videos, I was caught unawares by the movement of the motion base. The jump to lightspeed, the yank-fall down the pit, all thrilling and fun. I especially liked the finale with Chewie taking over remotely for some really dramatic movements around some of the spires. It felt just as thrilling as Star Tours, but better in that it didn't feel quite like 'watching a movie'.
The kids loved it too, and they closed out the park riding it a few times over and over again. My 14 year old son said he's now had his fill of the Falcon until they start adding additional missions to mix it up. The younger haven't had their fill. One of them really got into the app while in line, 'texting' Hondo. The app wasn't compelling/quick enough for this old man, but if the kids like it they must be doing something right.
None of us drink, so we passed on the Cantina. We can't afford Savi's or Build-a-Droid, so we passed on that too. But no matter. We loved soaking up the atmosphere, browsing through the cool items for sale, watching the sun set on the spires, trying to place where we've seen details in the shops before, etc.
The beigeness and the dryness? - eh, it feels like a sci-fi extension of Frontierland, so no problem, and the occassional saturated red or blue lights on ships and machines punctuate all the more this way.
The food was... fine. It better get better if there's going to be a sit-down restaurant. I did really enjoy my hot dog in pita bread.
The lack of the Star Wars music doesn't ruin the experience but I do think it's a miss. I get it, I'm supposed to 'be there' so I should be hearing ambient sounds. Sure sure - but I do think they could compromise and include classic Star Wars music at the tunnel entrances. Grizzly Peak Airstrip (by Soarin') benefits so much from "The Right Stuff" "Always" and "The American President" playing in the background. So would Galaxy's Edge.
It couldn't stand up on its own, but it doesn't have to. It's a land not a park. It doesn't NEED live entertainment, because New Orleans Square is nearby. It doesn't NEED a bunch of rides for little kids because Fantasyland is nearby.
It's a great addition which will just keep on getting better.
Other non-Star Wars trip observation: Broken AA's here and there in Splash, Pirates, etc. Pinocchio had a whole scene (Stromboli and the cage) with its light, sound, and animation turned off! C'mon!
Last edited:
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
They actually don't play music from Always in Grizzly Peak.
Sorry, one of my favorite movies. Had to correct you.
Sorry, one of my favorite movies. Had to correct you.
bclane
Well-Known Member
Great review! Thanks for posting it. On the music in Batuu, I was at DHS earlier today and watched the Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away stage show for the upteenth time. And I have to say it is always amazing to me how powerful that music is. I mean if you really analyze it, the stage show is kind of dumb imo...and yet I get the feels and am just captivated by the whole thing every time and it is always the music that does it (and of course just seeing those characters in person). At this point I don’t even care how it breaks immersion, I am convinced that Galaxy’s Edge will be better once they figure out how to bring more Star Wars music into the land. Heck just drop in memorials of the original hero’s in the land and play their themes in those areas. I bet if they placed a Princess Leia statue in Batuu somewhere and played her theme you’d have people hanging out there just to listen to the music. It really isn’t that difficult.
Monorail_Orange
Well-Known Member
I also forgot to add this point to my above post about Smuggler's Run, but has anyone else noticed that Hondo will react and comment if you've done the ride before?
The first time I noticed this, we were the first guests to walk into his room (it was the 2nd or 3rd go-round for us), and he immediately commented something to the effect of, "Oh, I see some of you have flown for me before! I'm surprised you've come back." I thought maybe it was the bluetooth/app, but made a note to wait and see if it happened again in the future. The next time we walked in Hondo's room we were among the last guests to enter, and even though he was already mid-spiel, when he got to a natural stopping point, he again said the bit about flying for him before, and being surprised we came back. So, a nice little touch there.
Also, one more nice little detail, the ride ending changes so you land back on Batuu where it appears daylight or nighttime depending on whether it's light or dark outside. That's a nice, clever attention to detail I also haven't seen mentioned elsewhere.
The first time I noticed this, we were the first guests to walk into his room (it was the 2nd or 3rd go-round for us), and he immediately commented something to the effect of, "Oh, I see some of you have flown for me before! I'm surprised you've come back." I thought maybe it was the bluetooth/app, but made a note to wait and see if it happened again in the future. The next time we walked in Hondo's room we were among the last guests to enter, and even though he was already mid-spiel, when he got to a natural stopping point, he again said the bit about flying for him before, and being surprised we came back. So, a nice little touch there.
Also, one more nice little detail, the ride ending changes so you land back on Batuu where it appears daylight or nighttime depending on whether it's light or dark outside. That's a nice, clever attention to detail I also haven't seen mentioned elsewhere.
britain
Well-Known Member
I actually have 8. The toddler couldn't ride the Falcon, so he was out with Grandma and Grandpa instead.
Mickeyboof
Well-Known Member
I loved this detail!
I didn’t think my app was working, because it never recognized I was in the Queue.
But I did notice Hondo greeting my party of three when paired with another first timer group!
Also, I do have to say it was exciting while at home in New York City, far far away from little Batuu, to open the datapad and get a notification my credits finally transferred!
We also translated the coke bottles, letter by letter.
Some fun was had from afar...!
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Wow that’s incredible. Here I was thinking I had my hands full with one. Glad you had. Great trip!
ProjectXBlog
Well-Known Member
for all the nitpicks and disappointments i have with the land, it is genuinely nice to see and hear about people who really loved and enjoyed it. thanks for your review!
Monorail_Orange
Well-Known Member
It's very well done. It is not a grand slam, arguably not quite a homerun, but it's very good. Indy would say, "It's good. It's very, very, good."
TROR
Well-Known Member
It's a double when you're trailing by three in the bottom of the ninth with no outs. It's not exactly what you need, but it could be the start of something if what follows is a bloop and a blast.
Mac Tonight
Well-Known Member
Agreed. Its something to get excited about, but not a true game-winner in this scenario. ROTR better be that blast.
Monorail_Orange
Well-Known Member
I also go back to what I said before, I kept getting the impression that GE is supposed to be something of a "prequel" to Rise of Skywalker. As in between ROTR and ROS, by December/January, this land might be looking better to us, or at least more a part of the galaxy FFA.
Mac Tonight
Well-Known Member
Well, let's hope so.
I may pass on ever riding Smuggler's Run due to motion sickness issues, so until ROTR opens, I'm really struggling to have a good reason to make a return trip right now.
Monorail_Orange
Well-Known Member
Understood, and sorry to hear motion sickness got you. I really enjoyed the ride, as did both of my daughters (ages 8 and 4)(but, luckily for us, none of us typically get motion sickness) and will do it again anytime I get the opportunity, no matter which coast I'm on.