Day at Disneyland: In A Galaxy Far, Far Away

The big day had finally arrived. Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

It began as many do, waiting in line for the happiest parking structure in Orange County to open at 7:30 am. We were second in line, in our lane. Eventually, we were awarded a very up-front spot on the fifth floor in the new Pixar part of the garage. The security check and tram ride went quickly and we were inside Disneyland in less than 20 minutes. Medication was quickly checked in at First Aid and a large locker was procured. Quick thinking led to a good spot in front of the Frontierland gates. All seemed ready to proceed on target.

The Internet had spoken and we were heeding advice to enter Star Wars: Galaxies Edge via the center entrance from the Big Thunder Trail. And so were a whole lot of other guests. Shortly before 8 am, the voice of Bill Rogers welcomed us all to Disneyland and gave a brief introduction, including the admonishment to walk to the first destination of our day in the Park.

Now, that’s all fine and well. But the reality is that some folks go from a brisk walk to a trot to jogging and outright running. And as I am just returning to walking in good shoes after healing my foot, I am not going to keep up with them in any fashion. Our goal was to start the day with Disneyland’s most popular attraction, Rise of the Resistance. A nice idea, but one shared by everyone else on the move from the Hub. By the time we finally got in line for the attraction, we were facing at least an hour of waiting in line. Frankly, not what I had in mind by any means.

One of the advantages of the Disneyland app for the phone is that you can pivot based on the information it provides. And that’s just what we did. Having linked our tickets previously, I was able to purchase Lightning Lane for both of us for Rise of the Resistance with a return time of less than 2 hours later. Another bonus was learning that Smuggler’s Run had a standby time of less than 5 minutes. So guess what we did next?

To this point, my impression of Galaxy’s Edge wasn’t much. It had not made a connection to any memories from watching the films of the Star Wars franchise. Until we turned a corner and were greeted by the scene above.

The Millenium Falcon.

Not a model or a miniature. Full size. Right there in front of us.

Insert popular descriptive adjectives here.

It was at that moment that I fully bought into being at the Black Spire Outpost on Baatu. And just as the image shows, no one standing in front of it.

Damn.

A few quick images were captured and we were off through the queue of Smuggler’s Run. An introduction into what lay ahead and we were quickly off on our mission..

A few minutes later we find ourselves being assigned our roles aboard the Falcon. I’m the left pilot controlling up and down; K.D. is the right pilot controlling left and right. We barely had time to register what was about to happen when we were ushered to our cockpit seats. And away we went…

As J. Thaddeus Toad might describe it, indeed a “wild ride”. One in which our crew managed to get back with cargo intact and not a great deal of damage to the ship, getting the accolades and ranking of Pirate Crew.

Oh, and I was a pilot of the fastest hunk of junk. One that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

Breakfast?

K.D. captured her own set of images of the area as I headed off to start my daily refrigerated medication from the folks at First Aid. I can’t overstate how great this ability is. We agreed to meet at the Jolly Holiday Bakery where we each had the Bacon and Egg Croissant with coffee to get us going. It also came with a side of fruit.

Properly fed and still enjoying our Pirate ranking, we headed back to take a more leisurely arrival at the Black Spire outpost. It was great to be able to take in more of the detail as we made our way at a less hectic pace.

Here’s one of those details. An animatronic horse just up a trail off the beaten path back into the Outpost. Sharp-eyed Disney park fans may recall that an Indian village is just below along the shores of the Rivers of America in Frontierland. Sure, it’s only a horse, but it is the kind of detail that helps bring an otherwise empty space to life.

Speaking of details, the whole area of the Black Spire Outpost is chock full of them. Enough to keep the casual fan interested and enough to make the dedicated faithful swoon at what lies in store at first glance. This X-Wing fighter is going through a series of engine cycles as it rests here. It doesn’t need a lot of imagination to see it lifting off on a Resistance mission.

Our time came quickly and we walked right on to the Rise of the Resistance attraction. Again plenty of pre-show elements draw you right in. Before you know it, you are aboard a transport heading out from the Resistance base, only to have the ship commandeered by the First Order. No spoilers ahead but the attraction combines some great interactions with Cast Members and trackless ride technology. Yes, it’s a solid E-Ticket.

We took advantage of the layout of the area to explore a bit as we headed for our next adventure in Toontown with Mickey’s Runaway Railway. The three specific areas work well giving guests something to see and do in each. Be it shops or attractions, there is plenty going on. And we would return later on in the afternoon to take in more of the area with a visit to Oga’s Cantina.

You may recall that I shared some thoughts earlier in this space on entertainment. Galaxy’s Edge does both active and inactive entertainment quite well. Choose to participate with the cast here and you can play the role you want in the story. Plenty of interactions can be had, even if you don’t intend to. The guests I saw with both Stormtroopers and Kylo Ren were light-hearted moments, but they were the kind of magic that make memories that will last a lifetime. It was extremely well played all around.

After all of it, I was kind of jealous. Because it works, as far as it goes. There is plenty of room for more and we have seen some additions – namely Boba Fett and the Mandalorian (with baby Grogu). Here’s hoping for more to come.

If only other franchises had given fans and theme park guests more entertainment along this line. Well, yes, Universal has Harry Potter. Why couldn’t Paramount Parks have done this for Star Trek?

In the next chapter? Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway goes down for the count…