Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World (Star Wars Galaxy's Edge)

LOCATION

Hollywood Studies, previously known as MGM Studios, is one of the four main theme parks at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

AMENITIES & UNIQUE FEATURES

Hollywood Studios is home to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The newly constructed part of the park (opened September 2019) is the biggest hit in Walt Disney World that resembles several locations and rides from the series. Here are some of the stand-out features of the newest addition to the theme park:

Rides:

• Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

• Star Tours – The Adventure Continues (right outside entrance to Galaxy’s Edge)

Activities:

• Meet & Greet - with characters such as Chewbacca, Darth Vader, BB-8, R2-D2, Kylo Ren

• Oga’s Cantina - with Star Wars’ beverages

• Droid Depot – customize & assemble your own electronic droid

• Savi’s Workshop – make you own lightsaber!

MUST-DO’S

• Get there early to reserve a spot for Rise of the Resistance (See Review for explanation)

• Spend some time in Oga’s Cantina for some light snacks & a drink

• Bring home a souvenir, after creating a droid or a lightsaber

REVIEW

Overall, Hollywood Studios was a very enjoyable time! I had been to Hollywood Studios, when it was known as MGM Studios, when I was a little kid. So, I noticed although there were new attractions and locations within the theme park, it stayed true to its authentic, original self. While I do mention Hollywood Studios as a whole, I wanted to focus this review on Galaxy’s Edge.

As it opened a few months prior to us going to the park during the winter holidays, I knew that this was the place my family & I was looking forward to seeing. As a child, I absolutely loved Star Wars. Somewhere along the line, I lost a lot of that passion and interest – probably because I got old haha. But coming to Hollywood Studios and seeing the incredible amount of detail Disney put into constructing & developing Galaxy’s Edge, it brought me back to all those feelings and passions of Star Wars I had as a child. I felt like a child walking through this part of the theme park. And I had a huge appreciation for what they were able to do, down to the details of the ships, mountains, village, and ultimately the rides and activities. If at any point in your life you have had a love for Star Wars, I promise that you will have a great time in Hollywood Studios!

Here are some tips when trying to navigate everything and get the most of your time here.

First, through their mobile app, Disney allows you to make reservations for certain rides when you enter the park. The “main ride” in Galaxy’s Edge is the Rise of the Resistance. The only way to get on this ride is to show up as soon as the park opens to obtain a Boarding Number. Throughout the day, a window of boarding numbers will appear on the app, allowing you to go to the ride to claim your spot (ex. Starting the morning is 0-15, then in an hour or so 15-30, etc.). They sell out very fast, so my recommendation is to get there as early as possible to not miss out on the opportunity. My cousin and her family woke up at the crack of dawn to do just that, and still got a Boarding Number in the 80s. The did not end up on the ride until 7PM at night.

Second, if you want to ride the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and do not want to wait in the 2-3-hour line, there is another option. My family and I went into the Individual Riders line, where they will split you up if they need a person or two on each ship, as the ride is meant for a group of 6. We waited at most 45 minutes and saved a lot of time, as opposed to some of our cousins who went an hour or so earlier and practically got to the ride around the same time.

Third, if you can hold out, make the most of the final hours of the park. Since tickets for the park around winter holidays (Blackout Dates) are relatively pricey, we knew we were going to stay at the park almost until they closed. We found that, in the final hours before closing, Galaxy’s Edge was not as packed as it was throughout the day. We were able to get into many of the activities in reduced time compared to if we tried to do so during the middle of the day. If you can wait until the evening, or if you have a park hopping pass, spending the evening there may be the way to go!