If You Only Do 3 Things At Disney's New Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Make It These

If you’ve taken the plunge and decided to be one of the pioneer visitors of Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, first of all, props — I dare any of the most unflappable Resistance pilots to brave navigating the crowds you’re about to face. But given the size of said crowds, you might want to account for the fact that you may not be able to do everything on your list in one visit, and prioritize the best attractions at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge during your limited time there. After all, a little planning goes a long way.

It’s worth noting that Disneyland does have a form of crowd control in place — come June 24, once the reservations made for opening dates between May 31 and June 23 have ended, the Disneyland app will launch a “virtual queueing system” for guests with general parks admission, which will send a push notification once the park has enough room to accommodate more guests. That said, entry is not guaranteed, and even if you do get in, odds are it might be later in the day than you’d like. If that’s the case, it’s in your best interest to read up on what you can do in the new land before you go, to make sure you don’t miss something up your alley.

Disney invited me out to experience the park just before it opened, which is why I can tell you that the truth about this park is that in some ways there is no “best” attraction — the entire land is such an experience that it kind of throws out the rule book on what attractions actually are. So my first piece of advice is this: Take a breath. It may be your inclination to worry that you’re not going to get the “full experience” of the park, but even if the lines end up winding all the way around the Outer Rim, you’re going to have an unforgettable one. Aside from the rides, the park itself is full of hidden gems — from Easter eggs in the park’s design, to games you can play on the Play Disney Parks app, to surprise iconic guests who pop in every now and again.

That said, if you want to have the satisfaction of checking three solid things off your list when you get to the park, here are the three I most recommend.

1. Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run

Disneyland made this the main draw of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for a reason; this cross between a ride and an experience is so fully immersive that not only are you plunged into the Star Wars universe for the minutes that you’re there, but no two experiences on the ride will ever be the same. When you board the Millennium Falcon for an action-packed smuggling run, you join a crew of six, and will either be one of two pilots, two engineers, or two gunners, all with separate duties that make the experience wildly different every time you ride it. And it’s not just the roles that change, but the ride itself — based on how your team works together to complete your mission, you’ll end it in a completely different way every time, depending on how much damage you did to the ship or what potential mishaps you got into along the way. I managed to get on it three times and can tell you for a fact that every time we landed that ship, we had different degrees of damage (and once, allegedly, even a stowaway life form).

So yes, wait however long it is you have to wait to get on board this ride. My one pro-tip is, if you’re a gunner or an engineer, don’t get too worked up trying to figure out the controls — you might miss some of the ridiculous stunning views as your ship leaves Batuu and plunges into hyperspace, and all of the shenanigans that come with it.

2. Get Yourself Some Blue Milk

Good news: No matter what time you get into the park, odds are you’ll be able to snag some Blue Milk from the Milk Stand, because the line moves fast. In fact, if you’re feeling nervous about it, you can even order it during a specific time window on the Disneyland mobile app, and then tap the app again during that time window to indicate you’re ready to pick it up. While the rest of the food in the park is immersive, unique, and will make even a non-Star Wars fan’s foodie dreams come true, the Blue Milk is arguably the most iconic item on offer, given its origins in the original movie franchise — if you’re going to put something on your “not to be missed” list, this one is easily achievable and, for fans, a satisfying answer to the decades-long question of what the heck Blue Milk tastes like. (Hint — it's frozen, fruity, and a perfect way to refresh yourself after being chased down and interrogated by Kylo Ren, which is a thing that can happen to you on Batuu.)

If you're feeling especially thirsty, you can also find out what Green Milk, the same milk that Luke drank on Ahch-To in The Last Jedi, tastes like ... for better or for worse.

3. Talk To One Of The Characters

Truly, odds are a character will talk to you before you talk to them — stormtroopers frequently make their rounds through the Black Spire Outpost, demanding to see ID from passerby and questioning them about whether they’ve seen possible Resistance activity on the premises. And while you may have the opportunity to dodge Kylo Ren, chat up Rey, or even steal a quick hug from Chewbacca, the real stories will come from the land’s “inhabitants,” the word Disneyland is swapping out for its iconic “cast members” moniker specifically for this new land. Each of the inhabitants has a rich backstory that will add new color and perspective to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and they are more than happy to help you uncover hidden parts of the park to boot.

Chances are if you’re already in the park, you’ll have time to wander and do so much more than these three things, without even having to seek them out — you’ll stumble on the vendors on Baatu’s market street, or encounter Kylo Ren seething as he exits a ship, or use the Play Disney Parks app to interact with droids, find hidden gems in the park, and even secretly fight for the Resistance or the First Order. So if you encounter wait times and long lines, don’t be intimidated or worried you won’t get a full experience during your time there. The land was designed in a way that puts a heck of a lot more emphasis on what’s outside of the lines than what’s on the other side of them (save for Smuggler’s Run, which is unequivocally worth the wait).

The reservations for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge between May 31 and June 23 are currently sold out, unless you book at one of Disneyland’s three hotels during that time and secure a reservation through the hotel booking; otherwise, the land is open to guests general parks admission starting June 24, letting groups of guests in a few at a time via the Disneyland app. Whenever you intend to go, may the Force be with you — hopefully with some Blue Milk to wash it all down.