We initially got a Saturday 11am - 3pm timeslot, which was not ideal given the two hours of overlap between the first and third groups of the day. I kept checking with the SWGE booth and reservation line throughout yesterday, and we were able to score an 8 am - 12 pm timeslot last night.
We went to bed early and woke up early. Put in our mobile orders at Starbucks Downtown Disney West (by the
Lego Store), just as we headed out of our hotel room around 5:45 am. There was no line at the bag check near the DLH. Swung by Starbucks to grab our morning fuel. Got to the turnstiles shortly before 6 am, when they’d let SWGE guests in. Headed straight to Launch Bay to get our wristbands. Then they corralled us near Galactic Grill until about 6:40 am, when they led us along the path around the Matterhorn, through Fantasyland to wait in front of the gate to Big Thunder Ranch. EMH started at 7, and we were in Fantasyland before that! We could’ve headed over to Peter Pan right at 7 to take 2 or 3 trips over London, through Neverland and back before the morning crowds even arrived. But we thought they’d take us over to the entrance to Batuu right when the park opened for EMH and didn’t want to risk getting separated. Turns out, we waited in front of that gate until just about 7:50 am, when they finally led us over to Batuu and started scanning us in. My kiddo was a champ through the whole thing.
Once in, my wife and I had a strategy of splitting up. The time stamp on my text messages tell me we got in a little earlier than 8, about 7:56 or so. We weren’t right near the front, but were maybe in the front 1/3 of the pack. We knew from reading social media, the DIS, Reddit that Oga’s Cantina and Savi’s Workshop were the most popular. We decided not to build lightsabers, but my wife wanted to build droids with our kiddo. I wanted to get some Yub Nub tiki mugs and experience the cantina. So I headed straight to line up at Oga’s. Sure enough, within 2 minutes of the land opening, CMs were already going down the line to say that the line was for the waitlist at Oga’s and only one person from the party needed to be in line. That was fine since our plan was to get on the waitlist so my wife and little one would have time to build their droids. The line moved fast enough, and within 5 minutes or so of getting in line, I had a reservation with about a 30 minute return time. There are several CMs with “data pads” (beefed up smart phones) to take down your name, number in your party, and phone number to text you to return. You’re told when you receive your text, you have 10 minutes to return even though the text says 15.
I headed back to the Droid Depot where my wife had bought two of the Batuuan Spira gift cards and already lined up to build their droids. The Spira gift cards are made of metal and feels hefty like a big coin. They have a barcode on the back that can be scanned to make purchases in store and a number and pin that can be entered to make purchases online or for management on disneygiftcard .com. I had kind of gone back and forth whether to get this. It requires a $100 load, but doesn’t cost anything extra beyond that. But I buy my Disney gift cards at a minimum of 10% off, so it’s really a lost opportunity cost of at least a $10 savings. In the end, it was just too cool, and the idea of storing up to $1,000 in Disney credit on it, then flipping and twirling it around like a big alien coin was too much to resist. These are sold only at the Droid Depot and limited to 1 per person (my wife bought 2, one for her and one “for” our kiddo). It’s been reported that these Spira gift cards have been selling out, so she bought it first thing. I was tempted to pick another one up, since I do have quite a bit of discounted Disney gift cards accumulated throughout the year towards various trips, but I’ll be fine with just two and transferring balances over when one depletes.
Just as we got near the front of the droid building line, when they let you in to pick your parts off the conveyor belt, I got a text message to return to Oga’s. This was only about 10 minutes after I put my name down, and I had 15 minutes to return. My wife made a snap judgment that she’d rather build droids than check out the cantina, and sent me back to the cantina. I explained the situation to the cantina CM who was checking people in, and she was totally cool with letting us come back in 20-30 minutes after my wife and youngling had completed their droids. I rushed back to the Droid Depot where my wife was picking out parts at the conveyor belt, we built two droids, a CM activated them, and we were on our way in about 20 minutes. When we left the Droid Depot, a pretty sizable line had formed.
We returned to the cantina, the kind CM checked us in, and we waited only a few minutes before we were let in. The cantina is dimly lit, with alien animals and off putting liquids in tanks, an animatronic droid DJing loud music, and a slightly rude waitstaff. There are booths, but they seemed to be held for large parties or shared among several groups. We stood at a table in between the bar and booths. I didn’t notice any barstools, and there definitely isn’t a restroom in there. We ordered a Yub Nub and extra tiki mugs (same price with or without the drink), an Oga’s Obsession, which is like a Petri dish of blue tapioca balls and pop rocks; and a Batuu bites, which might seem exotic looking and tasting, but for anyone familiar with Asian snacks it’s just mostly togarashi tossed rice chips, nori with puffed rice chips, lotus root chips, wasabi peas, arare/mochi crunch. I felt a little(/lot) ripped off! We got a tip from our neighbors at the table to ask for coasters, and we’re given some gratis. They’re a little like the coasters given out at the Lamplight Lounge. We took a sip of the Yub Nub, and it was fine for a tropical cocktail but a bit sour, and we couldn’t exactly get smashed before 9 am with a kiddo in tow. We were in and out of there pretty quickly, although they tell you going in that there’s a 45 minute time limit on the experience and a 2 drink limit.
We rode the Millennium Falcon ride next. The line was 20 minutes, and it’s a pretty long queue experience. You walk through a hanger full of ships and droids, and incredible views of the Millennium Falcon parked out front. I think when SWGE opens up to the public later this month, the lines will be long in part because people will be taking pictures of the Falcon’s backside. The concept if the attraction is Ohnaka is doing some work for the Resistance and hiring a crew to take the Millennium Falcon on a mission to retrieve a power source (?). They divvy up the line into groups of 6, with 2 of each pilots, gunners, and engineers. The staging area is the room in the Millennium Falcon with the holographic alien “chess” table and you’re led into a cockpit with 6 seats. The ride itself is only about 5 minutes long, but it feels incredibly immersive, especially if you’re chosen as a pilot because you sit up front. We rode the ride altogether once, and my kiddo and I went back for another run while my wife checked out the shops. The second time around, the line was only about 15 minutes long. My youngling and I played pilot and gunner on our two rides.
I’ve got a little more to write, but I’m out of time so I’ll just leave this here.
Having the AP "helps" a little
