Day Two February 26, 2021
part three
After refreshing lunch, I still had some time before my ROR boarding group was scheduled to be called. I decided to check to see if MMRR was open before heading over to Galaxy’s Edge. It was indeed open, posting a 35 minute wait. At this point I did make the decision to save my guest recovery pass to use on the Millennium Falcon. So back in line for the second time. Now by this time the heat had begun to build. Be advised of the majority of this line is uncovered on concrete. If it was that hot in February I can’t imagine what this line will be like in July!
I admit I did breathe a sigh of relief when I got on the ride in past the point where it broke down earlier in the day!
Basically the theme of the ride as you are stuck in various classic Mickey Mouse cartoons.
My impression of the ride? Meh. I don’t know if my experience was tainted by being evacuated from a ride earlier in the day or maybe the attraction suffers from the lack of pre- show. I really really loved the Great Movie Ride, I wish they could bring back something like that.
As I was exiting, my boarding group for ROR was called!
I loved the theming of the queue! And it is not exposed to the elements. I really did feel as though I was descending into a secret rebel base on a planet far far away.
I LOVED THIS ATTRACTION!
I am not going to post any pictures here, as I assiduously avoided seeing pictures beforehand so that I did not ruin my first experience. Trust me when I tell you that it is one of the few things that actually live up it’s hype!
Side note: I love all the Harry Potter stuff at Universal Studios and was blown away by the theming there. I can take or leave the rest of Universal. While there are more attractions in the Harry Potter stuff at Universal, it is split between two parks, requiring separate admission tickets. Also, one cannot ride the Hogwarts Express train if you do not have a multi-park ticket. I think that Hagrid‘s Motorbikes is the best ride in Orlando, but I like that the attractions at Galaxy’s Edge are more immersive. You are actually a participant in the attraction rather than a recipient.
Currently you have to wait in a line to enter the marketplace then wait in individual lines to enter the stalls. I honestly can’t wait to revisit when the social distancing requirements are relaxed as I think this takes away from experiencing the hustle and bustle an outdoor market.
Upon exiting the marketplace I ran into an old friend!
Kylo Ren is in town
As a Gen X’er what a thrill to see the Millennium Falcon for the first time!!
It was about 3 PM at this point, and even though it was late February it was HOT ! When I left home it was 23° so I wasn’t going to complain.... but hot is hot! It just goes to show when you book February or March you never know what kind of weather you’re going to get! Turns out the decision to use the guest recovery pass for Smugglers Run was a wise one as the posted waiting time was 85 minutes..
If you have a guest recovery pass, you enter the queue through the fast pass entrance. I basically walked right on. As a single rider, I actually ended up riding alone! I chose to be pilot. Probably should keep my day job, but it was fun!
Afterwards, I walked around a little longer, but the lines for all the shops were long. Olga’s was completely booked up
. I decided to head back to Toy Story to see what the line looked like for SDD. On the way out, a photo pass cast member saw my shirt and snapped this photo
I can’t wait to go back and get one without the facial covering!
The posted wait time for SDD was 60 minutes. As I have experienced this attraction before, I took a pass. By this time, a lot of the children were beginning to melt down from being tired and hot and I couldn’t get out of Toy Story Land fast enough.
I headed back to the outdoor bar at the Brown Derby, ordered an adult beverage, found a shady spot and did some people watching. I chatted with a retired couple who had recently received their vaccinations and were taking a slow tour of the South in their RV. It was a fantastic slice of normalcy.
I then headed down to ride the RnR coaster. Posted wait time was 45 minutes, I waited approximately 28 minutes. There is no preshow, so once you are in the building the line loads quickly. The people behind me were not sure who Aerosmith was. Am I really this old?!!
After riding, I took a HARD pass on riding the ToT! This is indeed one benefit of touring a parks by yourself! I’ve ridden it many times with my family and each time I get off I say to myself I’m never doing it again! At this point it was about 5 PM and I exited the park to meet my husband for dinner. Total miles walked: 7.1!