As many of us know, the newest addition to Disney's Hollywood Studios is a paradise to go to for any fan. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge takes travelers out of this world. Specifically to the planet of Batuu that is placed distinctly on the Outer Rim. As an avid Star Wars fan myself it was such a full-circle moment and almost cried as I walked around and saw familiar ships, people, and places.
So, when I went to Hollywood Studios I had the bright idea of waking up at 4 AM and it also happened to be the day after New Year's Eve. Yes, you read that right. I got to Hollywood Studios at around 5 AM and waited in line for an hour and a half with one thousand more people. We were all waiting to get a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance.
The process of obtaining a boarding pass was extremely stress-inducing. Boarding passes opened up at 7 AM, but you had to be inside of the park to get one. However, just because you receive a boarding pass doesn't mean you get to do the ride. In the end, however, we were able to get a boarding pass and enjoy Rise of the Resistance.
All I can say is that Rise of the Resistance is absolutely worth every minute I was sleep deprived. I wouldn't even consider it a ride. It's an experience. From start to finish it felt like I was in one of the movies. I don't want to spoil it for anyone since it just opened a month ago, but anyone will love it. The next main attraction in Batuu is to do Smuggler's Run. I waited in line for two and a half hours to be a pilot for the Millennium Falcon, but it was well worth it. I'm no Han Solo, but who could ever stop him?
The entire month of December seemed to be filled with Star Wars hype. With Baby Yoda, The Mandalorian, The Rise of Skywalker, and now with the Rise of the Resistance ride. I couldn't imagine not starting 2020 in Batuu. I had two cups of blue milk. (Which is a blend of coconut and rice milk. Plant-based. Yay!) I ran into Kylo Ren and two stormtroopers.
They didn't look too happy to see me and my "Join the Resistance" pin pinned to my jacket. My parents also met Rey and Chewbacca on their way into Batuu and Darth Vader and Qui-Gon-Jinn were battling as I waited in line for Star Tours.
I did, however, miss out on a few things such as getting into Oga's Cantina. We couldn't get a reservation and the walk-in line didn't seem to be moving. Travelers could also create their own lightsabers and build their own droids. Again, it was interesting and exciting, but altogether too expensive. It was also nice to just walk through the market, see what was being cooked up by the droids, or watch stormtroopers walk around and interrogate everyone. I didn't want to leave, but I have to go back to college at some point. Here's to the new year and may the force be with you.
