I've grown up with "Star Wars" in my life since I was a new-born baby, so you can imagine my excitement when I discovered I'd be able to experience this park in its early access. A sneak-peek view of an area that would soon be overflowing with people from all over the country.
When I first entered "the land," I was taken aback by how accurate it appeared- it truly felt like I was dropped directly into a "Star Wars" movie. There were classic spaceships scattered around as you walked in, with an eerie desert vibe to it. Moving along, you come face-to-face with the one and only, Millenium Falcon, in its beauty. No, you can't walk inside of it, unfortunately.
After exploring the area a bit more, we decided to make our way to the new ride: "Smugglers' Run." I had been on the "Star Tours" ride millions of times, but I was excited to see how different this ride would be, considering how far technology has come since then. Even the queue to the ride was interesting, feeling completely immersed in another world while in line. The staff members explained that the spaceship held exactly six people: two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers. Luckily for me, I was able to be a pilot, AKA front row seats.
Now, I can't speak for the other two positions but being a pilot was extremely invigorating. One of the pilots controlled the up-and-down movement, while the other controlled the turning. I was in charge of going left and right, and to say the least, I didn't do a phenomenal job. But, it was still really fun to actually be capable of what was happening on the ride. The graphics were truly incredible, it doesn't give the slightest sense of motion sickness as some crappy-quality rides do. I would definitely recommend waiting to ride this once it is open to the public because it's a ride I haven't quite experienced before and I would love to try out all of the positions.
Moving along, I was ready to build my own Droid. I wasn't able to build a light-saber, unfortunately, but my brother did build one. It's a pretty hefty little toy, and definitely, something a true "Star Wars" fan would need in their life. But, I was much more interested in building my very own BB-8.
Walking into the Droid Depot, you are flooded with droid parts on conveyor belts moving around above your head. You are given two options: an R2-D2 Unit or a BB-8 Unit. We created both in my party, but I was in charge of the BB-8. Instead of simply selecting your parts, you must pick out your parts from a moving conveyor belt as they pass by. I think this is a much more riveting way of building a bot than simply just picking out the colors on your own. I, of course, made my BB-8 purple, white and black. I'm fully satisfied with my droid, and I think the purchase was worth it! You get a friend for life, duh.
If I had to rate this park out of ten, I would give it a ten. I think the staff truly did an excellent job, making it feel like I was a part of a different world. I didn't even get to experience everything the park had to offer, yet, and I still felt like it was worth the trip to Orlando. Once this is open to the public, if you are a "Star Wars" fan, I do not think this will disappoint you at all. Go ride "Smugglers' Run," visit the Cantina (specialty drinks), and build a Droid or a light-saber! You won't regret it.
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