Wandering the Black Spire Outpost - Wandering But Not Lost

Wandering Zen – The Black Spire Outpost on Batuu

SPOILER ALERT! If you want your first visit to be without spoilers – turn back now.

Ready for a trip to Batuu? Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge officially opened at the Disneyland Resort on May 31st and is getting rave reviews pretty much across the board. We were able to snag a couple of tickets during the reservation period and recently had the chance to take the trek to the Black Spire Outpost. Does it live up to the hype? Read on and let’s see…

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has been one of the most highly-anticipated theme park openings ever. That has been a blessing and a curse for those at Disney, their Imagineers, and those at Theme Park Operations. Recreating an iconic storytelling universe that will hold up to and engage the crowd of fans that are converging upon it was a herculean task. Being an ex-TPOer myself (although that was truly in a galaxy far, far away), I had faith that they’d be able to pull this off. They did. This soft-opening reservation period was a brilliant idea. From the moment of securing the reservation online, through the check-in, and then with the queuing to get into the land was all seamless for us. It never felt rushed or robotic. The cast members have truly been through a well-developed training program.

The moment that you step past the Disneyland train trestle, you are instantly transported to Batuu. They really have done an incredible job of separating the area from the rest of the park and it is indeed immersive. I have often commented on how cool it would have been to see what the Jungle Cruise looked like back in 1955 and that thought was not lost on me as I took care to notice the landscaping to store in my memory banks for future visits.

The Black Spire Outpost’s 14 acres is sprawling by Disneyland standards and once inside it was very easy to understand why people were posting that they didn’t feel like they were in Disneyland. The wide walkways, the large structures, and the enormous black spires scale perfectly for the illusion of even more space. It looks as though they have efficiently planned for the number of travelers which will be ascending. The land is flanked by the Resistance camp, which is located near the entrance from Critter County, and the First Order which is located by the Fantasyland adjacent entrance. The heart of the area is a collection of shops, eateries, and too many Star Wars easter eggs to even list. It is so well crafted, you feel like you want to barter for lower prices – no doubt, the citizen of Batuu are prepped for that and I doubt if they would shed one credit off of your tab if you ask!

All things Batuu and Black Spire can be found here, clothing, toys, and other souvenirs of the planet.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

You have probably seen pics of the Falcon in ads and on social media, however, seeing it in person is pretty incredible. The size and detail of this ship, which is nestled into an alcove of the Black Spire Outpost, is perfectly executed. Who hasn’t wanted to hop aboard the Flacon and create a little mischief?

The queue is immersive and the Hondo audio-animatronic is one of Disney’s best. Hondo is looking for new crews to go on a mission to

Yikes – we were lucky there were no Stormtroopers around to give us grief about this!

retrieve fuel cells, or energy cells, or some kind of cells – hey, there was so much happening I can’t remember, but your mission is to collect something! HA. You’ll be assigned one of three crew positions, pilot, gunner, or engineer and once you step into the cockpit you are living the dream! This attraction is really just a big ole interactive video game and it takes some time to get used to – hence the reason that we did better during our second trip! I was teasing my sweet pea because I’m pretty sure that she was firing at the Black Spire Outpost during our first mission. Later that day as we were walking around we found that she had fired some rogue shots when we saw a huge blast mark in one of the buildings!

Smuggler’s Run is very fun and you’ll want to go on it, again and again, to step up your game!

For an insanely detailed explanation full of pics, tips, and spoilers of what you’ll be seeing go to ZiggyKnowsDisney.com. But wait there’s more at GamesRadar.com

Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities

The home of many Star Wars easter eggs including the ark of the covenant which just may be one of my favorites finds ever!

Click HERE for a great overview of the shop, the decor, and the merch from Micechat.com

Droid Depot

Whether you are building your own droid or just watching others, the Droid Depot is well executed and a fun place to hang out. Learn more here: Micechat.com

Around the Spire…

Final Thoughts

Although I give Galaxy’s Edge a huge thumbs up on execution and theming it just fell a little flat. To me, it is all about place setting, and since the Black Spire Outpost is a new location it didn’t feel like home. I didn’t have that euphoric feeling that I get every single time that I hear the Star Wars theme and I didn’t leave with the overwhelming sensation that I feel when I visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal. If you are a theme park fan you can’t help but compare the two. I’m sure that as I return over the months and years ahead I will enjoy it more and more. The addition of the Rise of the Resistance attraction later this year may also change my thoughts – stayed tuned~!