Tips for Making The Most Of Your Star Wars Experience At Disney World

After an excruciating wait, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is open in its full glory. Both headlining attractions are up and running. The marketplace shops are thriving. And glass after glass of refreshing blue milk is sold to thirsty guests. For anyone who has postponed their trip, the time to go is now. Star Wars is ready to blow your mind into the next galaxy!

As with all Disney park expansions, this means that whether you’re a new guest or a veteran, you will need to re-strategize your plans. For years, Hollywood Studios has been overlooked and now it’s claiming our attention more than ever. To prepare, check out our expert tips for making the most of your Star Wars experience.

Devote Some Time

To reiterate, Hollywood Studios has been widely considered a half-day park for years. Some guests even skipped it entirely, preferring to wait until Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge opened their gates. Now, with everything in full swing, you will need at least a day (maybe two) to fully experience everything. On top of that, you’ll want to get to the park as early as possible. Onsite buses are convenient, but not always the fastest. Consider calling a Lyft or taking the Skyliner (if you’re at an applicable resort.) Saving just a half an hour can make all the difference.

Revise Your FastPass+ Strategy/Become a Morning Person

And why do you need to get up with the chickens? Well, this is the only way you’ll ride the newest thrill, Rise of the Resistance. While other popular attractions utilize the FastPass+ system, this ride utilizes a virtual queue. Guests have to enter a virtual queue via the My Disney Experience app. If they’re lucky, they’ll be placed in a low Boarding Group and the app will notify them when they can get in line that day. There is no other way to ride. Here’s the rub though, guests cannot enter these virtual queues until they’re inside Hollywood Studios.

Cast members are at the entrance to assist, but the Boarding Groups fill up at record speed. Just for this moment, connect to your smartphone’s data and don’t rely on park wifi for access. On a less stressful note, Smuggler’s Run does utilize FastPass+ and is placed in the first tier. So, grab that FastPass+, get up early for Rise of the Resistance, and cross your fingers and toes for good luck.

Splurge on a “Build”

Shopping has never been this exciting. Let’s discuss the one-of-a-kind experience you can have building a personalized droid or lightsaber. All of your sci-fi fantasies can now be brought to life at either the Droid Depot or Savi’s Workshop. At Droid Depot, you will enter a shop/assembly line where you pick out all of the pieces for your droid. Then (with help if needed), you’ll put your droid together and watch it come to life. When all is said and done, your droid can be controlled with a tiny remote to move and even speak. (And an additional personality chip can be installed for a cost.)

Next, Savi’s Workshop welcomes all Jedi who are eager to fight for the Resistance. Let yourself be ushered into a discrete location where you can select all features of your lightsaber, including your preferred kyber crystal and hilt accessories. No spoilers will be revealed here, but the lightsabers are assembled by the purest Disney magic. Don’t ruin the moment and allow yourself to be awed. Regardless of which item you choose to make, these souvenirs come with lifelong memories.