Topic: Tamer goes to Galaxy's Edge

[Tamer]

Well I just got back from a vacation to Disney World and wanted to write up a few things about the trip while they are still fresh in my memory as I know it will fade. It will take me a few days to get this totally populated with my review and images so thanks for your patience as I try and get it all down.

I will start with saying that I think every Star Wars Fan needs to go and spend a day here, regardless of your views on the sequels and Disney in general. I do not like the sequels and can only remotely say Disney is barely keeping the line alive (bascially because of the Mandalorian), but I loved this. It was perhaps the best outting I think my daughter and I have ever had. I don't know who had a bigger smile on their face the whole day, me or her, but I will cherish this memory with her forever.





I have a lot more to write, but this will get us started. I will also have separate posts about Savi's Lightsaber Workshop and Droid Depot. We each built a saber and a droid and had a blast with that as well. I will also try to give a review on the two rides there (Rise of the Resistance and Smuggler's Run) as we did those too. Even the food was Star Wars and awesome (Ronto's Wraps I will miss). I thought I would spend the day just picking it apart and hating it like I pretty much do the sequels, but the entirely immersive experience just works.

More pics and words to follow.

[The Spectre]

Looks like you had an awesome time!

If I had known you were going, I would have given you a list of stuff to pick up for me 

[Darth More]

Those are beautiful pictures! I like the second one especially! They really put some serious effort into this scenery with the rocks and all the differently sized towers in the background. It gives the landing bay a certain depth so that one can think you actually are on a different planet.
Not to mention that you were standing in front of the Millenium Falcon!

I'm glad that you could spend such a good time with your daughter. Family is what matters most in life to me. So it makes me really happy that you could sit back and relax for a week and leave everything else behind.

[Tamer]

Looks like you had an awesome time!

If I had known you were going, I would have given you a list of stuff to pick up for me 

Crap, never even thought about it bud. I sure would have. Disney has this great policy of shipping your stuff home for you too. Since it was too large to fit in our bags (most of it) they ship it with insurance so if it gets broken or damaged they replace it no questions asked!

It cost us 40 bucks to have it all shipped with insurance, but with bag fees alone that was worth it and then some.

[Tamer]

Those are beautiful pictures! I like the second one especially! They really put some serious effort into this scenery with the rocks and all the differently sized towers in the background. It gives the landing bay a certain depth so that one can think you actually are on a different planet.
Not to mention that you were standing in front of the Millenium Falcon!

I'm glad that you could spend such a good time with your daughter. Family is what matters most in life to me. So it makes me really happy that you could sit back and relax for a week and leave everything else behind.

Trust me I have about a million images and will get em in here, but thanks.

I so agree about your family statement. I kinda feel like many of the Yarders like you are family now and I wouldn't enjoy half the stuff I do as much as I do without you folks.

[Tamer]

Day 1 Gallery:

Shots of just the overall environment:





Star Tours is not actually in Edge, but I had to include a shot. I mean I am an OT guy!






























Rontos Roasters (one of the best food places in the park too btw):

This was a thick wrap of spiced cabbage with a type of pepper Kelbosa and it was daggone good. They also had a breakfast version, but the heat made it too heavy for me to eat breakfast tbh





Falcon:











Us going into Smugglers Run






First Order Shop/TIE Stage:







Oga's Cantina:



General Shop Concourse:





There are many more shots my wife took and I will be adding to this. Please also if you have any questions about this or the Disney Experience just post away. I am telling you there is definitely a learning curve to going to Disney and doing and getting what you want.

[Darth More]

I'm so glad to read that you enjoyed the food there so much! I think The Dan-O Channel on YouTube is a great source to get informed (but also spoiled) about Galaxy's Edge.
If they hadn't focused the park on their own IP (The Sequels), I would actually save the money to go there. I grew up with the Prequels and of course the OT is the best also to me, so GE would be 1 Million times more appealing to me if I could visit planets that I actually care for. I couldn't care less for the Sequels though.
Still the scenery there looks quite nice telling by your pictures.

[Darth More]

By the way was it busy during the days you spent there? It doesn’t look too crowded, which probably made your experience there even better

[Tamer]

By the way was it busy during the days you spent there? It doesn’t look too crowded, which probably made your experience there even better

I will be honest, the parks were just packed, but I don't know if it was the layout or what but the Edge didn't feel crowded on the two days we were there.

I also feel your pain about the sequels and trust me you would still heavily enjoy yourself. It is just an immersive experience and it all builds upon itself to really add to one of those once in a lifetime memories.

I still have a ton of images and haven't even shared the Build a Droid and Savi's Workshop experiences too.

[Tamer]

Still sorting through all the vacation images, but here is one thing you absolutely have to do if you go to Galaxys Edge; build a saber at Savi's Lightsaber Workshop.

Now, to even schedule this you will need to sign up (in the Disney App) as soon as you book your vacation dates and schedule your park dates. It is very important to do this because if you do not, you will not be able to do this at Disney. It is all reservation only.

Then, you show up 15 minutes early and you pick one of the four styles (we chose elemental and protection and defense) and they give you a pin and a card.



Then, you go in with about ten other builders and this is how you start:





You pick a crystal:






Then, you get your parts:








Then its time to put in the kyber crystal:








Then, its a process of choosing between two parts starting with covering the crystal and then working your way to each end:











Until you finally get your completed hilt:














Then, there is a little ceremony where you insert your hilt to get a blade:









Then they turn the lights out and the cover comes off the insert port and you pull them out:


And then you go to Doc Ondars and get some more kyber crystals (also where you can purchase the legacy sabers):





The stuff on the wall there is just amazing. There were lines and lines of people buying the legacy sabers. I saw I don't know how many people trying to get into Savi's Workshop only to be turned away. The nice thing is you can have these shipped home for not much deniro and get Disney's replacement insurance and you don't have to worry about the plane. There is not way this will fit in a regular size bag.

They give you a nice black padded bag to walk around the park after you are done too. All kinds of folks would stop us to see where they could buy this and build their own saber.



It is definitely a must do if you are going to Galaxys Edge in my opinion. We are already making plans to go back in a few years and build the other two sabers. It is definitely a time me and my daughter Evie will remember forever. I kind of low keyed the ceremony they would do throughout this process as well and it was just well done.

[Darth More]

So cool to see that they make it such a unique experience at Savi's even though the frequency of people building their own lightsaber must be high. As far as I know the employees there don't sound as if they're tired of repeating the same phrases over and over again.
I also like the designs both of you chose for your lightsabers! It's hard to believe that they even have to reject people willing to throw 200 bucks into their throats. It must be byond frustrating to be turned away after paying $100 just to enter the park. Well, makes me even happier that you guys were lucky enough to enter Savi's workshop! I'm sure the memories you made there together are just priceless!

[Tamer]

I'm sure the memories you made there together are just priceless!

That is it more than anything Phil. It is a family experience of almost creating an "heirloom" item. I think the biggest thing is just remembering the sheer joy my daughter had doing this and being in the park that day. It was so worth the $110 a saber to do this.

And the sabers are just so sturdy (mostly made of metal). We are now trying to decide where in the house to display these and how to do it which will turn into another good family memory.

The only bad memory I took away from our day there was the folks who were spending twice this amount on Legacy Sabers (which were nice, but nowhere near the quality of the Savi's) and were enviously eyeing those with the black saber bags (meaning you had a Savi's Saber). Some were trying to buy them at double the price, but I didn't see one person sell theirs.

One big thing about a Disney Trip is prior planning. You just have to get all your stuff reserved as soon as you get your park trip dates. This is one of the things you just can't show up and hope to get in line for. I just have to credit my daughter with being our trip coordinator. She set up our days and knew where we needed to be and at what times and she had such a good time coordinating all that too.

I will load up the Droid Workshop next!

[Darth More]

Hey, $110 for a custom made lightsaber at Savi's is actually a good deal in my opinion. I thought it was $200. It's also a nice surprise that most components are made of metal alloys. Thought only the core case was metal and the shell parts of plastic.
So one has to sign up for Savi's workshop prior entrance?

[Tamer]

So one has to sign up for Savi's workshop prior entrance?

Yep, basically Disney works 60 days out. So you can book what stuff you want to do then.

For those who are going to Disney it would behoove you to do some research on what you want to do and what you want to eat as Dinner reservations and many activities are reservation only and if you don't sign up at your first oppurtunity you will probably not be able to schedule them (and not do them as a result).

We were ready to roll at 7am when it opened 60 days early and were able to book what we wanted, but Savi's was our first book. I would recommend that you start with that as those reservations fill up quickly. The build a droid was pretty much the same way too.

For those who have any questions just post em here and I will be glad to answer them. For Disney there is definitely a learning and price curve for everything!