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Credit: Todd Wawrychuk/Disney ParksThough it’s pretty safe to say that the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World split the crowds in terms of reactions and perhaps numbers aren’t what Disney was hoping for, we still think Galaxy’s Edge is going to be a winner in the long term.
Not only has Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run just won an award for the best family attraction of 2019, but there’s a number of other big reasons why we think Batuu is going to be around for the long term. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Rise of the Resistance will be epic
This is a fairly big one but it’s safe to say that many guests are awaiting the land to be completed before venturing out to explore Batuu for the very first time. While some fans have been a little disappointed with Smugglers Run, think of it as Batuu’s Navi River journey.
Rise of the Resistance is set to be the biggest and perhaps best attraction that Disney has ever created. We’re almost certain that the delay of December for Disney’s Hollywood Studios and January for Disneyland is going to be worth the wait.
“Star Wars” isn’t going anywhere
The franchise has split fans since the Disney takeover but let’s not forget just how much money Star Wars is able to generate for Disney. With at least two more trilogies on the way after “The Rise of Skywalker” releases later this year, Disney isn’t slowing down with the production of new movies.
On top of this, we have three “Star Wars” live-action shows in the works alongside a rebooted “Clone Wars” animated show for Disney+.
Why is this on our list? The more Star Wars content people consume, the more likely they are to want to experience a ‘real’ Star Wars setting in Batuu. We can’t wait to see what Disney has in store for us next with Star Wars.
The “Star Wars” hotel is coming soon
The current hotel that is in the works at Walt Disney World is going to be nothing short of game-changing. With plans to take guests and throw them completely into the Star Wars Universe with roaming characters aboard a starship, it’s hard to know any Star Wars fan that isn’t going to want to take part in this experience, so long as the price is right.
Any “Star Wars” hotel experience is obviously going to include a bit of time at Batuu.
Low crowds aren’t a bad thing!
So the biggest “failure” that we’ve seen reported is that crowds have been low for the opening of Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Firstly, let’s not forget how blocking out passholders for what is a heavily passholder held resort at Disneyland probably wasn’t the best of ideas. Heading over to Walt Disney World and it has been noticeably more quiet at the end of August and into September across the entire resort. Hurricane Dorian didn’t help with this but perhaps Disney has finally risen prices a little too much for guests?
Either way, we don’t think low crowds have anything to do with the launch of the land and that there’s more going on behind the scenes than the reports that fans aren’t reacting well to Batuu, we’ve seen the complete opposite with almost every guest reacting positively to the new land.
Possible expansion
Let’s be honest, there is a lot of room at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (especially) for an expansion to Batuu in the future. With rumored plans detailing further rides that were originally planned for the land, who knows what the future holds for Galaxy’s Edge? We would wager on expansion after Rise of the Resistance opens if the land holds the crowds and brings in the revenue. Let’s also not forget that we have another Galaxy’s Edge being built in Disneyland Paris!
These are just a few reasons why we think Galaxy’s Edge is going to be around for years to come and that Disney will see great success from the land. We’re excited to see what’s to come.
Ready to plan a trip to see Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? Contact our friends at Academy Travel for a free, no-obligation quote. The team of Authorized Disney Vacation Planners at Academy Travel can help answer all your questions and plan your trip so you can focus on having a magical Disney vacation without any stress. Click here to contact them and begin planning your family’s dream Disney trip!