Hi all, longtime lurker, thought I’d finally join the conversation. Had the chance to do 8 hours in GE on opening day - one reservation in the afternoon and one at night. Overall loved the land, and as a DL AP holder, grateful for such an expansive, immersive addition to the park. Think the magic time to to visit would be late afternoon as sun is setting as nighttime lighting really takes it to the next level.
As most have said the attention to detail and design is fantastic and immersive. Just walking around and taking it all in was a highlight for me. Every interior location is somewhat of an attraction in itself. The animatronic within the antiquities shop might be my favorite Disney has done. One thing I noticed is that in the afternoon sun, the collection of scrap metal and brown, aged building exteriors can sort of give off a junkyard look so it was nice to see it at night with the more vibrant color palette.
Feel like more than most any attraction I’ve ever been on, Smuggler’s Run is a YMMV-type experience. I rode it for the first time with a group of four other friends who were all Star Wars fans so the excitement of all working together to fly the Millennium Falcon was something I’ve rarely experienced on any theme park attraction. Was just so much fun to interact, yell and play along as a group. Now, if you were to experience it as a single-rider sitting in the Engineer seat, you could very possibly write it off as a suped-up Star Tours. The movement and animation are great but it’s not overly thrilling. Piloting is definitely the highlight. What excites me about the ride though is the hope of additional experiences and the re-rideability that comes with that. I imagine over the years they will have multiple, randomized experiences (like Star Tours) that continue to refine the interactive/ride balance. I’m guessing this is only the starting point for this experience and there is a lot I could see them doing with it in the future.
I actually thought the food was good. The sausage/pork wrap from Ronto Racers was excellent. I've seen some who hate it, but I found the blue milk oddly refreshing - it's like a sorbet, not a milkshake. Had dinner at Docking Bay and the chicken salad dish was flavorful. It's all presented in a way that feels exotic and somewhat alien. Waited for the sun to set before standing in the cantina line for an hour - ended up being worth the wait. Though it’s small, the ambiance is great and we were able to enjoy it for about an hour. Loved seeing Rex DJ’ing.
All in all, loved the place. Hoping for more atmosphere characters and entertainment to make the land itself even more immersive. It’s only two acres bigger than Pandora but there is just so much more to see and do. Imagine having Rise of the Resistance open will take it to another level as right now about a third of the land is a dead zone. Going back to Orlando in November so looking forward to seeing the differences, if any, between the two parks.
I'll also be forever grateful for Universal kicking Disney's butt into gear with WWOHP.
