Dreaming of Batuu

Well, as Covid restrictions are being lifted and vaccines are being rolled out in the states, the time has finally arrived...Disneyland is officially re-open!! And since I always get sentimental for Disney in the spring/summer, now felt like a prime time for a flashback post. So let's go back to 2019, pre-pandemic, in a galaxy far far away.....

For my three-musketeers-fam-jam's 2019 trip, it was our first time staying at the Disneyland Hotel! When we were able to go in the past, we always favoured the Grand Californian Hotel but it just so happened to be completely booked in anticipation for the opening of Galaxy's Edge...which happened five days before we got there (I believe). Needless to say, my brother and I b-lined for the hotel's gift shop when we spotted it and once I'd found a Kylo saber, my brother grabbed his own. He's very competitive so he took this a little too seriously but in case you were wondering...there were multiple saber battles on this trip, one of which I won.

my winner pose ;)

Now let's fly over to the main attraction, Galaxy's Edge (sorry, I'm cheesy)! I briefly mentioned it in my first Disney post but...Galaxy's Edge was a complete game changer. It was what inspired me to go home and create my Star Wars OC Penn Nolen and it was truly the place where you were the main character of your own story. I felt like I'd turn a corner and run right into Chewie and Han (one of which I did), that I wasn't even in Disneyland anymore. I think the world needs a Star Wars theme park. 

Much to my delight, our first park of the trip was Disneyland Park and both brother and mom were eager to see Batuu. We were truly expecting shoulder to shoulder crowds but it was...surprisingly quiet. The land didn't do as well as Disney thought it would but really, when the land opened the entirety of what it offered didn't open on time with it (Rise of the Resistance) but I did not care much. I was home.

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Brother saw that the wait for Smuggler's Run was fourty minutes and without hesitation he said, "come on, we're going in." The wait was long but the views of the Falcon and that Hondo animatronic made time fly by. Brother isn't as into Star Wars as I am anymore but we grew up having lightsaber battles and playing the Lego Star Wars games and the OG Battlefront game every day together. I think that Star Wars spark returned for him on this trip -- he watched The Force Awakens on loop when we went back home.

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Walking into the general area of the Falcon, seeing the booth with the holochess table, even just seeing the wires and switches...it felt like Han was going to pop out around the corner, I was very emotional. Later on the trip brother and I got to be co-pilots but luckily for our first run we were engineers so we got to take the backseats of the cockpit and fully appreciate the dream that was coming true before us. And our ten year old pilot did a good job!

the one time brother and I are co-pilots and the Falcon literally froze and our seatbelts wouldn't come off so we listened to Earth Wind and Fire and got a free re-ride

R2 was having a grand old time posing for the cameras <3

this was taken right before a CM walked over and whispered "if you like Kylo Ren, go stand over there" -- five minutes later, Kylo's stage show started and we got front row spots. Thank you Ariana! 

There's definitely a tonal shift between the 'Resistance side' and the 'First Order side' of Batuu. Black Spire Outpost Market is very busy with something to do/look at everywhere you look whereas Docking Bay 9/First Order area was much quieter with less to do -- it just felt eerie with the stormtroopers watching you. They definitely succeeded with the theming. 

And here's the man himself, Dok-Ondar. His shop felt like a real shop but even more than that, it was mesmerizing to watch his animatronic move so fluidly. Legacy sabers were on one table and there were a ton of Jedi robes on the back wall but my wallet screamed please no. I just kept going back in there to see Dok-Ondar. 

Seeing him and his quirky shop inspired me so much that I decided my OC Penn was working for Dok-Ondar until a strange off-worlder appeared on Batuu and everything changed (tune in to TikTok for more)...👀And now it means even more to me because I'm currently reading A Crash of Fate, a book in which one of the main characters also works for Dok (sort of)! 

And finally, we of COURSE had to go on Star Tours! It feels really weird now that this ride is on the complete opposite side of the park from Batuu -- if only it were easy to pick it up and move it -- but oh well. This ride perfectly represents the original trilogy (with little sprinkles from the prequels and sequels), it just feels so nostalgic. The sounds, C3 and R2 in the queue, subtle nods to Rex and just how many elements have been left untouched over the years, I love it. Though I still feel a little nauseous on this one, without fail. I'm jealous of my brother since he's been the rebel spy at least three times.

And that is all of the Star Wars Batuu goodness I have to share! I want to make another Disney post that I'll hopefully be posting soon so until then, stay safe...

...and May the Force be with you.