Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was a very different addition to Disney World when it arrived at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Rather than simply being a land themed around Star Wars, it was designed to make you feel like you were inside the franchise, with attractions and experiences that created a new planet in the galaxy far, far away. Now with the addition of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, Disney’s even more immersive Star Wars experience, the level of immersion has increased yet again, but that includes the way guests will interact with Galaxy’s Edge as well.
Anybody who has been to Walt Disney World will be familiar with MagicBands, soon to be updated into MagicBand+. They are devices worn on the wrist that act as your park ticket, room key, and more. They also can be used to track you in the park and on attractions can be used to make sure your ride photo ends up on the right PhotoPass account, and now they’re being used to give Galactic Starcruiser guests a unique Galaxy’s Edge experience.
On the second day of one’s vacation on board the Halcyon, the ship will land on Batuu and guests will be able to visit the Star Wars themed land of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It would seem to be a fairly safe bet that anybody who would want to go to the Galactic Starcruiser has probably been to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge before and done all there is to do, but things will be different this time around.
Because guests will be wearing unique Halcyon bands on their wrists, they can be tracked through Galaxy’s Edge. They will be given Lighting Lane access to the land’s two attractions, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance. When they get on those rides, however, the system will know that Starcruiser passengers are on board. Not all the details of what will change have been revealed but one example given was that when Hondo Onaka is talking to you on Smuggler’s Run, his dialogue can be different. He knows you’re from the Halcyon.
There will also be other experiences, like the lightsaber building, or a visit to Oga’s Cantina, that guests can book along with their Starcruiser trip. While we don’t really know what’s going to happen to guests who go to these places, it seems quite clear that they will be included in the story and visiting them may impact things back on the ship.
These changes might be small, but certainly for anybody who has been to Star Wars; Galaxy’s Edge before, anything that can enhance and refresh the experience will certainly be welcome.