5. The surprisingly lax costume policy

Star Wars fans love to dress up. Cosplay has become such a tradition that entire communities, like the 501st Legion, exist where cosplayers exchange ideas and even use their costumes to serve at non-profit events.

No one knew what Disney would and wouldn’t allow for costuming in Galaxy’s Edge. After all, Disney has held a longtime policy that guests over the age of 14 cannot wear costumes in the parks. Disneybounding is a practice that works around this by using contemporary or vintage clothing to make outfits that pay tribute to Disney characters, but the line always remains that guests must not look like cast members or official characters. This is understandable for guest safety.

Disney offered a compromise for fans who wanted to dress up at Galaxy’s Edge: Disneybounding would still be allowed within normal guidelines, but guests could also try something new. Guests could choose to dress up as a “Batuu local” by wearing clothes that look vaguely like they belong in the Star Wars universe. Some fans have taken to calling it “Batuu-bounding”. The only rules were no armor, no masks, no blasters, no garments that drag on the ground, and no Jedi robes.

Apparently, when Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disneyland, these rules were a source of some confusion. A number of guests reported being bounced at the security gates for wearing robe-less Jedi costumes or Batuu-bounding outfits that matched those Disney said were approved. No one could tell what was and wasn’t allowed. Interestingly, by the time guidelines were released for Walt Disney World, the Jedi robes were no longer on the banned list—indeed, we’ve seen them a number of times in the land, possibly from guests who bought them at the outfitter shop.

It took us a little courage to try Batuu-bounding, but we’re hooked now. Communities of Batuu-bounders and Disneybounders have started finding each other online, and they really do add something great to Galaxy’s Edge, making the atmosphere feel much more immersive. People come up with some seriously creative ideas that fall within Disney’s guidelines. The cast members are often very nice to Batuu-bounders, recognizing it as a way of saying you want to play along in the world they’ve built. The policy is surprisingly generous, and we are glad for that. I never would have tried Disneybounding myself, but now, it’s become a regular practice because of the fun elements it adds to our visit.

6. Star Wars Datapad is actually pretty cool

I had a lot of feelings when Disney announced the addition of Star Wars Datapad as an option at Galaxy’s Edge. On one hand, it seemed like a very cool idea, something straight out of an MMORPG. However, I was very skeptical, fearing Disney boil the app down to a cheap gimmick with only a handful of tricks.

I was wrong. If you’re into “side quests”, Datapad can turn into one seriously addicting game.

We wrote a full guide on it, but in short, Star Wars Datapad allows you to use your phone to interact in real time with elements (and even “characters” via chat bots) throughout Galaxy’s Edge. You can “Hack” terminals, droids, vehicles, ships, and even skim credits if you’re a scoundrel sort. With another feature, you can “Tune” into encrypted frequencies. With the “Scan” feature, you can learn the hidden contents of crates throughout the outpost, and finally, you can “Translate” Aurebesh writing and alien speech. All of these features come together in the app’s Jobs section, where guests can take on missions for the Resistance, the First Order, for Batuu locals, or for various scum (like Hondo), building reputation with factions and earning achievements.

Datapad really turns into a great exploration tool for getting around Galaxy’s Edge, and if you like scavenger hunt type games, it’s as addicting as pin trading. Both the reputation element and the achievements give it a great replay value, especially for repeat visitors like Passholders or Florida locals. We were worried this game would fall flat, but we’re actually very excited to see where Disney takes it with expansions in the future.

7. The food is surprisingly good

A final note that surprised us about Galaxy’s Edge. While Disneyland has a pretty good spread of food for guests to enjoy, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has always fallen somewhat short in the area of Disney dining. Even mainstays like the Brown Derby waned in quality over the years, and much of the park’s offerings are the same things rehashed in different ways—American and Italian food in varying forms.

Galaxy’s Edge is a good step in a new direction for food at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While they have a few “meh” dishes, overall, the food we’ve had at both Docking Bay 7 and Ronto Roasters has been genuinely tasty, to the point that those two restaurants are now our go-to eateries at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We’ve become particular fans of the Felucian Garden Spread, the Endorian Yip-Tip Salad, the Shaak Roast, and Ronto Roaster’s delicious Endorian Chicken Wrap. Oh, and the blue and green milk are both awesome. A lot of people don’t like the green milk, but I think it tastes like pure Star Wars magic. Go with the blue for your first try. In short, the food at Galaxy’s Edge passed the test and has successfully provided much-needed new options—even some healthy ones.

There is still so much more to come for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but overall, we’ve been very pleased with the land. If Disney can nail the opening to Rise of the Resistance and keep a steady flow of expansions and improvements coming over the years, attendance should hopefully level out and the Black Spire Outpost draw many visitors for years to come.