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Nicole Simeone
Navigating Batuu: Smuggler’s Run, Doc Ondar’s & Savi’s Workshop. Oh My!
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- , Disney, Nerd Talks
Why not kick off Galaxy's Edge week with a bang? Here are my takeaways on some of the big ticket items in Batuu.
When the announcement rolled out that Disney was going to build a Star Wars land at both parks, there was a collective “It’s about time” thought around the nerd world. Not to knock Star Tours or anything, but there was more the franchise could give. The opening date of the Orlando Batuu aligned with both our annual pass holder tickets still being valid and our anniversary. So, it was a very short walk for us to say, “Let’s check this out.”
As mentioned last week, we were hesitant about committing too much time to the land. We decided it would be best to rip the band-aid off right away. We landed on a Thursday afternoon, so we figured, let’s go to bed early that night and get up first thing in the morning. We snagged a muffin and Danish before heading back to our room to stave off any hangry episodes and committed to this plan.
The alarm chimed at four forty-five in the morning. We rolled out of bed, calling ourselves crazy and every other synonym that we could think of. It didn’t take long to get ready, having taken a full shower and dried my hair the night before. We donned our Star Wars tees and munched on our breakfast as we walked to the bus rang at the Art of Animation by five-fifteen. I’ll use Adam’s photo to illustrate the tiredness and excitement. Yeah, I’m pulling writer’s prerogative to shield you all from an early morning, uncaffeinated shot of my mug.
As early as our timetable was, we were not the first ones there. There were plenty of folks more energetic and willing to get up early on vacation than us. But not the numbers we had imagined when planning out the day. Sure, we couldn’t see the front of the line, but we were standing next to the Starbucks on the corner of Hollywood and Sunset. That was pretty darn close. The reserved optimism started draining away and was replaced with giddiness. Things weren’t going to be what we allowed ourselves to think.
I can’t tell you what to rope drop performance was because I didn’t have a clear view of anything. What I can say is that First Order March music started blaring around ten minutes before six o’clock. As an interesting aside, this music is so loud, you can hear it plain as day from the Art of Animation hotel. Then our March began through the empty, neon light splashed lanes of Hollywood Studios.
We followed along in the sea of excited fans. Both of us snapping photos as we went along, just like everyone else. The march was timed so that at six, the people at the front would be making their way into Batuu. It felt like Disney used the transition from Who Framed Roger Rabbit for this land, seeing as Toon Town was found at the end of a tunnel, and so is Batuu. Maybe that’s just me.
The march was set up to lead into the line for Smuggler’s Run, which was alright by me. It wound through the entire land, offering guests a glimpse at the locations they would be visiting. For those folks not interested in riding but wanting to get a glimpse of the Millennium Falcon, an early morning peek into Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, or just get breakfast, you can veer off the march and use this path leading up to Docking Bay 7.
We had our eyes on the ride, so we elected to stay with the pack on our first morning. This gave us a chance to scope out the area and appreciate all of the ambient sound effects being piped into the land. The line never really stopped. There were short pauses here and there. Enough to allow folks to snap photos of the Falcon and the repair bay.
The space garage was littered with the flotsam, and jetsom workspaces should have. Spare parts and tools crowded every flat, simulated dust-covered surface. An R2 unit was repurposed for storage. But you know what they say about all work and no play, there is a table just, as you walk in, with a game of Sabacc laid out.
Toward the end of your wait, you meet Hondo Ohnaka. Whether it is the animatronic Hondo or the video version depends on the need to move the line along. He gives you a mission and provides a quick introduction to the roles you can play on the ride. Unlike Mission Space in Epcot, the part you’re given does mean something in terms of the ride. There are three different roles: Pilot, Gunner, and Engineer.
In the excitement of just being there, we didn’t pay attention to the role we were assigned and got Engineer. This put us in the backseat of the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit. Your mashing of buttons on the ride is to keep the damage to a minimum. And if you don’t do that button mashing, your score will take a big dip. Engineers also deploy the harpoons to snag the coaxium train, which is vital if you want to succeed in the mission.
The two Pilot roles need to work in sync in order not to crash the Falcon into everything. The left pilot is responsible for the left to right movements. And the right being responsible for up and down actions along with lightspeed. In all of our rides, there wasn’t a single pilot that was able to avoid slamming into everything.
The Gunner position sounds the hardest of all, but it isn’t. You have your choice of automatic or manual targeting. Manual targeting will mean you have your choice of buttons to mash rather than just a single button. There will be three vertical buttons lit up when you need to fire. These stand-in for aiming high, middle, or low depending on where your target is on the screen.
As a final twist of the nerd knife, right before you get into the cockpit, you are lead into the area in the ship with the Dejarik table. Do not be timid if you want to get your picture taken. The room is a hive of nerds and geeks.
Upon exiting the ride, we realized one ride in the back of the cockpit wasn’t enough, so another ride or two would be required. We had to ride as pilots twice because we both wanted to hear someone shout “Punch it” and pull the lever to send the Falcon into lightspeed. You’ve clicked on a link that has Nerd Girl in the URL. If you didn’t expect this level of nerd, there’s nothing I can do about that. You were warned. In total, on the trip, we got on Smuggler’s Run four times.
This makes it sound like the ride was the only thing to do in Batuu, which would be untrue. There is plenty of other things to do in a Galaxy far, far away. One spot that I almost missed the first time we walked by was Doc Ondar’s Den of Antiquities.
Forget the merchandise, the theming inside this ship is worth going inside. There are tidbits from across the length of the Star Wars universe inside Doc Ondar’s wall.
We’re you curious as to what the rest of the Sarlacc looked like under the sands of Tatooine? To be honest, I had never thought much about it until I went inside and saw the cross-section diagrams of it.
It is a small shop and also where Kyber crystals and Legacy lightsabers can be purchased, so it does get busy. I’d recommend popping your head in early or late in the day to get to move around and observe more freely.
Speaking of lightsabers, on that first morning on Batuu, we had reservations Savi’s Workshop. Due to the times available, our time wasn’t until ten and had time to kill, allowing us to take a break and visit the 1930s era California area. And to think, I was worried we’d be crunched for time.
Building a custom lightsaber has a hefty price tag associated with it. When they were first announced, both of us thought it was ludicrous. Way too rich for our blood and so on. But then, birthdays came around, Disney gift cards and money came our way, and we were smart enough to tuck it all away. So, our families subsidized our experience. Thank you!
We arrived probably twenty minutes early for our reservation. A little out of excitement but mostly curiosity. Waffling over our choice of hilt took up the majority of that time until we realized they had samples to look at. If you’re not sure which you want, ask to see the examples. They were worlds of help. Also, the samples set your expectations on how heavy the hilt is. It’s heavier than you think.
This is where I am going to go a bit vague. And I’m not trying to be coy. The workshop experience was freaking amazing. But, somethings you need to see for yourself. I will say I goofed scheduling our reservations. If I had been thinking, I would have put in for two reservations at different times. That way, I could have focused on capturing Adam’s build on film and he mine. The sad trombone sounds in the background. So, learn from my gaff, have a friend with you for photos.
From start to finish, it took us about thirty to forty-five minutes. The lightsaber build included a show equipped with a John Williams soundtrack and clever uplighting. This really drove home the experience. As Adam pointed out that day, we’ve been waiting for this for a long time.
After completing our creations, they gave us a carrying bag and sent us into Batuu with our scrap metal in hand. We had meant to spend Friday morning on Batuu and then carry on with the Disney experience. We were going to visit the Boardwalk. Swimming and relaxing by the pool were on the itinerary. We might have even caught a movie at the AMC in Disney Springs. With our lightsabers in hand, those plans were a distant memory.
The day set aside as our rest day became a morning of photo ops. Yes, we did the five o’clock wake up call a second time to get photos taken with our lightsabers. And we aren’t even photo people. It was worth it. The blades really popped in the predawn light.
And this is where I leave you, Nerd Girls. Tune in on Wednesday when I revisit some of the delicacies sampled on my time on Batuu.