Intro
Planning a trip with someone who is absolutely OBSESSED with Star Wars? My partner loves Star Wars, so a Star Wars themed Disney trip is a dream of ours! Disney continues to go above and beyond when it comes to Star Wars rides, theming, and dining. Plus, the long awaited Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opens in Spring 2022! This will be an immersive, Star Wars experience which will be set up sort of like a cruise. There will definitely be a blog post about this experience once it opens, so stay tuned!
This week’s vacation is a Star Wars themed, long weekend trip for you and one other person. This vacation would be perfect for a quick getaway with just you and your partner, friend, or any fellow Star Wars lover! While you will definitely be spending most of your time in Galaxy’s Edge and Hollywood Studios, I wanted to also include an opportunity to see all the parks. Hollywood Studios is amazing and has so much to see, but with a long weekend trip, I thought it was plenty of time to see a bit of the other parks as well.
Since this is a weekend trip, you get Park Hopper tickets so you can enjoy more than one park a day and really get a good use of your time. To counteract that extra cost, you stay at Art of Animation, a value resort. The HUGE perk with Art of Animation is the Sky Liner. It will get you over to Hollywood Studios in the morning without having to wait for a bus!
Breakdown
- Theme: Star Wars
- Length: Long Weekend
- Age and Group: Couple (without kids)
- Spending: $
Check In
You get to the resort on a Friday to check in. I usually try to arrive on off days, but for a weekend trip you can’t really avoid it. It might be a bit crowded getting in, so you plan to have a leisurely day and relaxing night at Disney Springs!
At Disney Springs, you check out the food trucks for dinner! Having food trucks as an option at Disney Springs is such a cool feature, especially when you want to have a relaxing night where you can explore a bit. The Mac and Cheese food truck is my personal favorite! After all that food, walking around to check out the stores is the perfect end to the night. Some of the Disney stores will have Star Wars merch in case you need a new shirt or accessory to wear to Galaxy’s Edge!
Day 1: Hollywood Studios
Time to get ready for your first trip to Batuu! To make the most of your time at Hollywood Studios today, you decide to rope drop! Rope drop means getting to the park when it officially opens, or earlier, so you can be one of the first ones in the park. I personally love rope dropping, but I know it is not for everybody. I promise I will plan a relaxing Disney vacation one of these days!
Once you get to Hollywood Studios, head straight to Galaxy’s Edge to take everything in! Explore the shops and even make your own Lightsaber (Savi’s Workshop) or Droid (Droid Depot). These are amazing experiences if you want to take some of Galaxy’s Edge home with you! They do need to be booked in advance and reservations can be made 60 days ahead of your trip.
Rides
Since this is a special trip and you want to be sure you get to ride everything, you decide to purchase Disney Genie+ and an Individual Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance. You can even try to ride Rise of the Resistance when you first get in the park at rope drop, if the line isn’t too long! You are sure to make your first Disney Genie+ selection for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. This ride is so cool and unique, as you get assigned a role in helping fly the ship.
Next, you will head out of Galaxy’s Edge and towards Tower of Terror. Enjoy the iconic walk down Sunset Boulevard and hop on this classic, Twilight Zone attraction (after you ride Millenium Falcon you can try for your next Disney Genie+ selection for Tower of Terror). Next, to continue your Star Wars theme, you get on Star Tours. Star Tours opened long before Galaxy’s Edge, but did recently get some cool updates. Star Tours is one of those nostalgic rides for me, because it was always one my family was really excited about. Other rides to check out at Hollywood Studios are Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, Slinky Dog Dash, and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Food
Grab a quick service breakfast at Docking Bay 7, since you got to the parks for rope drop. For drinks and snacks, stay in Galaxy’s Edge and go to Oga’s Cantina. This spot is considered a lounge, so it will have small plates to snack on as well as unique, Star Wars drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). You will definitely need to get an Advanced Dining Reservation for this one as it is a super small location and very popular! Dinner will be at Ronto Roasters, where you will have to try their legendary Ronto Wraps. Lastly, be sure to grab a famous Blue or Green milk from the Milk Stand!
Check the park schedule to see if Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular is happening at night, once shows at Hollywood Studios are back up and running. This is a Star Wars themed nighttime show with projections and fireworks! It plays on select nights, so if it is showing while you are there, it is definitely a must see!
Day 2: EPCOT/Magic Kingdom
Start Day at EPCOT
To kick off day two of this long weekend, you will begin your day at EPCOT! If you really stretch your imagination, we can even stay on theme a bit today. You start the day exploring World Discovery. Previously the front of the park was simply called Future World, but it is now broken up into three distinct neighborhoods. World Discovery is where you can find Mission: Space, Space 220, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind when it opens in Summer 2022.
Rides
Some top rides in EPCOT to be sure to check out are Soarin’, Mission Space (staying on theme, again!), and Test Track. Don’t worry about getting Disney Genie+ today, as you should be able to ride everything you want to ride without it! If you need to cool off, jump on Living with the Land or Spaceship Earth. Be sure to go to World Showcase and see what each country has to offer. Many will have special shows or exhibits that you should try to see while you’re there.
Food
To stay with our Star Wars theme, you were able to get an Advanced Dining Reservation for the new restaurant at EPCOT, Space 220. This restaurant has a super cool menu and a very immersive concept. You will be transported in a “space elevator” and have the experience of eating in a space station, including panoramic views of space!
After lunch, you jump on the Monorail and make your way to Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day! No matter the theme of the vacation, I think spending some time in Magic Kingdom is a necessity when at Disney. There is nothing I love more than walking down Main Street and seeing that perfect view of the castle!
Park Hop to Magic Kingdom
Rides
Your first ride in Magic Kingdom is the classic, indoor coaster Space Mountain. Space Mountain is my all-time favorite ride and always my go-to first ride at Magic Kingdom. Next, you ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Haunted Mansion. Other rides to be sure to get on are Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Big Thunder is one of the best nighttime rides, so try to get to it when it is pretty dark if you can.
Food
While in Tomorrowland, you will get dinner at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. It’s a quick service meal, so it will be a fast meal and allow you to get back to the rides. Eating in Tomorrowland will also keep you at least sort of on theme!
End the night with Enchantment and a quick stop in the main street stores, before heading back to the resort for the evening.
Day 3: Hollywood Studios/Animal Kingdom
Start Day at Hollywood Studios
It’s the last day of your long weekend trip! To really savor your last day at the parks, you are going to park hop again! You start, bright and early, at Hollywood Studios to see Galaxy’s Edge one more time (and hopefully get another chance to ride Rise of the Resistance).
Rides
You definitely plan to ride all the Star Wars rides again (Star Tours, Millennium Falcon, and Rise of the Resistance if you can) and spend some time in Toy Story Land. You also want to be sure to ride anything else you missed your first day at Hollywood Studios! Disney Genie+ may not be needed today, since this is your second day at Studios and you have gotten to ride almost everything. If wait times are too long, take some time to simply enjoy the ambiance of Batuu!
Food
Since you wanted to get to the park early again, you didn’t have time for breakfast at the resort. Head on over to Ronto Roaster’s for a breakfast Ronto Wrap.
Once you’re done at Hollywood Studios, you hop on a Disney bus and make your way to Animal Kingdom. I absolutely love this park and think it has the best atmosphere and theming!
Park Hop to Animal Kingdom
Rides
Animal Kingdom has some amazing rides that you will not want to miss. You aim for Flight of Passage, DINOSAUR, and Expedition Everest. You will also want to be sure to get to Na’vi River Journey in Pandora, Kali River Rapids, and Kilimanjaro Safaris. Try to get to Kilimanjaro Safaris later in the evening (but before dark), if you can. The animals are often more active in the morning and at night. And speaking of dark, be sure to see Pandora after the sun goes down. It is so beautiful and a must-do experience while in Pandora.
Food
Once you’re at the park, you head straight to Pandora and sit down for a late lunch at Satu’li Canteen. It is a quick service restaurant so it will be perfect to have a quick bite and head to the rides. For dinner and drinks, you choose an Animal Kingdom favorite, Nomad Lounge. It is attached to Tiffin’s (Animal Kingdom’s signature dining restaurant) and has a great patio to enjoy!
End the night with an after-dark walk through Pandora and fun, themed drinks from Pongu Pongu!
Check Out
Your whirlwind, Star Wars weekend trip is sadly coming to an end! Hopefully this trip entices you to come back and continue to explore Batuu. Or maybe even check out the new Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser when it opens in Spring 2022! And maybe a trip to Disneyland to see their Galaxy’s Edge. Whatever you do, I can’t wait to hear all about it!
Overview
- Resort: Art of Animation (Value Resort)
- Check-in Day: Disney Springs
- Food: Food Trucks
- Day 1: Hollywood Studios
- Rides: Rise of the Resistance, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Tower of Terror, Star Tours, Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, Slinky Dog Dash, and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Food: Docking Bay 7, Oga’s Cantina, Ronto Roasters, Milk Stand
- Extras: Savi’s Workshop or Droid Depot
- Day 2: EPCOT/Magic Kingdom
- Rides: Soarin’, Mission Space, Test Track, Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Food: Space 220, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
- Day 3: Hollywood Studios/Animal Kingdom
- Rides: Star Tours, Millennium Falcon, Rise of the Resistance, Flight of Passage, DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest, Na’vi River Journey, Kali River Rapids, and Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Food: Ronto Roasters, Satu’li Canteen, Nomad Lounge
