Jedi Mind Trick?

It has been just over a month now since we took our first transport from Earth to Batuu and stepped foot into the Blackspire Outpost. Since then there has been some changes in operations, doubt regarding crowd levels and perceived success of the land and a lot of smuggling.

Let's start with some of the changes to how guests visiting Blackspire Outpost can experience the land and Oga's Cantina. Disney has implemented a virtual queue system should the land reach capacity they will have guests go into the My Disney Experience App or a physical kiosk in the park to book their entry time into the land. Thus far, only June 24, 2019, the first day the land opened to non-reservations guests was this system needed. Since then the crowd levels have not reached whatever Disney has determined to be its maximum capacity; so recently guests visiting Disneyland can walk in and out of Batuu just like they would any other land in the park.

Due to this, there has been much speculation on how successful the land is or will be. In my opinion, this is surprising but a welcomed one for me and Marzz and I think any other guests visiting the Blackspire. We have been able to leisurely wander the land, getting an opportunity to take more time in using the Play Disney app and utilizing the fun games and "tools" it has to offer that interact with land. We've also enjoyed walking around and not feeling overwhelmed by hoards of people which can happen in many parts of Disneyland during the peak seasons.

Now back to Oga's Cantina. Similar to the virtual queue system in place for the land, they have created same-day reservations for Oga's through the My Disney app that are available daily at 7AM. Just like any other reservation to a dining location, they do require a credit card to hold and charge a $10 fee per person on the reservation should you cancel or not show up. Otherwise, no charges are incurred for reserving the time slot and they start at 8AM and go until 11PM.

In a land that promotes smugglers, rebels and bounty hunters, it should be no surprise that theft is high in Batuu. Having said that, it is only theming people!!! Docking Bay 7 had these really interesting metal sporks when they first opened, but due to a high amount of theft, Disney has stopped using them and replaced them with plastic ones. Lame. But I don't blame Disney, I blame the people who have them posted on eBay for $60+. Another item that people have been stealing are the menus from Oga's Cantina, aparently these are disappearing at light speed! Lastly, I read that even signage in the land has been taken by guests. Not sure what to say other than, this is why we can't have nice things and it is going to ruin it for all of us who love this new land. I hope Disney can find a good way to keep the fun theming and stop or curb the theft. I would also like to see a way for them to curb the ebaying, because it makes it so difficult to purchase limited edition items etc. because of the ebayers buying them all up...but I digress, that is another issue altogether.

I don't want to end on a sour note. Instead I'd like to touch on how much Marzz and I enjoy this new land. I've some of the complaints, that it is not child friendly or there isn't much to do there. I think both of those can be true for families, with the latter hopefully being fixed as soon as Rise of the Resistance opens later this summer. As for children not liking it, I can understand that the land isn't as colorful as other parts of the park and perhaps Kylo Ren walking around or being yelled at by Stormtroopers isn't appealing to them? But it is to Star Wars fans. In my opinion this land, Batuu, was created for them and I think those fans love it and if anything, we want more of it. For example, I'm still waiting for the droids to be wandering the land and more creatures, but I suspect that is coming. I also would like to see more or different "shows" on the stage near the First Order outpost. Again, I feel those things are coming, this is just the beginning of many wonderful visits to the Batuu. This may end up just being a Jedi mind trick and the crowds are on the horizon...

If you have yet to visit, don't let any of the negative postings from people deter you. Try and go in with an open mind and although it may sound silly, watch Star Wars before going, any of the films or animated series, it will help get you in that mindset and when you enter the land, you will instantly feel more connected to it having those fresh memories of the films in your mind. Lastly, for those who have visited Batuu, what did you think? We would like to hear from you. You can also watch some of our adventures to Batuu on our YouTube channel- Nate and Marzz.

Thanks for reading and May the Force Be With You!