Day 830, Quasi-Quarantine: Disney Day 2 Allows Us To Lose Ourselves In The Star Wars Universe

 

After an initial day in the Magic Kingdom, Day 2 at Disney World featured our long-awaited first trip to Batuu, an Outer Rim Territories planet.

Featuring rogues like smuggler Hondo Ohnaka, Black Spire Outpost is a gritty spaceport. The heat was occasionally overwhelming, but the level of detail and intricacies built into the experience were phenomenal.

A journey on Smuggler's Run was an essential place to start. With crew members assigned to pilot, navigator, and gunner, helming the Millennium Falcon represented a dream come true for any '80s kid -- or younger.

Visiting the various shops around the outpost, we tried blue and green milk (with and without alcohol), did some shopping (landing a rebel helmet, among other trinkets), and encountered some familiar figures from the Star Wars universe.

After building our own droid, we also rode Rise of the Resistance, a phenomenal ride that took you through being captured by the Empire and then escaping back into Batuu.

After a full day in Batuu, we had an appointment for late drinks at Oga's Cantina, which not only gave us an opportunity to experience an iconic cantina, but to take pictures of a near-empty park. The T-16 Skyhopper (Tito's vodka, Bols melon liqueur, kiwi, and half & half) and the Bad Motivator IPA from Sierra Nevada were standouts.

A whirlwind, immersive day in Black Spire Outpost for sure, and with nearly 32,000 steps as a family, we were ready to hyperdrive back to the hotel.

But Batuu was everything we hoped it might be, and more -- a not-insignificant feat considering the lofty expectations we brought with us to the Outer Rim.