Celebrating May the Fourth with excitement over Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

The happiest May the Fourth to all my Star Wars fellows! Indeed, it's a very happy date since reservations for the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge were officially opened a couple of days ago. This same month, the land will be opening at Disneyland for visitors to enjoy, so May will definitely be filled with Star Wars celebrations. I've already started the festivities by pulling off a "why hadn't I made this before?" Darth Maul inspired DisneyBound, like the Sith Lord I hope to become someday.

The Star Wars area at Disney's Hollywood Studios has always been one of my favorite parts of that park. So, naturally, the news of an expansion made me jump of joy... even though I must admit that I'll miss the Backlot Tour! Galaxy's Edge looks fantastic in all the photos and videos that have been released to date, and I can't wait to see it live once it fully opens. I think it's curious how Disney opted for a "reservation" method for Disneyland, but won't be having a similar procedure for Hollywood Studios. Obviously, Galaxy's Edge will be overflowing with expectant guests once it's open to the public, so controlling access to it may prove to be a nice way to improve the guests' experience once they're in.

Entering Galaxy's Edge will immerse us into the planet Batuu, which has never appeared in any of the Star Wars films before. We'll be visiting Black Spire Outpost, where we'll be able to explore around feeling like we're right in the middle of the Star Wars universe. By the way, did you know that this name comes from the fact that Batuu is known for its many spires, particularly the one where the outpost was built? It will be interesting to see the land morph and adapt itself to the twists and turns of the newest Star Wars films, since it's set within the newest sequel trilogy's time frame.

Concept art of Black Spire Outpost at Batuu. Photo from Gizmodo.com

One of the most attractive thing to see at Galaxy's Edge is the Millenium Falcon stationed at the outpost, which houses one of the new attractions: Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run. The other new attraction is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. An interesting aspect is that both rides will feature different versions within the same attraction, just like the latest upgrade Disney did on Star Tours. I'm quite thankful that Star Tours is also remaining untouched at Hollywood Studios.

Another thing I'm really excited about is all the new merchandise, food and drinks that will be offered within Galaxy's Edge. There will be four food stands and one cantina, with so many exclusive things on the menu that you'll need to come back several times to try everything. I'm especially intrigued by the fried Endorian tip-yip and the carbon freeze drink. Of course, the classic blue milk and its newest spin -green milk- are also on my list. On the other hand, there will also be nine new shops where you can buy different types of items including plushies, t-shirts, creature replicas, action figures, robes, accessories, home decor, lightsabers and much more.

Photos of merchandise, shops and attractions at Galaxy's Edge. Photos from Gizmodo.com

Speaking of lightsabers, it's been so cool to see people building their own lightsaber at the small station in Star Tour's exit shop through the past years; but it will be even cooler to have Savi's Workshop. This will provide visitors with a unique experience to "professionally" build their own lightsaber based on one of four disciplines and a kyber crystal (or lightsaber crystal) that each guest must choose from. A similar shop called Droid Depot will invite guests to create their own radio controlled droid, whether it's an R or BB series robot.

I'm more than positive that with all these new additions we'll be seeing much more of the Rebellion, the First Order, the Jedi force and the dark side, as the storylines keep developing through time and alongside the movies and other parts of the Star Wars franchise. We'll get the chance to feel like we're truly inside the Star Wars universe; eating, walking and breathing like Batuu citizens or even as galactic passersby. 

On the whole, I think of Galaxy's Edge as the perfect addition us, Star Wars and Disney Park fans, didn't know we needed. All that's left is to experience it ourselves. Unfortunately, my husband and I won't be able to make it to the parks this year, but we're definitely planning to travel to Disney World next year and hit up Hollywood Studios for a good dose of Star Wars at Galaxy's Edge. By the way, hopefully, when the crowds are not as crazy (as I'm sure they will be starting on May 31 and August 29 respectively)!

What are you most excited about? Leave a comment below!

I'll be posting more pictures (and a cool video) on my Instagram account, so feel free to follow me on social media for more content! 

Strolling through Sea World in my colorful squares skirt

Whoever knows me very well can tell you how enormously fond of theme parks I am. It might seem shallow to some, but I think there's no greater feeling than walking into a magical land filled with excitement, thrilling rides, beautiful settings, scrumptious food and an overall mood of joy. It might be one of my favorite feelings in the world. Sometimes I feel sad and nostalgic when it's been a long time without me going to a top-notch amusement park, especially because such a wonderful place makes me feel at home.

The last time I visited Sea World was during our honeymoon, last March. I'd never really taken much care for what I wore to the parks, but with it being a special occasion and given that I'm really into sewing and fashion, I decided to pack better outfits for our adventures. In this case, I chose to wear a gorgeous black tee with a blue macaw (a gift from my husband) with my colorful squares skirt. You might find this skirt familiar because it is precisely the gathered skirt that I show how to make in my YouTube tutorial. Since the weather was quite cold, I paired the outfit with my favorite sweater: a cozy Jack & Sally reversible hoodie from Hot Topic. I also threw in a very loyal and comfortable pair of sneakers from the ever-fabulous Payless Shoe Source store.

First of all, I want to say that I didn't really plan the outfit. I just knew our honeymoon would be the perfect moment to debut this gathered skirt. While I was choosing what to wear to Sea World, I rummaged through the pile of black and white tees that I'd packed, until inspiration hit me as soon as I saw this macaw one. What I loved the most was that the colors of both garments were practically meant to be together. Actually, that's also my favorite thing about the skirt: the color palette. Greens, yellows, blues and black are all combined into a very well-thought squared pattern decorated with animal icons and names. The cotton fabric literally looks like kids' blocks tiled far and wide across a solid light blue background. This adds an element of fun to the skirt, and it sure looks curious!

This was certainly not the first gathered skirt I made. By the time I confected it I already felt confident enough to make it out of thin air, and that's why I used it to film the tutorial. I've received lots of positive feedback for it, encouraging me to make more sewing tutorials... Which I will make in due time (or when I actually HAVE time). For now, I just love to wear this colorful skirt knowing that maybe, just maybe, one day someone will recognize it.

Making a gathered skirt is not a very complicated project. I can tell you it's much easier than creating a dress or a jacket. However, when you're new at sewing you might find it to be a daring task, especially with the gathering process and inserting the zipper. Fortunately, this wasn't the case with my skirt, albeit the Slytherin and Gryffindor inspired skirts that I posted previously in the blog were totally the case. Featuring three meters of hand-gathered fabric, a medium waistband and a back zipper and hook-and-eye closure, this beautiful skirt falls into a girly-comfortable clothing category. It was delightful to wear it on a promenade through Sea World, hauling no complaints from yours truly. And, oh surprise, my outfit also matched the park's colors!

Naturally, I came to the conclusion that my colorful squares skirt deserved a spotlight with a review in my blog after being the protagonist of what has been my most popular YouTube tutorial so far. So here it is. We walked around the whole Sea World park. We rode Manta, Kraken and the newest Mako roller coaster. We were stranded for ten minutes in front of the penguin window inside Empire of the Penguin. We had to run and seek shelter from the rain. To my worst regrets, we did not get a chance to ride Journey to Atlantis because they decided to do maintenance that same day. We watched dolphins, turtles, sharks, rays, belugas, walruses and sea lions swim. I enjoyed the whole park in my incredible skirt and felt fabulous all day. I think I've found my staple clothing item for amusement parks!

I must say I already miss the enthusiasm and the adrenaline rush from being at the parks. Hopefully we'll get to visit one soon, and I'll have some more gathered skirts awaiting their debut at a theme park too.

Thank you for reading! Remember to follow our adventures on Instagram @edu_and_joy 

Did you know? #1: The Great Movie Ride

Lights, Camera, Action!

A glamorous Hollywood marquee awaits guests inside

For all of those film enthusiasts who live wishing they could recreate some of their favorite moments from the motion picture history; this is definitely the ride for you.

Located at the Disney's Hollywood Studios (originally named MGM Studios; which was changed in early 2008), The Great Movie Ride was opened to the public on May 1st, 1989. The ride's exterior was built to resemble Hollywood Boulevard's famous Graumann's Chinese Theatre. Once inside, guests can appreciate real movie costumes and props displayed throughout the queue line in glass cases. They can also enjoy a looped video featuring extracts from several classic film trailers, which is projected in a small movie theater right before stepping into the carts. After enjoying the few film displays, guests are loaded into vehicles (with capacity for 34 people) driven by a cast member who will guide everyone through a memorable Hollywood film trip.

The original Great Movie Ride poster read "A spectacular journey into the movies", which is exactly what this wonderful attraction delivers to its many guests. Featuring scenes from movies such as Footlight Parade, George Of The Jungle, Mary Poppins and other huge classics, this 22-minute interactive ride sums up a true history of motion pictures in a fun and adventurous way.

Gene Kelly sings Singin' In The Rain on a light post

In addition to this, Disney has recently announced that the Great Movie Ride will be getting a revamp powered by the new partnership between Walt Disney World and Turner Classic Movies, which means TCM will be sponsoring the ride and financing the update. This could mean the removal or replacing of some of the film scenes pictured through the attraction. On the other hand, the queue line will be upgraded with digital content and several other treats. The new and improved ride is expected to be ready by spring of 2015. You can read more about it HERE.

Although I don't want to spoil the ride for those who haven't been on it, here's a link to a video showcasing the whole attraction from a POV in case you don't get to ride it before the upcoming renewal: Disney's: The Great Movie Ride.

You can also learn more about this ride visiting the DisneyWiki page.