The most immersive Star Wars experience arrives this summer

Disney is building an immersive Star Wars land at two of its theme parks in the US, where visitors can pilot the Millennium Falcon and come face-to-face with Kylo Ren.

It's going to be a big year for Star Wars fans. Not only is Episode IX coming out at the end of the year, but Disney has a multitude of other Star Wars projects in the pipeline, including a live-action TV show called The Mandalorian.

While all of that is exciting, Disney is going to elevate Star Wars fandom to new heights with attractions at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Later this year, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will open to the public, giving fans a chance to experience the universe first-hand.

The immersive experience will transport fans of all ages to a galaxy far, far away, where they'll get the opportunity to explore an original Star Wars planet, new rides, and a galactic outpost similar to the Mos Eisley cantina.

For Star Wars fans, the new Galaxy's Edge attraction will be like a home away from home, a place where people can celebrate their fandom and live in the same universe as characters like Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Princess Leia.

Star Wars: Galaxy Edge opens at the Disneyland Park and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA on May 31. Meanwhile, the same attractions will open at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL on August 29.

Here's everything you need to know before you visit these exciting Star Wars-themed areas.

What is Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge?

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge promises to be the ultimate Star Wars experience, where guests are meant to feel the Force. Disney is transforming 14 acres of land into an outpost known as Black Spire Outpost, which is all new for the upcoming attractions.

According to a Disney Parks blog, Black Spire Outpost is found on a remote planet called Batuu on the galaxy's edge (hence Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge).

"It was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes, but its prominence was bypassed by the rise of hyperspace travel. Now home to those who prefer to stay out of the mainstream, it has become a thriving port for smugglers, rogue traders and adventurers traveling between the frontier and uncharted space."

Batuu is essentially found in a forgotten pocket of the galaxy where all walks of life converge, giving visitors the chance to walk the line between dark and light sides. Similar to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Galaxy's Edge is designed to transport people to a galaxy far, far away, as if they're taking part in a Star Wars movie. It'll be filled with aliens, droids, Stormtroopers, and seedy-looking characters.

What can guests do there?

It's not enough to look like you're in the Star Wars universe. Disney is raising the bar by making visitors feel like they're an active and important participant of the story. In fact, Disney says that visitors will develop a reputation while they're at Galaxy's Edge.

For example, one of the attractions, called Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, will put the First Order against the Resistance, where guests will come face to face with Kylo Ren. The side you pick will lead to consequences throughout your stay. And depending on how well you perform on the Millennium Falcon ride, a Bounty Hunter might start hunting you.

"I hope that when people come to Galaxy's Edge and they experience it for the first time, that this place they're walking through, the characters they're seeing, the beasts and aliens and droids, puts them in a position where they give themselves over to the moment and into the story and play with us in the world of Star Wars," said Scott Trowbridge, Creative Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering.

When the park new attraction opens in Anaheim, only the ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will be open as part of "phase one" of the opening of Galaxy's Edge. Later in the year, "phase two" will include Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

Disney said that actors in costume at Galaxy's Edge will give visitors missions, and it'll be up to visitors to decide if they want to complete them or not. There will even be a cantina, known as Oga's Cantina, where visitors can enjoy alcohol and live musical performances.

Guests will also have the opportunity to build their very own custom lightsaber at a place called Savi's Workshop, which ties into a larger story. Savi is apparently a scrapper who has been collecting lightsaber pieces for years, waiting for a true hero to arise. That true hero, of course, is you.

When building a custom lightsaber, guests will get to pick between four disciplines: Power and Justice, Power and Control, Elemental and Nature, or Protection and Defense. You'll also get to choose your own kyber crystal. Based on your choices, you'll get your own unique lightsaber.

Meanwhile, Disney has said it will also open a Star Wars hotel at Disney World Resort in Florida, where visitors can expect the same immersive experience. That means everyone who works in the hotel will act like they're in Star Wars. Can Jedi robes be dry cleaned?

How does Galaxy's Edge tie-in with the movies?

Everything you see and do in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will fit into the franchise's mythology. Although the planet of Batuu is newly created for the themed lands, it is already canon within the Star Wars universe.

For example, the Black Spire Outpost, the main village in Galaxy's Edge, was briefly mentioned in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Batuu also showed up in a 2018 novel titled Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances.

Disney has said that visitors will see characters who are familiar and not so familiar. The main thing is that people who travel to Galaxy's Edge will know they're in Star Wars, with a war between the First Order and the Resistance waging on.

"Any great story has tension and conflict and it's not Star Wars without a war, so it was absolutely fundamental that the story of the land actually finds the guests between the Resistance and the First Order," said Carrie Beck, VP, Lucasfilm Story Group.

As mentioned before, one of the rides will allow visitors to pilot the Millennium Falcon on a dangerous mission.

"The experience of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run puts you straight in that cockpit, right behind the controls, whether you're one of the pilots, gunners, or flight engineers that are keeping the ship operating, it's going to be an intense, super fun experience on the fastest ship in the galaxy," Trowbridge said.

Disney is also leaving room for Galaxy's Edge to evolve, too. So, as more Star Wars movies and TV shows are released, guests might see new characters and attractions every time they visit.

How can I get tickets?

Although these Star Wars-themed lands don't open until later this year, you can start planning your visit now. Disney said that from May 31 to June 23, visitors to the attraction at Disneyland are required to make reservations, which won't come with an extra cost. The attraction in Florida won't have the same restrictions.

There's no telling how busy Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will be when it opens, so it might be a good idea to purchase a 3-day, 4-day, or even 5-day pass as soon as possible.

Disneyland ticket prices vary by day, so you'll have to take into consideration which day you want to go. If you go in the beginning of the week, tickets are a little cheaper—typically around $100 per person. But prices go as high as $149 per person if you go during peak times, like a holiday weekend.

Prices go to $154 depending on the day you purchase a Park Hopper ticket, which allows visitors to go between Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure.

When you get tickets to visit Disneyland, I highly recommend getting a Disney MaxPass.

If you do purchase your tickets ahead of time, you will have a limited window to use them. One-day tickets are valid from when you purchase them until December 30, 2020. Multi-day tickets must be used within 13 days of first use or by January 12, 2021, whichever occurs first.

When you do purchase tickets, I highly recommend checking out Disney MaxPass, which will really allow you to maximize your time while visiting the parks.

With MaxPass, you can make Fastpass selections from the Disneyland app, rather than having to go to each ride to grab a physical Fastpass ticket. It will save you a lot of time going back and forth between attractions and allow you to better plan your day. Upgrading to MaxPass is $15 per ticket.

You should start planning your visit now, because these lands will be hugely popular when they open.